Advice on editing software choices.

Here's some great software at only $25 lifetime.  I've been using it for over 20 years.  All my images here edited with Photobrush 5.0.   http://www.mediachance.com/pbrush/index.html

This may be of help if you still want to run PSE: https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-elements-discussions/compatibility-issues-with-windows-11-and-pre-2022-versions-of-photoshop-elements/td-p/14308681

This is a one time purchase:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements-Device-Activation/dp/B0CKWKK4T9/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2AX8EYPWCTML7&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.AJzK1xALjfpwFGrOgqGnn465w8J22HCP-iFPs8eLMGYMdkoswkXTiwDODzsv7BfsuHzRn-1fNwxwVZVAYI7XNNTZlsk2y2zcGNYwGCR48QWK9yHJ0RiBjkfXJyJbdyqJvCXWx3jl9SMNlMsKg0js-aAh0XT11P01IcgFwoPTRJaI0BXoT9eSrcNJ86RKajYUKFI5k4G9NIkap8TyQUCeO81d0iLzA3JTzZYUvbCQE7s.3zS3H2ICMPqfAcd3C2QEtuOc2YvNwjDkugnaAGEPFFQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=lightroom%2Bsoftware&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1729611707&sprefix=%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-10&th=1

Elements 2024, not 2025.

My husband J Black Photographic  exclusively uses Affinity Photo and has done since he started over 5 years ago! He teaches tuition on it and really loves the software himself :) 

Affinity is great. Does everything I want as an ex-photoshop user and is a one time buy rather than a monthly subscription

I believe Affinity has a 6 month free trial at present if you wanted to try before committing.

Another Affinity convert here.

B.

Gothic Image Thank you for posting that. I had already read that article - the fear of installation goosing my laptop is too great to take a chance.

Huw 👍

Or you could try FOSS - free, completely free, and will always be free, open source, cross-platform, no hidden nasties or gotchas. Uninstalls cleanly too...

• https://garfnet.org.uk/cms/2022/03/06/image-processing-using-foss/

I'd add that I went 100% FOSS back in 2007. Aside from the philosophical and operational advantages, the money I saved by refusing to swell the coffers of large American IT corporations has equipped my 25 m² photographic studio, with enough left-over to pay for a couple of cameras and to fund my collection of vintage MF lenses... :-)

I only started photography in 2018 and used Canon's DPP4 which is free. That suited me fine. When Covid came along Affinity Photo had a half price offer of £27, which I snapped up. I find it excellent to use, though I admit I only touch the surface of what it has to offer. Being in my 70s my mind is not as nimble as it once was at learning new things.

Personally I think the £10 a month for Lightroom and Photoshop is well worth it. Its by far the most widly supported of the editing tools out there and its always up-to-date with features being added and updated on an ongoing basis.

I've had a 12 month subscription for Photoshop and Lightroom on two occasions in the past and have always returned to Affinity Photo software - it's far more user fiendly, cheaper and with so many easy to access tutorials, I don't think I'll ever use Adobe software again.  All my images are processed with Affinity.

KernowPhoto said

Personally I think the £10 a month for Lightroom and Photoshop is well worth it. Its by far the most widly supported of the editing tools out there and its always up-to-date with features being added and updated on an ongoing basis.

I agree.

Suteki Photography said

I've been happily using PS Elements 8 ,,, I can't install ....

until now I've done basic editing of raw/dng files

Which is similar in terms of user interface?

For basic editing any of the tools should do the jobs.

For some range of values of "basic".

Interface:

I once wrote a replacement program based on a database, which I made so far as was possible keystroke-identical with the no longe maintained old software. 

You won't find that in this class of software.

My approach to such programs is to look at the functions, and regard all word-processors for instance as basically equivalent in most things, however much they conceal it (and however nasty under the hood.)

Similarly, although their are cosmetic differences between PS and the Gimp, they are obviously doing the same sorts of things in the same sorts of ways.

Going on from that, if you have learned processes, rather than how to work PS of a particular version, you shouldn't have vast trouble.

I use the Gimp and a little DarkTable. I've never used LightRoom but I gather there is some similarity.

Those are free - libre which is important and gratuit which is nice.  Have a copy, have ten, give them to your friends.  Support ... can be found, asked for, bought , or a group established.

Affinity has a good reputation, if you want to buy something with some paid support.

Alternatively:

Can you install Windows 10 in a virtual computer running under the Windows 11 operating system on your new one?

Can you simply install Windows 10 on your new computer?  (MS licences used to include downgrades to previous versions.)

Are you annoyed enough to migrate off Microsoft to Linux (eg Debian or Ubuntu)  and run FLOSS on that, and perhaps your licensed copy of  W11 and W10 in virtual machines on that?

Can you pay someone to fix that up for you?