Lightroom or Elements?

I got Aftershot Pro instead of LR because it's faster and cheaper. I'd have a hard time with elements because it lacks curves.

First, you have to understand that these are different programs. You might find that you want or need both and there's nothing wrong with that. Lightroom is an image management program with some powerful editing tools built in. But the editing tools in Lightroom are somewhat akin to developing an image in a darkroom: you are working on one image trying to make it the best version of that image. Elements on the other hand allows you much more powerful editing tools than Lightroom. For starters, you have layers in Elements. Now layers can be almost anything but lets work with a very simple one: text layers. With Elements you could add text to your images. With Elements, you could blend two images. And the list goes on and on. Now, if you aren't interested in this level of editing, then you don't need Elements. However, I should point out that Photoshop Elements is two programs in one: the Editor and the Organizer. The Organizer is Lightroom Lite. It is the image management side of Elements. Don't get me wrong, Lightroom is a much more powerful image organizer but many, many people do just fine with the Organizer. There isn't any right or wrong, just whichever is better for you. One advantage of choosing Elements is that you may find the Organizer powerful enough for your needs and therefore no need for Lightroom. If you feel you still need Lightroom, then get it. Nothing wrong with using the Elements Editor in conjunction with Lightroom, that is a powerful combination.

take a look at CyberLink PhotoDirector 4. I've have been useing it for about 18months and realy like it.

Where you go wrong is assuming they both are apples and one might be better for you. They are different, one an apple, the other an orange. My advice, buy both. Both have different tools helpful for you. Iuse Lightroom 90% for my basic processing, but go to photoshop for occasional layers and the use of unsharp/mask, and a nice cloning tool.

BigCatDaddy said:

BigCatDaddy wrote:

Where you go wrong is assuming they both are apples and one might be better for you. They are different, one an apple, the other an orange. My advice, buy both. Both have different tools helpful for you. Iuse Lightroom 90% for my basic processing, but go to photoshop for occasional layers and the use of unsharp/mask, and a nice cloning tool.

Click to expand...

Me too.

I use Lightroom for 100% of my images. 10% of those images then go to Photoshop for the fancy editing. After that they go back into Lightroom for the data management.

PS: you might try GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program). It is freeware and can give you some experience working with layers for image combining. For a beginner, the price is right and you can use it until you really feel the need for something better, then move to Photoshop. I used it for 5-6 years before getting Photoshop.

Photoshop does more than GIMP, but it also costs a lot more. If you need it, it's worth it, but try the free stuff first.

Thanks for all the advice (please don't let this stop anyone else commenting).

I think I'll be spending some money to get me going.

Zom

Thanks for all the advice (please don't let this stop anyone else commenting).

I think I'll be spending some money to get me going.

Zom

Just to "get going", the Digtital Photo Professional program on the DVD that came with your Canon will work fine with that camera's RAW images. So there is no reason to rush into buying expensive programs. Elements has an ACR module included for handling RAW images. Both DPP and ACR can adjust RAW images, but in very different ways. Give yourself a break and get comfortable with one, before attempting the other. I use both. My experience has been that DPP works very well for mild adjustments, ACR can handle saving the real problem shots.

Kelly Cook