Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
  

Archive 2017 · Which editing software, and why?

  
 
wolfloid
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Which editing software, and why?


I've been using Lightroom for years. I used to also use Photoshop, but since my version wouldn't work on the Mac when I changed over, I found that my Lightroom 5.7 sufficed - it does everything I need it to do - easily. The simplest and most convenient option for me would be to just carry on using something I am completely happy with. I use a Canon 5d2 and a Fuji X100S.

I am likely to buy a new camera in the next year or so, perhaps an Rx1r3, an interchangeable lens FF Sony, or a Leica M10, or M10 Monochrome. Will I definitely need a new editing update or can I just carry on with what I have, somehow?

I don't really like the idea of a subscription, though would not rule it out. I definitely do not want to be Cloud dependent. Can Capture One replace my lightroom fully?



Oct 18, 2017 at 04:31 PM
Jman13
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Which editing software, and why?


Lightroom? Yes, though C1 by itself is a little clunky in DAM than Lightroom. The trial is fully funcand lasts 30 days, so dive in with it and see how you manage over the next month.


Oct 18, 2017 at 04:54 PM
Frogfish
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Which editing software, and why?


Take a look at Luminar (free one month trial) from MacPhun. Note that the new, 2018, version is the one you need to be buying as that will soon (few months) include their DAM. Note they claim that not only can you import LR's DAM into Luminar's but also import your LR pre-sets too (though Luminar supplies many with the program and other free pre-sets can be downloaded with a quick internet search).

Personally I have now created more of my own pre-sets and probably have more than 200 pre-sets to choose from as a starting point before hitting their equivalent of LR's Develop stage!

Overall the cost is very reasonable and more importantly the workflow and interface is better than LR/PS, for me personally. They do miss watermarking though so I hope that will be addressed sooner rather than later as I hate having to export it to LR simply for that.

Personally I'm almost certain to switch 100% to Luminar and other MacPhun products. MacPhun are far from perfect but Luminar is far ahead of LR for my processing needs (Affinity covers my PS requirements, which is very rarely used anyway since Luminar has excellent Layers).

MacPhun's 'Noiseless' standalone program is excellent and ahead of anything else I've used and their Tonality supplanted Silver Efex for B&W processing for me a long time ago.

Luminar and the other programs may not be for everyone but MacPhun are a young & aggressive company supplying innovative products and worth a look for a lot of people who maybe don't require the depth of functions of PS (though Luminar can also perform many typical PS functions) and use the Adobe CC mainly for LR and do note that they can all be added to LR as plugins if you prefer.

Edited on Oct 20, 2017 at 08:06 AM · View previous versions



Oct 20, 2017 at 06:40 AM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Which editing software, and why?


I use CS PS6. I'll probably upgrade to PS CC soon, as I now have two cameras that aren't suported by the old ACR that's in CS6. For these cameras, I currently open the (Canon) RAW files in DPP, and transfer the TIFF to CS PS6. It's starting to get annoying.

I've used PS for 15+ years. For photo editing, I'm only limited by what I know how to do and what I can think of to do; not by the software. I don't use LR, because I prefer to manage my photo archive by myself.



Oct 20, 2017 at 08:04 AM
Michael H
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Which editing software, and why?


Might get a better response in the post processing section, but...

If LR is working for you, and you don't feel like you are missing anything maybe you should upgrade to the latest and see how that works out. Does the M10 use DNG for raw files? If so I would think you would be fine with what you have. No idea about the Sony but you might be missing support for that.

I've tried the Macphun products, and I've not been happy with performance and they honestly feel a bit gimicky to me in many ways. While I have not tried the latest version which claims to have improved performance, opening Fuji RAF files from my XP2 or XT2 take literally 30 seconds to open. That is simply not acceptable on a modern well equipped computer. I brought this to their attention and even sent sample files on request. Response was simply yeah, we know.



Oct 20, 2017 at 11:28 AM
sebboh
Online
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Which editing software, and why?


LR subscription (much as i hate the subscription idea). all my presets and libraries were already there and the effort of learning new software and making new presets was just too much for me. $10/month for PS and LR didn't seem to bad at the time given the cost and expected lifetime of stand alone copies.


Oct 20, 2017 at 11:59 AM
wolfloid
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Which editing software, and why?


Thanks for the responses so far, and thanks for reminding me that with the M10 I wouldn't need to do anything.

The problem with the subscription idea is the concern that if I can't pay for it at some point, then I won't have access to all my photos.



Oct 20, 2017 at 12:22 PM
sebboh
Online
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Which editing software, and why?


wolfloid wrote:
Thanks for the responses so far, and thanks for reminding me that with the M10 I wouldn't need to do anything.

The problem with the subscription idea is the concern that if I can't pay for it at some point, then I won't have access to all my photos.


you still have access to the photos on your drive, just not the LR processing you'd done (if you export the photos after processing you still have access to the processed photos too).



Oct 20, 2017 at 12:36 PM
Xavier Rival
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Which editing software, and why?


Great idea to post this thread, I hope a lot of good info will emerge here (I am also interested in this question, for the same reasons, no need to elaborate on that).

wolfloid wrote:
I don't really like the idea of a subscription, though would not rule it out. I definitely do not want to be Cloud dependent. Can Capture One replace my lightroom fully?


I used it before LR, and it has many of the features that LR has, but at that time was not so good at Digital Assets Management. From their website, it seems it improved.
One thing that will be a problem is porting the editing work that you have already done in LR. Since the engines are different, there is no hope for a perfect solution, but keeping a large part of the edits would help the switch. From the link below, it seems it could recover a part of them, but I am not sure at all how well this works:
https://www.thephoblographer.com/2017/03/06/import-lightroom-catalogs-capture-one/

Another option that I consider is DarkTable, though it seems much less well integrated than LR (experience after one hour of use...). It says it has a module to recover many of the edits done in LR, and remap them to close settings for its own engine, but I have not succeeded to get the procedure to work for me so far. I will be investigating it this week-end, and maybe asking on their forums, and will report back.

The other option that I am considering closely is DxO. It is good to know that the "Essential" version (that seems quite full featured) is currently free (limited time offer on their website), and the "Elite" version has a 25% discount. For now, I am evaluating the basic version, and I am quite pleased with the results so far (I processed only a couple of pictures so far, and I am very impressed with the files produced).



Oct 20, 2017 at 02:26 PM
doc4x5
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Which editing software, and why?


I understand people's frustration with Adobe and am not an Adobe fanboy but people need to be aware that these small companies are a some risk of financial failure (as are all companies including Adobe). Should one put all one's photos in a DAM with a company that fails, most do not have much of a track record, there goes a lot of work. The actual image files, presumably tiff's or dng's may survive but... Don't let frustration with Adobe make you shoot yourself in the foot in the long term.


Oct 20, 2017 at 02:35 PM
Frogfish
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Which editing software, and why?


From the horses mouth :
Luminar 2017 does not have lens correction and transform tools, but it will be available in v2018 which is being released soon. (it is already available in Aurora HDR 2018)

BTW I've also just found out that a lot of the NIK team moved to MacPhun although some of their NIK work is proprietary. This could be why the MP products have improved so much over the past couple of years.



Oct 20, 2017 at 03:55 PM
Frogfish
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Which editing software, and why?


sebboh wrote:
LR subscription (much as i hate the subscription idea). all my presets and libraries were already there and the effort of learning new software and making new presets was just too much for me. $10/month for PS and LR didn't seem to bad at the time given the cost and expected lifetime of stand alone copies.


MacPhun have said you'll be able to import them all into the 2018 version of Luminar. Since it costs nothing to have a look (download for a 1 month trial) I'd suggest people do that (bearing in mind that DAM, Pre-set imports and Lens Adjustments haven't been released yet) or wait for the ful l2018 version and give it trial run when those have all been implemented.

I found the MP programs pretty damn simple to pick up after LR (and I don't use PS and hadn't used layers before .. I do now) !



Oct 20, 2017 at 03:59 PM
Xavier Rival
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Which editing software, and why?


Frogfish wrote:
MacPhun have said you'll be able to import them all into the 2018 version of Luminar. Since it costs nothing to have a look (download for a 1 month trial) I'd suggest people do that (bearing in mind that DAM, Pre-set imports and Lens Adjustments haven't been released yet) or wait for the ful l2018 version and give it trial run when those have all been implemented.


Do you mean that they will be able to import edits made in LR and reproduce their effect or a close approximation of it ? Or just the basic metadata ? (that is much easier; in fact, I see that DxO and DarkTable seem to do it easily). That seems very hard to achieve, but if they are going to make it that is great.



Oct 20, 2017 at 04:15 PM
timde
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Which editing software, and why?


I have a Sony A7ii and have used both C1 and ON1 Raw. Its worth trying them both out to see which one you like more, they also have Lightroom conversion/import tools, so you might even be able to preserve your edits!?!

Right now I actually use both; C1 to adjust exposure, white-balance and apply lens corrections; and then ON1 Raw to do effects - mostly because I find ON1 Raw's masking tool is faster (less frustrating) and it has many more effects than C1.



Oct 20, 2017 at 04:24 PM
philip_pj
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Which editing software, and why?


'not the LR processing you'd done (if you export the photos after processing you still have access to the processed photos too).'

The major purpose of malevolent software (and the shameful practitioners hiding behind it) is stop the action with idiocy. To throw additional steps in the way of busy doers, leveraging more power and less effort to themselves in a blatant bid for what s/w designers may call desktop sovereignty.

I'm with Jim 100%; few computer literate folks cannot master a file system and tailor it to their own exact needs without a (now fully remote) lying Big Brother holding out sweets in one hand, whip in other hand. The old stick and carrot routine. Too bad PS is one of the best applications ever built.

C1 is another poor effort, trying to force you to think 'its way', rather than simply doing the job.



Oct 20, 2017 at 06:22 PM
takomaru
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Which editing software, and why?


I started testing Affinity Photo yesterday and will test for a bit before I can give a sound opinion on it, way better than all mentioned and tested comon apps for my use.

But last night, after watching a short video on the introduction of Luminosity Masking in both LR & ACR; this gives me a tool I've been begging for the past 2 years! Currently using luminosity masking extensions panels from B&WVisions and LUMENZIA, both in PS but in RAW? It blows me away, a reference and short video here http://www.iso1200.com/2017/10/luminosity-masking-in-adobe-camera-raw.html

For me personally in my workflow, the Photomerge feature of LR made it my choice in RAW editing, so as long as it worked did not try other RAW development as others did, different when files didn't mount like 3 row stitched storm panos where I have to use anchor points & stitch manually, so sometimes did resort to C1 or DxO, but kept my subscription with Adobe running; with the Luminosity Masking feature, I will continue with it, as it shows much support and development in features much needed in the last versions and updates from Adobe....regards, takomaru



Oct 20, 2017 at 08:15 PM
dakel
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Which editing software, and why?


I use LR6 and PS CS 5. I will continue doing so until I find something better or buy a new camera. At that point I will have to change to the subscription model or a competitor.

I've been trying the beta version of On1 Photo Raw 2018 for the past couple of days and am quite impressed with it. Not as refined or powerful as LR, but still seriously impressive and does some things better than LR. In the past I've tried the 30 day trial of C1Pro and really like the output I was able to get but didn't want to spend $300.

I have no doubt in the next year or two, the competitors will catch up to LR.



Oct 20, 2017 at 09:24 PM
freaklikeme
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Which editing software, and why?


LR and PS through subscription, Nik/Google apps, C1P8, and AutoPanoPro.

LR because of familiarity, convenience, and access to the Nik/Google apps. PS because it was included in the subscription and it does most panos very well. C1 was an old experiment that got new relevance when I discovered Adobe doesn't support Leaf RAWS from the Aptus 75. APP because it does complex/manual panos better than PS.



Oct 20, 2017 at 11:11 PM
LightShow
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Which editing software, and why?


I've been holding off updating LR till I upgrade my camera, since the only option after this year will be CC only, I'll be looking elsewhere.
Luminar will be a possibility.



Oct 21, 2017 at 02:29 AM
Frogfish
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Which editing software, and why?


Xavier Rival wrote:
Do you mean that they will be able to import edits made in LR and reproduce their effect or a close approximation of it ? Or just the basic metadata ? (that is much easier; in fact, I see that DxO and DarkTable seem to do it easily). That seems very hard to achieve, but if they are going to make it that is great.

It seems highly unlikely they will be able to import the history of an edited photo simply because the tools are not identical. However the DAM is supposedly capable of importing the structure of your LR DAM and so too the pre-sets (though again I'm not sure they can do this in it's entirety but they are claiming that) but I'd imagine they will be able to import your previous final edited version as a TIFF, as any program could. It can surely read the basic metadata as that is simply the sidecar XMP file.




Oct 21, 2017 at 02:34 AM
1
       2       end




FM Forums | Leica & Alternative Gear | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.