Advanced software for editing images

The software packages listed on this page offer a more advanced range of image editing features than those described in the basic software section. However, with the exception of 'Gimp' which is free to download, these packages need to be purchased and can be quite expensive.

Gimp | Adobe Photoshop | Photoshop Elements | Corel Photo X2

Gimp

Gimp is a freely distributed open source image editing program. It can perform many basic and advanced image manipulations and is a good (and free) alternative to expensive commercial packages, such as Adobe Photoshop. You can download it from the Gimp website, where there are versions available for both Windows and Mac users. JISC Digital Media have produced an excellent guide to using Gimp in higher education which describes some of the more common functions that you are likely to use: Using Gimp software for teaching and learning.
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Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is one of the most popular image editing applications, but it is relatively expensive and may be more complex than you need. It is not provided as standard on university pCs, but it is available in the Main LIbrary in room 105and on PCs attached to scanners (in the Main Library, Bulmershe library, and Palmer Building room G05B). Educational discounts are available for staff purchasing Adobe products for use on Univerity of Reading owned equipment by visiting the Adobe Products page on the IT Services web site. Qualifying students can buy a student edition at a reduced price online – see Adobe Student Edition Programme for further details.

There are a lot of Photoshop tutorials online so you will need to search for one that suits your needs. One suggestion would be Adobe video tutorials, but this Photoshop tutorial page is also a good starting point. There are also a lot of good books on the subject which you can buy or borrow from your local library, plus lots of video tutorials on YouTube.

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Adobe Photoshop Elements

Photoshop Elements is a cut down version of the full Photoshop program that is much more reasonably priced, so this may be a good alternative. Most of the common image-editing functions are still available, just not to the same advanced level as the full Photoshop program. However, for the average user, Photoshop Elements offers all the functionality you will probably need. Again, educational discounts are available for University of Reading staff through the link given above – unfortunately, there are no discounts for students for this product.

A couple of useful online tutorials are Basic guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements and Using Photoshop Elements.

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Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

Another popular program is Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, which offers advanced image editing functionality but at a cheaper price than Adobe Photoshop. However, it is only availabe on the Windows platform so is not suitable for Mac users. Core provides some Paint Shop Pro Photo tutorials on their web site, or you could try searching for others on the web.

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