Arches make some really nice watercolour painting paper.
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Thanks, perhaps I should post something (tomorrow) on art images and copyright law which unfortunately, is far more varied and complex, particularly internationally than @ChrisMann suggests. But still fun and thought provoking 'cos one can dip into aesthetics, creativity, art history and all sorts of other fields.
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I so agree!
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Another aspect I love about post-processing is using an āembossā filter to alter and accentuate the texture of the image - works particularly well with wood and with stonework. This is what I did with the Crowhurst Yew.
Also, I love Hahnemuhle matt papers for printing such images - I sold several of the B&W age-doorway image.
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If youāre looking for a simple and straightforward tool to tweak or experiment with colors in photos without a steep learning curve, you might want to check out basic online editors or tools meant for beginners. I remember I once tried GIMP for something similar, but like you, I found it a bit overwhelming with too many features I didnāt need. I ended up using the built-in editor on my laptop, which was enough for quick adjustments like brightness, contrast, and color tweaks.
If you ever happen to work with videos too and need to manage formats, converting from one file type to another like F4V is pretty easy with this F4V converter. Itās helpful for keeping media projects uncomplicated. For more details check Convert F4V Files Online for Free ā Movavi
I keep getting emails from ON1 about their photo editing programmes. Thereās a one-off cost version and a by-subscription version. Would the one-off cost version be worth getting, for amateur use? Anyone using it?
Another email landed in my inbox.
Interesting videoā¦
I have that version and itās very functional.
Adobe changed their photography package last year and the subscription model requires that to retain the package you must lodge ongoing payment details with them. When my subscription runs out next year Iāll probably move solely to On1.
There should be a free trial download available.
Iām too impulsive and have downloaded the Ā£46..18 version. Donāt think Iāll regret it thoughā¦
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Itās a very useful package, and I suspect they forced Adobe to make lightroom much more comprehensive than it used to be. Have fun.
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Iāve just failed to successfully install my elderly copy of Adobe Creative Suite on my new laptop (which has delayed posting of new rando pics). Iāve transferred my original DVD from successive machines several times, but this time the installation procedureās changed and it didnāt work. However, the only Suite programmes I use are Photoshop, Illustrator, and very occasionally Indesign, so I think Iāll buy older versions of Photoshop and Illustrator online for starters.
Mac or PC? Recent Macs may struggle with older versions of software and I understand that obsolete Adobe products donāt work on more recent versions of the OS.
Also with older products, Adobe has turned off activation servers, so I canāt reinstall my copy of LR6.14 for example.
I think (hope) that Iāve just bought a very inexpensive 2021 version of Photoshop with a lifetime licence from Mm3digital.com
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If you want a free alternative to Photoshop, there is the open-source GIMP, and Affinity Photo seems to get good reviews.
As a professional photographer I shall continue to use the Adobe apps, as the Ā£35 a month I pay for the full Creative Suite is affordable for a business user (as well as being a deductible business expense).
Plus I have 30+ years of experience with it so for me itās not worth the hassle of switching. 
Current versions of PS and Lightroom can be had as a bundle for Ā£20 a month, and I find that Adobe will routinely knock 40% off my CC subscription each year if I go through the motions of cancelling, so i never pay the headline price of Ā£66 a month for that.
I would rather have continued to pay one-off upgrade fees as in the past, but I understand why software companies prefer the more predicatable revenue steram of a subscription model.
(I used to upgrade every other version, so they missed out!)
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I glanced at these, but their user interfaces looked horribly cheesy in comparison. Also Iāve been using Photoshop continuously since the early Nineties so itās pretty intuitively ingrained in my working processes.
Unfortunately the company mentioned above, has sent me a copy of Acrobat DC instead! So I canāt yet recommend them. As the only other Adobe Suite programmes I ever use are Illustrator, InDesign and very occasionally Bridge. I might put my old CS3 stuff on my wifeās machine.
I got quite upset with Affinity when I bought Affinity Studio with lifetime updates, only for them to bring out a new version a couple of months later which, surprise surprise, was according to them a new product and therefore not included in the ālifetimeā updates. If they had maybe offered some sort of discount for those that had just bought the previous product I may have forgiven them, but they basically said tough, youāll have to pay again. The lifetime updates for the old product quickly stopped
Yes at least with Adobe you know where you are and what you are paying for and can expect.
I did try affinity, briefly. That was enough. Deeply unintuitive, it just wasnāt enjoyable to use.
Iāve now received the Ā£13.50 Photoshop 2021 that I mentioned above, so am very happy to recommend these people, despite them originally sending me the wrong product. All the installation instructions were very clear, including a link to Adobe Cleaner to completely remove the older installation and they also included a free 30 day evaluation copy of WinRAR to unzip the file.
So now Iāve just got to get used to the slight differences between this version and my older one, but most menu items seem to be in familiar places
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Thanks for the link and recommendation.
Life is short so have downloaded & installed Photoshop 2021 and will have fun with that, alongside already installed Adobe Elements 2021 and ON1. Why not says I.
Will have greater fun with Photoshop 2021 initially because Adobe Elements 2021 is similar, making big brother easier to navigate. Not so with ON1 which is a different kettle of fish!
Iāve had WinRAR for years so installing the Photoshop 2021 programme from zip files was plain sailing.
Photoshop 2021 cost me Ā£12.28. What a bargain!
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My pleasure. Itās an amazing bargain and I thought the site was more thoughtfully designed than usual, particularly in terms of clear instructions and useful links.
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