Is Lightroom a stand alone or do I need CS product?

[NancyMoranG]

Hi,
looked on Forums and did quick Internet look. Do I have to have another product first?
And what is a Plug-in? just an addition to a program, like an upgrade?
i have PSE 11 as a newbie. My Nikon came with NX View (?), and I have a Windows editing program that came with computer.

I am interested in doing time lapse soon. Also, learning more HDR and am playing with trial version of Photomatix. It is very easy! Will try Pro version trial also.
I also will want to stack photos of stars.
Knowing all that, any guidance and help is appreciated, as it looks like I need to buy Lightroom for my goals.
thank you,
Nancy

 

[ronlane]

Lightroom is a stand alone program. It will interact with PSE and CS, I believe that it will work with Photobatix. I use Nik Collection with LR4 and it works good.

 

[The_Traveler]

Adobe CC and Lightroom for 9.99/month is the best deal you'll ever see.
what you can't use know, you will learn.

Photography | Adobe Creative Cloud for photographers

 

[KmH]

Your PsE 11 has a consumer grade version of Lightroom's Develop module, which is Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

In PsE 11 it's known as Camera Raw.

Camera Raw has been a Photoshop plugin since 2002, well before LR starting shipping in 2007.
Photoshop Elements, the pro grade Photoshop CS/CC, and Photoshop Lightroom all use ACR to do Raw edits.

ACR is a parametric image editor that cannot edit the pixels of a digital photo.
Instead the 'edits' are line commands that change the operation of the algorithms that render the image file.

The other more extensive part of Photoshop Elements and Photoshop CS/CC that are not Camera Raw, can edit pixels and are raster graphics image editors that also have some limited vector graphics capabilities.

Adobe's primary vector graphics application is Adobe Illustrator.

Raster graphics are bit mapped graphics. Vector graphics are geometrical primitives (mathematical expressions of points, curves, shapes, lines, and polygonal shapes).
Raster graphics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vector graphics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[KmH]

Adobe CC and Lightroom for 9.99/month is the best deal you'll ever see.
what you can't use know, you will learn.

Photography | Adobe Creative Cloud for photographers

I think it's telling that Adobe has to keep extending that offer.

But in it's current iteration you have to qualify for the offer:

To qualify, you must own a commercial version of Photoshop CS3 or later (Standard or Extended version, as a stand-alone product or as part of a suite)

 

[NancyMoranG]

Can I do time lapse with the PSE 11? Or do I need LR?
Nancy

 

[Derrel]

Adobe CC and Lightroom for 9.99/month is the best deal you'll ever see.
what you can't use know, you will learn.

Photography | Adobe Creative Cloud for photographers

I think it's telling that Adobe has to keep extending that offer.

But in it's current iteration you have to qualify for the offer:

To qualify, you must own a commercial version of Photoshop CS3 or later (Standard or Extended version, as a stand-alone product or as part of a suite)

They have had to keep extending the offer because their sudden decision to extort users on a month-after-month-after-month-after-month basis, until death, went over like the proverbial lead balloon. The majority of the Adobe user base decided they would simply not sign up for a monthly bloodletting at Adobe's insistence. Fundamentally altering the user/vendor contract unilaterally (called yanking the rug out from under people) was one of the stupidest decisions Adobe has ever made. It blew up in their faces. Then they allowed millions of user names and passwords to be hacked and illegally accessed, in what many contend was retribution for their decision to go to a monthly extortion payment. The development of Capture One, as well as multiple other RAW converters, made Adobe's monopoly much,much less secure than it was just a few years ago. And now...Adobe has been humbled.

Adobe created almost the perfect storm for a competitor to move in and displace Adobe. Greed has a way of doing things like that...of exposing greedy companies to leaner competitors, hungry for sales and market share.

 

[remylebeau]

Can I do time lapse with the PSE 11? Or do I need LR?
Nancy

I`m not sure how others have done timelapse but you can certainly use either lightroom or PSE to process your files in preparation for a timelapse. I`m not sure that lightroom or pse11 have video creation capabilities, I usually import my images into adobe premiere and create a video that way.

 

[ValerieGoettsch]

Can I do time lapse with the PSE 11? Or do I need LR?
Nancy

I`m not sure how others have done timelapse but you can certainly use either lightroom or PSE to process your files in preparation for a timelapse. I`m not sure that lightroom or pse11 have video creation capabilities, I usually import my images into adobe premiere and create a video that way.

While it certainly doesn't have the capabilities of Adobe Premiere, Lightroom can create timelapse movies and on DSLR video clips you can trim, adjust color, white balance, exposure, contrast, vibrance, etc. You can also use many pre-sets.

 

[NancyMoranG]

Thank you all for your responses. This forum is a life saver for all new photographers !
Yes, I got the PSE 11 and Premier as a package almost 2 months ago. I am only now, starting to try and watch tutorials. Boy, this is confusing as my 1st pp program.
I am asking alot of questions on different topics. I go to NYC in March. It's not that I need to know everything by then, just how to take the photos, have the right gear and be ready to process after I am home.
Time lapse in the city, skyline is something I want to try and capture. Also, long exposures at sunset+\-, using filters ( which is another forum).
Thank you all, all advice gladly accepted,
Nancy

 

[Bossy]

You can download a 30 day trial of each program, do one at a time and get familiar with it and see if it works for you.