photo editing

[Rosie Knees]

we used to use Picture It for photo editing. Cropping, cutting out etc. We have got a new pooter and picture it won't load because it is too old now and Microsoft no longer do picture it.

Can anyone recommend something similar that we could download free, or which is not too expensive?

thanks

:D

[Cloggie]

Rose, is your new computer running Vista? If so, you can perform simple editing tasks right in Windows Photo Gallery. When you open a picture, just click on "Fix" at the top and it will open up a menu of options for adjusting colour and exposure, cropping, and red-eye fix.

[Rosie Knees]

no Sarah, we chose to keep XP

[Elaine ..Spain]

I use Faststone Image viewer - very easy to use - free to download - works with XP and Vista.
FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ...

[Cloggie]

OK, in that case you can still do cropping in Paint (under Programs > Accessories), but you'll need something else for other changes.
Do you happen to have Microsoft Office? If so, depending on which version you have, you may have Microsoft Office Picture Manager (in Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Tools).

I have heard a lot of people mention Picasa 3: Free download from Google
I've never used it myself as I use Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

Also my Nero CD/DVD-burning software came with something called Nero PhotoSnap Viewer, which has some good photo editing features as well. Thought I'd mention that one too just in case you have Nero (I have Nero 7 Premium; not sure if the PhotoSnap viewer is available in other versions too)

[James]

Picass 3 is free from goggle you can do most things plus straighten pictures

[rivington]

photo editing

Yes Nero have still 'Photnap Viewer' I have Nero 9 and use photosnap quite often.
Piasa 3 and Windows Phot Gallery seem quite basic .
Serif photo shop is very good, you should find it on the free dics given with computer mags quite regularly. Windows mag had it on their disc free with last months issue.
Hope this info is of help to you.

[WendyPusey]

You can download Serif PhotoPlus from here. Either the free one or it's just £9.99. I have Serif PhotoPlus and use it sometimes.

http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/photoplus/photoplus-9.asp

[Rosie Knees]

thanks for the info on picassa and fast stone. they both do most things but what neither do it cut out. EG cut out a head and superimpose on someone else. Will try the other suggestions later.

[chad]

Picnik is the best

Picnik is by far the fastest, easiest, most complete online photo editor.

[Rosie Knees]

thank you chad, I will have a look at that. Welcome to FTF btw :D

OH has looked at the others, not sure what his verdict was as I was watching the telly lol

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

You might also want to look at Photoscape (v3.3 is the latest), a free download from varied shareware sites, my preference being cnet as i have used them for other stuff too.

The only thing you can't really do is "layers" so selective colouring is out the window. There is a straightforward viewer and also editing menus

Main features;
Crop
Resize
Colour, contrast, brightness,
convert to black and white or sepia
Straighten images
Flip and rotate
"mirror image" options
Add frames
Add text
Add borders
"Undo" allows you to reverse changes.

Print options also allow you to select the size and quantity of prints per page

Red eye reduction
Special effects (blur, sharpen, noise, graduated tint etc)

Place several pictures together within a frame
"Batch editing" allows editing of several images at once

Select the quality of a saved image, rename when saving and check the filesize before saving, convert jpg to TIFF etc at the saving stage.

It can also handle RAW filetypes as well as jpeg etc.

photoscape downloads - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

All the stuff on my flickr pages has been through photoscape at some point, even if it's a slight crop, resize or straighten, click my signature to see the flickr pages and see what you think.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Is it a laptop Rosie? If so, please tell me where you got it from. I desperately need a new laptop but I can't find one that has XP, apart from the very expensive business one and I refuse to have Vista.

From what you have said though I'm not sure now about changing my laptop because, although I use mostly Photoshop, I still love my Picture It and would be lost without it for straightening and for sending photos by e-mail.

[Rosie Knees]

Chrissie, no it is a desktop which we had custom made at a pooter shop in Newark. There must be a pooter shop in Nottingham that will customise a lappy for you? John is missing his picture it already and it's only been a few days lol.

Glen, what OH is particularly after is the tool that cuts out using an edge finder. A bit like a piece of string that you can outline your subject with, whatever shape it is. All the progs we have looked at have got all the editing tools EXCEPT that one! (I am envious of your family pictures lol)

[WendyPusey]

Rosie I'm sure you can do that with the Free Serif PhotoPlus. Haven't got it on this laptop so can't try it at the moment.

[Margaret N]

Has anyone used Tesco Restyle Photo Editing? It looks as if it is an out of date Adobe 5? It does cost £10.00

I will probably download Seriff Desktop Publishing £9.99 so hope all these are user friendly. I am using Vista. Has anyone any experience of mixing these programmes?

Not long now and all the questions will be about Windows 7.

[Rosie Knees]

Chrissie, what version is your Picture It!? Ours is 2000 but I think they made a 2002.

I just can't understand why it won't work on the new pooter

1. because it has got exactly the same progs as the lappy which is only 3 years old and
2. WHY should it have anything to do with IE?? It is a photo editing package which, surely, should load on a computer that hasn't even got internet access?

*sigh*

[dave pusey]

Picture It has been discontinued for a few years now. There is NO version that works with Vista... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Picture_It!

I would suggest Irfanview as a replacement.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Chrissie, no it is a desktop which we had custom made at a pooter shop in Newark. There must be a pooter shop in Nottingham that will customise a lappy for you? John is missing his picture it already and it's only been a few days lol.

Glen, what OH is particularly after is the tool that cuts out using an edge finder. A bit like a piece of string that you can outline your subject with, whatever shape it is. All the progs we have looked at have got all the editing tools EXCEPT that one! (I am envious of your family pictures lol)

Paint.net is the other one i use for more advanced stuff, selective colouring, merging two images together and taking part of one image to use elsewhere. Again another freebie download but whether it offers the feature you want i'm not sure.

[Chrissie Smiff]

Oh Rosie - I'm so sorry, I forgot about this thread and didn't come back :o:o

I thought mine was called Picture It but it is now called Microsoft Photo Premium 10 (It is what used to be Picture It). It is still part of the Microsoft Works Suite. We just extracted the Premium 10 part of the suite only by using custom install.

Re an XP Lappy - hubby can change it to XP - he did the one I'm on - but if you do change a new one it invalidates the guarantee. Also, the new ones now have the programmes embedded in the computer and they don't supply the drive discs with them like they used to.