Is there a decent photoshop replacement?

[charlie]

OMG, photoshop wants $10/month now??!! Please tell me there is another way!?? (But it seems everyone is using photoshop so I suppose this is another rude awakening for me!)

[Alex H]

Gimp http://www.gimp.org/

[shawngibson]

OMG, photoshop wants $10/month now??!! Please tell me there is another way!?? (But it seems everyone is using photoshop so I suppose this is another rude awakening for me!)

I pay $19.99/month for Photoshop and I've been using PS since, um, approx. 1996. I justify it by asking myself if PS gives me $20/month of pleasure, and it certainly does. I personally can't imagine not having it on my computers. But I am clearly biased, so if you can find something you like more for less money, than I say go for it.

What sort of functionality do you need?

Shawn

[zzffnn]

It depends on the features that you need.

For basic sharpening, contrast enhancement and background brightening, I use FastStone Image Viewer.

Gimo is for more advanced users, say, if you are already good with Photoshop.

For stacking, CombineZP works well.

For video trimming, I use Realtime Player that came for free on Mac (free Windows version cannot trim video).

For capturing still photos from a video, I use VLC.

For splitting a whole video into sequence (hundreds) of still photos, I use Kinovea.

The above-mentioned programs are all free, unless otherwise mentioned.

I heard ImageJ is used by some members too, though I don't know if it is free or not.

I would like to know what other members are using, on Windows PC, for trimming videos, video contrast enhancement, sharpening and brightening.

Windows Live Movie Maker is slow and seems to compress video output. iMovie on Mac is difficult for a beginner to use, at least I cannot get used to it.

[charlie]

I have no idea what I need Shawn. (noob here) I just see a lot of talk about using photoshop so I assume I need it or something like it.

Thanks for Gimp Alex.

Thank you for the extensive list zzffnn!! Looks like something should work from your list.

[gekko]

I used to use Gimp (several years ago). It is free and it is very powerful with very advanced features. At that time, it didn't support my printer (but I think it should by this time), so I got much simpler Photoshop Elements, which did all I ever needed and more (it is not free, though), and has good printer support. I use Elements for editing photos (contrast, downsizing, etc.) For video, I use Premiere Elements, where I can cut sections out, and the like). Like zzffnn, I use VLC when I want to save individual frames from a video.

[Crater Eddie]

Very useful information here, as I have been looking for such tools myself.
CE

[gekko]

For a free program, gimp is really great with a lot of sophisticated functions. It has a rather stiff learning curve, but I think it would be worth the effort (of course if you decide later that it is not for you, all you will have lost is the time you put into trying it out.) Another free program is Picasa, which is extremely easy to use and provides basic editing tools.
A program that is reputed to be better than PS Elements (I've not tried it personally) and less expensive is Corel Paintshop Pro (for example: http://www.amazon.com/Corel-PaintShop-P ... =sco-us-20)

[zzffnn]

There is also a VSDC Free Video Editor for Windows. It is free and does still capture, brightening, sharpening and contrast enhancement.

It sort of does trimming, but really leaves a blank/black fragment in placed of the trimmed part - I hate that but have not found out what to do with that - if I only need to trim, I use Mac's Realtime Player.

Anyone knows a free and good video trimmer for Windows?
Edit: I just found out that Kinovea can easily trim videos on Windows PC - I forgot to "lock" the "working zome" previously, which caused my failure to trim videos.

[mrsonchus]

OMG, photoshop wants $10/month now??!! Please tell me there is another way!?? (But it seems everyone is using photoshop so I suppose this is another rude awakening for me!)

Not me - not now or ever will I sign-up to a monthly, either they sell me the program and leave me alone until I choose to buy the next version or I go elsewhere! Everyone seems to want to sign us into these 'parasitic' arrangements where our cash steadily 'bleeds' from our accounts while we get on with life and fail to keep track of them all.....

If that is the only way to go further than my current PSE-9 I will definitely move away from Adobe - no contest. I like to use 'the cloud' when I choose to, not as a default arrangement because a certain software-house would like to attach a cash-cannula to my bank account - no thanks!

Hmm, I seem to be ranting! Apologies folks..

My message to Adobe would be -'take my money, give me the product and stay out of my life until and if you're invited back'

I'm not fundamentally against subscription per-se, I just don't want the hassle of keeping my eye on a host of different companies to try to make sure they don't misbehave - life's too short to spend hours each week trying to make sure I've not been robbed via stealth, smoke and mirrors!

Even shorter version - 'sell it to me, give it to me, go away'! Ha!

Hmm, I use PS Elements and it is superb. I use AVS4YOU video suite (not free but an entire suite of programs with a lifetime of updates as far as I know - I've been using it for years and forgotten how much it was)) which I find very simple and powerful. For stacking and all microscopy I use the simply superb (and free) Toupview - this really is a superb capture program for the Toupcam type 'scope cameras. Having wailed and railed about Adobe, I really do like PSE-9 and it's comprehensive feature-set and interface, also the organizer (library) aspect is very good.

[KurtM]

Great thread! Me, I'm a huge believer in open source software. Open Office is what got me started on it. Here are a few others I love, and use often:

Picasa 3. Agreed, a fine basic photo editing program, I use it a lot. The Export function makes resizing photos to specific pixel size too easy.

GIMP. Open source Photoshop. 'Nuff said.

Light Zone. Open source Light Room. I have no idea why this one isn't insanely popular. Especially good for sharpening and light level adjustments.

Paint.net. Lightweight version of PS/GIMP, with correspondingly less formidable learning curve. Still wonderfully powerful, I use it way more often than GIMP.

Combine ZP: Open source (I think?) for stacking.

So speaking of open source, I'm currently road testing http://www.nearlyfreespeech.net as a host for my personal website, since my ISP, Comcast, discontinued its PWP service/freebie. So far it's incredible, should allow me to maintain all my web pages for literally pennies per year, and all above board, legal, perfectly ethical, etc. See my website at http://www.sawdustfactory.net

PS: I use the DONATE button a lot, where applicable. Hope you will too.

[charlie]

I sure do thank you all for the continued tips! But I haven't heard a word about what programs do stacking. ( except zzffnn ) Reading so much talk of stacking here on the Microscopy Forum was the main reason I thought a Photoshop type program was needed. (But you have brought up others above that I hadn't considered.)

[Alex H]

Combine ZP - free for Windows
Zerene Stacker - not free, multiplatform
Helicon Focus - not free, multiplatform

[Alex H]

To add to my previous post: ImageJ has a number of plug-ins that do stacking, but I have not tried an of them (I use Zerene and Combine ZP regularly).

[gekko]

An open source RAW converter that has a very good reputation (and maybe does other things too-- I"ve not used it) is RawThereapee; I think it is multiplatform Another free stacking program for Windows that is good is PICOLAY. An open source image viewer that I use is Xnview.

[mrsonchus]

I sure do thank you all for the continued tips! But I haven't heard a word about what programs do stacking. Reading so much talk of stacking here on the Microscopy Forum was the main reason I thought a Photoshop type program was needed. (But you have brought up others above that I hadn't considered.)

You have! Toupview is the one I use all the time - it's totally free, lightning-fast and very easy to use - try it out - I use it to capture all my photomicrographs too, it does the lot, its free and may be used without attaching a camera, just pick images from files in the usual way rather than from live camera-captures!

[gekko]

For people who use Photoshop Elements and miss curves or image stacking functions, Elements+ plug-in supplies these as well as many other functions missing from Elements. I use it and find it well worth the $12 cost. There is a version specific for each version of Elements.

[mrsonchus]

For people who use Photoshop Elements and miss curves or image stacking functions, Elements+ plug-in supplies these as well as many other functions missing from Elements. I use it and find it well worth the $12 cost. There is a version specific for each version of Elements.

Thanks Gekko, that's very handy to know -I'd no idea there was a plugin such as this, and $12 isn't going to break the bank! I think I will have a look at that, thanks again.

[gekko]

John, ever since I started using Elements (after being a gimp user) I missed "curves" since, to me, it is the most useful tool for adjusting contrast and brightness. So when I discovered Elements+, I was happy that it had curves. But, being lazy, I've not ventured beyond that function (although I did try focus stacking once), partly because, out of ignorance, I don't feel the need, even though it has many other functions (I guess you don't miss what you never had applies to me here.

[Added later:] Before Elements+, I used to use a free plugin called, appropriately, Smartcurve. That is all it did, and that is all I needed. However, at some point (maybe when I upgraded something-or-other) it stopped working. So now I "googled" it, and found it again. In a way, I liked it better than Elements+ as it was quicker to access and use, so I will be trying it again, I think:
http://members.chello.at/easyfilter/curves.html

[vasselle]

Bonjour a tous.
Un logiciel que je me sert pour le microscopie et qui fonctionne très bien est Lightroom surtout si vous déclencher en RAW.
Et combine ZM pour empilage est super et en plus il est gratuit.
Cordialement seb