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Do beginners need software?

"RE: Do beginners need software?"

Tue 31-Jan-12 07:22 PM | edited Tue 31-Jan-12 07:24 PM by jadiniz
I'd say a basic photo system encompasses not only a camera body and lens, but also a processing software. It will do two major functions:
-manage your photo library, that should build-up quite rapidly to the point where moving between windows and folders is no longer a viable option; this includes filing, ranking, sorting, deleting, and choosing the keepers;
-process the ones you deem worthy, one by one, or do a batch process for snapshots. This may vary from a simple raw conversion and adjustment, to a b&w job, to major creative changes or deep alterations.
Either way, photography is only halfway done when you press the shutter. The final product, be it a printout or a web posting, will most definetely require some handling in software.
An accomplished pro or amateur photographer will have to master both trades: the capture and the processing.

Most important that any specific item of software or hardware, is the education of the artist/operator/photog. Knowledge is widely available for those who invest their time, their brains and their love into photography. Artistic vision and technical expertise can be grown.

As for suggestions, you can start for instance with the affordable Photoshop Elements. Everything you learn there will be applicable for the future. My personnal choice is Lightroom, and one can either stop there or grow with plug-ins and dedicated external editors (DxO, Nik, OnOne, Photoshop CS).
My final word is this: find one software that fills your needs, and stick with it for a while. Get books, classes, share forums' experiences, learn it inside out. You will be a better photographer after a while. Same piece of advice goes regarding camera bodies, lenses and speedlights. Stick with it until you can master your tool. Tools will change, but your education will always grow, and thats the most important thing.
This is a hot, active topic! Do beginners need software? [View all] , Derekng99 , Thu 19-Jan-12 08:52 AM
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