apolloshep wrote:
I have never used any post processing software except for contrast, brightness and converting to B/W. Not sure I want to jump into LR 6 due to the huge learning curve. I have herd of Lumainr which is basic. I thought I could learn on this than advance LR 6. If someone who has used some of the lower price point software could you respond? I also want to do raw video editing. Any help on this would be great. I know this subject has been beaten to death.
There is no huge learning curve with Lightroom. You just need someone's help to set up your file management. If you are disorganized now, LR will make it worse. If you have a clean and well-structured folder system, it will be a breeze. You can simply "import in place" into the LR catalog, without making copies anywhere else. This is where nearly 100% of first time LR users get hung up. The editor is extremely easy and fast to use - and it is far easier to make adjustments to color, tone, sharpening, setting black and white points, white and color balance, etc. You can make some "simple" local adjustments, but those are best done in software that is better suited to local and more precise adjustments.
As far as using another software title, you'll have a learning curve with that in any case. It's your choice whether you want a learning curve with XYZ sofware, or if you want to start with software that is well-established in the industry, taught in high school and college, and extremely well supported with free and paid tutorials, blogs, videos, etc etc etc.
I also suggest you join a local photo club, where there will be individuals in your situation, and others that have mad skills with all kinds of software, who will be able to guide you. Many clubs offer mentoring programs for the price of membership - which is usually around $50 a year. Don't be afraid of a learning curve - you only have to endure it at the beginning, and once you get past it, you'll be glad you did.
I would not get LR6, btw. I would get the subscription plan. LR6 is a dead end - Adobe will end support for it sooner or later. And all raw converters are limited as far as image editing. They do not do a great job at local adjustments, masking, layers and brushes with definable blend modes, etc - tools which are necessary to take an "almost" finished raw conversion to truly finished status. For this you will need a program like Photoshop or similar. When you pay your $10/mo you get both Photoshop and Lightroom - one of the best bargains in the industry today.