Toment Loc: FL, IL

How about RAW+Jpg?
Store the jpegs in iCloud. When want to edit a jpeg, go to the RAW version and use Photos with a plugin to LR or PS.. I use Luminar as a plug-in in Photos, a more AI type program, but also very extensive non AI sliders. Separate the raw and jpeg on your desktop, then put the Raws away and back them up. Load jpegs into Photos and they’ll be up in the cloud to cull, tweak and in some cases edit in RAW.
FWIW that’s what I do. I enjoy tweaking jpegs, and when I need more, I’ve got a raw processor. (Luminar)
Have fun!

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

I use Photoshop, when loading a RAW image it goes into the RAW photoshop format automatically. I can do what I want with it and then I load it into regular photoshop for further processing. I most commonly then save it to the computer in Jpeg.

TucsonDave Loc: Tucson, Arizona

Pick an editor that his the capabilities you want and then spend time learning how to use it. You have to do that with any editor. I use Affinity Photo. One time fee, $49, and free updates. It is excellent for post processing. Note that it does not manage or catalog your photos.

granbob Loc: SW Wisc; E Iowa; W Illinois

I agree with Linda from Maine on the merits of Photoshop Elements. I think what would be extremely helpful for a person learning a new photo processing system would be to find a person already familiar or using that system to provide some "hands-on" guidance. I know that is not always possible, but it would likely make the 'leaning curve' much less steep.

davyboy Loc: Anoka Mn.

I’m not a control freak. I’m open to new things but do not want to shoot raw at this time. My jpegs blow me away and are plenty good. I like making 8x10 and framing them. And here’s wishin ya good shooting!

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

You can use Canon's RAW software to do the initial processing, then save the edits as JPEGS or TIFF and continue editing with other programs that are available. All RAW processors do the same basic things and differ by adding other tools. If you’re happy with the RAW processing, then just save as JPEG or whatever other format you want.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

My advise, whenever you change editing to RAW but especially if you are interested in the best colors, use the editor that the manufacturer created for your camera. Lightroom or any other software AFTER you have initially worked with the proprietary software. If your images will be used for the Internet any software will do. A calibrated monitor is a must for better accuracy.

You will find that images out of camera when shooting RAW data are practically lifeless. You will have to add contrast, brightness, saturate colors, select a WB and even sharpen a bit more than a JPEG file. Perfection will take some time. If you have someone experienced in editing RAW data to help you get started you are for a good start. Take an image of a sunrise or a sunset in RAW data and you will see that the colors you saw are not going to be present in the actual image and you will understand what I am saying.

To improve the quality of your images you should start with yourself. Do you have enough basic information on photography? Are your shooting techniques impeccable? Do you use a tripod? Do you know composition? There are many others like learning to see the light and what it does to your subjects and a very important one, learn to see what is around you.

Good luck!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If money is an issue, consider this: $100 to the PSE purchase could also be 10 months toward your subscription to LR/PS that you'll end up changing to anyway.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

Learning Lightroom was intuitive to me but I am comfortable with file management - I learned in DOS before Windows. Adobe has excellent step-by-step tutorials I highly recommend. Soon you'll be using the editing sliders with abandon! Plus if you subscribe to LR you also get Photoshop, etc.

Angel Star Photography Loc: Tacoma, WA

Switching to raw from JPEG is easy and you will find that it opens the door to far wider possibilities of what you can do with your captures. You will need to do some basic editing such as sharpening, adding clarity, etc. but this would only be the beginning of where you can take images from there.

I jumped into Lightroom initially, taking advantage of the free trial, in an effort to salvage some images I had captured---no other opportunity to capture again. They were shot in raw and my version of Photoshop Elements did not work with Windows 10. Long story; however, I will add that this was my first time shooting raw and using Lightroom. I found the Lightroom interface rather intuitive and within minutes I had salvaged my images. That was the beginning and since then I have perused YouTube videos and courses on Lynda to move beyond the basics.

As to what to do with your JPEGs, Lightroom should be viewed as an organizer first with editing capabilities laid on top. Thus, you can use Lightroom to organize both JPEGs and raw images. I now use Lightroom to organize my cell JPEGs as well as my raw files from my Canon and this has allowed me to organize captures that were taken long, long before I started using Lightroom and before I began shooting raw. The organizational capability of Lightroom is amazing. I began with absolutely no organizational plan in mind---don't recommend this. Through Lightroom, I have finally organized about 75% of ALL of my images.

As an editor, I use Lightroom about 90% of the time and Photoshop in the remaining cases. If you take advantage of the Adobe Photography subscription, you will get Lightroom and Photoshop together. While these are two stand-alone applications and can be used separately, there is integration with Lightroom such that you can select an image in Lightroom, right-click and select edit in Photoshop, and when you close Photoshop, you are returned to Lightroom complete with your Photoshop edited image added to Lightroom. This further facilitates organizing your images.

Regarding the educational needs, there are many resources freely available on YouTube and I recommend doing a search there on Lightroom and Adobe has videos available as well. Lynda is a subscription-based resource; however, if your local or county library has an arrangement with Lynda, you will be able to access their content with simply a membership to your library. Don't limit yourself to simply your local or county library. Many libraries have inter-agency agreements. Thus, if your library resources don't have an agreement with Lynda, you may still be able to access Lynda if some other county or city library has such an agreement.

You should be aware, too, that Lightroom is a non-destructive editor. This means that no changes are made to your files themselves. Rather, Lightroom retains your changes in a database and applies them as you view your images or when you export them to share or print. Thus, you can always reset to the original or drop back to some point in your editing history if you wish to change your image.

Side note: You should consider monitor calibration, too, as you step to raw, using an editor such as Lightroom, and sharing your images.

If funding is a concern, there are alternatives such as Darktable, Lightzone, and RawTherapee to name a few. Regardless, I continue to use Lightroom and Photoshop. The Adobe Creative Cloud subscription of $10/month is well worth the price.

texashill Loc: Texas Hill Country

You have a better camera than I do but your post reminds me of my experience. I tried free trial subscriptions for a few different software products for RAW processing. None of them were really usable for me; some looked like I was shooting through a pipe. Lightroom was different. Lightroom processed usable files for me. I bought the one that does not have an annual subscription; that was a few years ago. I was amazed at how I could now pull images out of shadow and overblown highlights. My four thirds sensor was made much more powerful. I did some searching and found free tutorials from Anthony Morganti. He suggested heavy use of the shadow and highlight sliders. It was like getting a new camera!

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

I second the suggestion of importing your jpgs into Lightroom, too. Doing that has let me go back and further process some treasured photos from years ago before I started shooting RAW. And I can build smart collections to find all my wildflower or mountain or tree photos throughout the years.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

The smaller the sensor, the more "benefit" from shooting raw.....yes.

Bill P

[quote=Linda From Maine]I personally found the switch easy, but that's because I enjoy having total control

Ah, Linda. the last honest woman! I salute you.