FZ200 Loc: New York

Hi --
perhaps somebody would be willing to offer advice:

For years I've been using PhotoShop 6, but it is really ancient now and this is beginning to hurt. I consider myself a slightly advanced amateur, usually using RAW, now with a Lumix FZ200, a very good camera. Not interested in video at all, stills only.

Please advise what should I replace it with?

Thanks in advance.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Why not both they work hand in hand.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I recommend the photography package from Adobe. $9.99/month (plus sales tax). You get Lightroom and Photoshop.

Many people complain about renting software rather than buying it. However, the cost is similar to buying it and keeping up with updates. Since you have been riding on your purchase a long time (Photoshop 6 is 14-15 years old now) and haven't been going for updates the cost will be a bit more than you're used to. However, $10/month is quite affordable. Like a couple of Starbucks.

If you're a slightly advanced amateur you will probably be able to handle the new version of Photoshop, although things have changed since PS6. Mostly for the better, but there will be a slight learning curve.

I use the CC package and enjoy it a lot as a moderately advanced amateur. As mentioned above, LR and PS talk to each other. You can do basic edits in LR and when you need something more you can send an image to PS. When you finish in PS, saving the image will return it to LR and place it in the catalog so you can group everything together.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

From your description you really do mean, yes ancient, Photoshop 6 and not Photoshop CS6, yes it is time to update! As explained by others you can subscribe to Adobe and for a $9.99/Mo fee get both Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC. You next question might be what is Lightroom. You can get tons of answers for the from others. In brief Lr is a database catalog for your photographs. If you really prefer to have a DVD-ROM copy of Photoshop that you can own and not rent from Adobe as a download you may be able to find copies of Photoshop CS6 or even Photoshop CS5 on eBay or possibly Amazon. Same goes for Lightroom (last versions I know of were 4.4 & 5.7). Those might also be had on disc as well. Since you are used to a really old version of Ps you might actually be more comfortable with Photoshop Elements 13, PSE13. It is probably more powerful than the really old version of Ps6 you are now using. But since I have used neither I could not state the differences other than to say the Full versions of Photoshop are meant for graphic designers and most photographers could get by well with PSE13 and/or Lr5. Good luck.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Bingo! We have a winner.

I was going to recommend PSE13 as a possible alternative, too.

$70 for Elements and it will very likely do all you need it to do (better than old PS6). The primary "downside" to PSE is that it works in 8 bit mode only. No 16 bit. But that might not matter to you and it has some of the most commonly used features of Photoshop and Lightroom, all in one. Elements also features three user-interface modes: easy, moderate and expert. This makes it easier to get started with, compared to the two larger programs (both of which have fairly steep learning curves).

Photoshop CS6, if you can find it, will cost you at least $500 (you need the full version because your really old PS6 doesn't qualify for an upgrade, if you can even find one).

If you only deal with relatively small numbers of images, you might be fine with CS6 alone. But if you want cataloging, keywording, and some other features, as well as high volume, large batch RAW conversions, you will want/need Lightroom 5 to complement it. To buy Lightroom 5 costs another $150. (Elements, on the other hand, is pretty comprehensive, although it's less widely capable than it's two "big brothers" ).

Some people get by with only Lightroom. It has "light" image editing and optimization capabilities... Personally I think of it as "proof quality", but finish images for any higher purpose in Photoshop. LR alone might be adequate for small prints, slide shows, online image sharing.

But LR and PS really are two sides of a coin, designed to complement each other. A lot of people find either one incomplete without the other.

An alternative to buying either PSCS6 or LR5 is to lease the two of them through Adobe's "cloud" program. $10 a month will get you both PSCC and LR5.x (latest versions). Pluses and minuses to this, too. The price is great, I figure works out about the same as I was spending buying occasional upgrades of the two. However, eventually I expect Adobe will increase the rent. (Adobe tried to charge 3X as much for PSCC alone initially, but went through about a half dozen price reductions and finally bundled with LR5, to get people to buy in... so you know for sure that they think it's worth a lot more!)

I wouldn't mind if Adobe offered a choice of buying or renting the software. It really irks me, though, that they are forcing folks to buy. My PSCS6 may be the last version of PS that I ever use, unless they change their marketing approach. I'm afraid that new cameras I might buy won't be supported by PSCS6, even though it's only 3 years old.

You also will want to look at the system requirements for these programs. Photoshop works best on a 64bit system and with 8GB or more of RAM. It also works better with a scratch disk (a second hard drive or a partition with about 100GB free space, for the software to use when working on images). One time when I upgraded cameras I also needed to update Photoshop, which needed a newer operating system than was on my computer, which also was marginal for processor, RAM and HD storage space.... so I ended up buying a whole new computer, too. That was one expensive camera upgrade! I try to stagger my upgrades now, so the hit to the wallet doesn't hurt so bad.

TeeKay

The editing features in Lightroom are fairly comprehensive and enable a fair degree of localised adjustments, but if you want do more demanding operations, such as extensive cloning or working with layers it would not be suitable.
It is definitely suitable for producing large prints.

Adobe's DNG converter can be used for cameras which are not supported in PS or Lightroom, although it is a bit of a pain having to convert files and then load them into Lightroom as a separate operation.

rob s Loc: La Mesa, CA

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

FZ200 Loc: New York

My apologies for the tardy reply.
To Warrior:I did not understand your response. Both of what?

FZ200 Loc: New York

My apologies for the tardy reply, DirtFarmer. Thanks for the good idea. Did not know that you can rent it and this I will probably do so I can drop it if it turns out to be too much. Regards -

FZ200 Loc: New York

Thank you Lamiaceae for your kind answer and I apologize for the tardy reply.
Seems to me that PSE13 will be the right choice, as you recommend. I don't want to get too much of a good thing from the most advanced PS edition as am not interested in videos or graphics work, and as for LR - I will probably pass, preferring managing my folders of photographs myself. The old Release 6 used to be good enough for me but, as my use of that software intensified, it began freezing on me when the main storage use was approaching 1 GB.

FZ200 Loc: New York

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Thank you Amfoto1 for your comprehensive answer and I apologize for the tardy reply.
Seems to me that PSE13 will be the right choice, as you recommend. I might go for the PSCS6 + LR5 rented combo if PSE13 turns out insufficient; the rental price is good. But I don't want to get too much of a good thing from the most advanced software as only an amateur and not interested in videos or graphics work, and prefer to manage my folders of photographs myself. The old Release 6 used to be good enough for me but, as my use of that software intensified, it began freezing on me when the main storage use was approaching 1 GB.
Thanks for pointing out the computational requirements, fortunately my desktop and monitor are powerful enough.
Anyway, I hope to improve my work and eventually may need something more powerful. Thanks again.

FZ200 Loc: New York

The editing features in Lightroom are fairly comprehensive and enable a fair degree of localised adjustments, but if you want do more demanding operations, such as extensive cloning or working with layers it would not be suitable.
It is definitely suitable for producing large prints.

Adobe's DNG converter can be used for cameras which are not supported in PS or Lightroom, although it is a bit of a pain having to convert files and then load them into Lightroom as a separate operation.
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Thanks, TeeKay, for your kind reply. From what you write it seems to me that Lightroom will not suffice for my needs, as I usually work with layers. From the others' recommendations, the best choice seems to rent the recent Photoshop and find if I can successfully use it, then perhaps buy it. Regards -