CCrangle

Gets confusing trying to compare & understand PSE vs Lightroom (CC or Classic). So I was hoping the forum might un-confuse me & recommend? tkx

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

In the end, we all pick our unique workflow.

For me, it centers on Lightroom Classic. Both the organization and image adjustment are important to me.

Because I have Lightroom Classic, I get Photoshop and (mobile/cloud) Lightroom.

Since I have Photoshop, I don't use PSE. When I want to do something more than what I can make happen in Lightroom, I use Photoshop like a plugin. I usually have to find a YouTube or other tutorial when I'm doing something unique.

Lightroom CC (cloud/mobile) is getting more and more capable. I have it on my computer, tablet and phone. It is still complex for me, but fun to learn. I can shoot a picture with phone or camera (with camera's app) and have it on all my devices, including a syncronization to Classic.

In short, my recommendation is to get the subscription for Lightroom and begin learning the parts you want to use. Then, grow skills and knowledge as needed from there.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

PSE primarily is a post processing program consisting of a cut down version of Photoshop (Adequate for a lot of people) This comes with 'Organizer' which is a simple file catalogue using star and tick ratings.
Lightroom is an image file data base with many search options, that does a little Post Processing and it relies upon PS or PSE as a plug-in.(that was as my bought version worked a couple of versions ago)

People rate the subscription from Adobe because they have always been the market leaders.....However, times change.....

There are several other programes that cover the same or similar ground either as a one off cost or for free.

Post processing involves quite a bit of learning...In my experience with LR....human error tends to screw it up. When it first came out there were constant calls for help about it.

I would look at simpler program than LR till you understand how and what you need LR to do that other programes do not. I don't think its 'going away' any time soon!

Have fun and don't let the PC spoil it

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I get the photographers package, includes lightroom and photo shop CC for about $10.00 a month. It works for me.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

Get PSE, once learned you are ready for PSCC.
IMO Lightroom sucks. https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-391956-1.html

manofhg Loc: Knoxville, TN

I bought LR several years ago and for a long time, that was all I had. It took me a while to get used to it, but it has been useful for all the editing for many pictures and is has become my filing or storage system for all my pics. I have an older LR, v. 4. That particular version cannot do layers (don't know if newer versions do), so I purchased PSE. Again, it is older than what is out there and if you have PS on the cloud, you have the latest versions of whatever you subscription supplies.

LR allows a lot of general lighting adjustments and some gradient and spot corrections. Sometimes that is all I need. Beyond that, PSE allows for the layering, stitching and all sorts of things that LR cannot conceive of.

So, my workflow consists of importing everything into a folder(s) in LR, and doing adjustments as needed. If I need more done, I then go into PSE and open the raw file there. I save from LR to a jpg in a different location than the original files (which are RAW in my case). If I have pulled some into PSE, I save from PSE to a jpg in the same location that I have put the LR saves. If I have done very much work in PSE and think that I may need to repeat something, then I also save a PS version from PSE that will preserve the layer info so I can pull it all up as needed.

rond-photography Loc: Connecticut

They are different animals and the decision will have to be partly based on the volume of photos you will process at a time. In the end, you will probably still want PSE for times when you need to do more extensive changes to a photo than you can in LR, so PSE or Affinity or some other program for enhancing beyond LR might still be required even if you go with LR.

PSE
If you are doing small numbers of photos, PSE might work well for you and gives you a lot of power (used it for years). If you are shooting raw, you will get to know Adobe Camera Raw - and you will be using exactly the same processing tool as in Lightroom.

Lightroom (LR)
If you shoot large volumes (think a sporting event, a car show, air show, birding, animals in action, etc.), where you will have to find a good shot among many not quite as good, I think LR is much better. That is its forte - a quick view of each photo; mark it as discard if not up to snuff; discard those you marked; develop the ones you like. Develop is where it shines. The process is much faster than opening in PS. You simply go to that photo and start developing (dodge, burn, set exposure, contrast, etc.) and move on.

PSE
Uses the same processing engine (Adobe Camera Raw or ACR) as LR for raw files.
Takes longer to get to the develop stage in PS than in LR. When you open a file in PS, if it is a raw file, you will first get the ACR screen to process the photo. Once you perform your magic here (same exact sliders and controls as in LR) you can save the image or move on to PS and process further.

A (picky) Note on ACR vs LR
I just checked in PS to make sure I am making an accurate statement - If you use LR, you can click on a slider for whatever (exposure, highlights, etc.) and use the mouse wheel to adjust the slider back and forth. In ACR, this has NO EFFECT. I find that a real pain, since I can control the slider much more easily with the wheel than by moving the whole mouse back and forth.
YMMV.


So in the end, you can do everything you need to do with either, but if you are in a hurry and do a lot of big shoots

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

I have new Clients asking me on a regular basis what is the difference between Photoshop, Lightroom, and Elements. An Adobe expert back in 2012 gave me the answer:

"Photoshop is the whole shop. You can do anything in Photoshop. Lightroom is a room in the shop. Not everything is available. Elements are tools within the room. Do you want the whole shop, just one room in the shop, or just some elements from the room?"

Since I use all three, I discovered that he was right.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I use LR and PS, among other applications. LR is a robust, all-around processing program and contains a database application. Once a user understands how the Library Module functions the program is very easy and very effective. For much of my work LR is all that is needed although PS can always add something to the mix, such as sharpness, that LR just cannot do. If I want a certain look or to play around I'll use Topaz or ON1 or some other program. Most programs can be used directly from within LR and then the changed file will be saved in the format of your choice and added back into the LR catalog. If you have a system of marking files in some way, color, stars, and/or key words, you can find any image in seconds, a real timesaver. The organization in LR depends upon your ability to organize images in a way that makes sense to you as a user, the program does not make decisions for you. If you begin to use layering techniques PS can do that very well. I think the $10 a month that I pay for the use of the programs is a bargain.

don26812 Loc: South Bay of Los Angeles, CA

Actually, both Lightroom and the Organizer are based on database technology and not simply file managers.

don26812 Loc: South Bay of Los Angeles, CA

I don't agree with these two points. My largest PSE Catalog has something like 50K photos and videos and runs fast. Using the Organizer's keyword tags, and other tools, I can locate a given image generally within one or two minutes.

Make no mistake, Lightroom is a more powerful program. However, getting to the point where you can do almost anything in the Organizer than you can in Lightroom is generally much easier for new users. And besides when you are ready (if ever) to move up to Lightroom, there is a Lightroom command to convert your PSE Organizer Catalog to Lightroom.

FWIW

Bullfrog Bill Loc: CT

Actually, PS doesn’t have a catalog which is awesome in LR. LT handles 90% of what most photographers need and you can move to PS with 2 clicks. Ps has soo many tools that it is cumbersome unless you use it all the time. IMHO.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

All of which supports my comment. Photoshop > Lightroom > Elements.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I use Lightroom Classic for about 95% of my image pre/postprocessing. It does almost everything I'll ever to do with a RAW image. It does an excellent job of easily applying presets or custom changes to multiple images. I don't use it for image organization; I prefer custom name folders.

If I want to get fancy with images, i.e.: swap out the sky, add text, selectively modify areas of an image, etc., I'll export the preprocessed image(s) out of Lightroom to Photoshop and carry on from there.

I have no use for Light CC or PSE.

bwa

Bullfrog Bill Loc: CT

I don't understand your comment on "custom named folders" has a highly customizable folder naming and and hierarchy capability.