Image Processing Software

[PCH]

Hi Guys,

I see that Adobe Photoshop is the product that many of the more experienced imagers use to process their data with to produce those stunning images that we see posted here.

But what version of the software is required. There seems to be a real assortment of versions of Adobe Photoshop - the most expensive being CS3 which I see some people here are using. This is quite pricey at around $800. Is there a cheaper version that will do the job?

Cheers,:thumbsup:

[Astrod00d]

I was using Photoshop 5 lite for a while but it was very limited, could only manipulate 8-bit data. You really need 16-bit to stretch a raw image properly. Just recently, I got CS3 on Ebay for less than $400 so you could consider that.
I've never used anything other than Photoshop, there's a lot of other image processing utilities out there, I'm sure others will tell you all about them.

Cheers,

Rob

[peter_4059]

If you want something free try "the Gimp". It only does 8 bit but has much of the same functionality as PS (including levels and curves). It does take a bit of getting used to though.

[shane shaw]

If you download a program called Bitlord or Bittorrent, you can search for any programs you wish for for eaxmaple search for , photoshop cs3 torrents, or photo shop elements torrents.

Now you download the whole program for free and install it on your computer. how easy is that.

but don't forget to send a cheque to the company for payment of the program after you have done this :) :D because downloading illegal software is illegal and i dont want to see someone get in trouble.