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What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
Re: Serif Photoplus free offer details....
"KGB (KGB)" <FedUpWithSpam@NoEmailAddre.ss> wrote in message
news:46dfd75c.10452546@news.enta,net ...
> On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:41:03 +0100, Adrian C <email@here.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>wohwagen wrote:
>>>
>>>> Serif are currently giving away 5 of their older programmes for
>>>> absolutely
>>>> nothing (you pay 89p for the CD & P&P) They make a half-hearted
>>>> attempt
>>>> to sell you the latest version when you telephone them for the free
>>>> software - but that's it.
>>
>>The down side - and I have this verified here - is that Serif readily
>>sell name and address details of applicants to junk mail outfits. If you
>> do order the (mostly worthwhile!) software, make it clear to them that
>>you don't want your postal mailbox spammed.
>>
>>--
>>Adrian C
>
> Hi
>
> The other downside in my experience is that whilst the software is
> very good and the retail products reasonably priced, the company
> itself is very, very, hard sell.
>
> The free offer (whilst genuine) is basically a ploy to get you on the
> end of a phone by giving away out of date software so they can try and
> sell you their latest offering. Phone the contact number and, far
> from being half-hearted, they will go to any lengths to persuade you
> to upgrade to the latest product - or perhaps I was just unlucky.
>
> The last couple of times I have phoned Serif for the activation code
> for a free download, the latest product started around £100 (special
> price as an existing customer, Sir). When I said I was only
> interested in the free product, the price dropped, eventually
> bottoming out at around £25 (I have just had a word with my supervisor
> and he is prepared to offer a very special price just for you...).
> When I still refused, they got quite abusive and came very close to
> accusing me of ripping them off by only ever using their free programs
> (not actually true - I have bought Serif software on more than one
> occasion in the past). When I stuck to my guns, insisting that all I
> wanted was the activation code for the free download, they eventually
> gave me it, after threatening to bombard me with sales calls for not
> upgrading (I never actually received any further sales calls from
> them, so obviously they were bluffing). I came very close to reporting
> them to Trading Standards.
>
> Having said that, I have been using Serif products from the mid 1990's
> and find them extremely good - especially the free ones!!!! Dealing
> with the company on the phone however is another matter - just grit
> your teeth and keep reminding yourself that the software is free. To
> be quite fair, I haven't had my postal mailbox spammed with the
> exception of a "special offer" letter from Serif a couple of times a
> year.
>
> By the way, if you visit < http :// www ,fr eeserifsoftware,com /> you will
> find most of their earlier software as free downloads. Just remember,
> when you do phone for the activation code, stick to your guns and
> don't let them bully you.
>
> Regards
> KGB
>
Serif stuff, esp the early stuff, is quite simply, SHITE.
"KGB (KGB)" <FedUpWithSpam@NoEmailAddre.ss> wrote in message
news:46dfd75c.10452546@news.enta,net ...
> On Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:41:03 +0100, Adrian C <email@here.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>wohwagen wrote:
>>>
>>>> Serif are currently giving away 5 of their older programmes for
>>>> absolutely
>>>> nothing (you pay 89p for the CD & P&P) They make a half-hearted
>>>> attempt
>>>> to sell you the latest version when you telephone them for the free
>>>> software - but that's it.
>>
>>The down side - and I have this verified here - is that Serif readily
>>sell name and address details of applicants to junk mail outfits. If you
>> do order the (mostly worthwhile!) software, make it clear to them that
>>you don't want your postal mailbox spammed.
>>
>>--
>>Adrian C
>
> Hi
>
> The other downside in my experience is that whilst the software is
> very good and the retail products reasonably priced, the company
> itself is very, very, hard sell.
>
> The free offer (whilst genuine) is basically a ploy to get you on the
> end of a phone by giving away out of date software so they can try and
> sell you their latest offering. Phone the contact number and, far
> from being half-hearted, they will go to any lengths to persuade you
> to upgrade to the latest product - or perhaps I was just unlucky.
>
> The last couple of times I have phoned Serif for the activation code
> for a free download, the latest product started around £100 (special
> price as an existing customer, Sir). When I said I was only
> interested in the free product, the price dropped, eventually
> bottoming out at around £25 (I have just had a word with my supervisor
> and he is prepared to offer a very special price just for you...).
> When I still refused, they got quite abusive and came very close to
> accusing me of ripping them off by only ever using their free programs
> (not actually true - I have bought Serif software on more than one
> occasion in the past). When I stuck to my guns, insisting that all I
> wanted was the activation code for the free download, they eventually
> gave me it, after threatening to bombard me with sales calls for not
> upgrading (I never actually received any further sales calls from
> them, so obviously they were bluffing). I came very close to reporting
> them to Trading Standards.
>
> Having said that, I have been using Serif products from the mid 1990's
> and find them extremely good - especially the free ones!!!! Dealing
> with the company on the phone however is another matter - just grit
> your teeth and keep reminding yourself that the software is free. To
> be quite fair, I haven't had my postal mailbox spammed with the
> exception of a "special offer" letter from Serif a couple of times a
> year.
>
> By the way, if you visit < http :// www ,fr eeserifsoftware,com /> you will
> find most of their earlier software as free downloads. Just remember,
> when you do phone for the activation code, stick to your guns and
> don't let them bully you.
>
> Regards
> KGB
>
Serif stuff, esp the early stuff, is quite simply, SHITE.
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
"Dave Cohen" <user@example,net > wrote in message
news:d4jDi.6616$2N2.2035@trndny03...
> Dennis Pogson wrote:
>> Barry Goodthrall wrote:
>>> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>>>
>>> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
>>> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
>>> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
>>> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
>>> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>>
>> Faststone will probably do all you wish and it's free from-
>> http :// www .faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm
>>
>>
>> Dennis.
>>
>>
> FastStone is the best I've come across for a free utility that does almost
> everything. It stops short of paint brush tools, layers etc and for that
> I'm using PhotoPlus. I've used PSP version 7 and if I had to buy a package
> today would probably get the latest version of that, but would still use
> FastStone for quick corrections.
> My default viewer is Irfanview, it's good for bulk resize/resample and
> file move.
> Dave Cohen
Has anyone mentioned PICASA, freely downloaded from Google? I like it a
lot.
"Dave Cohen" <user@example,net > wrote in message
news:d4jDi.6616$2N2.2035@trndny03...
> Dennis Pogson wrote:
>> Barry Goodthrall wrote:
>>> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>>>
>>> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
>>> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
>>> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
>>> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
>>> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>>
>> Faststone will probably do all you wish and it's free from-
>> http :// www .faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm
>>
>>
>> Dennis.
>>
>>
> FastStone is the best I've come across for a free utility that does almost
> everything. It stops short of paint brush tools, layers etc and for that
> I'm using PhotoPlus. I've used PSP version 7 and if I had to buy a package
> today would probably get the latest version of that, but would still use
> FastStone for quick corrections.
> My default viewer is Irfanview, it's good for bulk resize/resample and
> file move.
> Dave Cohen
Has anyone mentioned PICASA, freely downloaded from Google? I like it a
lot.
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:03:51 GMT, Dennis Pogson wrote:
> Faststone will probably do all you wish and it's free from-
> http :// www .faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm
I'm glad you suggested this. I've been using CompuPic for years, but it is
seriously unstable on XP and hasn't been updated since 2003. I need a
change.
Unfortunately the first hour of using Faststone has exposed some
defficiencies, including:
1. Very weak, minimalist help system
2. Can't select pages to print from a multi-page contact sheet job
3. The "superior" red-eye remover has no flexibility and is pretty well
useless
4. Weird user interface in places. For example: double-click a browser
thumbnail; make a change to the full size image; hit ESC to return to the
browser; click on another thumbnail. Message pops up: "Do you want to save
the changes you have made to this image?" The wrong image is highlighted!
And why not ask the question as soon as you hit ESC?
On the plus side, Faststone has been stable on XP... so far. Most of the
functions I need work very nicely. And the price is right.
Pete
On Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:03:51 GMT, Dennis Pogson wrote:
> Faststone will probably do all you wish and it's free from-
> http :// www .faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm
I'm glad you suggested this. I've been using CompuPic for years, but it is
seriously unstable on XP and hasn't been updated since 2003. I need a
change.
Unfortunately the first hour of using Faststone has exposed some
defficiencies, including:
1. Very weak, minimalist help system
2. Can't select pages to print from a multi-page contact sheet job
3. The "superior" red-eye remover has no flexibility and is pretty well
useless
4. Weird user interface in places. For example: double-click a browser
thumbnail; make a change to the full size image; hit ESC to return to the
browser; click on another thumbnail. Message pops up: "Do you want to save
the changes you have made to this image?" The wrong image is highlighted!
And why not ask the question as soon as you hit ESC?
On the plus side, Faststone has been stable on XP... so far. Most of the
functions I need work very nicely. And the price is right.
Pete
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
Unless you define "Best" there can be no "Best."
Your skill level, the features needed, the cost, the ease of use, your
tolerance for errors, likely continued support etc.
There are a lot of good ones out there.
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia 's Muire duit
"Barry Goodthrall" <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote in message
news:1188919350.048400.256110@k79g2000hse.googlegroups,com ...
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
Unless you define "Best" there can be no "Best."
Your skill level, the features needed, the cost, the ease of use, your
tolerance for errors, likely continued support etc.
There are a lot of good ones out there.
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia 's Muire duit
"Barry Goodthrall" <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote in message
news:1188919350.048400.256110@k79g2000hse.googlegroups,com ...
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
On Sep 4, 5:04 pm, "Joseph Meehan" <sligoNoSPAM...@hotmail,com > wrote:
> Unless you define "Best" there can be no "Best."
>
> Your skill level, the features needed, the cost, the ease of use, your
> tolerance for errors, likely continued support etc.
>
> There are a lot of good ones out there.
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
Again ease of use would be the key component. How well it does with
correcting common photo porgams with as few steps (and thinking) as
possible.
And if you can't think of "the Best" how about a short list?
On Sep 4, 5:04 pm, "Joseph Meehan" <sligoNoSPAM...@hotmail,com > wrote:
> Unless you define "Best" there can be no "Best."
>
> Your skill level, the features needed, the cost, the ease of use, your
> tolerance for errors, likely continued support etc.
>
> There are a lot of good ones out there.
>
> --
> Joseph Meehan
Again ease of use would be the key component. How well it does with
correcting common photo porgams with as few steps (and thinking) as
possible.
And if you can't think of "the Best" how about a short list?
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
You could take a look at:
http :// www .download,com /8301-2007_4-9770956-12.html?tag=nl.e415
"Barry Goodthrall" <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
You could take a look at:
http :// www .download,com /8301-2007_4-9770956-12.html?tag=nl.e415
"Barry Goodthrall" <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
Barry Goodthrall wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
I have found that Photoshop Elements has the best 'quick fix' feature,
which automatically fixes many problems, but it can go WAY off the track
now and then.
Barry Goodthrall wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
I have found that Photoshop Elements has the best 'quick fix' feature,
which automatically fixes many problems, but it can go WAY off the track
now and then.
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
Barry Goodthrall wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
You might find what you want at:
http :// lists.thedatalist,com /pages/Graphics-Edit_and_Viewers.htm
--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)
Barry Goodthrall wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
You might find what you want at:
http :// lists.thedatalist,com /pages/Graphics-Edit_and_Viewers.htm
--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
Irfanview will do red-eye, blurring/sharpening, and has an auto-levels
control which in one click will try to optimise the
brightness/contrast/colour, however this somewhat hit and miss, sometimes
it's great, sometimes goes too far, and sometimes not far enough. Usually
worth trying though since you can always undo the result and fix the shot
manually.
Dust removal is a much trickier thing as it needs some intelligence on the
part of the software. Polaroid did a free dust & scratches removal program
which can be used by itself or as a plugin from within photoshop. It
highlights what it thinks is dust and lets you deselect the stuff it got
wrong before fixing the image. That's about as good as it gets I think
unless you have a scanner with an infra red channel. Unfortunately I don't
have a specific URL for the program but their site is
http :// www .polaroid,com and the program is also known as PDSR.
Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>
> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
Irfanview will do red-eye, blurring/sharpening, and has an auto-levels
control which in one click will try to optimise the
brightness/contrast/colour, however this somewhat hit and miss, sometimes
it's great, sometimes goes too far, and sometimes not far enough. Usually
worth trying though since you can always undo the result and fix the shot
manually.
Dust removal is a much trickier thing as it needs some intelligence on the
part of the software. Polaroid did a free dust & scratches removal program
which can be used by itself or as a plugin from within photoshop. It
highlights what it thinks is dust and lets you deselect the stuff it got
wrong before fixing the image. That's about as good as it gets I think
unless you have a scanner with an infra red channel. Unfortunately I don't
have a specific URL for the program but their site is
http :// www .polaroid,com and the program is also known as PDSR.
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
"Marty Fremen" <Marty@fremen.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns99A4E5204EB5C9A6@213.239.142.64...
> Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
>
>> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>>
>> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
>> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
>> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
>> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
>> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
>
> Irfanview will do red-eye, blurring/sharpening, and has an auto-levels
> control which in one click will try to optimise the
> brightness/contrast/colour, however this somewhat hit and miss, sometimes
> it's great, sometimes goes too far, and sometimes not far enough. Usually
> worth trying though since you can always undo the result and fix the shot
> manually.
>
> Dust removal is a much trickier thing as it needs some intelligence on the
> part of the software. Polaroid did a free dust & scratches removal program
> which can be used by itself or as a plugin from within photoshop. It
> highlights what it thinks is dust and lets you deselect the stuff it got
> wrong before fixing the image. That's about as good as it gets I think
> unless you have a scanner with an infra red channel. Unfortunately I don't
> have a specific URL for the program but their site is
> http :// www .polaroid,com and the program is also known as PDSR.
Here's the URL for it:
http :// www .polaroid,com /service/software/poladsr/poladsr.html
"Marty Fremen" <Marty@fremen.invalid> wrote in message
news:Xns99A4E5204EB5C9A6@213.239.142.64...
> Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall.213@gmail,com > wrote:
>
>> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
>>
>> Before rushing to say Photoshop, while I agree for more complex
>> digital photo manipulation it can't be beat, I want something that
>> does common corrections the average novice often needs, such as red
>> eye, bluring , dust removal, lighting adjustments, etc quickly.
>> Ideally what program has the best "one step fix" function?
>
>
> Irfanview will do red-eye, blurring/sharpening, and has an auto-levels
> control which in one click will try to optimise the
> brightness/contrast/colour, however this somewhat hit and miss, sometimes
> it's great, sometimes goes too far, and sometimes not far enough. Usually
> worth trying though since you can always undo the result and fix the shot
> manually.
>
> Dust removal is a much trickier thing as it needs some intelligence on the
> part of the software. Polaroid did a free dust & scratches removal program
> which can be used by itself or as a plugin from within photoshop. It
> highlights what it thinks is dust and lets you deselect the stuff it got
> wrong before fixing the image. That's about as good as it gets I think
> unless you have a scanner with an infra red channel. Unfortunately I don't
> have a specific URL for the program but their site is
> http :// www .polaroid,com and the program is also known as PDSR.
Here's the URL for it:
http :// www .polaroid,com /service/software/poladsr/poladsr.html
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
On Sep 4, 10:22 am, Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall....@gmail,com >
wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
Best is an elusive term.
A friend of mine swears by Picassa (free download from Google)
I really like Paint Shop Pro (I have version 8)
I've also used Paint,net (Also a free download)
HTH,
Chris
On Sep 4, 10:22 am, Barry Goodthrall <BarryGoodthrall....@gmail,com >
wrote:
> What is the best software to quickly fix photos.
Best is an elusive term.
A friend of mine swears by Picassa (free download from Google)
I really like Paint Shop Pro (I have version 8)
I've also used Paint,net (Also a free download)
HTH,
Chris
Re: What is the Best Software for Fixing Pictures?
On Sep 7, 3:38 pm, Michael Calverley <Michael_T...@yahoo,com > wrote:
> Marty Fremen wrote:
> scenario. Otherwise find a program that corrects the problems that
> occur in your photographs...red-eye, color correction, etc.
That was my question.
On Sep 7, 3:38 pm, Michael Calverley <Michael_T...@yahoo,com > wrote:
> Marty Fremen wrote:
> scenario. Otherwise find a program that corrects the problems that
> occur in your photographs...red-eye, color correction, etc.
That was my question.
