A friend of mine teaches digital photography. I use PS Elements 7.
He has loaned me an academic trial version of PH Lightroom 3. He wants my opinion.
First of all, what features should I compare to PH E7? Second, what are the features, that PH E7 does not have, that I should try out in Lightroom?
Posted by David Bostedo on November 15, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Lucy - I think you first have to understand that the two pieces of software have different goals and aren't direct competitors exactly.
Lightroom : A RAW developer with lots of digital file management and printing options. It is not meant to be a full featured photo editor. There are no layers or masks.
PS Elements : A "lite" version of the full PS CS. Includes the ability to do layers/masks. Also includes as a separate plug-in Adobe Camera RAW. This is the same engine that Lightroom uses for RAW devlopment, but with a restricted feature set.
So the first thing people have to decide is if they want to be able to fully edit/change a file, they need more than Lightroom. A lot of people own both Lightroom and either CS or Elements.
Beyond that, I can't speak to low level detail things to compare.
I have never checked out Lightroom, as I have been very satisfied with PSE. Thanks again, I realize that I don't need to bother loading it on my PC, if it won't let me use layers.
Posted by David Bostedo on November 15, 2010 at 8:58 PM
Lucy - I would still load Lightroom if I were you for a try. As far as I know, there are a lot more options in Lightroom than the version of ACR in Elements. I do know of people who thought they'd never be able to work without Elements or full CS, but once they get used to doing as much as possible during RAW development, hardly ever touch a regular editor.
Some things in LR3 RAW developing that you might be missing in Elements ACR :
-- Point and parametric curves editing
-- Individual tonal adjustments
-- Lens correction for distortion and CA
-- Automated spot removal/healing
-- Local adjustment brush (my favorite!)
-- Graduated filter
Given all that, I personally would probably not just buy LR, but I definitely find myself enjoying working in the RAW developer as much as possible before going into PS.
Discussion
3 repliesHe has loaned me an academic trial version of PH Lightroom 3. He wants my opinion.
First of all, what features should I compare to PH E7? Second, what are the features, that PH E7 does not have, that I should try out in Lightroom?
Lightroom : A RAW developer with lots of digital file management and printing options. It is not meant to be a full featured photo editor. There are no layers or masks.
PS Elements : A "lite" version of the full PS CS. Includes the ability to do layers/masks. Also includes as a separate plug-in Adobe Camera RAW. This is the same engine that Lightroom uses for RAW devlopment, but with a restricted feature set.
So the first thing people have to decide is if they want to be able to fully edit/change a file, they need more than Lightroom. A lot of people own both Lightroom and either CS or Elements.
Beyond that, I can't speak to low level detail things to compare.
I have never checked out Lightroom, as I have been very satisfied with PSE. Thanks again, I realize that I don't need to bother loading it on my PC, if it won't let me use layers.
Some things in LR3 RAW developing that you might be missing in Elements ACR :
-- Point and parametric curves editing
-- Individual tonal adjustments
-- Lens correction for distortion and CA
-- Automated spot removal/healing
-- Local adjustment brush (my favorite!)
-- Graduated filter
Given all that, I personally would probably not just buy LR, but I definitely find myself enjoying working in the RAW developer as much as possible before going into PS.