difference between programs

[j_c]

what is the difference between photoshop, lightroom, and photoshop elements? which one do you prefer and why?

 

[Light Guru]

what is the difference between photoshop, lightroom, and photoshop elements? which one do you prefer and why?

Photoshop - advance image editing/manipulation
Lightroom - photo organization, basic image editing

As for which I prefer they bother have different uses so it's not a preference question it's a right tool for the right job question.

 

[KmH]

Photoshop CC & Photoshop Lightroom are professional grade software.
Photoshop CC is for all visual graphics artists. Lightroom is designed specifically for photographers.
Lightroom is designed to be a front-end processor for Photoshop CC.
Photoshop CC's plug-in Camera Raw is the software Lightrooms Develop module uses.

Photoshop Elements is consumer grade software, and Elements has a de-featured version of Camera Raw.