Ps, lightroom or another editing software

[spykep88]

Hi
I have just started photography and would greatly appreciate your feedback.


So I'm looking at getting an editing software for Windows, but am ensure which to buy. I know photoshop and lightroom get mentioned alot. But what does everyone recommend. I will mainly be shooting portrait and some outdoors stuff when I upgrade my kit lens. Thanks for any advice

 

[Dao]

I am able to do most of the post processing in Lightroom (LR) with ease from photo importing to photo export at the end. I recommend it first. Please understand that Lightroom is not a replacement for Photoshop CS (PS). There are things that can do in PS but cannot be done in LR. But in general, LR should be able to take care most of the post production works.

 

[ronlane]

I started out using PS Elements (PSE) and then went to Lightroom 4. Now I do most of my editing there and only use PSE for maybe 10% of my photos.

 

[spykep88]

Thanks to Dao and ronlane for the advice so basically guys if I starr with lightroom to get me on the learning stage of post editing and them maybe move onto PS when im more advanced.

 

[Mully]

LR hands down !!

 

[ronlane]

Thanks to Dao and ronlane for the advice so basically guys if I starr with lightroom to get me on the learning stage of post editing and them maybe move onto PS when im more advanced.

Yes, that is correct. I wished that I would have gotten LR first and learned it before getting anything else. (Although I would have wanted CS6 instead of PSE)

 

[tagan]

Lightroom is great. You should download 30-Day trials of Lightroom and Photoshop Elements 11 and see which you like better.

 

[rmr1923]

I'm in the same boat as you, fairly new to photography and I've found Lightroom works best for about 90% of my photos. For portraits I've primarily used Lightroom, for landscapes, architecture, etc I'll typically begin in Lightroom and then work in Photoshop CS6. One thing I like about Lightroom is that any changes you make are non-destructive (i.e. the original file remains unaltered). You can do the same in Photoshop by working with multiple layers. I'll usually duplicate the background layer and begin making adjustments on separate layers from there. Also, if you use filters in Photoshop, use the Smart Filter function. This will give you the ability to go back and alter the adjustments you made to that layer, or even delete the filter entirely.

I learn something new every time I sit down at the computer, but I'd recommend learning Lightroom first. There are plenty of tutorials out there, some of my favorites are by a guy named Serge Ramelli, you can find them on his youtube channel.

 

[spykep88]

Thanks everyone, the quick response and useful information, is why i joined TPF. Thanks again

 

[KmH]

Lightroom 4 has 7 modules, only 1 of which - the Develop module - is used for image editing.

As it is, Lightroom's Develop module is Adobe Camera Raw (ACR 7).

ACR was first appeared 10 years ago as a plug-in for Photoshop 7. Today, Adobe sells Photoshop 13 as CS 6.

So Photoshop CS 6 and Photoshop Elements 11 both include ACR 7, though the consumer grade Elements version of ACR 7 only has about 1/2 the capability that CS 6's ACR and Lightroom's Develop module have.

Having some good reference materials are valuable for learning how to use each:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers
The Digital Negative: Raw Image Processing in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)
The Photoshop Elements 11 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

 

[Sarmad]

I've Lightroom, PS, Gimp all of them.
Lightroom is most useful of all, though PS and Gimp might also be needed in under some rare special conditions.

 

[table1349]

If you are going to give LR a try you might also want to try Capture One Pro7. They also have a 30 day free trial. Image editing software | Raw converter | Capture One Pro 7

 

[SCraig]

I guess I'm on the other side of the coin since I have tried several times to like Lightroom and just can't do it. Admittedly I haven't used it that much since every time I get annoyed again. I think the main thing is that I do not want a catalog utility and Lightroom will not allow one to get around the fact that a big portion of its reason for being is related to that. Regardless, I don't care for it even though I have a copy in a box I've never even opened.

I personally feel that as an editor Corel Aftershot is one of the best-priced alternatives on the market. Formerly the $200 product Bibble 5 it is now priced at $59.99 and rebranded by Corel. It is a true EDITOR, not a catalog utility or an add-on, but a standalone editor and capable of some outstanding work.

I also occasionally use Corel Paintshop Pro X4 (although I think they may be on X5 or X6 or something now). A somewhat lightweight clone of Photoshop it is a highly capable pixel-level editor that costs about 1/10 as much and for photography works about 90% as well.

DxO Optics Pro is on Version 8 now and I only have version 7 so I don't know much about the later version. I use version 7 quite a bit for some functions, specifically distortion corrections and some other functionality that other software doesn't do quite as well. My biggest complaint with V7 (which might have been resolved in V8) is a horrendously slow startup time.

I also have Photoshop CS6. I started using Photoshop years ago when it was version 3, I think, and used it extensively at the time. I got away from it for a number of years though so I don't profess to be proficient with it because I don't really care for it. In my opinion Photoshop makes it very difficult to do some things that should be very simple so I tend to avoid it unless there's no other way for me to get something done. It is considered by many to be the gold standard of editors though, and for the price tag it carries it most assuredly should be gold plated.

My personal editor of choice is Nikon Capture NX2. I've been using it for several years, it does 90% of what I want done to a photograph very quickly, it does it very well, and I will continue to use it. As outlined above, I do have other software and I do know how to use it, so I use Capture NX2 because it is what I prefer to use and not because it's all I have. I like the way it works, and for my workflow it works exceedingly well. From my understanding it does not work as well with other cameras, but since I shoot with Nikon bodies that isn't an issue for me.

There are also some freeware alternatives such as Gimp however I haven't used them. Suffice to say that there is something available for everyone though.

 

[Mully]

^^^^^ when you learn to use LR , which takes a big learning curve, it is so reliable, fast and integrates other programs like PS, Nik, and onOne

 

[SCraig]

^^^^^ when you learn to use LR , which takes a big learning curve, it is so reliable, fast and integrates other programs like PS, Nik, and onOne

Assuming that you want it to integrate with Photoshop, Nik, and OnOne. I don't. To each their own, but I have no interest in it whatsoever.