Software suggestion

[NAvalanche]

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I scan my films with Silverfast and Im looking into some editing software as it would be fun and maybe to send some photos to be printed. 
I dont care about cloud storage as I plan to setup my own NAS. 
It looks like you get what you pay for. Lightroom Classic seems to be the best bet and I dont find it too expensive for about €12 a month. 
I will run it on a new Macbook M4 Pro. Capture One Pro would be a few euros more per month, but its maybe overkill. 
DXO Photolab seems to have mixed reviews. 
What do you hobby people use?

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[SiggiGun]

after a lot of tests and play, I use now exclusively  "LR classic". Sometimes for special B&W "enhancements I add "Nik Collection Silver Efex" in the workflow. But to be honest, I do it, "less and less" 

[LocalHero1953]

LR Classic and Capture One are the market leaders and equally powerful (others are available - DXO, Affinity, Luminar Neo, Darktable.......). I don't think it matters if you choose either - in the end you are better off picking one and learning it thoroughly rather than spending too much time worrying which addresses one particular technical issue best.

I use LR Classic, backed up when needed by Photoshop (included in the Adobe package you mention) and Topaz Photo AI (which I pay for separately). I've been using Lightroom since version 3 was bundled with my M9 and seen no reason to start a new learning curve with another package.

I have the Nik collection for SilverEfex, but haven't used it for well over a year - I become less keen on apps that are mainly one-click 'looks'. I know you can do a lot manually in SilverEfex, but I can achieve much the same in LR or PS.

Edited November 29, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[hansvons]

5 hours ago, NAvalanche said:

It looks like you get what you pay for. Lightroom Classic seems to be the best bet and I dont find it too expensive for about €12 a month. 

Spot on.

I have both (need Photoshop, LR comes with the subscription) and use exclusively Capture One for photo editing. My reasoning is based on my preference for fast editing (Capture One excels at that) and high customization. Also, Capture One has the best Levels Tool in the industry on which my workflow is based on. And lastly, I use custom-made, linear camera profiles that work best with Capture One. All else can LR CC do too, or better yet. And it’s cheaper. 

[Jeff S]

LR Classic to start editing (and storing) all pics, then ImagePrint Black for final print editing.  Photoshop comes with Adobe subscription, but used rarely these days.

Jeff

[Anbaric]

5 hours ago, NAvalanche said:

It looks like you get what you pay for.

Sometimes you get a bit more. Affinity Photo is always reasonably priced, and with the current Black Friday deal (50% off) it's very cheap for software of this quality and power. It's probably the most serious challenger to Photoshop as a single image pixel editor, though it doesn't attempt to compete with Lightroom for lightbox-style multi image selection and organisation, and it doesn't have AI tools. For those you might look at ON1, which aims to be an all in one solution and is also 50% off at the moment. Neither of these require subscriptions. Capture One Pro's biggest strength is I think raw conversion, but that isn't something you need unless you also shoot digital, and prices seem targeted at their core market (professional wedding photographers etc.).

[Doug A]

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I used the original Apple photos app (whatever it was called), Aperture, Lightroom, Photoshop, DXO, Silver Efex and Affinity Photo in more or less that order, with overlaps. I currently use Affinity Photo for all of my editing, ComtactPage Pro for making contact pages of all my negatives, and Epson Print Layout for inkjet printing. The total cost of all three apps was less than $100. I shudder to think about all the money I spent getting to this point. 

Edited November 29, 2024 by Doug A

[leica dream]

I used Photoshop Elements for very many years until my MAC update changed the bit structure which would not let my ancient version run.

Faced with the conundrum of change I looked at some of the common systems like Lightroom etc but settled with Capture One.  Seemed over complicated at the start for a very amateur guy but they have such excellent video tutorials it soon helped be to simplify what I needed. I have never looked back.

[Deejaybeephoto]

Lightroom Cloud for me. I’ve used DxO, Capture one and LR Classic, but the cloud version suits me best for ease of use between iPad, phone and desktop. This has all of the advantages for me with very few drawbacks - and with the speed of features being added by Adobe, these will disappear soon.

[250swb]

I use the Adobe plan but don't use their cloud storage, so I get Photoshop and Lightroom and all the updates as they come down the line. I also use Adobe Bridge as my photo collection browser tool and use it to download images into folders and go through folders and open images into Photoshop. And as a plugin for Photoshop I use Nik Collection from DxO which does the bulk of my B&W processing with Silver Efex and for colour I use both Color Efex and Viveza. Also in the package you get a good denoise programme and sharpener. If anybody has been frustrated by previous releases of Nik Collection the new version 7 is a major update and is a fabulous bit of kit. If Photoshop and Lightroom are the bag of tools this is an easy to use machine shop were the simple things become even simpler and all the complicated stuff is hidden from view.

[hansvons]

I’m reluctant to admit it, but I use Luminar Neo more and more in my workflow, which is based on Capture One.

If you have the chops to withstand the permanent kitsch onslaught, this app adds phenomenal tools. It’a particularly good at the final finishing of an image that’s going to see the printer.

I’m sure it can be used as a one-stop app. It’s library/catalogue is better than what PS and Affinity provide (they have none) but not on par with C1’s Sessions or LR’s Catalogue. 

[RobertJGA]

I use the excellent PhotoLine software (www.pl32.com). Relatively unknown but very very powerful. It is compatible with many Photoshop-plugins. I use Topaz Photo AI plugin and some of the Nik plugins (v5).