Digital Photography Archives

Top 10 Best Free Photo Editing Software

You can re-touch, re-size and enhance every aspect of your digital photographs with easy to use free photo editing software.

Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man. ~ Edward Steichen

 free digital photography collage software

Photographs are memories captured forever, an attempt to capture the special moments in your life with the camera. Technology has brought in new advances in the world photography, and although many staunch photography professionals do not believe in using editing software to re-touch, or enhance their SLR photographs, many of us often believe in enhancing our digital pictures and editing them to make them look a bit different or better. It can be re-sizing, or adjusting the color balance or adding a special effect, there are a number of free software applications available for free on the net that help you edit, enhance and share your photographs. Here is my pick for the top ten best free photo editing software.

1. Picasa
No surprises here - Google’s Picasa tops the list. Picasa only works with the Windows operating systems. This software, just like all the Google applications, is extremely easy and convenient for the users. Picasa allows the users to edit and manage all your photos with effective tools that include cropping, special effects, brightness adjustments and many more interesting features. The best part about using Picasa is that after editing your photographs you can instantly create and online album and share your photographs with a

2. GIMP
GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation program. It is a popular open-source image editor that is often dubbed as the ‘free Photoshop’. It helps the user with image authoring, retouching, and composition. It works on many operating systems and is available in many languages as well. It is designed to amplify with plug-ins and extensions and the advanced scripting interface allows the simplest and the most complex procedures to be easily scripted.

3. IrfanView
IrfanView is also one of the popular free software that allows the user to edit images with the basic image editing tools. Irfan Viewer works with Windows operating systems only. It also provides specific options for printing your photos. All in all a decent software that you can easily download and use to edit and print photographs.

4. PhotoPlus 6
Although the software was a paid one earlier, now you can download a completely free and fully functional version of PhotoPlus 6. This software provides a wide variety of features ranging from an export optimizer, image slicing and image maps, selection tools, smart shapes, editable text, third-party plug-in support, red-eye removal tool, and photo enhancement tools.

5. Paint.NET
Paint.NET is another free software. This software is funded by the donations on their website. Paint.NET works with Windows operating systems only. Unlimited undo is one very pertinent feature of this software. Although meant for the first timers, this software can be utilized to its full capacity by the more experienced ones. Also if you plan to print your photographs on matte or waterproof paper, then this is the software for you!

6.Pixia
Pixia is an English version of a popular Japanese photo editing software, which is also available in many other languages. Pixia works with Windows operating system just well. This painting and retouching software, provides the users with custom brush tips, multiple layers, masking, vector- and bitmap-based drawing tools, color, tone, and lighting adjustments, and multiple undo as well as redo. This software however does not provide support while saving files in the GIF format.

7. ImageForge
ImageForge is free software that allows image editing with painting and editing tools. One notable feature of this software is that it allows the users to import files from the dig cams and the scanners. While editing it also allows you to select from a wide range of special effects filters. Once you are done editing your photographs, you can create photo albums and slideshows using ImageForge.

8. Adobe PhotoShop Album Starter
Yes, Adobe offers this free software for image editing. It helps you to fix the common photography errors like the red eye effect, poor lighting or improper color balance. You can find any of the saved photographs within no time thanks to the automatic organization feature that lets you view all photos in one place in a calendar view. Adobe Photoshop is decent software for personal use that helps the users view fix and share their digital photographs.

9. PhotoFiltre
PhotoFiltre is a free image editing software that provides the users with a rather minimalist but a rather elegant interface. This software offers many easy and convenient one-click adjustments that are very useful for the beginners. PhotoFiltre offers an in-built image explorer panel that ensures easy navigation, basic drawing, painting, retouching and the selection tools.

10. Ultimate Paint
Ultimate Paint is a useful image editor that is available in both shareware and freeware formats. It offers convenient image creation, manipulation and display. Ultimate paint is one of those software categories that have been designed to make the photo editing process quick and easy.

Well now that you’ve got enough information about all the free photo-editing software options available, you will be able the pick one that satisfies your requirements. Banish those poorly taken snap shots and make way for brighter, sharper and better memories!

By Uttara Manohar
Published: 12/22/2007

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Learn Digital Photography - 5 Tips To Take Great Digital Photos

Personally, digital photography is here to stay and it is pretty much how photography is going to be from now on. Manufacturers are going to refine their skills and pack more juice into the digital cameras.

Nowadays, you can add special effects to your picture immediately on some of the compact digital cameras.

 new uses of digital photography With all these technology backing you up, you are now more likely to be able to take great photos. So, what you need to do now is to choose the right camera. Always look at what you need. When you have problem choosing the camera, get the retailers or professionals to help you. They will are experience enough to fit the best camera to your needs.

Then you need to practice digital photography with your camera. Always keep your camera close to you. You never know when the best subject will comes out. When you are taking your pictures, remember to take more shots and different angle of your subject. With digital photography, all your pictures will be converted to digital storage and you need not to worry about spending money for films.

After that you need to compare the photos you have taken. This is the trial and error stage where you find out the best way to photograph your subject. Which of them looks better? Ask yourself why you this picture is better than the other? Think about what will happen when you change the white balance to photograph the same subject. Sometimes, challenging yourself is how you improve your digital photography skills.

During the comparison of your photos, you also need to recall what you did to the photos. This is because when you move forward with digital photography, you are supposed to consistently pump out great photos. You are supposed to know how to position yourself to take great photos of your subject. You are supposed to know how to use your flash under different circumstances instead of trial and error with your pictures.

The last tip to taking great pictures is that you must constantly update yourself. Go online, read magazines and visit exhibitions to find out how other photographers are taking their photos. It is even better that you can talk to other photographers and have them comment on your work.

By: Michael Wong

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you want more digital photography tips and techniques? Michael Wong is happy to share his knowledge about digital photography with you and hope you enjoy them. Just visit =>www.Learn-DigitalPhotography.blogspot.com

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