Photo Program

[hlfo718]

Since I don't have a Mac so I can't use iPhoto as I was told is the best software to sort and manage photos. Does anyone recommend any other program for a PC? I have used Google Picasso, it was very difficult to use and understand. I have used one or two other popular programs (forgot the names) but they seem so complicated. I have over 1,000 photos I want to upload, sort, and do other minor editing to. Any suggestions?

[CaliJim]

Photoshop Elements

[Woodshark]

You asked about two different things.

For sorting & management I like ACDSee only because I have used it forever. If I had to start again I would use Picasa.

For editing I agree that Photoshop Elements is hard to beat for the money.

Look here for more options. http://lifehacker.com/5813895/the-best- ... or-windows

[mr.ajandkj]

Picasa is by far the easiest, and can handle most all basic editing tasks.

Photoshop Elements is good, and quite powerful, but along with that comes a good amount of complexity.

Both have active user communities/forums where you can find answers to your questions.

[richard]

I'm very fond of Adobe's Lightroom. They offer a free trial.

[matjen]

I have to say that I can't imagine an easier photo management (and basic editing) program than Picassa for OP's purposes. If the OP found that too complicated something like Lightroom or virtually anything else would be a great disappointment.

[TomatoTomahto]

Another vote for Photoshop Elements. You can use it in a simple mode, or get quite sophisticated if you like. I have a few plug-ins in mine (Noise Ninja and Topaz Labs), but it works quite well "out of the box" if that's what you want. I have 45,000+ photos in mine; it works fine to keep track of them. You can categorize each photo (for example, John => Sports => Hockey) so that you can find it later easily. A timeline search is standard.

It fits the sweet spot between free and overkill.

[deanbrew]

I use PhotoScape. It's a free photo processing program that is more than adequate for basic photo manipulation. You can do a quick web search and see reviews of it.

I've tried or used probably a dozen photo programs, including Photoshop Elements, and this one is simpler and faster than most, and the price is right. I tried a few other free programs, too, but much prefer this one. You can download it at www.photoscape.org.

It really depends on whether you need the complex, detailed capabilities of Photoshop, or just want a simpler, easy program.