Expert: LizaL - 1/24/2005

Question
I collect photos for personal enjoyment. I thought about buying a computer and installing photoshop so I can trim, make the color better, make the picture more clear, i.e. some are so small that when I make them larger, I get a lot of blocks on the image, print 4 x 6 with the kodak photo printer that laminates, etc. - make bigger if possible when I get those really small 1/2 x 1/2 photos, etc.

People who use photoshop say this would be like driving a Ferrari - when all I need is a Chevy, for what I want to do with my photos.

If this is true, what do you think I should do? I think I need to buy a computer (mine works great; 9-year old HP Brio with Windows 98 and a simple photo software that stores, sorts, and does basic photo touchups, no trimming the background. And prints 9 x 10 page photos only. And I need to buy the right software.

If not a new computer and/or photoshop? Then what software and computer, or just a better software, should I buy?

A friend gave me the photoshop version 6 cd, but I never tried to use it. My ram is not enough, according to the photoshop box vs my computer. I bought extra ram, enough as the photoshop box said, but I do not know how to install it.

Thanks for the time. I look forward to hearing from you.  

Answer
Hi David,

This is pretty much a personal decision -- a lot of it has to do with what you're comfortable using, what you're comfortable with spending, and how much time you intend to devote to learning not only a new computer, but new software!

But I know where you're coming from. I've had to make these decisions myself, and I've also spent years advising students about their purchases.

You sound to me like you like your computer. And that's one big hurdle out of the way! I'd say if that's the case, let's talk about some options you might consider in terms of software:

1. You might try a program like Jasc PaintShop Pro. Version 9 is the current version, and it's OK with Win98SE -- here's the System Requirements page for PSPro:

http://www.jasc.com/products/paintshoppro/sysreq.asp?

But in the event that you don't think Paint Shop Pro version 9 would be appropriate for your system, yet you like the look of the program, you could always try Amazon.com to get a copy of version 8.


2. Jasc also makes a program called Paint Shop Photo Album, and you might check that out too:

http://www.jasc.com/products/photoalbum/

I've never used these programs, but I've heard good things about them, and have had several students who've used them and really liked them.


3. Arcsoft makes several photo-editing programs that run with Windows 98:

http://www.arcsoft.com/en/products/photosoftware.asp


4. Silver Eagle makes a shareware called Amazing Photo Editor. I will admit I know nothing about it, but it wouldn't hurt to check it out:

http://www.silvereaglesoft.com/APE.htm


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Now let's say you want to get a new computer. No doubt you want it to be configured so you can edit and store your photos -- so you want a fair amount of RAM, and also storage space.

I had a Gateway, but now have 2 Dells, a laptop and a desktop machine. Personally, I like both companies and all three machines. I don't think you could go wrong with either, although I guess if I had to make a choice, I'd have to say I like Dell, and one reason for that is the price.

You can get a decent desktop Dell for less than $800, and that's not bad at all, considering you get the monitor too. I also like Dell because they make it so easy for you to configure your machine *before* you get it. You can make your choices as to what you want, in terms of memory, storage, etc. -- and they'll build it that way and charge you accordingly.

Check out the Dimension 3000 and Dimension 4700. I think either would be a great choice:

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/desktops?c=us&cs=19&l=en&...


So if you chose to get a new machine you could consider some of the Adobe products for photo editing.


1. Adobe makes a program called Photoshop Album. I've never used it, but I did some reading, and it sounds perfect for someone who wants to do some minor photo touchup work, plus organize their photos. It sounds like you have a lot of photos, and maybe this would be a good organizing tool for you. Plus, it looks like it'd be a fairly easy program to learn, thus freeing you up to enjoy what you're doing!

Check it out here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopalbum/main.html


2. Photoshop Elements 3.0 is another great program for the casual user. I have this program, as well as Photoshop CS, and I like Elements a lot. It's like a scaled-down version of Photoshop, but the learning curve is far easier than that of Photoshop proper. There's no question that you'll have all the tools you need for simple retouching and cropping.


By the way, the System Requirements page for Photoshop and PS Elements is here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopalbum/systemreqs.html


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I hope this gives you something to go on! If you need or want any more help, please don't hesitate to post back.

Good luck! Let me know what you decide.


Lisa


P.S. Here's a step-by-step on installing RAM in your PC:

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,18024,00.asp