Ike Gittlen

Anyone have a sense of the differences or which one is better to use? I currently use Photoshop Elements.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

They are not the same - each does different functions.... Lightroom is management of your images and a parametric editor, Photoshop Elements is a PIXEL editor. (Parametric Editor = applies parameters to a file to show the resulting change, original image is never changed, a PIXEL editor changes the actual pixels. )

In reality you use Lightroom to manage all your photos, make basic global edits, and then use Photoshop Elements to finish your photos at the pixel level.

Lightroom and Photoshop, or Photoshop Elements compliment each other, both used, but for different functions.

FWIW - I use Lightroom to keep track of and manage my images, over 50,000 currently. I will perform basic edits within Lightroom and send the files over to Photoshop to complete the editing by sharpening, cloning & healing, and fine tuning exposure.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

In addition to the difference in function(s) noted above, another difference worth noting is that LR and PS are primarily 16-bit editors, while Elements is 8-bits.

Bill_de Loc: US

Elements is not on the same level as Lightroom and PS. But it does a lot more today than it did years ago. One thing in particular that many folks who don't use it overlook is that it does have a pretty competent organizer. It creates catalogs and provides many search criteria and grading options. You can drag a thumbnail (or group) to a location on a map which will add the location to the info in the catalog.Elements has a pretty good editor, and a $12 program (Elements +) opens up a bunch of features that Adobe engineers left hidden in the program.

My suggestion is to take a close look at the latest Elements and the LR/PS subscription and decide what is best for you. And remember, while Adobe makes great products, it's not the only game in town.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

When considering that someone brand new to digital photography needs some manner of keeping their efforts embellished and organized, Elements provides a ton of assistance. Hence the name. But if that person realizes that they want to take the craft further, the next logical step (from Adobe) would be Lightroom, available (in newest versions) through the Creative Cloud subscription service. That subscription also includes Photoshop (for the same fee), which exponentially expands on Element’s pixel-editing functionality. It’s a commitment, but the tools are world-class. It really depends upon the photographer’s needs. Hope I’ve helped.

ygelman Loc: new -- North of Poughkeepsie!

The deciding factor for me is that Elements makes use of Layers. Period! And LR's catalogs are restrictively detailed and open to user error -- that throws everything off.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

papakatz45 Loc: South Florida-West Palm Beach

Photoshop Elements will manage and catalog your photo files. I use it with approximately 65,000 images and it does a great job. This is not to say Lightroom isn't good but for a lot of people Elements works great.

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

For me, I've been using Lightroom since 2008 and moved to the cloud when Adobe introduced it. I had the "full" version of Lightroom on CD when I first got if and then migrated to Cloud when it was first introduced. To me, the $9.99 per month is reasonable (exceptional) for what you get. Making the change from Nikon Camera Control Pro, Capture NX, etc. from Nikon was a no brainer as I had photos all over the place. Now, with Lightroom/Photoshop, all of my photos are organized (in my case by date taken, Year, Month, Day) then I have additional catalogue Pointers that point to the same photos, like Birds, Nature, Key West, Everglades, Ships, Boats, etc. These pointers categorize photos that are in the dates so that If I want to look at ALL of my Bald Eagle photos, I can just go to Bald Eagle and if I want all of my Sunset Photos, I can do that.
Yes, it takes some thought and every once in awhile I will look at a photo and add to the descriptive link, Like Schooner in addition to Sail Boat. The key and point here is that your Library/Catalog or whatever you want to call it can be organized any way you want and you can always change or add to your descriptions. It is JUST pointers and doesn't change where the stuff lives. Just be aware that I have close to 10,000 photos in my "library" and I have a dedicated 8TB drive for photos..

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Similar story here. Lightroom has an excellent cataloging system if you take the time to study and understand it. Blundering into it will create problems just like blundering into most anything. The subscription which includes Photoshop and Bridge is an excellent deal. I would not ever considered spending $800 for Photoshop. Having it has opened many doors, and provides endless enjoyment in the learning process. I also like the updates with the additional features that come along with them. Just my two cents worth.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Lightroom is a very different product intended for completely different purposes. There is no one to one comparison possible. Lightroom is a raw conversion program and editor containing the functionality of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) as well as a host of other features including extensive image management . Photoshop Elements has a more bare bones Raw editor, and is intended as somewhat "lite" version of Photoshop's pixel editing capabilities. It is still very capable though and is the preferred choice for jpeg shooters.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

However, if you shoot in raw exclusively and don't have the need for a pixel editor, than Lightroom is a better choice.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Not everyone needs layers. Period! And Lightroom catalogs are open to error for those who don't know how to use it properly. I've been using it since version 3 with zero problems. For those who shoot raw exclusively and primarily want to modify exposure characteristics, rather then edit pixels, Lightroom may be all that's needed.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

Yes indeed, after years of use, the ONLY problems or errors I have were caused early in the learning process by ME.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you get Lightroom CLASSIC CC now, you also get the full version of Photoshop, plus Bridge and Lightroom CC. All for $120/year, or $9.99/month. So Elements would be redundant.