Software packages and tools


The GIMP

   the best freeware providing a Photoshop-like functionality. Some limitations but incredible value - definitely highly recommended.

Dofmaster

   a tool to calculate depth of field for all kinds of sensors/film formats and lenses.

Exif viewer

   a classical EXIF information viewer.

Opanda

   an excellent exif viewer. This one has the advantage to be usable on any picture displayed on your screen. In fact, even while sufrfing for instance, you can just right-click and select Opanda options to show the exif data of that picture (even the GPS information is shown if applicable)

Picasa

    an interesting free package you can download from Google to organize your pictures. It is working very well, and it is free, so...

Nikon Picture Project

   one of my favorite packages when I am in a hurry. You get it for free from Nikon when you buy a camera from them and it provides most of the simple tools a normal photographer might need.
You can import pictures (JPEG and RAW of course), do a raw to jpeg conversions and do the basic processing you need on the pictures: sharpening in a few steps, lighting, D-light (recovering shadows and highlights), straightening, special effects (sepia, black&white), change color saturation, correct red-eye issues, crop the picture, ... You can export, select the resolution (resizing the pics), rename the files, select the compression/quality level. An easy to use all-in-one package, with serious limitations but very nice in 95% of the situations.

Nikon Capture (4.4)

   the serious Nikon processing package. This is the standard Nikon RAW converter tool, with a lot of picture processing capabilities: sharpening, playing with curves, histograms, colors, BW conversion, all with many interesting parameters. Another main feature is the batch processing and the ability to use settings applied to one picture to another one. It is a pity this software is not delivered with any Nikon DSLR, you have to buy it separately. Only Picture Project is free.

Nikon NX

   there is a version available on the net now, 30 days trial. I could not test it until now but some people really like this tool (a step forward compared to Nikon Capture). I'll be able say more when I'll have the opportunity to use it.

PhotoShop Elements 4.0

    an excellent package, with some limitations compared to the full Photoshop version (CS or CS2). I have been using the CS version at my office and was impressed (maybe too impressed) by the possibilities. The Elements version is manageable, has a few limitations but basically offers everything an amateur will ever need. And it is reasonably priced compared to the CS versions. A package I would definitely recommend. I have used the 4.0 extensively, the current version is 5.0. The pro version is currently CS2 and costs factors more (not really realistic for amateur use). Interesting features are the healing tools, shadow recovery, layers/masks, BW conversions, color, histogram, sharpness control, and many others...

Noiseware

    an excellent noise reduction tool. Works pretty well on JPEG pictures, and allows to keep quite some details in the pictures. Available in different versions at a reasonable price. The basic version (good enough for most people) is totally free. Highly recommendable.

Dr. Chung tools

    very interesting freeware - replaces the well known shuttercount.exe to know the number of shutter activations of a camera, lots of other options - worth having a look. The recent version is called the preview extractor.