Lightroom vs. Photoshop vs. Elements7

dcstep · 03-13-2009, 02:32 PM

Adobe confuses the hell out of me. I currently own Elements 7 and DxO's Optics Pro 5.3.2 along with Canon's Digital Photo Professional, which I hardly use, but it's the only software that'll convert Canon's smaller RAW files.

My workflow for 90% of my work is to use DxO's to batch convert from RAW to jpg. I use DxO because it's got lens and camera-specific adjustments for the errors in my Canon L-series lenses and 5D MkII body. It'll also do geometric correction, cropping and all sorts of saturation, wb, detail, etc. corrections all as part of the batch processing mode. I use a working file for the RAW downloads from the camera and automatically send them to project folders as converted to jpg.

I use Elements to clean up things like removing objects and more extreme effects when I really want to make large variations.

I'm thinking about experimenting more with panoramas and HDR, which had me considering an upgrade to PS. On the Adobe site I also see Lightroom and no clear explanation as to why there are two products so similar. I read that some people seem to have and use both. BTW, my DxO has an auto export to Lightroom as one of its features.

What will I gain if I buy Photoshop? I'm thinking that maybe I should get Lightroom and start using the DxO's export feature to fine tune my images a little more and continue to use Elements when I need to do a little more extreme work.

One kicker, I'm considering attending a landscape photography workshop in Santa Fe, but they want you to use Lightroom and Photoshop. It's all seeming very redundant to me and I don't understand why PS costs so darn much yet it is not as easy to use in a workflow than Lightroom. BTW, if you buy PS, then they give you a discount on Lightroom. (Since, I've got Elements I qualify for a small discount on PS). Price isn't a huge issue, but if I buy PS I want to gain something meaningful for the extra money.

Thanks for any advice.

Dave

asdflkijd · 03-13-2009, 03:56 PM

fyi, you can just download it from a torrent site.. save you some cash that you can spend on your 3

dcstep · 03-14-2009, 08:36 PM

No one's got any opinions, strong or mild???

I see that PS's gone 3-D, so maybe I'll just take the plunge to play with that a little. They've added some graphics tools also. My Anime' grand daughter should love that. She'll love converting photos of herself to Anime' characters.

If I get the latest and use DxO as my RAW conversion process and initial correction, the Lightroom seems redundant. My Elements is actually v. 5, so it's out of date already.

Thanks,

Dave

03-13-2009, 02:32 PM	#1
dcstep Major General 1298 Rep 7,389 Posts Drives: '09 Cpe Silverstone FR 6MT Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Colorado iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 M3 [8.40]	Lightroom vs. Photoshop vs. Elements7 Adobe confuses the hell out of me. I currently own Elements 7 and DxO's Optics Pro 5.3.2 along with Canon's Digital Photo Professional, which I hardly use, but it's the only software that'll convert Canon's smaller RAW files. My workflow for 90% of my work is to use DxO's to batch convert from RAW to jpg. I use DxO because it's got lens and camera-specific adjustments for the errors in my Canon L-series lenses and 5D MkII body. It'll also do geometric correction, cropping and all sorts of saturation, wb, detail, etc. corrections all as part of the batch processing mode. I use a working file for the RAW downloads from the camera and automatically send them to project folders as converted to jpg. I use Elements to clean up things like removing objects and more extreme effects when I really want to make large variations. I'm thinking about experimenting more with panoramas and HDR, which had me considering an upgrade to PS. On the Adobe site I also see Lightroom and no clear explanation as to why there are two products so similar. I read that some people seem to have and use both. BTW, my DxO has an auto export to Lightroom as one of its features. What will I gain if I buy Photoshop? I'm thinking that maybe I should get Lightroom and start using the DxO's export feature to fine tune my images a little more and continue to use Elements when I need to do a little more extreme work. One kicker, I'm considering attending a landscape photography workshop in Santa Fe, but they want you to use Lightroom and Photoshop. It's all seeming very redundant to me and I don't understand why PS costs so darn much yet it is not as easy to use in a workflow than Lightroom. BTW, if you buy PS, then they give you a discount on Lightroom. (Since, I've got Elements I qualify for a small discount on PS). Price isn't a huge issue, but if I buy PS I want to gain something meaningful for the extra money. Thanks for any advice. Dave __________________ Flickr Photos Ucm, Inc.
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03-13-2009, 03:56 PM	#2
asdflkijd Aberry is a scammer 589 Rep 5,507 Posts Drives: SGM E92 335i, AM E90 335i Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Seattle, WA iTrader: (14) Garage List 2008 E92 335i [10.00] 2007 E90 335i (Reti ... [9.00]	fyi, you can just download it from a torrent site.. save you some cash that you can spend on your 3
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03-14-2009, 08:36 PM	#3
dcstep Major General 1298 Rep 7,389 Posts Drives: '09 Cpe Silverstone FR 6MT Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Colorado iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 M3 [8.40]	No one's got any opinions, strong or mild??? I see that PS's gone 3-D, so maybe I'll just take the plunge to play with that a little. They've added some graphics tools also. My Anime' grand daughter should love that. She'll love converting photos of herself to Anime' characters. If I get the latest and use DxO as my RAW conversion process and initial correction, the Lightroom seems redundant. My Elements is actually v. 5, so it's out of date already. Thanks, Dave __________________ Flickr Photos Ucm, Inc.
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