Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

While I agree to your comment to some extent, Photoshop is like most things in life. Your effort will dictate your reward.

Taking the OP at his word, that he is wanting to strive for perfection, then the program that will give the best opportunity to reach that goal is PS. It will take an effort on the users part to learn. I won't sugar coat it, it will not be quick, however the rewards are well worth the effort.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

I also cast a vote for the Adobe CC subscription which includes both LR and PS. LR is fairly easy to use, in my opinion quite intuitive. Nothing complicated about sliders to adjust images! PS is more complex, but can be tackled one or two concepts at a time. Lots of people like PS Elements, but I never got along with it. Get the free trials before you buy so you can get to know the programs for free before you start paying!

Ways to learn more include various websites that offer instruction, some free, some you pay for. I bought Scott Kelby's LR book [for LR4] which was good, but was disappointed in his PS book. Scott forgot that using ACR [Adobe Camera Raw] in PS is passee' because LR works so seamlessly with PS, and he spends too much time on that and not enough on PS itself. I also subscribed to Scott's KelbyOne website which contains many video tutorials on different topics; once again, though, it needed updating because there were tutorials in there that were way outdated. But it was very good otherwise and introduced me to quite a few very good instructors. [Hopefully since I was last on there the site has been updated - they are always doing something to make it better.] One of my favorites is CreativeLive, where you can buy video tutorials on photography by great instructors, but you can also view them for free when they are presented on the "On Air" segment of the website. They have a calendar showing when different tutorials will be shown, and you have to watch them in real time without any option for going back and seeing parts of it again. The pace is fast, but still can follow along and take notes, then they let you know how much it will cost to own that video. Ben Willmore has two great ones if you want something that is fairly comprehensive - LightRoom Bootcamp and PhotoShop Bootcamp. These were originally presented "On Air" over a period of 2 weeks for each of them. There are shorter versions as well, but I haven't seen them so cannot comment. Many people like Lynda.com, and a Adobe uses a couple of her short tutorials on their website as help guides free.

Hope this helps.

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Can't argue with your comment. However, a beginner is not very likely to experience success or even be able to use PS. In my opinion, there are easier starting points available.
Mark

photo3333

I thank ALL of you for suggestions. Hopefully, when I make my selection and initiate working with, I WILL become a better photographer!

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

The beginners determination level has a lot to do with it. The first time I road a bicycle I stopped when I hit the tree.

stuparr935 Loc: Dallas, Texas area

Just learn and use one new Photoshop tool at a time. After you use the new tool for a short time it will be in your toolbox and then learn another one. This attack makes life a bit easier..... "but practice you must", so I heard Yoda say one time long ago!!!

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

Susan, I certainly respect your opinions and knowledge. You are a most valuable member of UHH. I totally disagree with your assessment of LR. In my opinion, it is not easy and not intuitive. It's complex and has a steep learning curve. Keep in mind, photo3333 is a beginner. LR is not a starting point for a beginner. Maybe Picasa, maybe Windows Photo Gallery, maybe FastStone, maybe PSE(14?), but certainly not LR.
Mark

LR is fairly easy to use, in my opinion quite intuitive. Nothing complicated about sliders to adjust images![quote=SusanFromVermont].

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

[quote=markngolf]Susan, I certainly respect your opinions and knowledge. You are a most valuable member of UHH. I totally disagree with your assessment of LR. In my opinion, it is not easy and not intuitive. It's complex and has a steep learning curve. Keep in mind, photo3333 is a beginner. LR is not a starting point for a beginner. Maybe Picasa, maybe Windows Photo Gallery, maybe FastStone, maybe PSE(14?), but certainly not LR.
Mark

LR is fairly easy to use, in my opinion quite intuitive. Nothing complicated about sliders to adjust images!

IMHO, intuitiveness of many programs can vary from user to user. Like Susan, I found Lightroom to be a quick learn and very intuitive. I had first muddled about with Elements in utter despair, foolishly thought perhaps Photoshop would be better and quickly drowned in its complexity. I then tried the software that came with my camera, and several freebies before trying Lightroom, but learned enough to do what I wanted in LR in a few hours. The cataloging component of LR was dicey enough that it required me to read the online user guide, but beyond that, it was such a relief to find something that easy that met most of my needs. I added Photoshop later, and now have moderate command over it as well for layers, masking, composites, adding/removing objects and other things LR won't do. However, I've met a few Photoshop users far more competent than I who hate everything about Lightroom.

My best advice to any user is to try the free trials before buying/deciding. What works well for one of us may be anathema to another.

Maz

Watch some YouTube videos on the subject you're interested in.

Cape Coral Joel

If you are going to spend valuable time learning go with the full version of Photoshop CC 2017. It does some amazing things and the raw module is outstanding. It even has a time line for video. There are plenty of books out there to help you learn the PS and you can use them for future reference. Is it jam packed, yes, but you learn what you want. Why do you think there are so many imitators out there because PS is the one they are all trying to be.

zooljwt

Another free editing program is pixlr. I use it for quick editing of .jpg images and find it satisfactory and easy to use.

danmayworm Loc: Mundelein, IL

I have been using PS Elements and MacPhun's Luminar with great success. You can get both for around $100. The learning curve is easy, output outstanding, and support very good. Worth a try.

Paul Buckhiester Loc: Columbus, GA USA

Jeffers

Photoshop Elements is an excellent place to start. Please pay attention to, and learn the basic keyboard commands. There are several setup and image control steps for which there are obscure or no menus. Its not like Microsoft. Learn the keystrokes, most start with Ctrl plus other keys (Cmd if you're a Mac user).

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I agree with you. I tried Lr 3 & 4. I had already been learning Ps CS6 (that I purchased with a student discount before the CC stuff). I use the Bridge and ARC components of CS6 a lot. Even some of the relatively basic Ps things I do can only be done with Ps or a similar pixel editor. Lr works completely differently and is more for cataloging with some PP tools and functions. I like moving files all around in my Windows File Explorer so Lr is a mess for me. The main problem with PSE is it is only 8-bit. I regularly work with 16-bit and even 32-bit files in Ps. This is akin to the Raw vs JPG argument. Tossing away data. The $10/Mo subscription gives you both Ps CC & Lr CC. If only they would "beef up PSE" to 16-bits, but they probably never will as they want to keep selling Ps & Lr together. Good luck to the OP.