The introduction to this series referred to the joy of processing. For me and many others, Photoshop has brought back the joy of the darkroom. But Photoshop and its competitors are expensive products. Are they worth it?

Well, if you’re interested in taking your Photography seriously, yes they probably are. New versions of Photoshop come out regularly and even the upgrades are expensive. But the good news is that a new version of Photoshop will be useable for years without being upgraded.

Photoshop allows you to fine tune your photographs very subtly. You spend years — literally — learning to use the different tools. The learning curve is not that steep though and it is easy to get good images quickly.

Manipulation?

I don’t think Photoshop is really about manipulation, rather, it allows you to capture the sprit of the place that you photographed. There are many cheaper programs that allow you to change brightness and contrast and if your happy with them fine.

But Photoshop allows you to very finely tune the colour balance, the colour saturation, change the balance between shadows and highlights. It allows you to touch up shots, taking away camera glare or that object that got in the way of the great view. Image layers allow you to work on small areas of the image without compromising the quality of the rest.

I hazard to suggest that if you really want to take your photos further, that Photoshop is a good investment. Photoshop is not the only example, there is a good public domain alternative that is being developed and championed by artists. But in this Photoshop really does rule. If cash is a problem then consider Photoshop Elements, a kind of junior program that can add a lot to your work

Graphic Tablets

If you do go down the Photoshop route then it is worth buying a graphic tablet from a company such as Wacom. These allow you to work with a ‘pen’ rather than a mouse. The effect is more intuitive and far more subtle than relying purely on the mouse. Wacom tablets are now quite affordable and — for me — are worth their weight in gold.

Post processing is important in presenting those hard-won photos. Post processing can be as much fun as the original photo shot.

Have fun exploring the potential of these programs!

The END

Well that’s the end of the project. I hope you’ve fond it helpful if not inspiring. If there’s something I’ve missed out or something that has not been explained properly, then feel free to get in touch. The great things about a web project is that extra entries can be added at any time!

andy.howell@mac.com