In an attempt to get a hobby that doesn't involve booze or football my wife has bought me a rather expensive camera.
I've always enjoyed photography but have never owned anything other than a reasonably decent point and shoot.
I know a few on here are keen on the hobby and am sure there are people who do it for a living.
I'm after some advice around editing software. What do you guys/girls use? What is the best free software?
Thanks in advance
1
Comments
In terms of the Editing Software I tend to use Photoshop though isnt cheap, try to stay true to the image as well so I usually only tend to play around with the Brightness / Contrast etc... rather than removing and adding bits and pieces
Have already had a play around with some sunset shots and they have come out pretty well.
Not quite confident enough to start uploading to a flickr but will do eventually.
Lumix are pretty good, what model? As stilladdicted says, shoot in RAW, but it would be handy to learn about different formats etc. RAW is great if you want to do a lot of colour correction etc in editing. Learn the rule of thirds, invest maybe in a tripod and you'll be better than most instagram wannabe photographers.
Plus I would find it really rewarding when I posted a picture that got 10, 50, 100 views and would drive me to take better shots
Most importantly, just get out there and shoot. The more you take the better you get.
Agree with @ForeverAddickted Join Flickr, there are plenty of groups and you get some great advice.
Oh and get a couple of big cards and a spare battery!
As John Boy says, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is the go to book. You can't go wrong with that. In fact I've just looked on my bookshelf and realised I've still got a copy and don't use it. It's yours if you want it, just drop me a PM and I'll send it to you.
The full version of Photoshop will take a while to master and to edit photos with. I'm not sure if they still do the stripped down version (Elements) but that was relatively cheap and is worth looking into.
I use Lightroom (and have upgraded with a few versions of it throughout the years). It's very easy to use and is a great cataloging tool. If you go down that route then the Scott Kelby books are very user friendly as tuition. Alas it's not free but it is well worth paying for.
Don't laugh but there used to be a free bit of software called GIMP. 'Something' Image Manipulation Programme. If you want the basics for free, then you can't go wrong. I can't remember if you can edit in RAW in it though.
As BDL says, just get yourself out there (or even stay inside) and take loads of photos and learn by your mistakes.
It's a wonderful, if somewhat expensive hobby.
Good luck and I'd love to see some photos. I always found posting some pics on a Forum for friendly analysis was a great help.
Maybe we could even set up a CL group somewhere.
Viewfinder & Blackheath's stuff are cracking.
The proprietary software that comes with most cameras is OK for simple developing. That said, if Panasonic are still using Silky Pics, that is very clunky and you'd be advised to get something else from the off. I can personally recommend Lightroom 5, it'll do your RAW conversions for you and has a pretty full range of development tools. If you have access to a .ac.uk email address you used to be able to get a considerable reduction on Adobe products. Beware of Creative Cloud though, I've heard stories of people getting caught out and having to pay annual subscriptions for services they didn't want or need. Paint, as mentioned above is OK and free, but personally I found that I grew out of it pretty quickly. I personally use Gimp for much of my editing and absolutely love it. That said, RAW conversion with GIMP can be a bit of a bugger so it might be a useful add on rather than main piece of software.
Books
I can't get past JohnBoy's tip. Bryan Petterson's Understaning Exposure is by far and away the best photography book I've ever read.
Tips
- Switch the camera to fully manual. Don't bother with any of the other settings until you fully understand how to get the best out of it.
- Think about each image before you shoot it. What do you want the finished picture to look like? What do you need to do to achieve this?
- Always shoot RAW.
- Set yourself some challenges; to achieve things you haven't before or to kern things you don't know about.
- Experiment with different types and styles of photography - what do you enjoy the best.
also remember that you can never take too many images
Silly Q but what is meant by shooting in Raw? Currently using the auto function.
The only problem is that if you gun off a few thousand shots in a day, it's a lot of processing to do.
BTW That's a decent camera you bought ;-)
Shooting in RAW is akin to seeing an original film negative if you like, it's ripe for being edited but will need a bit of work for each photo. It gives you artistic licence and allows you to reduce overblown (very white) skies, reducing noise and bringing out shadows etc. (there is more to it than that but those are the easiest to fix in editing, along with adding clarity/punch to your pics).
A JPEG will be just fine for normal snaps where you don't really care about much editing, it also takes up loads less memory on your card.
Have a good look through the manual and see what the camera can do. There is a lot to learn but even on basic settings you'll be laughing in terms of image quality.
If you don't already have them, buy a cleaning kit with a blower and cloth and also a lens filter. A UV or other filter could be the best £20 you'll ever spend, rather than a shattered lens.
Btw what is the benefit of a lens filter?
Their real purpose is cutting out unwanted UV rays. This can be very handy up in the mountains, but is pretty pointless in SE England.
My friend had his camera in a bag and got it out at The Oval, completely shattered filter. Lens fine. Happened on the train on the way up there, no idea how. Pure bad luck.
Learnt my lesson that day and have saved a fortune after having a huge scratch on the filter but nothing on the lens itself.
Oh and wrap your strap around your wrist when shooting.
Dropped my beloved point and shoot at the Charlton darts last year whilst pissed, absolutely gutted.
Anyhow, when I was using it on a regular basis, I was reviewing the JPEGs but anything I wanted to keep, I processed the RAW files. Pretty basic but cut down the post-processing time.
Really must pick up my camera again. Have got lazy in the last few years and just take my compact or snaps with my iPhone. Never the same quality though.
http://howtogimp.com/raw-photos-with-gimp/