Freeware and open source software:
Listed below are software for image editing and manipulation that are freely available or which have a free version, many of which are discussed and explained at the site devoted to free and open source photography, Pixls.us
Microsoft ICE – Automatically creates a composite of overlapping images and can achieve alignment whether the overlap is due to axial or translational movement of the camera. Very effective matching/blending and will even extrapolate a fill pattern where there are voids in the projection. Offers a choice of several types of projection, i.e. spherical, cylindrical or perspective. The best freeware for panoramas available and as simple to use as dragging images to its input pane and following the prompts. Note 2021: Microsoft has ceased support and ICE is no longer available. Interested RDPC members may contact the Webmaster for a copy.
Gimp – Full featured and powerful open-source freeware photo editor that is a viable alternative to Photoshop. The long awaited 16 bit update (v2.10.0) was released 4/27/2018. This webmaster has been using the 16 bit Beta version (2.9) for many months and will attest to its power and stability (in Windows 10). Using the PSPI plug-in linked below, It will run many Photo Shop plug-ins (.8bf) to expand its capabilities. If you have not invested in Photoshop (and it is a substantial investment) it is worth your time to try Gimp. Gimp, like Photoshop, is a complex program that requires some time to learn, but it is worth the effort. An alternative download configured with some popular plug-ins is available here
To run PS plug-ins in Gimp, use: PSPI
Irfanview – A versatile freeware photo viewer, converter, editor, batch processor, slideshow creator and more. Runs Photoshop type plugins (.8bf) to expand capability. Be sure to download the plugins/add-ons file as well as the main program.
FastStone – A versatile freeware photo viewer/editor/slideshow creator that is of particular interest to Canon M50 and Eos R shooters as it is a rare freeware that will read .CR3 files. For initial viewing & culling of raw images, it is much faster than DPP and you can call DPP (or other software) from within FastStone for raw editing and conversion.
Neat Image – A powerful and versatile noise reduction program with a very useful free version. It is available as a stand alone program or as a plugin for Photoshop. It can create and save noise profiles for a particular camera, condition or other device and It is very effective and adjustable. The freeware (demo) version is fully functional except that it will only save images as a JPEG and the demo plugin version is limited to a 1600×1600 pixel image size. The paid version for home use is about $40.
Combine ZP – Freeware to automatically align and combine multiple images having different focal depths to create a high depth of field image (focus stacking). A choice of multiple stacking algorithms is provided to address various issues which are discussed in detail in the help section. This may be the only freeware option for this rather specialized function, but it works very well. The help sections provide a wealth of knowledge about focus stacking in general and the program methods in particular.
Nik Software – A collection of useful photo editing tools and filters that were offered at no cost after their acquisition by Google. These tools incorporate Nik’s “U-Point” technology which provides a dramatically improved method to selectively and seamlessly edit images. The six modules operate as plugins to Photoshop but most will function as stand alone programs, albeit with some file handling limitations for some modules. Note: The NIK Collection was acquired by DXO software in 2017 and, although is is still available for free demo download from DXO, the demo will disable your existing NIK installation! If you wish to install the Demo, be sure that you still have your old install file to be able to restore your NIK collection.
Davinci Resolve – A thoroughly professional video editor / color grader / titler / effects creator and audio editor – pretty much whatever you want to do with video, and it’s free! There is a paid “Studio” version ($299) but the free one is so capable, you may never need to upgrade. The free version is limited to a maximum of 4K video @ 60fps. Because of its depth and complexity, there is a steep learning curve, however, there are a plethora of tutorials available. Its hardware requirements are also a bit rigorous, but I’ve found it quite usable on a laptop with an older i7 processor, Integrated graphics, 16gb of memory (shared) and a SSD. It includes an option to create “optimized media” as proxy files that reduce the hardware demands while editing, but the original files are used to render the output. If you’re into video or elaborate slideshow creation, check it out.
Lightworks – A full featured and highly rated video editor with an impressively extensive set of capabilities including precise cutting and insertion of clips as well as adjustments to exposure, contrast, color, special effects, etc. It asks you to create a user name and password which you must reenter after each week of use, but there is no limit to the number of times that you may use it for non-commercial purpose. NOTE: the export capability of the free version is limited to MP4 files @ 720p
RAW Processors – The links below are to free or open source raw image processors/editors:
Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) (version may be camera specific) Supplied with RAW capable Canon cameras and available for free download with a valid camera serial number. DPP includes Canon’s Digital Lens Optimizer, which corrects Canon lens aberrations and sharpens images far better than generic lens correction software. Capture sharpening is unnecessary (unless focus is off, of course). For those who may have become disenchanted with version 3, version 4 is very much improved and does not entail the raw file size penalty of the previous Digital Lens Optimizer.
Nikon Capture NX-D (v1.5.3) For Nikon raw files. Incorporates Nik Software “U-Point” technology
RawTherapee v5.8
A full featured raw editor/converter and the first open source program to support the Canon CR3 format, although it cannot yet decode all metadata. RawTherapee is a complex program with many advanced features including a choice among many demosaicing algorithms and very effective automatic chromatic aberration correction for lenses for which profiles are not available. It can operate as a plug-in to GIMP
Darktable A full featured raw organizer/editor/converter offering much of the functionality of Adobe Lightroom in an open source format. Unfortunately it does not yet support Canon .CR3 files, although that is in work. It can also operate as a GIMP plug-in.
Tools:
Monitor Calibration – The following links are very useful resources for visual monitor calibration. They provide test images to facilitate proper adjustment of brightness, contrast and gamma as well as other monitor tests. The Norman Koren site additionally has a wealth of technical information to explain what you are seeking to accomplish:
http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html#Monitor_test_pattern
Adobe Gamma – Note that if you have Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, Adobe Gamma is included and can provide a quick check/adjustment, however, I find the tests in the links above to be more effective and comprehensive. To run, type Adobe Gamma in the Windows search bar.