Photo Editing Software

Buyer's guide - what to look for in Photo Editing software

We've all fallen in love with digital photography. Being able to check the preview of the picture you've just taken has practically eliminated the lottery that is blurred images, family members blinking and friends with chopped off heads.

But how many times have you then viewed your pictures on a big screen only to notice those smaller imperfections? Whether it's red eye, glare, stray objects in the background or poor contrast - there is always something! And perhaps you're a budding photographer that wants to enhance the lighting and contrast of your images, or are looking to restore old pictures by removing scratches and other damage?

Photo editing software has been the domain of the professional 'Photoshopper' for many years. The software has always been complicated with a steep learning curve - often requiring training courses and years of heavy usage to perfect. And the price has always been beyond the typical family budget.

With the surging popularity of digital photography, and the improvement in desktop computer memory, a raft of new photo editing software is available that is tailored to the amateur user. We have listed five of the most popular, all of which are reasonably prices and with a minimal learning curve.

Here's what you should look for when considering photo editing software:

• Editing effects - The software should cover all the basics, such as adjusting brightness, contrast, sharpness, text effects, resize and cropping


• Wizards and one click operations - look for automatic red eye removal, scratch removal, colour balancing, special effects (like sepia and black & white conversion)


• File formats - All the basic file formats will be covered (typically JPG, GIF, BMP, EPS, TIF, PICT) but some will allow others, such as Photoshop's native format PSD.


• Organization and sharing - You may already have a system for organizing your photos (such as the standard Window's file system or iPhoto) but if not your software may offer organization features. Similarly, look out for software that will allow you to easily share photos via popular photo sharing services such as Facebook, Picassa and Flickr.


• Tutorials and training - Unless you are familiar with general photo editing principals you will likely need to run through some tutorials to get the best out of your software. Look for tutorials or online training. Support forums (whether official or unofficial) are a plus so that other users can help you while you're learning.


• Help and support - As with all software, sometimes you will require assistance. Whether it's a lost software key or software failure you should look for a responsive vendor. Comprehensive online help files or an active user forum are a must. Telephone or live-chat support is also recommended.

Our user score is particularly helpful in determining the ease of use, help & support and overall satisfaction of each product.