Photo Editing & Cataloging!

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David
Edit My Images
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Hi Guys,

Im not sure this is the right section but its a pretty basic question!

What software should i be looking into for editing and storing my shot's?

Now i always thought that photoshop was pretty much the be all and end all for this but the more i read the talk photography forums the more i hear folk talking about Lightroom?

I dont want to learn one program then have to go back to the start with another if you know what i mean. I'd rather get this right from the start!

Whats the forums opinion of this?
 
I used to be a photoshop man Until I got Lightroom.
I very very rarely use Photoshop for photographs now. I just dont need to, Lightroom does almost all of it except major cloning.

Its sped up my workflow considerably. I can import, edit and export 50 files in half an hour, and thats spending a lot of time on each image. If you just want quick sharpening or contrast boosts to all images, you can do it on import and not even bother with the develop module.

I wont go back to PS thats for sure.
 
I have a mac and have used aperture for a while. I then gave lightroom 3 a go for a while but soon when back to aperture it is so much more user friendly.
Hope this helps
 
I have a mac and have used aperture for a while. I then gave lightroom 3 a go for a while but soon when back to aperture it is so much more user friendly.
Hope this helps

Strange..I migrated to Aperture from LR2 and have found the opposite to you for catalogues.
I prefer Apertures workflow though and the new price from the App Store makes it a steal.

Unless you have a Mac it's probably Adobe, however:thumbsdown:
 
paulefox said:
I have a mac and have used aperture for a while. I then gave lightroom 3 a go for a while but soon when back to aperture it is so much more user friendly.
Hope this helps

I've tried both and prefer aperture, horses for courses I suppose. I agree that LR has better noise reduction. Both are great products.
 
i love lightroom , just there is so much to learn ! its nice to be able to import / fiddle / export a while shoot rather than one at a time.. i also find its very good for tagging too,
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, im going to look into getting a copy of lightroom. Wheres the best place to buy such a thing then?
 
Is there a marked difference in how you do things in Lightroom 3 compared to how you would do them in Elements 9?

The reason I ask is that I'm new to dslr photography as well and i'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I need to get a standard workflow sorted which will include, transfer, edit, backup, publish. I can get Elements 9 for around £45 on Amazon but Lightroom 3 is around £218 at the minute. Given that I've only just bought a dslr, £45 is much more realstic than £218 to spend on software just now.

If I get Elements but find in the future that I want to get Lightroom is it going to be like starting from scratch again?
 
Is there a marked difference in how you do things in Lightroom 3 compared to how you would do them in Elements 9?

The reason I ask is that I'm new to dslr photography as well and i'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I need to get a standard workflow sorted which will include, transfer, edit, backup, publish. I can get Elements 9 for around £45 on Amazon but Lightroom 3 is around £218 at the minute. Given that I've only just bought a dslr, £45 is much more realstic than £218 to spend on software just now.

If I get Elements but find in the future that I want to get Lightroom is it going to be like starting from scratch again?

Aperture is a Mac application, I am sure you know, but IMHO at the current App Store price is excellent value for money. It is a 'Workflow' tool first and foremost which I find much easier to use than Lightroom.

I just found the LR Libraries easier to use:bonk:

LR is Adobes workflow/editing stand alone solution rather than a slimmed down Photoshop. I have CS3 and rarely use it.
 
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If I get Elements but find in the future that I want to get Lightroom is it going to be like starting from scratch again?

It depends on how you use Elements, if you are used to the ACR function you will already be familiar with the develop module in Lightroom.

The more Lightroom specific things such as the library module will have some element of a learning curve, but it isn't really re learning as Elements doesn't really offer that (although if you use bridge is is similar).
 
It's nice to have them both, PS and LR.

Lightroom works great for storing images and playing around with light, there isn't really much more you can do with it.
However photoshop gives you much more advanced options, which are obviously a bit more time consuming, but worth. you have to learn photoshop, find your self ways of achieving thing(there is lots of ways to do one simple task).

you may also look at Gimp which is a free replacement for PS, it includes most of the PS tools

Try give it a go, look online for tutorials.
 
Yes true, but is not expended as Gimp and obviously PS.

I think Gimp is a quite good starting point. It's a bit pointless buying PS and realizing that you don't actually need all of the tools available there. But on another hand if you pay lots for PS you get yourself motivated to make some effect of it.
 
It's nice to have them both, PS and LR.

Lightroom works great for storing images and playing around with light, there isn't really much more you can do with it.
However photoshop gives you much more advanced options, which are obviously a bit more time consuming, but worth. you have to learn photoshop, find your self ways of achieving thing(there is lots of ways to do one simple task).

you may also look at Gimp which is a free replacement for PS, it includes most of the PS tools

Try give it a go, look online for tutorials.


The comment about light interests me. Can you still perform sharpening,contrast, dust removal etc actions in LR as you can in PSE?
 
The comment about light interests me. Can you still perform sharpening,contrast, dust removal etc actions in LR as you can in PSE?

well yes, however is not as advanced as it is in PS
 
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