sabrejet

Anthony Morganti has a great new series for ON1 Raw 2018, on YouTube.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

LR and PS 85/15

philz Loc: Rockaway Township NJ

I have come to use On1 Raw 2018 as a replacement for Lightroom completely and a mostly adequate replacement for Photoshop. It does what Lightroom does in terms of photo management including sorting and ratings and also develops images, including Fuji raw images, better than Lightroom because of its Smart Brush that uses content aware instead of spot removal capability and very strong, diversified, and easy to use masking tools, plus layers capability for compositing. In addition, the Effects Module provides the ability to eliminate the need for Photoshop as well as NIK plugins and many Topaz plugins I used to use. All non-destructively without having to go to another program. Moreover, with On1 Raw there is no need to create a humongous TIFF or PSD file to perform these operations in PS or plugins unless you need to go to layers for compositing.
Best of all, On1 Raw 2018 is on sale this week for only $70! While Adobe is raising the cost on CC to $132 per year, plus tax.

To be clear, I am an experienced Lightroom and moderately capable PS user. Before On1 Raw 2018, I used Lightroom for 95% of my editing and I loved it. But I disliked having to go to Photoshop and plugins to get done what I can do easily, directly with On1 Raw, usually without layers and an extra PSD file, and thus always non-destructively. Is it the only alternative to Adobe? No, of course not, and as others have said each program requires some learning for the interface. But unlike what others have said, I have found On1 support to be excellent, plus they have terrific, mostly short tutorials that are also excellent. At $70, it is bargain that incidentally has a 30 day refund policy. Give it a try. You can always pick up an Adobe CC subscription later if you do not like it.

P.S. I picked up Affinity Photo for only $40 to perform the few edits I used to need to do in Photoshop, like adding text. But with On1 Raw, I rarely need to use it.

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

You, as a photographer, do not need to master 100% of Photoshop as it is a graphic design program that goes far beyond the needs of (us) photographers. I use Ps CS6 (am curious about the more advanced Content Aware features of the current CC version), and find I do use a number of advanced Ps tools and techniques. I've tried Lr but found it woefully inadequate for me in tools and processing power.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Minx Loc: Vermont

I second the use of LR/PS along w/ ON1. Yet you do have to spend time learning them. Find someone that has an online course to help you.
I have used Matt Kozlowski (sp?). I found him easy to follow and on the funny side which made it easier for me...MHO. Good luck

Satman Loc: Indy

Hey there… I’m Matt (Kloskowski • “Klos-cow-ski” • or just Matt K)

Satman Loc: Indy

Just a copy and past, but an On1 fan.

brentrh Loc: Deltona, FL

I have tried various programs over the years l’m back LR and Photoshop.
LR is simple and does what I need most of the time when I need more I struggle with Photoshop there is a learning curve with it with time and paticence it is superior

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

I find Ps to have way more than I need when editing my photos. Many years ago I discovered Ps elements. Ps 18 meets all of my needs.

I am trying to use lr but am not very good with it...yet

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

I use Photoshop and Bridge all the time. In the Filter drop down is also access to ACR that is the same as Lightroom. You can use it on any file type, not just raw.
Lightroom has a single "Layer" where all changes are stored so it's non-destructive. Photoshop allows for multiple layers or no layers. I prefer the flexibility.
I also understand that Lightroom is best for most people.

Ozzie2154 Loc: New Jersey

I use PS Elements and Apple iPhoto software. I use iPhoto if I'm in a rush and use PS Elements when I have time to use.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Adobe is moving to system of interconnected parts. An "ecosystem"? Yes, you get Lightroom (Classic) now by renting it and it comes with Photoshop. Lightroom (Classic), all by itself, is fully capable. Photoshop can work like a monster plugin with extra tools. Then comes the Lightroom mobile system that can bridge into the phone, tablet and social media world. Some icing on the cake might be the Portfolio system.

You can shoot a picture with anything, connect it to everything and display it anywhere.

You can't learn the whole system. That would be too hard! Instead you learn the bits you want to use regularly and always have the adventure waiting to explore and try something new.

Vienna74 Loc: Bountiful, Utah now Panama

I use both LR and PS. They each have their strengths.I often process a little in LR (lens correction, level and perspective adjustment, bring down highlights and raise shadows), then go to PS for layers work, then final processing in LR (set white and dark points and make localized blend and dodge, i.e., gradients, etc). I have stayed with them in part because of the huge volume of instructional videos on YouTube.