Photo Editing Software Review - What To Look For
Photography is and always been a very important part of our lifestyle. Taking photographs is not the end result - it's more the emotions and feeling we experience when we site back and review the photos with friends or family. But to get the best results, you'll be well advised to read some photo editor software reviews before parting with your cash on the latest image editing tools. All Photo Editing Software has different features. Is the product user-friendly? Are the features and instructions easily understood? Are the features difficult to find? Are there easily accessible support options? Is the documentation useful and explanatory? Do tutorials explain difficult concepts or options? Is the technical support available and knowledgeable? There are also several freeware photo editors available that you can download to get a feel for what king of features you think you'll need. Photo editing software encompasses all of the features that allow you to improve or add to your photo (e.g. lighting adjustment, effects, text, etc.). Most software supports Red Eye Removal and will let you rotate, resize and flip photos to really get a feel for how they look in other perspectives. Rotating is when you turn the picture from a horizontal position to a vertical one or vice-versa. Resize means that you can change the dimensions and/or resolution of an image. Flip is when you reverse an image so it has a mirror effect. Some software allows you to rotate an image virtually by any degree & dimensions. So, to get to the point, here's my list of important features that you should look out for when looking over the photo editor software reviews: Ease of Use: If you have a list of all the features you like, this is the best place to start. Check out a few shareware applications that let you get your hands dirty before you have to pay. This will allow you see exactly how easy they are to use, and if they offer all the features you want. Make sure there are help manuals and/or user tutorials that come with it - as the last thing you want is an un-user friendly piece of software gathering dust on your hard drive. Import and Export: There's lots of different formats for storing and saving image files, depending on which application was used to save the final image. A good photo editor should support at least the major file formats, including JPG, GIF, BMP, TIF, PICT, EPS, PDF - these are considered the main or most common formats. If you're also planning to download and edit photos from the internet, you may want to look for software that supports as many different file formats as possible - more is always good. Image Editing: You'll want to look for a photo editor that will allow you to modify and improve features like poor lighting and red eye, and maybe add text or special effects to your photos. The ability to change the hue (color) of an image or just certain colors within an image. Good photo editing software supports adjustment Layers which gives you the ability to manipulate your photo with effects such as lighting or color adjustments without actually changing your original photo. Photo and File Sharing: It's always good to have the ability to optimize the photo images for different storage options - depending on what you wish to do with the finished image. If you're planning to upload your photos to the web, you'll likely want to be able to keep the file size to a minimum without sacrificing the overall quality and appearance. Photo Organizer: A useful feature of the software would be the ability to organize your photos easily - can the photo editor search for images already on your PC? Will it let you search and/or view EXIF (the data stored by the digital camera)? And finally, and probably equally important as the other features (at least for getting started) is the user manual, support and help. Depending on what you want to do with your photo editor software, some features can be quite complex, so it's important that the application has well written and easy to understand user manuals. If there are tutorials available, this is also an added bonus - though in a lot of cases, you can usually find photo editor software reviews and tutorials online - and most of them are free. One last tip - computer magazines are also a great place to track changes in the photo editing software market and the software manufacturer websites can provide key information about features and system requirements, so are always worth a look. |