# Recommendations For Basic Image Editing Program



## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

What is required is a small program that will run happily on a low spec, though reasonably modern, lap top running Windows XP. User is not very computer literate and wants to do little more than simple crop editing and reduce resolution of original images for emailing and ebay.

Your thoughts and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Julian (L)


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

Google's Picasa 3 .... you will need to get a gmail/google mail account, free to download and more than enough, you also get free image hosting.


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## hotmog (Feb 4, 2006)

Arcsoft Photostudio 5 is a free download that meets all your criteria. If you want something a little more advanced (but still free), try FastStone Image Viewer, Raw Therapee and/or Gimp.

The latter three can all be used to process Raw image files.


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## JonF (Aug 26, 2005)

Gimp was reviewed by Which a little while ago - no advertisers' bias there. It came out really well, and is free. They reckoned it was pretty much comparable to the commercial packages.


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

Yes Gimp is very good


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

JonF said:


> Gimp was reviewed by Which a little while ago - no advertisers' bias there. It came out really well, and is free. They reckoned it was pretty much comparable to the commercial packages.


I last looked at Gimp in 2004 and posted a few pictures here. At that time, you couldn't beat it for pure functionality, but the interface was very hard to get on with....not for the novice I think. However this was 4 years ago...anyone know if it has improved?? :huh:


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

I was thinking that too Paul, i have not touched it since last year, i think you may be right but there will be tutorials knocking around somewhere


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

I'm stuck with whatever's installed on my work PC but I must say that I've yet to have any problems with using Microsoft Office Picture Manager. I'll be the first to admit that it's as basic as a basic thing but it even so it's still very useful & allows you to resize, crop, rotate, flip & adjust the brightnes/contrast etc of your photo. It may not have all the bells & whistles of Photoshop or Gimp but it's an awful lot better than nothing. I didn't install it so I'm not sure it's available unless you have a copy of MS Office


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi Julian - I use *'Paint.NET' *- It's 100 easier to use than Photoshop and it's free  - Cheers S


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## blackandgolduk (Apr 25, 2005)

For simple resizing and cropping, I can recommend Microsoft Office Picture Manager - its a bit of a doddle and it's difficult to mess up with it. For more advanced editing, use GIMP - although it takes a bit of time to get used to, it's a powerful bit of kit. For those who have raised concerns over the interface, there are two 'add-ons' now out which wrap everything up in one window and makes the interface more akin to Photoshop.

For those of you who are restricted to whatever's on your office/work machine, GIMP can run off a pendrive or can be downloaded as a non-install .exe direct to the hard drive. Google portableapps and you'll get the website where you can download GIMP and all of the add-ons.


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## bunchie32 (Jun 27, 2008)

if you have a flickr account, you have access to their online partner photo editing suite, picnik, which you can access from the edit photo icon above your pictures.

it's not bad actually!


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## steve309 (Jun 10, 2006)

For simple cropping and resolution changes Irfanview is a pretty good piece of software.


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## James (Jul 17, 2006)

2 things Julian

For an image browser and everything else AcdSee. Used it for years, after trying almost everything else I always go back to it. Can supply you the regular or pro versions with key generator, so free!

http://www.acdsee.com/

Here is one that is really simple to use and most don't know about it and its truely freeware. Used it for years. Free simple and works really well. You would download the standalone version. I also have the AutoEnhance pay for version if you would like it, plus others 

http://www.mediachance.com/digicam/enhancer.htm


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## bunchie32 (Jun 27, 2008)

James said:


> 2 things Julian
> 
> For an image browser and everything else AcdSee. Used it for years, after trying almost everything else I always go back to it. Can supply you the regular or pro versions with key generator, so free!
> 
> ...


i can vouch for acdsee too. very good bit of kit that.


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

Thank you one and all.

I am downloading and trying each one. Started off as a project for a colleague, but now I'm hooked. Great timing too as, from 20th @ 07:00, I went part-time and now get nine days off in a block every third week. :thumbup: :king: :beach:

Hope the disappointment I feel shows through :lol: !

Julian (L)


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## langtoftlad (Mar 31, 2007)

I do part -time like that too and it's brill :lol:

...well the time off bit is, bit of a pain when the three week work bit comes around :blink:


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## limey (Aug 24, 2006)

My vote for ease of use would be FastStone, for power GIMP running on PortableApps. I use FastStone all the time to put my copyright info on pictures I send out, I spent an hour today playing around in GIMP to figure out how to use it. It's a challenge.

Tried Picasa but couldn't get on with the organising bit at the time.


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## Dave ME (May 7, 2005)

Good recommendation that FastStone, I've downloaded it and had a play this afternoon and quite like it.


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