Image Editing Software

Playing with digital images has never been easier. Consumers have lots of photo image software choices, but they must choose carefully. Do they want to learn the nitty-gritty of a professional package? Are they editing files for a Web site? Determine their abilities and goals, and you can have a successful sale.

All CPU students who pass this chapter will receive certification in this category and will be entered into a drawing for great computer-related merchandise! The tremendous growth in digital-imaging hardware has led to a corresponding expansion in the image-editing software category.

There are lots of packages to choose from in a variety of price points and feature sets. Matching a product to your customer can be challenging because the promise of high-end graphics packages is so attractive. But in the long run, the high-end titles can be frustrating for people who just want to spiff up a family photo for a holiday card.

Defining the Category The graphics software category includes such disparate products as image-management software, photo editors, illustration packages, and Web-enabled suites and animators. In the image-editing category, there are three tiers of applications. Entry-level products, usually priced at less than $ 50, are designed to help user's correct photos that can be placed on cards, calendars or on t-shirts. At about the $ 100 price point are the business and SoHo packages. These feature projects that relate to a business user's needs and automate some of the more complicated editing tasks, and are more flexible than the entry-level products.

At the high end, costing more than $ 500, are the professional products, most notably Adobe Photoshop. These are geared toward people who are interested in creative design, rather than making simple corrections or enhancements. Image editing, especially in the consumer market, has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year, thanks in part to dropping prices of scanners, the influx of digital cameras to the market and the influence of amateur photographers on the digital market.

Product Benefits There are some obvious benefits to using an image editor:

* Users have control over the outcome of their picture incorrecting basic flaws, such as red-eye.

* Users can manipulate a picture by sharpening colors, cropping the image, or adding text banners or special effects.

* Pictures can be placed in presentations, marketing materials, Web sites, greeting cards, or iron-on transfers for t-shirts.

In general, the consumer packages automate the manual application of image manipulation. This makes them easier to use, but the trade-off is they don't have the functionality of a more expensive package.