Photo Editing Software I can buy outright

[WJ_Big]

I have an older copy of Photoshop Elements, which I usually find OK for cleaning up my photos. There are some shots, though, that I really want to make them extra nice, and I am falling short, and I'd like to upgrade my software.  I have a few friends who swear by Lightroom, but  I would much rather buy whatever package outright, and not be stuck with a subscription. Is there one choice of photo editing software that stands out above the rest that I can buy outright? 

[jrhoffman75]

Welcome. I don’t think you will get a useful direct answer to your question because different folks use and swear by different products as being the best. 
Some perpetual license products that are popular are DxO, Capture1, ON1. 
Most software products have trial versions. 

[shadowsports]

As of this writing DxO Photolab is #1, even over Lr.  "Industry standard" or not, people are leaving Adobe CS in droves. Adobe has bought up all of their competition and are now using this IP for their AI.  People are not taking too kindly to this. 

All of the perpetual license products do a good job.  They are free to try.  I suggest you try a few and pick the one you like best.  (cost, features, device support, fits your workflow, etc).    I like DxO personally.

If you have Canon glass, then Canon's DPP is hard to beat, and its 100% free.  😃  Its my go to when I'm "on the road".

[WideAspect]

Here's a direct answer, Serif Affinity Photo. Currently, a one time payment of $70, That's right, no subscription. They also have a try before you buy option. There is a version for Windows, as well as, the Mac and iPad – they have won significant 'software of the year' awards from Apple several times.

I have used Affinity Photo since it was in beta, about 4 years. I moved to it after using Photoshop for 25 years, which I also started with it in beta. But I abandoned all Adobe products when it became abundantly clear that therir interests no longer were focused on excellent software but instead as a vehicle for data analytics.

Affinity Photo's interface and user experience approach is quite different from Photoshop but in all respects it is far more sophisticated than Photoshop. The has quirks, like all software but nothing soul killing. For someone new to image editing software it might seem like overkill but you will grow into and never find yourself in a dead end. For the price, no worries.

For those old hands in Photoshop, the transition will be kinda tough but worth it.

One assessment I always add to software purchases is the support and community. The community is active, large and excited and you will find the developers are active in their forums, they keep a close eye on the vibe and develop their upgrades from what they glean on the forums.

Oh, did I mention upgrades they are frequent and many are as major as buying a new piece of software.

All the best, and good luck with your image editing journey.

[normadel]

There are two very capable photo editing programs that are absolutely free:

Paint.net is for Windows only. Check it out at getpaint.net

GIMP is for Windows, Mac & Linux. It's more Photoshop-like in form & function.

You don't need to buy good editing software.

[WideAspect]

There's an old adage, "You get what you pay for."

There is a sweet spot between capability and exploitation.

GIMP is a minimal capable piece of software versus Adobe subscriptions, which is not unlike the relationship feudal lords had with their serfs.

[normadel]

Minimally capable? Surely you jest.

Who is doing the exploitation of which you speak?

More power to anyone who wants to be in the Adobe world. Not me. Not a lot of people.

[Waddizzle]

There are two basic types of apps that are used for photos. What are you looking for?

There are the digital darkrooms like Adobe Lightroom or Canon Digital Photo Professional. The latter is free.  These apps are primarily used to create digital prints, JPG files, from digital negatives, RAW files.  

On the other hand, there are image editors such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP.  The latter is free.  These can be used as digital darkrooms. But they can also be used to edit and create images and visual elements [within] the image.  For example, you could build a movie poster. 

[Robegul · Accepted solution]

As someone else said, everyone has their own preferences.   I would imagine it is very time consuming to try a bunch of these.  I set my criteria, and then picked one to try and liked it - so I cannot compare to the rest.

I chose DXO Photolab about a year ago, and really like it.   I used Canon DPP for awhile but found it VERY slow.  

I chose DXO Photolab because:

1. It is a one-time purchase (excluding periodic optional updates with new features)

2.  It has lens-specific correction data (sharpness, chromatic aberration, vignetting)  built in - just like Canon DPP

does.

3. It does not use a proprietary database to store your pics  - which drives me nuts.  It just stores the files on whatever drive, and in whatever folder you specify.

Good luck with the search!

Cheers