Photo Editing Software

Ok...... it's taken me a while with a few 's in the middle ....but I've used Elements to edit a picture.... here is the before and after.... and after all the effort I'm not sure which one I like the best, it's like 'spot the 10 differences'

The original...



And the after.....

 

Nice cloning @Apple Blossom , nicely tidied up.
Not sure about the banding in the sky though, although I can see the start of it in the original (slight vignetting). This is where the old phrase 'get it right in-camera' comes from. It's difficult sometimes though, so don't worry. I think it's a fine start .
A graduated filter would have got the sky exposed correctly, and saved trying to recover it afterwards.
When doing outdoor portraits, I would sometimes set the exposure for the sky, and use off camera flash to fill in the subject. Despite modern technology, there is still skill involved in photography . Well done m'duck . I like your work, and think you have taken some really nice shots.

 

Thanks for your vote of confidence @NorthantsGeezer, blinking heck! there's a lot in this editing!!

I do agree, I need to get to know my camera more and how to set it up... trying to come off the auto button is proving to be difficult at the moment

The sky was my disaster zone from the first... in E14 I clicked on the right buttons I think... but then I should have worked my way through the lessons to do it right

A graduated filter? Is that a filter you attach to the lens... like a polaroid?

I've been looking on the internetthingy and found a 1-2-1 local day course ..... get yourself off the auto button, so I'm actually thinking of booking a day out with them. They have great reviews

To be honest I would rather just take good photos in the first place and not have to edit them, but it seems the norm these days.

At the photo club, the photos were spectacular but they were all were edited in Photoshop. I do understand that to get a great photo sometimes you do pick something else up that detracts the eye... so I suppose there is a necessity for it to have a great shot

 

Some of the banding could be due to conversion, colour space, or compression etc.
Can you see any signs of it in the original shot? Over cooking the editing can cause it too.
I have found a site to show the effects of graduated ND grad filters (something I still need myself, before attempting any serious landscape photography). I am not sure what is available for your camera @Apple Blossom.
http://www.martinlawrencephotograph...cape-images-with-a-set-of-graduated-neutral-d

I am gutted that I can't help you out . Using manual mode can be very satisfying and creative. I love manual mode and it helps you to understand how the camera works in terms of aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and how ISO affects the settings.

I will drop you a short message via mail.

 

I like this one .... no editing other than a little bit of cropping... a horse bottom out of the right hand side... I like the coldness and the horses standing in the sun for the warmth on a frosty morning

 

Fabulous @Apple Blossom
A really nicely balanced photograph, and the light works brilliantly
The main thing here is that the detail in the white horse has been retained and not blown out.
Love it.

 

Ok.... I'm plodding through my work book.... I rolled up some of my music paper to look like a heart, took a photo, used the blemish brush a little, where did the layering come from .... I then put a boarder around it all... to make a post card I need to practice more