Near as I can tell, my computer is using Microsoft Photo to transfer pics from camera to hard drive. I don't much like this program and also don't know exactly where it is storing the photos. It's always a bit of a trick to find them. I'd like something much more user friendly, that will do some real basic photo editing (crop, adjust brightness, color, etc.). I know I've seen discussions about this, not sure if it was here or on FB or...?? This site has 3 different forums relating to photography, so thought I'd post here and if this is a repeat, perhaps someone could redirect me to the appropriate thread. (I also suck at searching.) Thanks. I use a point-and-hope Canon SX600 and transfer photos by plugging in the media card to the side of my laptop, if that makes any difference. Thanks. Old and tired Deb

GIMP is really close to Photoshop and is free..I've used it for years. You choose where you want to save your images in GIMP
https://www.gimp.org/

I use pizap.com, easy enough to use, no need to sign in, just go ahead do your editing, collage etc and you can direct where you want it saved, whether to your computer or other online albums.

I am using windows 10 and I also think I am using Windows Photo to import photos into my computer.
When I do select photos to import I am presented with this screen:
It tells me which folder my photos will be imported to and gives me the option to change the location (only on very rare occasions if ever would I do that).
Then it gives me the choice on how to sort the photos and I sort mine by month.
When I enter a photo I like to title it, then by using the search box I can locate it by title, or if I know about what year and month it was taken I can find it that way.
I use the simple "Photo Gallery" program to do what little editing I do.

It is hard for me to find the location that Microsoft has chosen. It's not my regular spot for photographs. And it may even be going up into the cloud. I need to spend some time this winter getting everything in one spot apparently. Not a fun project.

World's most popular free photo program = Irfanview. User friendly. The GIMP is way too complicated. Gene

I agree about Irfanview. I love that program. It is great for editing your photographs!

I will try a couple of these. My first impression of GIMP was...too complicated. I'll give it a whirl though. Lots of rainy days ahead of me to play around.

If you liked saving them in Windows file explorer, and viewing them in Windows photo viewer (like Windows 7), you can make that your default picture program in Windows 10. On start menu click on settings. Then click on default apps. Click photo viewer and then browse for the default app you want to save them to. I wasn't happy with the Windows 10 default program either.

IMO,, no photo program provided by MS (Windows) is worth anything compared to Irfanview. Gene

Irfanview is certainly a good choice, but I prefer Faststone image, had them both but found myself using the latter much more,

Ruud

Related question: I had the Windows 7 It seemed OK but I could not do much editing. When I decided to upgrade my camera and my photography, I got a great new computer (Windows10), and bought Photoshop Elements. I already had a nice backup hard drive.

Like Bonehead, I think the Windows 10 is a downgrade for sure. It really really really sucks compared to the prior version, and it jumbled all my organized photos. The cloud thing is disastrous, and everytime there is a patch Microsoft changes all my settings so it all goes into the cloud again, then reloads things into the computer that I deleted, over and over they multiply because they rename everything, then my computer thinks it is something new, when it is not. I know they do this to make me buy cloud space but I really do not want to. Then I was horrified that Photoshop is only a way to edit the photos, they still have to be stored somewhere like Windows. This of course adds yet another layer of complexity, and opportunities for error. Like why some photos show up in Windows but not Photoshop, and vice versa. Drives me nuts.

Do any of these (or others I might even have to pay for) actually simplify anything? Like everything is in one place (in my computer not the cloud), and you can edit them there? I have been contemplating Lightroom, mainly because there are classes and it seems more people use it so I could get help, but that does not solve the underlying problem of two locations. I bought a "for Dummies" book about the Photoshop Elements. This was helpful. I would be worried about using one of these free web programs, I find I need a manual to learn quickly, and just googling into help forums seems so time consuming and inefficient. Irfanview and Faststone, are there manuals available?

Yes, there is hardly a computer nuisance worse than programs that are 'helping' you and 'thinking' for you...

I do the editing in either Photoshop or Faststone. Sorting the pics I do in Faststone or sometimes in Picasa (the old program, not that cloud nightmare). What you change in one of them you see immediately updated in the other one, even if both or all three are running. In the Windows 10 I changed the basic photoprogram to Faststone to avoid Microsoft 'helping' me and turn of any cloud possibility as soon as i did see one.

Ruud

If you're looking for something a bit more advanced than Microsoft's Paint but not as complicated as the GIMP, then try Paint.NET - those with a Photoshop background will have no problem and it's a bit easier to pick up than the GIMP.

I also recommend Irfanview and Faststone Image Viewer.

Finally, for checking photo rotation, use JPEG Lossless Rotator. You can rotate photos and also reset the EXIF rotation. Very handy, even on systems like Windows 10 that try to manage the EXIF rotation metadata.

I have been using Irfanview for many, many years. Never have I had to go to the help screen. Like, I said, user friendly. And it does lossless rotation as well. Gene

I downloaded Irfanview, and so far seems pretty simple. I haven't quite figured out if it will save the edited picture back to the original folder automatically? I think I might have sent one to the previous folder I was playing in! Oh well! That's what winter is for...to figure this stuff out!

When you do a save, it asks you some questions: What name? What format? Into what folder? Default folder is the on the pix just came from. It doesn't talk to you or pop these questions up. They are boxes on the screen. You can make the save into any folder you want. If you do a save you'll have to type in the name of your folder for each save. If you do a save as, you only have to type it in once. 2nd pix will default to the last folder you saved to. Gene

Thanks! I'll have to remember that. My other program just saved it to the original file, so I'm kinda spoiled!

I also just downloaded Irfanview. How do I tell it to get my photos from Picasa?

You do not store your pix in Irfanview. It is just an editing program. If you want to edit a pix click on open and select the folder, picture you want to play with. Gene