VogtGuy Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

I had Adobe (LR & PS) for one year, but this year I canceled that monthly subscription. I bought Capture One for the same cost as my one-year subscription ( I have a Sony camera). I also have LightZone which is a free open source program. Check out YouTube videos on whichever system you want to try. The videos will shorten your learning curve. Photography is a ministry to me. I do not get an income from photography, but if this is your career, then buy Adobe. You can cancel after one year. The $120 for that year is a low cost for training you in photoprocessing.

CurleyB Loc: MAITLAND FL

One of my problems is that there simply more brighter bulbs in the box than I am. I am using an old version of Elements which will not read RAW and to stay with Elements would be as expensive as purchasing the Adobe suite. This forum has been great. I can’t take all the advise but the info is stellar. Thanks to all.

zucco

Rumors about Photo Shop going up to $20 per month(?)
Anyone believe that's true?
Zucco

DaveJ Loc: NE Missouri

Just as a data point for you, I have seen Elements on sale quite often for $69 and $79. I actually got mine thru Amazon on a one or two day special for $49.99 on July 16 last year. Regular price is $100 I think. You can always try it for 30 days free I think.

dwmoar Loc: Oregon, Willamette Valley

Take a look at Darktable. If free to use and works not only in Linux but in Windows also. It isn't all that hard to work with.

https://www.darktable.org/

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

Everyone is different (and [to paraphrase George Orwell] some are more different). I found LR to be highly intuitive the first time I used it. I see many other opinions online so it probably is a strong function of your experience with databases.

Thephotoguy

Well see I have mixed emotions about this one because lightroom is cheaper than Adobe Photoshop, but (and this is my opinion) is harder to use, and is much slower ( this is a fact). Also lightroom makes it easier to organize your photos, and none of the changes are ever permanent on a photo. I started with Photoshop and adobe bridge ( a Photo organizer) and honestly I liked it a lot better than light room, just to see what it was all about. Another thing about light room is that cataloging is a long and complicated process. Again, Photoshop is a better option to go with. Then again, it is my opinion. So there you have it. See you later and happy hunting!.

dhroberts Loc: Boston, MA, USA

If you’re not averse to open-source (and free) software, you might try darktable. It is a fully featured cross-platform suite of modules written by photographers for photographers. Take a look a look at its features:

https://www.darktable.org/about/features/

While I have used Photoshop and Lightroom, I am moving toward darktable. It can even create an html-based image gallery for you.

raptort Loc: Saginaw, MI

Include me as a new Luminar 3 user. I’m new to photo editing (had only Canon provided software) and was intimidated by Lightroom/Photoshop. Luminar offered easy edits using Luminar Looks or more extensive edits which I am really just learning to use but enjoying the process. I checked on it around Valentines Day and it was briefly offered for $49 with updates available. I haven’t looked back!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

What's wrong with Elements? Do you have an old version. Maybe you just need to update it.

Lightroom is a good program, but Elements actually can do a lot of things it can't. For example, you can't work in layers in Lightroom... but you can in Elements.

Lightroom really isn't a RAW editor.... It's more of an image archive organization and management tool... with LIGHT image editing capabilities. LR is designed for quick, minor edits and speed.... to handle large volume of images.

Photoshop is the "Mac Daddy" of image editors... extremely capable and immensely complex. It has LIGHT archive organizing and management capabilities. PS is designed for highly detailed work on individual images.

Lightroom and Photoshop are designed to work together, to complement each other.

Elements is designed as an all-in-one program, sort of a "lite" version of the LR/PS combo.

You would need both Lightroom AND Photoshop, to be able to do more than Elements provides in one program.

Lightroom can be learned pretty easily... buy a book, take a class, and in a month you'll be comfortable using it.

Photoshop is another story. Buy a stack of books, take a year's worth of classes and maybe then you'll be fully up to speed with it.

In recent versions, Elements has the "training" built in. A book might be a good idea, none-the-less... But the user can choose between guided use in "Beginner" or "Intermediate" mode, or unguided with the "Expert" interface. You can switch between these at any time in Elements. (There is no built in training or support like this in LR or PS... you're on your own getting that elsewhere.)

LR and PS are only offered via subscription now. The basic plan including both costs $120 a year.

Elements is sold with a perpetual license. Pay once and use it as long as you like or until you buy a new camera that's not supported by an older version of it. Elements 2019 sells for $100 ($150 in a bundle with Elements Premiere, video editing program). It goes on sale fairly frequently. There might be an upgrade offer, if it's bought directly from the Adobe website. (I've heard rumor of one... haven't checked myself).

BTW... Adobe Camera Raw is at the core of Lightroom, Photoshop AND Elements. It's an integral part of both LR and Elements, a separate module in Photoshop. In other words, to update ACR in LR and Elements means updating the entire program, while in PS it can be updated independently.

dick ranez

add one vote for OnOne photo raw. there's a free 30 day trial and a current "special" that makes it about the same price as a new version of PSE.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

I like Photoshop, but a lot of what it does, I don't.
For *me*, Elements works the best for what (little) I do.
And it's paid for and done and portable. A lot of Adobe and M$ subscription products don't like you if you're not connected to the Internet.
Then again, I just bought On1 and I;m giving it a go.

SEGUE: look both ways before crossing ...
I bought a camera. It came with an older version of Lightroom.
The card for registering LR gave me a discount for a LR and.or Elements upgrade.
In the meantime, a buddy was getting a Corel upgrade, so he gave me his old disc.
The website offered me a competitive discount when I tried to exit.
I have Elements 2018, for @ $50.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

That's an interesting comparison, but it's a couple years out of date now.

Might check https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/buying-guide.html to see if the two more recent versions of Elements have added some of the features missing from the 2016 version.

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

Bridge is used by a lot of people for organizing their photos. If I recall correctly, it's used by groups because several people can use it at the same time, whereas LR is a single-user program.

I don't consider LR cataloging a long and complicated process, but YMMV. It probably depends on your experience in using databases.

And I don't consider LR and PS to be separate programs. They work together so I consider them two parts of a system. I use them both.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Most photo editing software have the same general concepts that will help you move from package to package so there isn't a need to start over from scratch, even after investing a lot of time in one package and them moving to another.