Elements, Lightroom, CS2 or CS5

Blue · 10-26-2012, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by JenniferLeigh

Another thing to consider is cost. Photoshop is expensive. If you want to get your own copy, it is going to cost you $600 for latest version vs $150 for LR.

Some people qualify for an educational discount which can reduce the cost by quite a lot.

**Miguel** · 10-26-2012, 06:18 PM

There is no such thing as a portable version of Photoshop. Your teacher did a foolish thing in giving away copies as it risked a detailed audit of the college's software management program as well as potential issues for naive users such as yourself.

Most likely the older CS2 you have is also not kosher as the site license was maxed out. Older versions of Photoshop don't serve you well because an older version of the ACR processing engine is used. The newest process version 2012 is a significant improvement in rendering images.

There are a lot of important things Lightroom 4.x will do that CS2 cannot do.

The best advice has been given: download a free trial copy of Lightroom and take the 30 days to figure it out. On a legally licensed version you can have one copy on a laptop and a second copy on a desktop computer.

If you have a need to do major pixel pushing, then something like Elements will serve you well. Both versions of Photoshop integrate quite well with Lightroom. Nowadays there are quite a few third-party plugins to Lightroom that seem to eliminate the need for Photoshop for most users.

Since you haven't stated what you need any of the software titles for, it's an exercise in assumption for me here. I'd also recommend getting a book about Lightroom, as it's a process-based tool and that's a little tricky for users without a managed workflow in place.

M

**JimD** · 10-27-2012, 06:26 AM

Thanks to all.

I'll download the trial version of Lightroom and give it a go.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Photoshop CS5 vs Elements 9	loco	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	19	02-25-2012 05:43 PM
Just bought photoshop cs5 extended and lightroom 3?	ChallengedOne	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	11	05-20-2011 06:52 PM
Photoshop CS5 Extended or Lightroom 3?	ghl	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	10	04-28-2011 09:25 PM
Lightroom 3 vs. CS5	bpv_UW	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	11	11-10-2010 05:46 PM
Photoshop CS5 vs Elements	robma47	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	5	06-29-2010 06:44 PM

10-26-2012, 02:27 PM	#16
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by JenniferLeigh Another thing to consider is cost. Photoshop is expensive. If you want to get your own copy, it is going to cost you $600 for latest version vs $150 for LR. Some people qualify for an educational discount which can reduce the cost by quite a lot.

10-26-2012, 06:18 PM	#17
Miguel Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Near Seattle Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,743	There is no such thing as a portable version of Photoshop. Your teacher did a foolish thing in giving away copies as it risked a detailed audit of the college's software management program as well as potential issues for naive users such as yourself. Most likely the older CS2 you have is also not kosher as the site license was maxed out. Older versions of Photoshop don't serve you well because an older version of the ACR processing engine is used. The newest process version 2012 is a significant improvement in rendering images. There are a lot of important things Lightroom 4.x will do that CS2 cannot do. The best advice has been given: download a free trial copy of Lightroom and take the 30 days to figure it out. On a legally licensed version you can have one copy on a laptop and a second copy on a desktop computer. If you have a need to do major pixel pushing, then something like Elements will serve you well. Both versions of Photoshop integrate quite well with Lightroom. Nowadays there are quite a few third-party plugins to Lightroom that seem to eliminate the need for Photoshop for most users. Since you haven't stated what you need any of the software titles for, it's an exercise in assumption for me here. I'd also recommend getting a book about Lightroom, as it's a process-based tool and that's a little tricky for users without a managed workflow in place. M

10-27-2012, 06:26 AM	#18
JimD Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Newport, South Wales Posts: 187 Original Poster	Thanks to all. I'll download the trial version of Lightroom and give it a go.