Best editing programs for windows 10 that aren't internet based.

Hi have just bought a new computer after finally upgrading the laptop and I have decided that I need to finally get a "proper" photo editing programme. Up to this point I have been using Canons DPP and picasa but with the new computer and picasa no longer supported I have decided to actually spend Money!!
I don't have a great internet connection due to geography (down a country lane in the west of Ireland) I don't mind downloading software but having to upload dozens of photos might be a problem.
The choices I am considering are;
1 The Adobe creative cloud suite which has Photoshop and lightroom. It is by far the most expensive option (by about€100 initially plus the on going subscription) and if a lot of the features are web based I might have trouble, this is the point I don't know what it's like.
2 Photoshop and premiere elements 14, I used elements 11 before and found it slow on my old computer so I wasn't really happy with it, but I am prepared to try it with the new system
3 Corel paint shop pro X8, Never used it but it looks ok on the advertising stuff.

So the questions I have are; do they work ok on windows 10? which would you recommend for ease of use and at the same time editing power?
I mainly take photos of people, events and sports, but I have started branching out into macro and landscapes for which I will need a bit more editing than I was doing before.
The system I bought has;
i7 6700 3.4ghz
192Gb SSD
8 GB SSHD
2TB HDD
16GB RAM
Nvidia GTX970 4GB graphics card

Software is just one piece of the photographic system. Information on the rest of your system would help us on knowing what would be appropriate for you. For example, if you have a full, or are planning on investing in a full, selection of Canon L series lenses and top level cameras such as the Canon EOS 1dx Mark II, it would be an easy choice. The Adobe CC would be appropriate. But if you have an older model Rebel with the kit lens, $120.00 USD per year for software would probably not be the best return on investment you could make at this time.

Assuming you are somewhere in between these two scenarios and closer to being a beginner than being a person who earns a significant portion of their income from photography, the best advise I can give you is to start with just Lightroom. Most of us do 90% of what we do in Lightroom and only occasionally need an editor that includes layers and all the other functions. Just buy the stand alone Lightroom program. Use it until you realize you need more. By that time, you will probably know if Elements will do enough or if you need the full Adobe CC.

I would go with the Adobe CC option myself. The photographers bundle is only about £8/month in the UK, not sure what that will be in Euros in the Republic, but I guess under eur10/month. There should be no upfront fee, unless you pay the whole year in advance. The Photographers bundle includes Lightroom, Photoshop and Bridge (although Bridge CC 2015 is now free anyway). You need to download the programs from Adobe, but once that is done you only need to be online once a month so that it can check your subscription is still up to date. The Cloud thing is a bit misleading, as you download and install the full program to your computer, so no real bandwidth worries, apart from the initial download, and then any updates. I know what you mean about poor broadband, I live about 50 yards outside of the Norfolk Broads National Park, in a small village. When we were looking for broadband we tried Sky, as we considered a TV package too. Unfortunately we could not receive the free Sky Broadband package, too far from the exchange, so we would have to pay EXTRA for the c*#p slow service that they could offer us. 20Mb service was free, but 2Mb service we could get would be an additional £9.99/Month!

Alan

Nogo wrote in post #18093912
Software is just one piece of the photographic system. Information on the rest of your system would help us on knowing what would be appropriate for you. For example, if you have a full, or are planning on investing in a full, selection of Canon L series lenses and top level cameras such as the Canon EOS 1dx Mark II, it would be an easy choice. The Adobe CC would be appropriate. But if you have an older model Rebel with the kit lens, $120.00 per year for software would probably not be the best return on investment you could make at this time.

This I really disagree with, IMO having the latest RAW converter, with all of the options, with an older camera is a real godsend. Being able to apply the latest algorithms to the RAW data from an older sensor can really give a significant boost to the results you will achieve. I had my 300D for about 8 years, and every time I got a new updated RAW converter it was like getting a camera upgrade. I now use a 50D and 20D when I need a second body, and RAW converter upgrades help with these bodies too.

Alan

I am an amateur with a 5d mark3 and the following lenses 16-35 f4, 24-70 f2.8ii, 24-105f4, 100L macro, 100-400ii, Tamron 70-200VC. But Really what I shoot with isn't important, the subjects I have shot before didn't really require post processing except for cropping/ straightening and exposure control if I got it wrong in camera.
It's what I want to start shooting now (landscapes and macros) that I really need a better photo editor for.
Thanks Al I guessed that was the general idea of photoshop CC just the Idea of it being a cloud based thing was putting me off. It's €12.29 a month which is a lot compared to the elements package on amazon for £79. Is it that much better than Elements?
Nogo I can't find Lightroom on it's own for purchase?

It seems neither of you would recommend the Corel paint shop pro? I have heard some good things about it but obviously photoshop and lightroom are the biggest players in the market with the consumer numbers.

Drums wrote in post #18093939
I am an amateur with a 5d mark3 and the following lenses 16-35 f4, 24-70 f2.8ii, 24-105f4, 100L macro, 100-400ii, Tamron 70-200VC. But Really what I shoot with isn't important, the subjects I have shot before didn't really require post processing except for cropping/ straightening and exposure control if I got it wrong in camera.
It's what I want to start shooting now (landscapes and macros) that I really need a better photo editor for.
Thanks Al I guessed that was the general idea of photoshop CC just the Idea of it being a cloud based thing was putting me off. It's €12.29 a month which is a lot compared to the elements package on amazon for £79. Is it that much better than Elements?
Nogo I can't find Lightroom on it's own for purchase?

It seems neither of you would recommend the Corel paint shop pro? I have heard some good things about it but obviously photoshop and lightroom are the biggest players in the market with the consumer numbers.

Adobe Lr 6 is available as a disk purchase on Amazon, sold by Adobe. $149.00. There is also Capture One, but the learning curve is a bit greater than with Lr, and the software tends to run a bit slower, at least that was my experience with it.

As far as Corel, It may actually be exactly what you need, but there aren't enough serious shooters using it right now to be able to get a good feel for what it's capable of for me. Then again, I take most of my images into Ps for finishing so as long as Lr does what I need it to do I stick with it. I do not us CC BTW.

BigAl007 wrote in post #18093924
This I really disagree with, IMO having the latest RAW converter, with all of the options, with an older camera is a real godsend. Being able to apply the latest algorithms to the RAW data from an older sensor can really give a significant boost to the results you will achieve. I had my 300D for about 8 years, and every time I got a new updated RAW converter it was like getting a camera upgrade. I now use a 50D and 20D when I need a second body, and RAW converter upgrades help with these bodies too.

Alan

I would have to second this sentiment. From the time the 5DII came out till the time Lr6 was released I saw steady improvements in the file quality from that camera, entirely due to improvements to Lr.

CaptureOne Pro.

Adobe Lightroom would be the tool I would select. I am sure there are plenty of choices that
will work with the camera you have, but Lightroom is one of the selections that would be at
the top of my short list. If you are just getting started, there are many tutorials to get you started.
You can buy the disc, or subscribe to the monthly/yearly plan. Your photos reside on YOUR computer.


Regards,

110yd

BigAl007 wrote in post #18093924
This I really disagree with, IMO having the latest RAW converter, with all of the options, with an older camera is a real godsend.

My point in mentioning a used Rebel has nothing to do with recommending old versus new programs. My point is the recommended software should match the value of your equipment. If one has a camera system worth $100.00 USD or EU 100.00 it would not make since to spend $100.00 USD a year on software. In Drums case, this point is moot though. He has a photographic system that justifies the Adobe CC.

Drums wrote in post #18093939
I am an amateur with a 5d mark3 and the following lenses 16-35 f4, 24-70 f2.8ii, 24-105f4, 100L macro, 100-400ii, Tamron 70-200VC. But Really what I shoot with isn't important, the subjects I have shot before didn't really require post processing except for cropping/ straightening and exposure control if I got it wrong in camera.
It's what I want to start shooting now (landscapes and macros) that I really need a better photo editor for.
Thanks Al I guessed that was the general idea of photoshop CC just the Idea of it being a cloud based thing was putting me off. It's €12.29 a month which is a lot compared to the elements package on amazon for £79. Is it that much better than Elements?
Nogo I can't find Lightroom on it's own for purchase?

It seems neither of you would recommend the Corel paint shop pro? I have heard some good things about it but obviously photoshop and lightroom are the biggest players in the market with the consumer numbers.

Lightroom is for sale separately on Adobe's site and at many retailers. You are in a different market from me though, so the suppliers I would use are not the ones available to you. In the USA B&H, or Adorama run specials on Lightroom many times a year. I would use one of them but I don't believe either of them ship to GB though. Is WEX a decent supplier? They list Lightroom. http://www.wexphotogra​phic.com …m-6-full-version/p1572286

What does Lightroom do that Canon's DPP and/or Elements can't? I see LR recommended a lot but haven't understood why someone would use that instead, especially considering DPP is free for Canon camera owners.

sued5320 wrote in post #18093973
What does Lightroom do that Canon's DPP and/or Elements can't? I see LR recommended a lot but haven't understood why someone would use that instead, especially considering DPP is free for Canon camera owners.

The short answer, a lot. Rather than type out a long answer, I'd recommend heading to YouTube for some primer videos on Lr. It will become evident very quickly just how much more powerful Lr is.

sued5320 wrote in post #18093973
What does Lightroom do that Canon's DPP and/or Elements can't? I see LR recommended a lot but haven't understood why someone would use that instead, especially considering DPP is free for Canon camera owners.

The catalogue system of Lightroom makes for a beautiful piece of workflow software. It isn't just a tool you use to adjust photos, it is a start to end system that aids in streamlining the process and allows you to work more effectively, especially for going back to previous photos you have taken.

A properly keyworded and arranged catalogue make it a breeze to go back and find images. Want a specific image of something? Well you could sit there and flip through your thousands of photos looking at each one, trying to remember when about it was you took it, or you could type a few words and configure a few search fields, and then Lightroom spits out the most likely photos.

Lightroom was designed to tie into other systems. Push something out to Photoshop for more detailed editing, then save and return to Lightroom easily. Or export batches of photos with pre-configured setups, or even export straight to any number of services online.

To really understand why a photographer would use it, you really should go watch some videos talking about it and explaining the workflows.

Yes I do use Canon DPP, which does do a fair bit of work, cropping, exposure adjustment, noise reduction and of course raw conversion and Cataloguing. If that is what lightroom does then I need something that will create layers and do the other "Photoshop" type jobs I want. I suppose I was really asking is the photoshop elements ok or is it just better to go to the CC based version, or if some forum user had the corel product and wanted to share their thoughts.

didn't see the last 2 posts as I was typing this. Thank you everybody for the replies, it looks like the Adobe CC package is what I really need

Drums wrote in post #18093985
Yes I do use Canon DPP, which does do a fair bit of work, cropping, exposure adjustment, noise reduction and of course raw conversion and Cataloguing. If that is what lightroom does then I need something that will create layers and do the other "Photoshop" type jobs I want. I suppose I was really asking is the photoshop elements ok or is it just better to go to the CC based version, or if some forum user had the corel product and wanted to share their thoughts.

Saying that you can do those with DPP and therefore it must be the same as Lr is like saying you can do 55mph in a Chevette and therefore it must be the same as a Corvette. While you can't do individual layers in Lr, can can create a limitless number of adjustment brushes for localized adjustments. Granted I still use Ps, but it's more for specialized uses now. If you're not trying to create composites or special effects you can do just fine with Lr. Of course, if you feel the need for layers, then you might as well just go ahead with CC.