whats the best FREE software for retouching photos, a prime example would be... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6042726&l=1f498c7123&id=537466280

I took this picture and I think its a good picture with the way the lasers are showing, but it needs touching up, the blacks need to be blacker, while the colour contrast needs to remain, the whole image needs noise removing and sharpening a little I think..

so, any programs and/or tips and tricks for such things? :D

I suppose the best *FREE* image software is Gimp http://www.gimp.org/ I've always found it a little hard to use though.

There's FastStone Image Viewer 4.2 http://www.faststone.org/ too.

K.

The Gimp is open source freeware.

http://www.gimp.org/

It is supposedly similar to Photoshop. I have not used it personally, so can't say how user friendly (or not) it is.


Serif also do a free version of their Photplus software.

http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/PhotoPlus/key_features.asp

again, I can't comment on what it's like to use though.
I hope these might be of some use to you.

PS, I have had a play with your image in Photoshop. Don't expect miracles from any software.
The photo can be enhanced slightly, but every process it goes through increases the already substantial noise. Getting rid of the noise also gets rid of some of the detail in the shot.

I have just had a go. I know what you want to do with the shot but the quality isnt there to start of with to manipualte the image.

I take it you want something of the lines of:
http://www.leeyulephotography.co.uk/Portfolio/images/c39.JPG

Try Photoscape http://download.cnet.com/PhotoScape/3000-2192_4-10703122.html i use it so its very easy to use.

Yeh, I had a fiddle too. Theres not a lot you can do with that photo. It's bad quality, noisy and badly lit. You'd really need to use a better camera to get the effect you're wanting.

GIMP will do it.

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