Week 6: Clear

Software is at the heart of what computers are capable of doing. The possibilities are nearly endless! I have not yet come across a program that enables time travel, but I did find a fancy program that let me write words and print them neatly on paper! I, like many of you, have been using desktop software for many years.

Desktop software is an application designed to do useful work for an individual. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Word processing software (Microsoft Word, Final Draft, Apple Pages)
• Photo editing software (GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, Digital Photo Professional)
• Video editing software (Apple Final Cut Pro, Sony Vegas Pro)
• Tax software (TurboTax, TaxACT, CompleteTax)
• Accounting software (Quickbooks, Peachtree, AccountEdge)
• Presentation software (Microsoft Powerpoint, Keynote)

These types of programs are essential to productivity in the business environment. Can you even imagine a world without Microsoft Works? This software has become completely integrated into our productivity based lives. While word processors and presentation software are commonly used in all business situations, I would like to focus on photo editing software as an example of how desktop software allows individuals to get the most out of their work. 

Photo Copyright Matthew Baranyk, 2011

I consider myself to be an advanced amateur as far as photography is concerned. It is a serious hobby of mine. One of the many things that I have learned in my photography studies is to take time to compose an image properly. This means no post processing in a perfect world, and thus no photo editing software. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. When photographers make mistakes, or the highest quality of images are needed, photo editing software is a necessity. Software such as photoshop can not only correct colors and brightness in an image, but they can convert unusable camera RAW files (this file type contains the most amount of information and allows for the highest resolution and most precise editing capabilities in post processing) into common image types such as JPG and TIFF. The images in this post would not have been possible to convert without photo editing software. (I shot all images in RAW and converted to JPG and edited with Digital Photo Professional software. 

Photo Copyright Matthew Baranyk, 2011

Without this software, photography would be more tightly confined to reality. But even without looking at careers in creative photography (which rely heavily on photo editing software), there is a need for editing software. Even news photographers spend a lot of time in post processing to perfect images. Much like photography, all careers rely at least somewhat on desktop software whether it be Microsoft Works, QuickBooks, or some other software.