kitrn Loc: Tucson, Az

I use LR4 and PSE 11. Never sure how to proceed with editing. I shot RAW, so when I start with LR I want to keep the RAW image when I export into PSE. Also I want to keep the RAW image when I am done with PSE editing. I know I need JPEG for printing and e-mailing. How can I keep both. I get so confused with this process. Do I make changes to a backup copy. Never sure what buttons to use on PSE11 (save etc) Sure hope that this is clear as mud.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Download from camera to Lightroom. If there is something LR can't do move to PSE11. After editing in Elements save to LR. Lightroom retains the original and adds the Elements edit as another pic beside the original.
If you need more detail than this advise.

plewislambert

Pardon my ignorance. I open DNG raw files with Elements 10 and save the worked-on images as JPEGs. Is Lightroom 4 a better program for opening DNGs? What concerns me is how best to recover burned-out highlights and reduce digital noise in dark areas of an image (not necessarily the same shot).
Advice would be welcome.
Philip

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

LR4 has made some leaps and bounds with it's highlight and shadow recovery engine. Try the free 30 day trial and test it out.

plewislambert

I found various sites selling LR4 but no free 30 day trial. Do you have a site please?
Thanks
Philip

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Usually straight off of adobe.com

sportyman140 Loc: Juliette, GA

When you import in to LR it creates a Folder which is where your raw files are located. You never loose you raw files.

kitrn Loc: Tucson, Az

My usual workflow is d/l into elements, doing my editing and than saving. Ends up a JPEG. So what workflow is best. Use LR first then into PSE? So confused about this whole process. Most important is do I work on original or make a copy and work on that?

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Import from camera to Lightroom. You can then move an image to Elements if something needs to be done there that can't be done in Lightroom. If you load from camera to Elements first then want to move a photo or group of photos to LR it is much more difficult- Adobe designed it that way. No need to make copies if you follow the sequence above. Your original photo is never REALLY changed, your editing is only a file that manipulates the original image for viewing or converting to JEPEG for export (email, etc). The edited image is what you see but the original imported image is still preserved. In LR, in Develop, look in the left panel at History- it is a listing of what you have done to the original image- if you scroll to the first entry and click on that you will see the image you started with, there unedited.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

I do all basic processing and organizing in Lightroom. When a photo is sent to Elements for effects not offered in Lightroom, Lightroom sends a copy, not the original. Also, Lightroom allows you to make virtual copies of any photo so you can mess with the copy and leave the original untouched

RichieC Loc: Adirondacks

DON'T SAVE AS JPEG"S AS YOUR PRIMARY IMAGE FILE FORMAT!
Save as native .pse, .psd or .tiff's. Then re-save as a jpeg. Send the jpegs around, JPEG's are lossfull, they degrade the image every time you save it as one... tiffs or native formats do not degrade the image, so think of these formats as a base to make jpeg's FROM.

Always leave a copy of your image as it was originally shot, in case you want to go in and try a new technique, you get better, etc. etc.

kitrn Loc: Tucson, Az

So when I d/l into LR, I should make a copy and work on the copy?

plewislambert

Many thanks.That worked. All I have to do now is understand how to use it.
Philip

sportyman140 Loc: Juliette, GA

Try this link

http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-lightroom-4/

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

PSE11 does have an Organizer but it's not as good an organizer as LR has - so I'd suggest always using LR4 to do your downloads.

Work flow:
-Use LR4 to grab raw images from card
-Use LR4 browse your images and delete the bad images.
-Use LR4 to apply keyword tags and rate images and create collections if you find collections to be handy
-Use LR4 to Develop the raw images and if satisfied print directly, or export for email or social media or whatever using the jpg format.

-If more extensive processing is needed then right click the image from LR4 and a menu pops up and select Edit then select PSE11. The image transfers to PSE11 and you can layer and do other complicated edits that LR4 can't do. But once you do this, it can't be saved as a raw, it must be saved in one of the other formats e.g. psd, tif or jpg. Saving as psd or tif allows you to keep the layers for more editing later. Saving as a jpg will flatten or merge all the layers into one layer and you can not get the layers back to do more layer editing.

The raw file stays exactly the way if was before using PSE11
The newly edited PSE11 image is saved in a new file format leaving you with 2 different files.

If you learn to do a lot of complicated editing in PSE11 then you will want to save the completed image in psd or tif first. If you want to email or print or share the image you will want to use that layered image and save it as a jpg. There are different options for doing this but for now this is all you need to know without making it too complicated.