[JimD]

I'm after some advice from you please. If I explain my situation perhaps you guys can advise me of the best way forward. Please bear with me.


Knowing very little about PP and having bought my K5 (first dslr) around 18 months ago I enrolled on a stage 1 Photoshop course at a local college. It was a general course, dealing with CS5, that touched on the basics and certainly wasn't photography specific. It folded after 8 of the 12 weeks due to lack of numbers.

At one of the first few lessons the tutor told us to take in a memory stick and put CS5 on for us to take home with us to practice. She said it was a 'portable version'; if such a thing exists? Maybe an Educational version or maybe something not strictly leagal?

It loads from the desktop and reads as Photoshop CS5 Extended - version 12.03x32. It does pretty much everything but as expected will not update such things as Pentax lenses in ACR.

In my company some of the staff (none of them are photographers) use Photoshop for brochures, presentations, planning applications, etc which are either CS2 or CS3 versions.

When I first got my camera I asked my computer guy if there were any spare Photoshop's around the office. He had CS2 which I loaded onto my home pc and laptop. I couldn't load it onto my office pc because the number of licences had then expired. It also loaded up Bridge and another Photoshop type application, the name of which escapes me at present.

I didn't take up the option to register with Adobe at the time and the disk with the serial no. went back to the computer guy who has since retired. We have also relocated so finding it isn't a realistic option.

Because the course I attended was on CS5 I'm more familiar with that than the CS2 version and ACR in CS5 seems easier to follow.

I'm not sure of the differences between Elements or Lightroom, but would it be worth getting either and does either come with the facility to load on to more than one computer, such as laptop and PC ?

My thinking is that I could make things such as lens specific adjustments in either and export to CS5 / ACR afterwards.

I also understand that Lightroom has a cataloguing system. Does Elements?

Sorry it's all so long winded (I don't seem to do 'simple') but should I just stick with what I've got? Is there anything to be gained by getting one of the other programs or would I just be wasting time and money.

Please excuse my ignorance in these matters. If it was anything to do with black and white or colour transparency processing I wouldn't need to ask.

[ironlionzion]

You can manually fix individual lens aberrations in CS5 and ACR. Curvature, CA, vignetting, etc. If your CS5 works at home, then definitely stick with that. CS5 is the most powerful PP software that you can get (besides CS6). What you will gain from Lightroom is the ability to organize your photos easily. That's up to you.

If you need to learn more photography specific things that you can do with CS5, just search google. There are literally hundreds of guides that will show you step by step how to do neat PP. Here's one on luminance masks - my favorite for landscapes: Tony Kuyper Photography?Using Luminosity Masks?Introduction

[robertgb]

I started with using Elements (v2 through 7) and found it to be quite a capable program with PP editing and cataloguing capabilities. Obviously it cannot do all PP editing as per CS5 but it handles a lot of the PP work. I decided to switch to Lightroom once my catalogue got quite large and found the switch to be beneficial in how I was able to work with the catalogue and do non-destructive edits.

If you have access to CS5, I would go for Lightroom for the expanded cataloguing capability. Elements gives the benefits of both PP and catalog but I found that it was more targetted to the entry level photographer. If you can afford both, this wll get you both PP and extensive cataloguing capabilities and still be less costly than CS5.

Both software packages allow installation on two computers. I like the way that Lightroom can syncronize and export catalogues between PCs. I am not familiar enough with the current version of Elements to know whether it can do this as well.

[rockmaster1964]

Several months ago I tried out lots of PP software. I ended up buying Lightroom. It does everything I ever need to do. There are free trials of elements and Lightroom.

[civiletti]

I find LR very useful, especially combined with NIK Viveza. PS is better if you want to do extensive touch-up or restructuring of photos.

[Anvh]

Lightroom is what ACR is in photoshop but with extended features and options to make it a standalone product so more like ACR and bridge combined.

I use LR to catalog my photos and do the ACR editing, with the big edits it goes to PS from their.

Elements is a simpler version of photoshop.


You can download the trails from adobe to try them out yourself.

[jatrax]

Depends on your primary needs. If you do a lot touch up, work with layers, creative work, use Photoshop enough at work to be very familiar with it then go with PS.

However, if your primary need is cataloging, organizing, printing and general photo work then Lightroom is the better choice. You can do almost anything in LR that you would want to do to photographs without the cost and complexity of PS.

IMHO Photoshop is for graphic designers and creative professionals, Lightroom is for photographers. Of course you can use either, depending on your needs, training and experience. Lots of photographers use PS because they have used it for years and are used to it. It may be total overkill for them but it is what they are used to.

I consider Lightroom to be my primary application and everything I do with images starts and ends there. If I need to do something that LR cannot do then I use a plugin or "edit in external" do the work and then return the image to LR. My primary needs are finding images at a later date when a client needs something, minor touchip and general image adjustment.

[JenniferLeigh]

At one of the first few lessons the tutor told us to take in a memory stick and put CS5 on for us to take home with us to practice. She said it was a 'portable version'; if such a thing exists? Maybe an Educational version or maybe something not strictly leagal?

It loads from the desktop and reads as Photoshop CS5 Extended - version 12.03x32. It does pretty much everything but as expected will not update such things as Pentax lenses in ACR.

I wasn't even aware of a portable version of CS5 until now but I'm fairly sure that it isn't legal for the teacher to give out.

In your situation, I'd recommend downloading a trial version of Lightroom and taking it for a test ride. Since your a beginner, I think you'll find that Lightroom can handle the majority of your edits, plus it's great for organizing photos. I used PS for over 10 years for my photography, now 90% of the time I use LR.

Compare Photoshop Editions: CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3 | ProDesignTools

[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.

[JimD]

Thanks for the input so far.

Just to recap. I've got a proper copy of CS2 on my home pc and my laptop plus Bridge

I've got the 'portable' copy of CS5 on any computer I choose.

I can't register either versions for lens updates, etc.


My understanding so far is:

It appears I won't gain anything, over what I already have, with Elements.

Lightroom won't do anything extra that CS2 or CS5 will already do, except cataloguing


I've not used Bridge properly yet but as I understand it is a cataloguing system. So will the cost of Lightroom be justified?

Am I being too simplistic?

[JimD]

Jennifer. Thanks for the link. I'll have a look in the morning.

[JenniferLeigh]

Maybe check this out: Should I use Lightroom or Bridge? | The Complete Picture with Julieanne Kost | Adobe TV

IMO yes, LR is worth every penny. I first was introduced to Bridge in CS2, I didn't like it so I didn't touch it again until I upgraded to CS5.5. For design files, it works well but for my photographs - I much prefer LR. It simplifies my workflow, from importing through to exporting and printing. It has all the tools I need built in, Bridge does not.

[jatrax]

So will the cost of Lightroom be justified?

Short answer (for me) it was the best $200 I ever spent on software. Note the price has dropped since I purchased. And if I had to do it over would shell out the $200 immediately.

If you need Photoshop for advanced graphics design or have used it for years and consider yourself an expert or at least comfortable with it, fine. Otherwise just get Lightroom and learn the workflow it provides. There is a definite learning curve and you have to put in the time to learn it but I really cannot imagine operating without it.

[mee]

Your licenses to Photoshop appear to be expired at best or completely illegal at worst.

So in reality, you don't own any PP software.


Photoshop Elements' ACR is limited in adjustment parameters (crippled) vs those in Photoshop CS or Lightroom 4

The ACR in PS CS6 and LR4 are the same AFAIK


In Photoshop CS you get native plugins support, layers and full ACR

In photoshop elements you get native plugins support and layers but a weaker (in features) ACR

In Lightroom 4 you get a more robust cataloging system and a more capable ACR (over elements)


It is down to how you want to work and your price range.


All 3 have legal trials available.. give em a spin. :c )

[Anvh]

I've not used Bridge properly yet but as I understand it is a cataloguing system. So will the cost of Lightroom be justified?

Am I being too simplistic?

Just download the trail version and see for yourself.
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/tdrc/index.cfm?product=photoshop_lightroom

Or am I now being too simplistic?