A suggestion for a very simple photo editor?

November 11, 2008 8:42 AM

A suggestion for a very simple photo editor?

My Dad recently got a new digital camera. While he's fairly adept in that realm, I saw a few of his photos that could benefit from some simple exposure/contrast/color/sharpness manipulation. He's also mentioned that he'd like to turn some of his photos of old barns etc into sepia tones when he forgets to turn that option on in his camera. He's recently discovered computers at 60 and his computer terminology basically extends to "double click", "icon" and "www".

Are there any very simple photo editors out there that can help him out? Simple click buttons and easy sliding bars etc. Teaching him to use GIMP or Photoshop would most definitely frustrate him and turn him off to the idea entirely, so simplicity is the key.

His computer is using Windows Vista.

posted by sanka to media & arts (13 comments total)

Google Picasa. Even my mum can use it, and shes useless.

Slidy bits and clicky bits, and not many of them.
posted by daveyt at 8:47 AM on November 11, 2008

Paint.NET might be a little bit overkill but all of the features you mentioned are very accessible.

All he would need to is load the photo into the image, click the Adjustments menu, pick the correct type. Exposure, Contrast, Hue, and Sepia are all there, and Sharpness is in the similar Effects menu. There are very simple sliders for each one.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:54 AM on November 11, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Seconding Picasa. We don't have the same dad, do we?
posted by contraption at 9:16 AM on November 11, 2008

Picnik. http://www.picnik.com/

I hate photo editing, am not that good at it, and just don't want to be bothered. Picnik solved all of that. It's fun, makes you look good at it, and actually makes you want to take more pictures just to import them into Picnik.

It's Web-based and runs very well on Vista.
posted by zooropa at 9:16 AM on November 11, 2008

Thirding Picasa, not only easy but free as well.
posted by BoscosMom at 9:28 AM on November 11, 2008

The online version of photoshop is another option.
posted by O9scar at 9:32 AM on November 11, 2008

I have been amazed at Picasa. One can straighten horizons so easily, add various enhancements, crop, and do pretty much everything an amateur needs to do to a digital photograph. It's not photoshop. (and I'm glad for that)
posted by Agamenticus at 9:42 AM on November 11, 2008

nthing paint.net. I choose it almost every day over Photoshop. it is also free (or at least donation-ware).
posted by micawber at 10:55 AM on November 11, 2008

+1 for Picasa. I just introduced my dad to it a couple of weeks ago, and he loves it.
posted by qvtqht at 10:56 AM on November 11, 2008

Picassa is quick and easy for dealing with the sort of stuff you are talking about. Plus, it makes posting photos to Picassa web albums easy.
posted by Good Brain at 12:16 PM on November 11, 2008

(Picasa, jeesh)
posted by Good Brain at 12:17 PM on November 11, 2008

Picasa. Has good organizing and import capabilities too, and runs on Linux as well as Windows.
posted by flabdablet at 2:37 PM on November 11, 2008

Picasa (or if he ever gets a Mac, iPhoto is as user friendly as can be, my Windows using Mom wants a Mac because all she does is surf the web and play with her digital photos).
posted by Brian Puccio at 3:41 PM on November 11, 2008