Group Test: Photo Editing Software

The growth of digital photography shows no signs of slowing with cameras getting cheaper and appearing in more devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs.

Not surprisingly, the software industry has responded with a huge range of low-cost photo-editing applications to cater to this new market. However, many people soon find that they outgrow these entry-level programs and need something a bit more powerful.

More ambitious amateur photographers may want to smarten up their photos by using a program with additional controls for colour-correction and lighting adjustments. Business users are an important market too, often needing more advanced tools in order to prepare photos for presentations or for use on their company's website.

Professional photographers and designers need even greater editing precision, so the ability to manually adjust tonal balance and individual colour channels is important.

Fortunately, you don't have to pay a fortune for features such as these. The intense competition to grab a slice of this thriving market means there are several powerful mid-range editing programs, such as Paint Shop Pro or Photoplus.

And then there's Photoshop CS. This colossus costs about £600 and is beyond the means of many users. However, it?s the undisputed king of the market and sets the standard by which all other photo-editing programs are measured.

We take a look at six packages to help you decide which best suits your needs.

Adobe Photoshop CS
Adobe Photoshop Elements 2
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8
Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9
Serif Photoplus 9
Ulead Photoimpact XL

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