[rajb3125]

LightRoom3/Aperture are for organising Catalogues and doing upto a certain level of color correction and exposure compensation. Think of it as a great version of Nikon Capture NX2.

Photoshop/Gimp jump in for major editing, honestly these days all i use photoshop is for Content Aware and Cloning and that happens to about 5% of my images. LightRoom is plenty for everything else.

Final Cut is more of video.

Lightroom seems daunting but as said before its more of baggage from other softwares but once you get used to it, its just awesome.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by ampere

Folks dont use GIMP?

Sorry for my ignorance. I know PS/LR are professional S/Ws. But then where do all these folks stand against each other? PS/LR/Aperture/Final Cut/GIMP?

I still use Picasa to manage my photos. Tried LR beta 3. It seemed too much a time when I was not serious about all this.

More basic: Can we at all put them in the same pedestal?

I am still shooting JPEG and not gone to RAW, as I have no idea of Post Processing.

For most of us even GIMP is an overkill.
I have 2 cameras. One is the 350d. for that I use DPP only for 95% of my photographs.
For Panasonic, since the silkypix software is not very good, I use GIMP(with ufraw plugin).
If I were a JPEG shooter, I would use GIMP. There is nothing GIMP cannot do viz photoshop, unless you are a professional, and advanced printing stuff and all matters to you.
GIMP has many nice sharpening and denoise plugins. Only thing lacking in GIMP viz lightroom is that lightroom has better group editing and processing approach.
However, if you use canon DPP, you actually do not need GIMP too! But then GIMP is always nice to have for those 5% tricky pics.

[ampere]

Can you point to a basic GIMP tutorial? Manual is too big!

PS: You know the history: Folks rarely read manuals! Want to learn on the job!

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by ampere

Can you point to a basic GIMP tutorial? Manual is too big!

PS: You know the history: Folks rarely read manuals! Want to learn on the job!

As TSk said Canon DPP + GIMP is best combination , UFRaw I find that as problem due to yellow tint on MF lens RAW but for others it might be OK.

YouTube - GIMP Basics-Introduction + Beginner tutorial exercise (How to use GIMP)

This is basic tutorial , For anything else as well just search in youtube you will find a video

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by ampere

Can you point to a basic GIMP tutorial? Manual is too big!

PS: You know the history: Folks rarely read manuals! Want to learn on the job!

If you are on a p2p connection, try searching for GIMP tutorial on Torrentz and then downloading it. I am studying a couple of books on my personal laptop. Will get hold of those titles and send the names across to you. BTW, I like to learn on the job as well, so just start cranking your files through GIMP. For RAW files I just use the Silkypix software that came bundled with my HS10 and do the processing of the TIFFs in GIMP.

Try this link as well: eBooks on GIMP

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by amitk26

..What is portable version ?

I dont know the technical explanation to that question, but here is what I can see (image below) and thats what I am told. I know every software is available on payment, but who wants to pay when we get things FREEEE

[avimal]

how reliable is Jayesh Mehta, Foto Circle, Bangalore? His quotes for canon are cheaper than that on canon india web site and others canon dealors ( about 10% less). I am wondering how? is there any catch in buying from Jayesh?

[rajb3125]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I dont know the technical explanation to that question, but here is what I can see (image below) and thats what I am told. I know every software is available on payment, but who wants to pay when we get things FREEEE
Attachment 485598

Because a team of guys make there earning on us paying for the softwares otherwise companies go broke resulting in guys being laid and there lives being ruined.

And there is always FREE alternatives if someone doesn't want to pay for software. But each to there own i guess.

***These are my personal opinions, if anyone feels they are rude please ignore me***

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by avimal

how reliable is Jayesh Mehta, Foto Circle, Bangalore?

I have bought many things from him and referred many friends to him, so far no issues !

Originally Posted by rajb3125

....And there is always FREE alternatives if someone doesn't want to pay for software. But each to there own i guess.

Raj, Amit, cool down, every professional will pay and use such things. I dont earn a rupee out of my photographs, so my first preference will be tons of free stuff available. There are plenty to choose from, they all meet basic hobbyist needs. When I am more serious about my hobby, I will be more than happy to get a PRO version of my favorite software because of the additional benefits I get out of genuine stuff. My PC runs on Win XP PRO original and anything that is connected to my work is genuine.

Thats the basic difference between 'bread-earner' and 'time-pass'. Hope you guys understand.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by shajufx

Thats the basic difference between 'bread-earner' and 'time-pass'. Hope you guys understand.

Well my comment was tongue in cheek I deleted it realizing it may be misinterpreted. Don't worry I don't work for Adobe and I will get my salary as long as you buy phones LOL

[clevermax]

@Amit: A portable version is a standalone version of the app which doesn't require installation. This means you can copy the whole application folder to a USB drive and run the app in another PC and all your settings are preserved as is.

It doesn't need to touch the OS's registry or any other settings like adding an environmental variable or registering a COM component. It runs in its own sandbox we can say.

Check out PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives

I had used portable Thunderbird for few months. It functioned just like the actual installable version.

[arunsasi]

Portable apps is a must use if you tend to use others PCs/multiple PCs. Its good to have portable email, office suite antivirus, encryption and password management where ever you use

[Samurai]

I use Photoshop CS4 on 3 PCs. But I can keep it activated only in two PCs. Whenever I leave for Bangalore, I deactivate the installation on the Manipal PC. Whenever I leave for Manipal, I deactivate the installation on the Bangalore PC.

[YaeJay]

I am someone that started taking pics at an early age of err welll 2nd std. Canon FT. Later on got access to newer tech. I do have the FT, a Pentax, a few NIKONs, FM2 being my all time fav. Never done serious photography for almost a decade. responsibilities.

Now, I want to buy a DSLR to use all the old Nikor lenses. Advice required. I need a fully manual over ride DSLR. ( big ego of mine thinks it can out think a cam, used to it, dad used to use a light meter if he was unsure, never used the inbuilt cam meter, Ofcourse he is an established wildlife photographer, has his work published! and all I have is one pic published as a cover years back ) ).

One, of my 2011 resolutions, never had any till now! Guys, with exp please help, else I will have to travel to mount them all!

[rajb3125]

Originally Posted by YaeJay

I am someone that started taking pics at an early age of err welll 2nd std. Canon FT. Later on got access to newer tech. I do have the FT, a Pentax, a few NIKONs, FM2 being my all time fav. Never done serious photography for almost a decade. responsibilities.

Now, I want to buy a DSLR to use all the old Nikor lenses. Advice required. I need a fully manual over ride DSLR. ( big ego of mine thinks it can out think a cam, used to it, dad used to use a light meter if he was unsure, never used the inbuilt cam meter, Ofcourse he is an established wildlife photographer, has his work published! and all I have is one pic published as a cover years back ) ).

One, of my 2011 resolutions, never had any till now! Guys, with exp please help, else I will have to travel to mount them all!

Nikon D7000, Will even meter with your old lenses. Pretty much every single DSLR has full manual overrides, so not a biggie there. It also has video which I am not into, so got no idea if its great or its crap in that regard. But in relation to photography, its just amazing.

Again, biggest thing for you will be FULL "A" mode with older lenses (that is upto Ai/Ais). If you do have older Pre-Ai lenses. I suggest selling them on ebay, as they make great collectors items and will provide significant amount of cash, or you can do what I did and convert them into Ai with a dremel/hacksaw and a file.