BASIC photo processing program

[deep diver]

Hi All.
Mrs. Diver wants to start learning to do her own photo processing.
She has an iMac with an M1 chip. We are looking for something basic and easy to use "out of the box." (Think Photoshop Elements.) I am already familiar with the more advanced options.
What suggestions do you have?
Thanks.

 

[squawk7000]

have you looked at the edit functions in the Apple Photos app? it has all the basic functions in it. Plus it is non-destructive, so can revert out of any duff edits.

Might be enough to start with.

 

[JonnyMacx86]

Once I graduated from the editing tools available in Apple Photos, I get Pixelmator Pro from the App Store. It's like Photoshop but easier for me to wrap my head around, and a one-time purchase. There's now a sister app called Photomator which is probably more in line with your partner's use case. It is available both as a subscription and as a one-time purchase. Both of these apps integrate into Apple Photos as plug-ins, as well - super easy to go from Photos into one of these and back.

 

[someoldguy]

Acorn ??? Pretty basic , non subscription , doesn't cost much .

 

[BotchQue]

Another vote for Apple Photos, and she already has it (I use Affinity Photo for more advanced stuff, a one-time purchase and they've been good with the updates).

 

[Apple fanboy]

Hi All.
Mrs. Diver wants to start learning to do her own photo processing.
She has an iMac with an M1 chip. We are looking for something basic and easy to use "out of the box." (Think Photoshop Elements.) I am already familiar with the more advanced options.
What suggestions do you have?
Thanks.

When I was teaching Mrs AFB to do some photo editing (because she didn’t like the way I was editing the images of her craft projects!), I taught her to use simple processing in LR. I taught her with a Loupedeck to make it easier.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I also vote for Apple Photos. It's as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, and it will sync edits across iPhone/iPad/Mac, and also do the scanning of images for cataloging and album making. Another bonus is having the Photos widget, which I like because it presents your collection to you over time, so you actually can look back at what you've done. And shared albums are nice too. Perhaps she's already using some of those features, but that's the case, it just makes a stronger case to keep everything all in one app.

Also, I find Photos does pretty well without overcooking it, unless you really push sliders too hard. Believe it or not, many of my POTD content is RAW sent through DxO PureRAW and then cleaned up the rest of the way in Photos.

 

[OldMacs4Me]

FWIW I actually do a lot of final tuning in Preview. I like the sliders on the histogram. Also when prepping something to share on the net I find the sharpening control much easier to manage than with more exotic programs.

 

[nicholasg]

There are really 3 options if you want something that leverages the iCloud Photo Library, but gives you more power: -

Darkroom

Darkroom: The most efficient photo & video editor with powerful AI tools and presets for effortless creativity, on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and VisionOS

darkroom.co

Photomator

The most powerful photo editor ever designed for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

www.pixelmator.com

Nitro® for macOS

www.gentlemencoders.com

I think they all have 3 free trials. All have MacOS plus iOS apps (or in the case of Nitro has their iOS in beta testing).

Darkroom and Photomator have prettier GUIs, Nitro has more functionality.

All have very reasonable pricing (compare to more pro level apps like Lightroom or Capture One).

All are in active development.

 

[mollyc]

I'd be in the Lightroom camp, to be honest, assuming you already subscribe to it (and maybe you don't, in which case I'd probably still recommend it). Lr Classic can be overwhelming, but if you are just sticking to the first few panels of the development panel, it's pretty easy to get a handle on, and the cataloging system can't be beat. It will handle almost all editing necessary for a beginning photographer/editor, other than major cloning.

I started with PS Elements when I first started photography, and that was because I hadn't heard of LR and already had a basic understanding of using full Photoshop. But my editing drastically improved and sped up when I moved to LR as I started shooting raw. I've been using LR since the very first version, though, so find it really intuitive after 16 or so years.

 

[nicholasg]

The only problem with Lightroom Classic aside from its very old fashioned GUI design is the cost ~$10 / month for ever. Especially if you want "something basic and easy to use".

 

[deep diver]

It looks like she wants to start with Photos because of its ease of use, shallower learning curve, and its integration across the Apple environment.

The only downside is that I'll have to put in some time to learn it, but that shouldn't much.

We appreciate all of the input.

 

[nicholasg]

This is Jason Snell's ebook on the Photos app: -

Take Control of Photos – Take Control Books

This book introduces you to Apple’s Photos app, with advice on navigating the Photos interface, adding metadata, creating albums, editing photos, syncing with iCloud Photos, sharing photos with others, and printing.

www.takecontrolbooks.com