 Joan E. Herwig |
Photoshop, Elements, Aperture & Lightroom I am currently using Photoshop Elements 4, but I am going MAC soon. Making the plunge to Adobe Photoshop intimidates me a bit. I have read that Aperture or Lightroom are simpler to use, but I don't know if they are stand alone programs or if the need to be used in conjuction with Photoshop. Thanks!
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Richard Lynch |
Joan, Photoshop isn't all that much different from Elements, and there is no reason to be intimidated by it if you are used to using Elements - the programs are very similar. Photoshop has a few more features, and some that most users will never need. Elements isn't just a good starter program, it is a good program - period. I use it every day and have Elements 1, 2, 3, and 4 installed on my Mac (OS10.49). I have some additions on my Web site that are free and add some of the features back into Elements that are said to be "missing". I assume you want to move up to Photoshop because the long-term support for Elements may be limited on Mac, but because Mac has Intel chips and can run PC programs natively, you should be able to run Elements 5 on a new Mac! If you are going to make the move to another program, be sure to see if there is a trial version and give it a whirl before you make a commitment. Aperture ($299) and Lightroom ($299) are both stand-alone, and may be easier to use ... but I would not want to give up any of the control I have in Photoshop/Photoshop Elements. Lightroom is said to be a "complement to Photoshop", allowing corrections on groups of photos.
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robert G. Fately |
Joan, Richard makes some fine points. To clarify further how Aperture or Lightroom relate to Photoshop - the former programs are really designed to streamline workflow - usually something quite useful for a pro who might shoot 20-200 shots of the same subject (think a modelling shoot) and wants to quickly compare and rank them, pick some favorites, and do some basic editing. These "workflow programs" do not compete directly with Photoshop (or Elements). While they are capaable of doing basic coor correction, cropping, sharpening and noise reduction there are of course a zillion more things one can do with a full-blown photo-editing tool like Photoshop. So to answer your quesiton, they are indeed standalone programs - and they can be used in conjunction with PS and Elements. I guess it depends on what kind of photography you enjoy - do you do a lot of editing in PS or do you use it only for cropping, resizing, redeye reduction and other basic stuff? I use Aperture and occassionally Elements - I personally never felt the need or desire to get more involved in the post-production side. But that's just my opinion - obviously plenty of outstanding shooters use Photoshop with great skill and to great effect. Hope that helps
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Fritz Geil |
Joan, you are getting some fine answers to this one. First, congratulations on switching to a Mac. It is a far superior platform and OS. I switched a few months ago, and will never look back. Anyway, to your question: I use both Lightroom and Photoshop CS3. I tried Aperature, and found it to be less intuitive (for me, but I have been using Photoshop for years). I cull my pictures, and perform most post-production in Lightroom, but when I want a more artistic or dramatic effect, I switch to Photoshop. Lightroom is simply the digital version of a darkroom (hence the name); it will help with anything you used to do in a darkroom, and not much more. However, the things it does, no other software does as well (IMHO). The most important thing is to keep shooting! Whatever post production software you use will become second nature, and most are adequate once you know all the tricks of it. Good luck.
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Ariel Lepor |
Macs are way better! Anyhow, if you simply get Parallels, you can run all Windows programs on the Mac with no problem. Upgrading to Photoshop may be costly, but it shouldn't be so intimidating. Maybe you should get GIMPShop before Photoshop CS3, and see if its good enough for you; it is free and similar, lacking a few advanced features. If you get Parallels, maybe you should look into Helicon Filter. It can do the advanced editing that Photoshop can do, excluding graphic creation, it is much cheaper, and it is much simpler to use. Good luck!
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- Nanette B. Stephens Contact Nanette B. Stephens Nanette B. Stephens's Gallery |
My husband and I use Elements and then moved up to Photoshop 7 and love it. I too was intimidated but with lots of practice, you'll get the hang of it. I also found these great little books called Adobe Photoshop Focus Guide (found in the magazine rack). They are short instructional books which come with a CD to use with the exercises in the book. Each month they change what topic they are covering. This month's was titled 308 Editing Secrets. This was a big help to me because they keep the language simple and show good examples and have great practice exercises. Check them out if you happen to go to the Borders by you. Good Luck.
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