Best editing software for pictures taken with sealife

[diver 86]

Sealife doesn't shoot RAW, so what's the best editing software to use?

 

[Pillpusher]

I use Aperture because I have a Mac, but they all do fairly similar stuff.

 

[Doubler]

For adjustments (WB,contrast,color,etc) I use Aperture. For adding or removing I use Photoshop Elements, which I haven't used in years as Backscatter can be removed with Aperture. To make a photo pop I use Topaz Labs Filters.

 

[danvolker]

Sealife doesn't shoot RAW, so what's the best editing software to use?

I would say Lightroom..because there is so much power in what it can do for underwater photos....and, because the huge base of diver/photographers using Lightroom means that it is not hard to find someone to show you how to do EXACTLY what you need to be doing with Lightroom to best optimize your photos.... Also...there are amazing tutorial videos on using Lightroom on lynda.com

 

[James R]

I use Lightroom. In addition to editing your photos, it's great for managing all your images. I used to use Photoshop only, but after going to LR my workflow is much more efficient.

I haven't used Aperture on my Macbook, so I can't speak to it. I do know some folks that use it and like it a lot.

 

[doctormike]

I find that iPhoto is surprisingly good at most things... still use Photoshop occasionally, though, for masking work (with Topaz).

 

[dmoore19]

I found aperture to be cumbersome and kind of difficult to navigate in. I found Lightroom to be far more user friendly. iPhoto is ok, lightroom is better. I have an older Sealife DC800.

 

[danvolker]

One of the cool things you can get on a real Dive Trip sometimes, is help after diving and photographing the awesome sites---it is easy enough for many operators to have staff that are very strong in Lightroom, and for them to have a few hours each day after diving, where they will assist the divers with their editing and learning.....Here in Palm Beach Jim Abernethy Scuba Adventures often does this for groups, particularly on the Liveaboard trips they do to the Shark dives in the Bahamas. But this is not just Abernethy---many operators can do this, because use of Lightroom is so widespread among dive guides, DM's, instructors, and even their "regulars"..it just makes the whole "apres diving" thing more fun....
But go with some program like Aperture, and you can't expect nearly the same likelihood of easy to find assistance....

 

[supergaijin]

The best for JPEGs? Photoshop.

The quickest/easiest that I have used for JPEGs would be iPhoto. I personally use Lightroom for RAW and Photoshop for major edits.

 

[danvolker]

I am not sure why anyone would say you need a different application for jpegs..... If I was shooting my Canon 5 D mark 2 in the mode where it fires off one raw, and one jpeg each time I pull the trigger.....the difference in Lightroom ( or any other program) would be that the jpeg may have some processing applied by the camera itself, whereas the Raw file will be flat....and need more tweaking than the jpeg will with things like saturation, sharpness, etc....But tweaking is still going to be required 99% of the time, so the tools used are pretty much the same....

The new Lightroom( I use the Creative Cloud Version--always 100% newest updates) does a great deal of what Photoshop used to be needed for....and the interface is drastically faster to work with for the rapid tweaking of a photo.

This Creative Cloud concept is pretty cool.....I am paying $29 per month, to get use of 100% of all the Adobe products....that includes Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Premier, Dreamweaver( awesome web page creation program), and more than a dozen others....and I am allowed to have these programs on 2 computers.

If you only wanted Lightroom, it is more like $10 per month. But anyone with multiple creative needs, can benefit greatly with the overall deal. If you are buying programs outright( the traditional model) , then in 6 months to a year, when they upgrade the program, suddenly you have to spend more money...to get the latest and greatest features....over several years, this can actually cost quite a bit of money.....With the Creative Cloud concept, you are always running the newest version, and the cost monthly is affordable and painless.