How to Choose a Photo Editing Program

• STEP 1: Check reviews in computer magazines and on the Internet to narrow your choices.
• STEP 2: Buy Adobe Photoshop if you need a professional program.
• STEP 3: Look for a program that can directly import images from a scanner or digital camera.
• STEP 4: See what a program's automatic image-correction feature will do.
• STEP 5: Make sure the program can crop, resize, flip and rotate images.
• STEP 6: Compare color adjustment capabilities of programs. You should be able to adjust contrast, brightness, sharpness, hues and color-saturation levels; change a color; and convert color to black-and-white or grayscale.
• STEP 7: Compare artistic tools for painting, drawing and erasing, if you will use them.
• STEP 8: See whether the program allows you to insert additional text and graphics.
• STEP 9: Compare the quantity and quality of included templates, projects, and special effects "filters" if you will use them.
• STEP 10: Look for basic desktop-publishing capabilities, such as the capability of printing multiple pictures on the same page, if you will use these capabilities.
• STEP 11: See whether the program lets you preview changes and whether the preview is in a small box or done on the original image.
• STEP 12: Compare export and output options. You should be able to save a photo in several graphics formats.
• STEP 13: Compare the ease of using the various programs available.