Question:

Where can I find in-depth, unbiased reviews of software for
photographers? I have looked on the net but what I mostly find are
pretty abbreviated descriptions. No real in depth analysis and
suggestion of what works well together.

Short Answer:

All reviews are biased; you are your own best reviewer.

Long Answer:

Any review of software is necessarily biased. Asking this question of me
you will likely find my preference for Photoshop and Elements, but I'll
do what I can to make sense first. Reviewers need to be familiar with
software to do a good, in-depth review. This usually means reviewers
have to be users of what they review, which forms a bias. There are many
packages on the market, some more and less obscure. Popular packages
like Photoshop <http://aps8.com/pscs3.html> , Photoshop Elements
<http://aps8.com/elements5.html> , Lightroom
<http://aps8.com/lightroom.html> , Aperture
<http://aps8.com/aperture.html> , Paint Shop Pro
<http://aps8.com/psp11.html> , Corel Draw
<http://aps8.com/coreldraw.html> , and GIMP <http://www.gimp.org/> all
have their supporters. But even somewhat more obscure packages like
Microsoft's Digital Image Editing Suite
<http://aps8.com/microsoft_photo_suite.html> , PhotoImpact
<http://aps8.com/photoimpact.html> and Photoline32
<http://www.photoline32.com> , can be substantially powerful options for
image editing and show pockets of advocates. It has been my experience
that many of these programs can function reliably at a high level. There
are likely other programs as well.

What really makes an image editing software package "the best" is what
makes it the best for you and your needs. If you are looking for
full-featured image editing, many of the packages will provide what you
need with a variety of different abilities and tools--some of these
options may have been packaged with your camera (Photoshop Elements is
popular as software bundled with digital cameras and scanners). If you
are looking for a robust package that will handle web graphics,
animation, video editing, vector graphics/type and multiple file
formats, you may have no other choice than Photoshop. If you are looking
for ease-of-use and quality results, then you may want to consider
looking at newer programs specifically designed to provide easier
image-editing solutions, like Lightroom or Aperture.

Ultimately, if you are looking for an opinion that will absolutely tell
you which is best, it won't happen. Your choice should be based on your
needs and interests, with a nod to the popularity of the package.
Package popularity becomes important when it comes to finding help,
tutorials, courses and additional support. Where there are lots of
users, there are lots of tutorials and help.

I prefer Photoshop and Elements because I use them, and have for a very
long time. I have an aging comparison page that looks at Photoshop vs.
Elements vs. Paintshop Pro:

http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/vs_elements.html
<http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/vs_elements.html>

These are three programs that I have used and have written about. A lot
of the information still holds true.

As far as 'what works well together', I like to keep it simple, and
stick to one program that covers it all. To me that is Photoshop
<http://aps8.com/pscs3.html> OR Photoshop Elements
<http://aps8.com/elements5.html> . Using either of those, I can steer
away from plugins and add-ons by using a full featured program that
doesn't require integration. I do have exceptions for add-ons that I
have made myself <http://hiddenelements.com> that extend the
functionality/ease-of-use of Elements and Photoshop. Other hardware
would include an additional monitor <http://aps8.com/monitor.html> and
video card <http://aps8.com/videocard.html> , trackball
<http://aps8.com/trackball.html> , and calibration device
<http://aps8.com/spyder.html> . You really shouldn't need several
software packages to get your image editing done, unless you like the
added complexity. For every software package and plugin you add, you
increase the learning curve. If you are having trouble doing a
particular task, it may not be the image editing program that has to be
changed, and you may not really do any better adding a plug-in that
promises to 'do it for you' : it may be that you will need to change
your approach to tasks, and changing your approach to tasks may be
facilitated by learning more about the program (through the Help
feature, tutorials, and possibly books and courses). Learning from
others can save tremendous amounts of time.

Postscripts:

* Richard now teaches 4 courses on betterphoto.com
1. A beginner-level introduction to Photoshop: Photoshop 101
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=136>

2. An intermediate-level course for mastering color management Color
Management for Digital Photographers
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=175>

3. A second intermediate-level course dedicated to core imaging
techniques Correct and Enhance Your Images
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=178>

4. And an advanced-level, specialized focus on using layers
Leveraging Layers: Photoshop's Most Powerful Tool
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=103>


* Richard's new book The Adobe Photoshop Layers Book
<http://www.aps8.com/taplb.html> will be out at the end of July!

* Listen to Richard talk about image editing in a recent two-part
interview with Jim Miotke on BetterPhoto Radio: Part 1
<http://www.wsradio.com/wsradio-player.asp?player=windows&segdate=071307\
&segment=1&show=betterphotoradio> , Part 2
<http://www.wsradio.com/wsradio-player.asp?player=windows&segdate=071307\
&segment=2&show=betterphotoradio>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]