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In the world of computer software there are basically three category choices:
1... The first of those is "Freeware", which as the name says, is free. Though most do ask for donations, it isn't required. Most Freeware is developed to solve a single task, though some programs are remarkably full featured.
2... The second is "Shareware", which means you can install and use the software on a trial basis. If you like it, then you buy it. Shareware is generally good quality software at a price that won't cripple your budget. Most Shareware is developed to solve a few tasks, and as before, some of these programs are remarkably full featured. Shareware generally ranges from a few dollars to under a hundred dollars.
3... Lastly, there's "Commercial" software. This last category usually costs far more than Shareware, but the products are developed for and tested on a wide variety of systems and configurations, and generally have every bell and whistle you could ever hope for. And, as the name implies, they are generally used in commercial enterprises, since most homes and small businesses will find them cost prohibitive. They are also so feature laden, that there can be a huge learning curve to learn to use them effectively. Commercial software generally ranges from $49 dollars into the thousands of dollars.
We at EZ-NetTools suggest seven packages, three that are free and four that are commercial.
We strongly suggest that you view the EZ-Net University Course on Photo Preparation before you start to use your graphic editing software as it will show you much of the "why" before you start the "how".
Clicking on any icon below will take you to the website for the software described to the right of the icon.
Some of the free software packages available are:
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| Apple's iPhoto, an application which is included free when you buy an Apple Macintosh computer, is part of the installed iLife Suite. It must be purchased if you didn't get it bundled with your Mac. It has very good editing options and export freatures. We have a tutorial for cropping and exporting using Apple's iPhoto. Again, if it didn't come bundled with your Mac the iLife Suite costs $79.00
Apple Computer, Inc. has excellent audio visual tutorials on using iPhoto. We'll direct you to the iLife Tutorial page where you can then choose the iPhoto tutorials.
|  | There is Paint.Net (paint-dot-net or PDN). This is Freeware with a suggested donation that isn't required. This program also has some features that are usually only found in commercial software, such as the ability to have plug-ins that allow greater flexability and expanded options. It has good editing options and export features. This application also requires the Microsoft .Net framework (which is also free) to be installed. We have a tutorial for cropping and exporting using Paint.Net. There is a suggested donation of $12.00, but it isn't required.
Washington State University's school of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) has a very detailed Paint.Net tutorial website. This tutorial website will teach you how to do much more than simply edit photos.
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| There is a third option that is available for both Mac's and Window's computers that has been around for a long time. It's called "GNU Image Manipulation Program", or "GIMP" for short. While GIMP has sometimes been referred to as the "poor man's Photoshop", it can also have a steep learning curve, as does commercial software, like Adobe Photoshop. But it's free and is still being actively developed by the Open Source community.There is a suggested donation, but they leave the amount up to you, but it isn't required.
The GIMP website offers tutorials from Beginner through Expert levels of graphic editing.
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Due to the fact that the above free offerings are very good pieces of quality software, we'll skip the Shareware category and go directly to the Commercial category. The Commercial category has three offerings, two for the Mac and three for Window's based PC's.
| First is the 800 pound gorilla of the graphics industry, Adobe Photoshop, which is cross platform (Mac and Windows) and which allows you to do just about everything you can think of to a photo or graphic. It also does so much more, but usually only things that graphic design professionals will want or need to do. It is also very expensive when compared to other software titles, especially the free ones! But for graphic design professionals, Adobe Photoshop is the ONLY package that does what it does. The cost is about $700 dollars. | | The second is Corel Draw, which is far less expensive than Adobe Photoshop, but like Adobe Photoshop, can do much more than the Freeware, or even Shareware software titles can do. Again, this is software that is generally used by graphic design professionals, though many home and small business users swear by it. The cost is about $430 dollars. |
| A third option is a package called, "Adobe Photoshop Elements" that, as it's name implies, is sort of a light version of Photoshop and which is also cross platform (Mac and Windows.) In fact, it's actually a very good piece of software that has automated many of the best functions of Photoshop for editing photos. For the price and ease of use, this is the best option for most people. The cost varies from $90 to $100.
| | A fourth option is Ulead's PhotoImpact. It's actually a very good piece of software that has many features and options for editing photos and much more. The cost is about $70 dollars.
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