which software for 20D

newbie for 20D...software questions...should I use zoom browser, Digital professional software, Adsobe elements 2.0 or Adobe photshop CS

Yes. Okay, I won't be silly. It depends what you are doing with the pictures. If you are going to play with layers, then PhotoShop is best, I think, if you are familiar with it already. It's a personal preference thing.

SuzyView

Not sure what level of experience you have... I my opinion:
Zoombrowser is ok for cataloging your photos and very basic edits...

Digital Professional may be useful to you if you plan to shoot raw and do your own post work... ok to start working with RAW images...

Elements 2.0 is a scaled down basic phtoshop with similar features to Zoombrowser... can do a few more advanced edits that Zoombrowser, but targeted for home user...

The pros use Photoshop CS and this is a high end program - serious RAW image editor...

Like our cameras, the more complex the tool, the more time required on how to use it... choice will depend on personal requirements and needs...

I love photoshop

Thanks for the reply, since I have all those programs mentioned, do I or should I need to learn them all....or ONE ONLY!!!!

1. Is Photoshop CS the best overall for.....raw convertor, photo merge, touch ups, browser/viewer and photo file management etc.

2. Do I need the additional programs like the Canon Bundled softwares (Zoom Browser, EOS Viewer, Photostitch, capture, DPP).

Since you sound like you are familiar with these various programs, I quess what I am asking is......am I doubling up with the Canon bundled software?

Personally I have no use for Zoombrowser. DPP or Rawshooter Essentials (free version) are good Raw converters, and PS Elements works well for tweaking your images before printing.

The bundled Canon software is redundant in your case... if you are ok with Photoshop, go for it!

When i just started shooting raw, I tried DPP, RawShooter Essential and Photoshop CS. I have decided to stick with PS CS because it's a one stop shop. However, the File Browser in PS CS is too slow. So i use RSE to organize my pictures and delete the bad ones first. Then use ACR in PC CS to convert raw to tiff and do most of the post processing there.

Thanks everyone......wow talk about a fast learning curve....plus I have got to learn the 20D camera....Monaco EZ Color with spectormeter, Designjet 30, scanner. I am advanced in computers, but I need to make the correct choices in the software. I think I will be removing all sofware and keeping the PS CS...sort of learn once the hard way and learn right...I HOPE !!!

Johngl wrote:
Thanks for the reply, since I have all those programs mentioned, do I or should I need to learn them all....or ONE ONLY!!!!

1. Is Photoshop CS the best overall for.....raw convertor, photo merge, touch ups, browser/viewer and photo file management etc.

2. Do I need the additional programs like the Canon Bundled softwares (Zoom Browser, EOS Viewer, Photostitch, capture, DPP).

Since you sound like you are familiar with these various programs, I quess what I am asking is......am I doubling up with the Canon bundled software?

I use PS CS2 and Adobe Camera Raw. ACR is a decent Raw converter that for me does the job as well as any of the other popular converters that are available.

I don't use DPP anymore (although I still have it on my PC), and since PS CS2 has a Photomerge function I removed Photostitch from my laptop. Of the other applications that you mentioned, the only one that I use once in awhile is EOS Viewer Utility because it lets you see where the AF point was. Also, EVU is used for setting the Owners Name for your camera.

For me, Adobe Bridge that comes with PS CS2 is good enough for managing my files.

Of the group you listed I would only pass on the Elements 2.0. You won't need it if you have CS. I have them all installed and use them for various different reasons. DPP gives me a quick look at my raw images, but Adobe Bridge (comes with CS2?) is pretty good at that now. I believe ZoomBrowser is what I use when I want to check a focus point as the other software doesn't let me do that. And that's about all I use it for.

I manage my images in iMatch.

I use two different computers to work on my photos. One has PhotoShop Elements and the other PhotoShop 7.0 Depending on what I need to do I choose. Serious software takes time to learn. I haven't done any layering yet, but will play with other things that PS is good for. Hope this helps.

SuzyView

I use zoombrowser only for printing 4x6 borderless photos with my canon printer, not for editing. CS2 is great if some one can teach you how to use it. It's not intuitive at all. Elements 4 might be a good compromise.

I shoot with a Canon 20D and more recently a Canon 1D. I only shoot in RAW mode. I use the Canon EOS Viewer Utility to read compact flash cards via a Lexar firewire card reader. Eight megapixel images download at about a second a piece. After the images are downloaded into EOS Viewer Utility I simply drag them to a file folder, a conversion process that requires about another second per photo. I close EOS Viewer and then open the browser built into Photoshop CS. Photos initially open into Adobe Camera Raw where I may adjust white balance and tweak exposure. All other processing is done in Photoshop.

I'm not a pro but I love working on images in Photoshop, so this workflow serves me well. I'll likely upgrade to Photoshop CS2 to take advantage of Adobe Bridge, a much improved browser. If you're a student you can buy the software for less than $400. I've come to believe that my investment in camera and lenses warrants an investment in the software that permits me to produce quality images. NOTHING about this hobby is cheap...

I'll second that last statement. Just when you think the software that comes with the camera will do the trick, you find out something else is even better. Always happens.

SuzyView