I bought my first MAC

Ok, here is another option...

Is there a program that does this as good or better than DPP, so I dont have to use DPP at all?
Simplify the process a bit:
Use DPP for white balance ( best i've used )
Use DPP for curves and color management
Use DPP for jpeg convert

Aperture, Lightroom, Bibble. I'm sure there are others.

kirkt wrote in post #8812586
Is your 24" iMac display too bright? This seems to be a chronic problem with the earlier 24" iMacs - once you start editing images and finding that they come back way too dark in print, you may need to address this issue. It will be interesting to see how your prints match up with your screen images.

Have fun!

Kirk

Shades to the rescue.

http://www.charcoaldes​ign.co.uk/shades

DPP is well respected, many here still use it, including some who have paying gigs.

First ask yourself, where is DPP lacking that you feel you need more? Then try the various options listed above... seems like what you are asking for is basic RAW converter functions. All should have white-balance, color controls, and conversion to .jpg.

One of my main reasons for moving on from DPP was highlight recovery. The windows version of PSE's ACR is crippled, and didn't do enough for me... so I moved to LR, where I love the presets, clarity, vibrance, and adjustment brushes (soften skin, whiten teeth, localized saturation, etc!)

However, as noted earlier, it appears the MAC version of PSE8 has the full ACR (with adjustment brushes, local editing, etc.) Seems like a very powerful alternative to DPP, for mac users at least!

If people use DPP solely.
How do they use DPP for cropping and printing?
Maybe I am not as 'learned' of DPP as I thought.

When I started, it was DPP > Image Browser since both apps came with the camera.

spcalan wrote in post #8815157
If people use DPP solely.
How do they use DPP for cropping and printing?
Maybe I am not as 'learned' of DPP as I thought.

DPP has cropping, and you can print directly from it as well.

Though, there are limitations. DPP does not have arbitrary rotation, for example, so straightening a horizon is out.

If there's more to do to an image than a given RAW processor alone is capable of, that's where outputting to .jpg or .tiff and using pixel-editors like gimp, photoshop cs, photoshop elements, iphoto come into play. You should already have iPhoto, and Gimp is free.

which would handle raw better?

i was looking into lightroom as well

b_ron wrote in post #8817372
which would handle raw better?

i was looking into lightroom as well

RAW, DPP technically does the best job, followed by LR2 then aperture. aperture does not support sRAW, nor does have as large a RAW support base.

b_ron wrote in post #8817372
which would handle raw better?

i was looking into lightroom as well

They both handle it just fine. Again, it all really comes down to individual prefernce, I believe. I happily used DPP for a long time, and do not regret it. Just happens I came across situations that I felt other tools handled better or with less effort.

LR doesn't fit for everyone... some people just don't like it. Others find desired color representation easier to achieve in DPP. Some prefer Bibble or RawTherapee even. This is because everyone's specific needs are different. Others prefer the power/tools in LR or ACR. Best way to tell is by kicking its tires with the free trials the companies provide.

I've always seen DPP as sort of a starter app - and it's very limited processing tools mean you need to have additional software on had to finish your photos, further complicating your work flow.

In the end, you need to use what works best for you, but it would seem beneficial to drop DPP and go right to a pro photo processing app LR or Aperture.

Okay, still on trial of Aperture, compared erroneously to iPhoto earlier, why is the cool stuff hidden under Images | Edit With | "Dodge & Burn"

Seems like it is a bolt on, seems like it would be more intuitive to launch from interface ? Am I missing something.

By cool Stuff, I mean brush editing of saturation, dodge & burn, sharpen, etc.

I just right-click to access that menu. Pretty easy.

kirkt wrote in post #8812586
Is your 24" iMac display too bright? This seems to be a chronic problem with the earlier 24" iMacs - once you start editing images and finding that they come back way too dark in print, you may need to address this issue. It will be interesting to see how your prints match up with your screen images.

The 24" iMac screen is very bright. I keep mine turned down anywhere from half way to all the way depending on ambient light.

The iMac screen will also seem very bright to new users coming from a PC because of the default gamma settings. It is 2.2 on a PC and was 1.8 on the Mac (default value was changed to 2.2 with Snow Leopard 10.6.1).

I post lots of images online. I have not had any comments about my images being brighter, darker, or otherwise different after switching to Mac. I also used Aperture to create a book and those pictures looked almost exactly as they did on screen.

spcalan wrote in post #8806824
Ok.. here goes again.

I will not be buying photoshop for Mac... what are the better options?
For Mac of course.

I tried Pixelmator and liked it. You may feel a bit limited as a former Photoshop user, but you could certainly get by. I found Pixelmator in this discussion of Mac photo editors.