Best photo editing software recommendations?

Can anyone give me a recommendation? I'm looking for something solid and practical that can handle cinematic effects and stuff like that. Thanks!😉

Adobe Photoshop CS4.

A picture with film effects??? I’m sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what you’re even talking about...

granitepilot70 said:with cinematic effects

I mean, I don't think you really know how to describe what you're actually looking for.

OFT:
@Kyle Bennett3/">@@Kyle Bennett3: Why jump straight to Photoshop? Once they get it and realize it’s not just some "click a button to add a border" kind of thing, they'll probably just leave it alone. Usually, if someone picks up Photoshop as their very first bit of raster graphics software, they already have a pretty good idea of what it's actually for.
And if the person who started this thread is asking for a "CINEMATIC EFFECT" (whatever that's supposed to mean—maybe they're using the wrong term?), then I'm guessing they aren't really into this type of stuff. Sure, Photoshop is the king of that, but man, it's definitely not for everyone. I'm honestly getting a little tired of people who just use PS to resize photos and slap some text on them. 👎
That's basically sacrilege. 😁 It's almost an insult to His Majesty Photoshop himself. 🙏 😁
It's like buying a Ferrari and just leaving it locked in the garage. 🤷

granitepilot70 said:Does anyone have any good recommendations? I'm looking for something practical that can handle cinematic effects and stuff like that. Thanks!😉

I’ve been playing around with Photofiltre lately. It’s actually a pretty handy little tool to have in your kit!

Corel PaintShop Pro Photo X2 is actually quite impressive

I realize this might sound like a bit of a silly question, but does anyone know if it's actually possible in Photofiltre to layer a processed image onto a larger canvas you're currently working on—say, when you're putting together a design?
thanks

granitepilot70 said:Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm looking for a solid photo editor that's easy to use but still packs some punch—you know, something with cool cinematic effects and all that good stuff. Thanks!😉

Honestly, just stick with Photoshop and call it a day. If you don't master it, you aren't really mastering any of them. It’s much better to invest your time in learning the industry standard right from the start rather than jumping between tools that won't take you anywhere.

Raymond Campbell35 said:I honestly don't think you can even describe what you're actually looking for.

OFT:
@Kyle Bennett3/">@@Kyle Bennett3: Why jump straight to Photoshop? They'll grab it, see that it doesn't just work by clicking "add border," and then they'll leave it alone. Someone who picks Photoshop as their very first tool for raster graphics usually already knows exactly what it's for.
And if the person posting the image is chasing some "CINEMATIC EFFECT" (whatever that means, maybe they used the wrong word?), then yeah, they probably aren't really cut out for this stuff. I mean, sure, Photoshop is king for that, but man, it’s not for everyone. I am seriously so sick of people using Photoshop just to resize photos and slap some text on them. 👎
That's sacrilege. 😁 It's beneath His Majesty Photoshop himself. 🙏 😁
It's like buying a Ferrari and just leaving it locked up in the garage. 🤷

Look, with all due respect to the almighty software, that's how most people start. That's how I started... just resizing pictures and slowly working my way up, step by step. It's better to get comfortable with one program from the jump rather than constantly jumping back and forth between different ones every five minutes...
🙂

Can I ask something? I just picked up Jasc PaintShop Pro, but since I’m a total newbie at this, I can't find the functions I actually need. I want to make a black and white photo with red accents, but I have no clue how to do that or if this program can even handle it. Anyone know...

I was using Photoshop to make black-and-white photos with red accents 😉
btw, just downloading CS 4 now...😁
but, since it's 5.4 GB, it's gonna take forever to download...
Photoshop is the mother👍

urbandrifter8 said:I’ve been messing around in Photoshop making black-and-white shots with pops of red everywhere. 😉
Anyway, I’m downloading CS 4 right now...😁
But since the file is 5.4 GB, I’ll be waiting half a day for this thing to finish...
God, I love Photoshop.👍

Look, if you actually know what you’re doing and have even a shred of ambition, you can pull off miracles with basic software... so imagine what you can do with PS.☕☕

Jeffrey Clark26 said:Look, I have nothing but massive respect for the industry standard software—honestly, that’s how most of us get our foot in the door anyway. That’s exactly how I started out, too. I just began with basic stuff like resizing images, and from there, you just kind of take it one step at a time. I always figured it's probably better to just stick with one solid program from the jump rather than constantly jumping back and forth between different apps every five minutes. It's easier to actually learn the ropes that way, I guess.🙂

I mean, everything said here is spot on, but let’s be real—most people who go out and grab Photoshop just end up using it for basic, mindless stuff like resizing, cropping, or some quick cutouts. You could honestly do all that with way simpler tools without the headache. Or, even more common, they try it, realize it isn't exactly as straightforward as MS Paint, and just give up almost immediately. I've definitely run into plenty of those folks. If someone actually intends to dive into the deep end—whether that's photography, web design, or graphic design—they’ll probably figure things out on their own without needing to constantly pop onto an online forum to ask questions. It’s just how it goes, I guess. Take this quote, for example:

urbandrifter8 said:So, I've been messing around in Photoshop lately, playing with this look where I turn all my photos black and white but leave just a few little red details popping out. It's kind of a vibe, I guess. 😉
By the way,So, I'm just sitting here downloading CS4 right now...😁
Man, since we're looking at a 5.4 GB file, it’s probably gonna take me like half the day to get this thing downloaded... I guess I'll just have to find something else to do while I wait.
I guess you could say Photoshop is basically the mother of all editing software. It’s just the gold standard at this point, right?👍

Man, I've definitely got my work cut out for me in Photoshop.🙄 I mostly use it for my black and white stuff, but honestly, that's not even the main reason. It’s actually pretty killer when you're trying to work with those deep red details, too. 😲
Do you really need CS 4 for that? Honestly, no, you definitely don't. In my experience, every version of Photoshop I’ve messed around with—from version 6 onwards—is pretty much the exact same thing, just with different packaging and a little extra makeup thrown on top. Sure, they add a few new bells and whistles here and there, but if you're a total beginner, none of it is actually that special. And I mean, do you really want to be running CS 4 when it’s going to hog five times more system resources than Photoshop 7.0? They both basically do the exact same things anyway. Look, I’m not telling you *not* to download it—it's your computer, do whatever your heart desires—but I'm just saying it’s probably not necessary. I’ve been working with this tool for about six years now, doing a bit of everything like web design, graphic design, photography, and photo manipulation... I’ve used both CS 3 and CS 4, too, but I always ended up circling back to CS 2. I wouldn't trade that version for anything. 🙂

Raymond Campbell35 said:That's all fair, but most people who buy Photoshop just use it for stupidly simple stuff—like resizing, cropping, or cutting things out—for which there are much easier tools. Or they just give up almost immediately because they realize it isn't as easy as MS Paint (I know plenty of those types). Anyone actually planning to do real work with it—photography, web design, graphic design, whatever—is going to figure it out without needing to ask questions on a forum. Just look at this quote:

Not much to do in Photoshop.🙄 Using it to make B/W photos. And no, that's not even it. It's also for RED DETAILS. 😲
And you really need CS 4 for that? No, definitely not. Every version of Photoshop I've worked in (from 6.0 onwards) is basically the same crap, just different packaging and some makeup. Every one has something new, but for a total beginner, nothing special. And do you really need CS 4 eating up five times more resources than Photoshop 7.0 when it does everything the exact same way? I'm not saying don't download it, I don't care, download whatever your heart desires, but I'm just saying it's unnecessary. I've been using this tool for about 6 years for various things (web design, graphic design, photography, photo manipulation...), worked in both CS 3 and CS 4, but I always ended up going back to CS 2. I wouldn't trade it for anything. 🙂

Look, maybe you didn't notice that the lady above was asking which program to use for black and white photos with red details, so I politely answered that I usually do that in Photoshop... which obviously doesn't mean that's the ONLY thing I do in the program. And what am I supposed to do according to your logic? Buy twenty different programs and do tiny little details in an office manager, while saving all the "extra super wonderful" things for Photoshop??
I'll get one program and it serves my purpose... besides that, I don't think you're familiar enough with my interests or my work to judge what I need and how much.☕☕

Right in my trunk. 😬 Sorry about that, I didn't even catch who was asking. My bad. But honestly, I’m still standing by what I said earlier. I mean, what’s the point of even having Photoshop if that’s all you're going to do with it?

Raymond Campbell35 said:And I'm right in the thick of it. 😬 Sorry, didn't catch who was asking. My bad. But even after everything I just said, my stance hasn't changed one bit. I mean, what’s the point of having Photoshop if that’s all you’re ever going to do with it?

It's a real chicken and egg situation....😉

------------------or maybe it's the other way around...... 😕😕

Sure, it might start out only doing one thing... but give it time and it'll eventually learn how to handle more...

Keith Robinson78 said:it's a chicken or an egg situation...😉

------------------or maybe the other way around... 😕😕

to start, it might just do that... then eventually it'll learn more...

I agree👍

Since we’re all talking about Photoshop anyway, does anyone actually know where I can find a legitimate download for CS 4 online? Honestly, I’ve been hunting around for a while now and it’s been a total disaster. I’ve wasted so much time digging through sites and I swear I’ve downloaded at least five or six different versions, but not a single one of them actually works. One was riddled with viruses, another one was somehow in Spanish, and then there were a couple more that just threw constant errors immediately upon opening. It’s been a complete waste of my life. So, if anyone out there actually knows a reliable spot to grab it, please, for the love of god, let me know.

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/?PID=2294914

Seriously, just read the rules before you go dropping some "awkwardly timed" question on us: http://www.american-forum.com/showthread.php?t=458515

Benjamin King2 said:http://www.adobe.com/downloads/?PID=2294914

Maybe try actually reading the community guidelines before you go dropping some "clueless" question on us: http://www.us-forum-example.com/rules

Oops... my bad... won't happen again 🙂