Long considered by some users to be a dumbed-down version of Photoshop, Elements has made considerable headway in its most recent versions. #2 Choice: Adobe Photoshop Elements Score: 8.3 In terms of the best photography software, this is the one to beat.
A free mobile version of Lightroom is also available for iOS and Android devices.
Lightroom is available for Mac OS and Windows and can be obtained as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography plan for US$9.99 per month. While not as complex as Photoshop, Lightroom is an expansive application that will take some time to fully appreciate and integrate into your workflow. Also featured is a superb printing module, the ability to create slideshows, the option to export images to the Web, and integrated book creation via Blurb. Additionally, Lightroom allows you to tag, flag, and rate photos. And Lightroom does a few things that Photoshop doesn’t do so well - or at all - especially when it comes to serving as a photo organizer, something at which Lightroom excels. If, however, you do need or prefer to use a feature in Photoshop, Lightroom makes for a seamless round-trip journey into Photoshop and back. It is, indeed, possible to do all your fixing and finalizing (dodging and burning, noise reduction, sharpening, tonal adjustments, lens correction, effects, etc.) in Lightroom and perhaps never give Photoshop much thought. It uses the same raw processor as Photoshop and allows for non-destructive image editing in fact, a great deal of Photoshop’s editing tools are found in Lightroom, with the most glaring omission being layers. Lightroom has emerged as the cure-all in the eyes of many photographers.
Note: This is our leaderboard for the best overall photography software. Updated: January, 31, 2017 to add Macphun Luminar and Macphun Aurora HDR photography software. Updated: December 4, 2018 to add Capture One's current version.
Updated: Februto add Luminar, Capture One Pro, Optics Pro to PhotoLab, Photo Director, Paintshop, On1's current versions. Updated: Januto add recent versions of Luminar, Capture One Pro, PaintShop Pro, Photo Director, On1.
Updated: Februto add recent versions of all softwares. Hopefully this will help you make a more informed decision on which application is right for you.
Whether you’re a first time user or in need of an upgrade or looking to make a change, here is an overview of some of the best photography software currently available. When it comes to digital photography software, options abound, perhaps to the point of being confusing.