 Charlotte R. Bellamy |
Photoshop/Lightroom or Elements? I'm finding myself jumping between my camera's editing software, and two other free websites offering an array of editing tools - but its all taking way to long and the images are affected in quality. I'm currently just an amature but with aspirations for something more, and i'm not sure what to spend my money on. I have a friend who can get me photoshop via academic pricing so it works out the same as Elements or Lightroom. However I just can't work out what they all offer more than the other, and whether i'd be over facing myself with Photoshop. I love playing with colours and effects at present which is my main desire. Any comments/help much appreciated as i'm totally confused. I see so many photos on this site obviously altered in some way and wish to be able to to that kind of thing. Thanks
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Pete H |
Charlotte, Confusion with various image editing programs is the norm; so don't feel bad. In the two programs you mention, Adobe Elements is more widely used. I tried (Lightroom) for a while and did not like it at all. I found it slow (memory usage) compared to Elements and CS. There are other resons I didn't care for it, but I doubt that would be a useful commentary for you. I personally am using Two programs, One is Adobe CS and the other is "Capture NX" Both have strong points and weak areas, hence the reason I use two programs. My choice for you would be Elements. It is inexpensive,Has plenty of options, handles RAW well, you can grow with it for a long time, and; if you feel it is restrictive at any time, you can always purchase the full blown CS with the benefit of already having some good image editing skills and understanding the user interface.
Pete
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Charlotte R. Bellamy |
Thats a great help thanks.
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Charlotte, Adobe will allow you to download 30 day trial versions of Elements & Photoshop so you can see for yourself and decide. I started with Photoshop 5.0 and currently use CS3 and never used Elements but try them both and see what you like. Pete made some great points & PS does have quite a learning curve. One of my friends uses his Canon software for processing his raw images and uses Photoshop for additional editing. With the price of Photoshop ($600) it may be a good opportunity for you to get the student version while you can. Have fun - Carlton
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Corinne M. Thompson |
I started out using Picasa, and then moved up to PSE6. I have had it for just over a year now, and am completely happy with it. There is still alot I have to explore and learn as far as it's capablities. As a beginner, I find it allows me to do what I want, and isn't too overwhelming to learn. Lots of good books out there to help you out too. Good Luck!
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Charlotte R. Bellamy |
I'm trying out my free 30 day trial for Elements, although i'm not sure how i'm going to find my way around without buying a book. I've tried out a few effects which worked and tried merging two photos to get a good group picture (that didn't) but i'm sure i'll have a lot of fun playing with it! Thanks for all your suggestions so far, great help.
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Pete H |
Charlotte, Trying out a few effects is probably not the best way to learn image editing. Learning (any) image editing program demands one starts with the basics. Exposure, color balance, contrast, brightness, cropping etc... Everything you do needs to be built on basics; otherwise you are in for a lot of disappointment. My suggestion would be to start with everything under the menu item "ENHANCE" Next, I would advise you to move onto "Layers", the real magic of the digital dark room. I don't think too many would disagree that "layers" is the real power in editing that everything revolves around. With time, you will begin to develop what is known as "workflow." This is how YOU prefer getting from point A to point B, from start to finish. There are some basic rules in this as well..in other words, what do you do first, then second, then third etc....Until you are ready to save your work. Elements is a very capable program in the hands of someone experienced, but as far as I know, even Tiger Woods had to start with the basics before he played better. There is a lot of free info on the internet, just google "Adobe Elements + lessons" and you will find a ton of info. Adobe as well as any image editing program takes time; as far as I know, there are no shortcuts in learning it. Repetition is the key. Doing a basic edit over and over and over..after a while it will be second nature to you. You should be grasping the basics in a few weeks if you spend maybe one or two hrs a day with it..after that, the options begin to open up with endless possibilities. Above all else, have fun! :)
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Corinne M. Thompson |
Since you aren't sure if you are going to buy the program, try finding books at your local library. If you like, contact me thru my gallery and I can send you a list of ones I found helpful.
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