Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

I keep reading a lot of comments and reviews on editing programs. I don't mind paying for it, but I want one with a reasonable price. I have tried a couple that I didn't like with their trial offer, realizing of course that the full version would have yielded better results. That is where I am at now. I am looking at Adobe Photoshop elements, and Lightroom. I was told by a fellow photographer that If I chose Lightroom I would have to purchase Photoshop also. Thank you

Bill

Terrym9 Loc: Hillsboro, Oregon

I have used lightroom and photoshop elements 13 for years, I think its a good combination and inexpensive. There are newer versions of elements, but I don't really need to upgrade.

Terry

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You can't 'purchase' Lightroom nor Photoshop. These two programs are now available only through an ongoing subscription model at roughly $120 per year covering both software titles together.

Your choice of software does depend on your camera purchase habits and your capture format. If you skip from model to model and capture in RAW, you'll probably find you continuously need to purchase new software or upgrades as RAW files are camera specific and these new RAW files are not typically supported by older software versions. However, for a JPEG shooter, a title like PSE can remain useful as your sole digital editor for the remainder of your life.

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

Thanks Terry, that's where I am leaning.

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

I saw a down load for Lightroom. I don't want Photoshop, just Photoshop Elements.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

LR has not been for sale stand-lone since December 2017. Anyone offering to sell you this software should be approached with great hesitation at the risk of being a complete scam.

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

And that is why I love this forum...Thank you.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The Adobe Photography Bundle comes in several flavors. It includes two very different versions of Lightroom, Lightroom CC and Lightroom CLASSIC, plus Photoshop and Bridge. It is a $9.99 per month subscription service. You can stop and restart the subscription without losing your work.

The old disk version of Lightroom 6.14 is no longer available and no longer supported, and it won't run properly on certain modern operating systems.

Photoshop is a BITMAP editor. Lightroom CLASSIC is a PARAMETRIC editor and an image asset management database with a print engine and more. They complement each other.

You need both, ultimately. The intended workflow is to import into Lightroom, cull edit, rate, develop, crop, and do minor touchup work. IF you want more/need more tools, LrC sends the file to Photoshop, where you can use masks, layers, and tons of filters and bitmap editing tools, plus text (and much more). The whole suite is a professional level set of tools designed to do most of the routine tasks in Lightroom Classic, and refinements in Photoshop. Many working pros do about 80% of the work in Lightroom, and the 20% of the work that takes 80% of the time in Photoshop.

Lightroom CC is nicknamed "Cloudy" because it is designed to bounce your images from Mac to Windows PCs to iPads and Android tablets, to iPhones and Android phones... using Adobe Cloud, a subscription online storage environment. I have exactly zero need for that, but many folks love it.

Photoshop Elements is still a standalone program costing around $100. It is capable, but not like the Photography Bundle.

Many enthusiasts find that the $50 Serif Affinity Photo is a great tool that does much of what Photoshop can do. Mac users can use it with Apple Photos and the RAW Power plug-in for Photos to form a suite of functions similar (but less powerful) than the Adobe Photography Bundle.

Of course, there are many other tools out there, especially for Windows. Various shareware and donation ware applications are also available. Some apps are written for Macs and Windows and even Linux.

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

Is photosho elements strictly download or can I request a disc?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Disks are going the way of the dodo bird. In some cases, you pay more for a disk. For many titles, it won't matter what you want to pay, there is no disk. You download the install file and make sure you save that file into your back-ups, just like any important file. Save your credentials and a copy of the email purchase receipt into the same folder along with the install file, in case you need all this information sometime in the future.

tramsey Loc: Texas

Gimp - Very much like Photo Shop and it's free. There are several tutorials out on you tube and many on pdf. I think we have a couple on this forum. Can't go wrong with free. If you don't like it dump it and it hasn't cost you anything.

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

Yeah that is what I thought. No problem with download, have done it with other software....thanks for the help

Bill

Lawmanb2 Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

I have heard of Gimp...can't hurt to give it a try...

Thanks

Bill

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

The only cost is your own time in learning it. It's not terribly intuitive. There are lots of tutorials available but not one tenth of the number for Lightroom / Photoshop. Ten bucks a month is well worth it for me, I spend more on takeout coffee during a typical month. Switching software suites is, at least for me, a major PITA, and I try to make my initial choices without the expectation that I'll be having to start all over in a relatively short time. That standardized "industry standard" model, has worked for the software companies, and it has honestly worked well for me. I literally never have to worry about updates or compatibility, and glitches are fixed quickly. My own time is my scarcest resource.

Andy