Lightroom and/or PSE?

[davidedric]

Hi,

I have recently given myself a good kicking, and resolved to always shoot RAW in future (well, RAW + JPEG, to be honest, and except in situations where clearing the buffer in a timely fashion may be an issue). I have a Canon 600D.

Generally, I shoot landscape and wildlife, not much architecture or portrait. A lot of images I don't do a lot of PP, and use them for slide shows and the like. Some images really deserve more work to pull out what I really wanted. I've no interest at all in graphic art, or peculiar visual effects.

I currently use PSE9 for PP, and Qimage for printing. From what I can gather, from reading various posts, processing of RAW images to get the desired look is easier in LR, at least once you have mastered the package, and there are more features and capabilities.

Do folks ever use LR and PSE in combination, or is there simple no point? (I have also seen a comment on Amazon that there are issues importing LR4 edits into PSE9??)

I am downloading LR 4.1 trial version, but it would be great to get a heads up before diving in.

Incidentally, I'm a bit of a software geek, so can enjoy getting to grips with a new package - even the price is acceptable!

Many thanks for any pointers - or if this has already been done to death please point me to the thread.

[Carl in Louisiana]

I use LR4 most all the time. I have PSE10 but have not learned to use it as yet. Here are a couple sites that will help out with LR4.

http://www.lightroomforums.net/forum.php
http://www.jkost.com/lightroom.html

[FrankMi]

Hi Dave, there are likely as many different workflows as there are combinations of post-processing products. As you currently have PSE10, you can do almost anything in landscape and wildlife that you need to. I use LR and CS5. Lightroom mainly for image cataloging and CS5 mainly for layers, however it is possible to do almost everything in Lightroom, including Layers (http://lightroomkillertips.com/2011/...for-lightroom/) so a lot comes down to what you like and get comfortable with.

If I didn't have CS5 I would be using LR and PSE9 as that is the process workflow I've become accustomed to.

[Glenn NK]

I'm using LR4.1 and (believe it or not), PSE6 as I haven't gotten around to updating PSE. This is likely because I'm able to do more and more with each version of LR, so I haven't found the need to use PSE.

I started with LR1, and subsequent versions have added significant tools and improvements.

Glenn

[russellsnr]

Hi, I used PS CS5 but bought L/R 4 and to be honest it is all you need as it was made for photographers against Photoshop that was made for other uses outside photography. For the price L/R 4 is excellent value and as stated above there are free tutorials all over the net so for learning L/R 4 there is no excuses.
Russ

[kdoc856]

Hi, Dave

I "grew up" on successive versions of PSE, spent a lot of time learning to use it, and still use PSE 10. But since discovering LR, version 3 and then 4, I only utilize PSE about 10% of the time. I start all pp'ing in LR4 and often times never need anything else. But PSE remains quite valuable to me for pixel work, especially any extensive cloning, canvas size changes, certain blending modes, and layers. I can move between the two programs almost seamlessly and both are seamless with Silver Effects Pro (the program I use for B&W conversions). I am completely satisfied with this combination of software, and am not looking any further than getting better with all three.

I cannot recommend enough buying George Jardine's DVD tutorial series on Lightroom- very inexpensive but brilliant in its scope and understandibility. You can get it on Amazon.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

[DanK]

I think you will find a lot of people who do most of their editing in Lightroom and then use PSE, PS, paintshop pro, or whatever when they run into things they can't do in Lightroom. I'm one of them, as are several of the people who have posted already.

Hi, I used PS CS5 but bought L/R 4 and to be honest it is all you need as it was made for photographers against Photoshop that was made for other uses outside photography.

I disagree with this. As powerful as it has become, there is a lot that LR cannot yet do--e.g., masks and layers.

[russellsnr]

I think you will find a lot of people who do most of their editing in Lightroom and then use PSE, PS, paintshop pro, or whatever when they run into things they can't do in Lightroom. I'm one of them, as are several of the people who have posted already.




I disagree with this. As powerful as it has become, there is a lot that LR cannot yet do--e.g., masks and layers.

Hi, Yes you are correct but you don't need Adobe products for Masks and Layers, for example OnOne have this FREE http://www.ononesoftware.com/free/ for layers and for Masks just do a search for free software maybe GIMP or similar has masks.
Russ

[Brownbear]

Hi Dave,
Like you, I am new to editing and in the midst of the learning process and hanks to this forum and its' members, I now have all the resources I need. I have Photoshop elements 9 and lightroom 4.1, and I work with both, and have no problems with photos between the two programs

Remember I'm new to editing and have yet to organize my photos so my process is likely convoluted and perhaps wrong.

I shoot in raw and jpeg. (I need the jpeg photo as a reference)... I import my photos into Picasa. I open the raw photo in Photoshop Elements and typically fix white balance, and see what I can do with the lights, shadows, contrast, sharpening..

Then I open the photo into Photoshop and see if using curves or levels enhances anything or not... Then I use the clone content aware tool to get rid of dust spots (always a problem for me and I like this tool in Photoshop elements)...

I save the photo to Windows Photo Gallery (it automatically goes to Picasa)... and then I import either this photo or the original jpeg into Lightroom... (I recently bought lightroom 4.1 to help me fix chromatic aberration and fringing) In lightroom I like the sliders that let me adjust exposure, light, shadows etc, by small increments, and the fact that I can see the histogram at the same time as a reference to see if I'm doing anything wrong... I also like the spot removal tool in lightroom. However, in lightroom I find it difficult to find where my photos are located.

Then I save the photo into Picasa and if I'm posting a photo here I will frame and re-size for the web in Picasa and upload it into Photobucket to paste here... I plan to load all my photos into Lightroom, but I like Picasa because I can find my photos easily and I can email my photos to others directly from Picasa.

I plan to learn to use layers in Photoshop Elements to fix overexposed skies (birds in flight and landscapes) and then use Lightroom 4.1 to fix fringing and chromatic aberrations/fringing. So for me having both programs is good, and so far I have not had any problems with using both programs on a photo.

[russellsnr]

Hi Dave,
Like you, I am new to editing and in the midst of the learning process and hanks to this forum and its' members, I now have all the resources I need. I have Photoshop elements 9 and lightroom 4.1, and I work with both, and have no problems with photos between the two programs

Remember I'm new to editing and have yet to organize my photos so my process is likely convoluted and perhaps wrong.

I shoot in raw and jpeg. (I need the jpeg photo as a reference)... I import my photos into Picasa. I open the raw photo in Photoshop Elements and typically fix white balance, and see what I can do with the lights, shadows, contrast, sharpening..

Then I open the photo into Photoshop and see if using curves or levels enhances anything or not... Then I use the clone content aware tool to get rid of dust spots (always a problem for me and I like this tool in Photoshop elements)...

I save the photo to Windows Photo Gallery (it automatically goes to Picasa)... and then I import either this photo or the original jpeg into Lightroom... (I recently bought lightroom 4.1 to help me fix chromatic aberration and fringing) In lightroom I like the sliders that let me adjust exposure, light, shadows etc, by small increments, and the fact that I can see the histogram at the same time as a reference to see if I'm doing anything wrong... I also like the spot removal tool in lightroom. However, in lightroom I find it difficult to find where my photos are located.

Then I save the photo into Picasa and if I'm posting a photo here I will frame and re-size for the web in Picasa and upload it into Photobucket to paste here... I plan to load all my photos into Lightroom, but I like Picasa because I can find my photos easily and I can email my photos to others directly from Picasa.

I plan to learn to use layers in Photoshop Elements to fix overexposed skies (birds in flight and landscapes) and then use Lightroom 4.1 to fix fringing and chromatic aberrations/fringing. So for me having both programs is good, and so far I have not had any problems with using both programs on a photo.

Hi,Christina, I am still learning but have a question for you. Why don't you use L/R 4 to impost and manage your photographs?
May I suggest you look for some tutorials (FREE of course) online to get you up to speed with L/R 4. Can I suggest http://tv.adobe.com/watch/getting-st...g-your-images/

Russ

[Brownbear]

Thank you Russ,
I intend to upload my photos to Lightroom... I'm just becoming familiar with Adobe Elements, and just purchased Lightroom recently... Plus I'm fairly new to this forum, and I asked a ton of questions and received replies and resources for all, so I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the new info that I need to absorb. I am also backing up my photos on-line, looking into calibrating my monitor, and learning to improve my photography...

Like most folks, I lead a busy working life (not from photography) and I'm simply overwhelmed and I'm afraid that if I upload my photos to Lightroom now, I will not have a clue as to what I'm doing with my photographs

That said I will watch that tutorial this week, and if I feel comfortable, I will upload my photos to Lightroom this week.

Thank you.

[Glenn NK]

. . . . I'm afraid that if I upload my photos to Lightroom now, I will not have a clue as to what I'm doing with my photographs


Thank you.

Christina:

Uploading photo with Lightroom doesn't put them in LR - it just means that LR knows where to find them.

You can still use them in other software. Lightroom doesn't prevent usage by other programs. Lightroom does not modify the original image file at all (which I personally think is one of the great benefits of LR) - it uses .xmp sidecar files which are very small files associated with the image file and which contain the LR edits.

An advantage of LR sidecar files is that a simple click on the RESET button (lower right of screen), and any editing you've done (good or bad) is erased and you can start over.

So, don't be afraid of using LR and making mistakes; they can easily be undone.

Start using it right now.

Glenn

[Brownbear]

Thank you Glen.. Great information to know... Will do, not now, but real soon.

[Glenn NK]

Thank you Glen.. Great information to know... Will do, not now, but real soon.

Don't put it off - when you do try it, you will wish you had done it sooner.

[davidedric]

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for the hints and suggestions.

I downloaded LR4.1, kicked the tyres (OK, tires), went through a couple of tutorials and I do like what I see.

I like the much better (compared with PSE) integration of image management and "develop", the completely non-destructive editing, and the elimination of dozens of PSE tools that I have never used or would be likely to use. AT least now I've found the switch to import JPEG alongside their RAW neighbours. So it seems to have the stuff that I might use, and a heck of a lot of stuff to get to grips with - from built in lens correction for the lenses that I have, built in ND filters and I'm sure much more. And I still have PSE9 for the odd thing that LR won't do. It also helps that the basic UI and terminology is familiar from PSE.

I don't think I'll be using Picasso to manage photos, and will work within LR. I have been using ACDSee which I think is a bit out of date, but still a very nice way to manage, view and move images around.

I still have 29 days to make up my mind, but I think I'll be staying with it ..

One more question. I am going to need some help and I do like a book as well as on-line tutorials. I've used and liked Scott Kelby's book on PSE9. Any views on his LR book?

Ta again. Back to th' Olympics.

[russellsnr]

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for the hints and suggestions.

I downloaded LR4.1, kicked the tyres (OK, tires), went through a couple of tutorials and I do like what I see.

I like the much better (compared with PSE) integration of image management and "develop", the completely non-destructive editing, and the elimination of dozens of PSE tools that I have never used or would be likely to use. AT least now I've found the switch to import JPEG alongside their RAW neighbours. So it seems to have the stuff that I might use, and a heck of a lot of stuff to get to grips with - from built in lens correction for the lenses that I have, built in ND filters and I'm sure much more. And I still have PSE9 for the odd thing that LR won't do. It also helps that the basic UI and terminology is familiar from PSE.

I don't think I'll be using Picasso to manage photos, and will work within LR. I have been using ACDSee which I think is a bit out of date, but still a very nice way to manage, view and move images around.

I still have 29 days to make up my mind, but I think I'll be staying with it ..

One more question. I am going to need some help and I do like a book as well as on-line tutorials. I've used and liked Scott Kelby's book on PSE9. Any views on his LR book?

Ta again. Back to th' Olympics.

Hi, I am the opposite I cannot sit and read a book and remember what I have just read I find the video tutorials a lot easier as a way of learning, I must admit (and no offense to our American readers) some of the presenters voices can send you to sleep. I am not 100% sure but if you buy L/R through the Adobe site they also give free a one month subscription to Lynda.com so you can watch the L/R tuts from there.
Russ

[Carl in Louisiana]

I have not used this yet but did get it from on this forum from a member and I can't remember who. What I have read so far looks good but that's just the reading part not sure about the videos. Sometimes videos put me to sleep.....

http://store.luminous-landscape.com/...roducts_id=288

[kdoc856]

Dave,

Absolutely agree with Russell that reading tutorials for LR and PSE are not the greatest use of time for everyone. I am an avid reader, and always thought reading was my preferred way for learning, but feel I wasted a ton of time reading books and magazines about Photoshop processing- it just didnt stick. There are some great videos that are crystal clear, cheap (some free), and can obviously be paused as we mime the tutorial with our own images. It has just stuck so much better, and now I find I can actually read a how-to and have it become useful.

I mentioned George Jardine's videos in my post below, and also some of my best spent photography dollars were investing in a year's subscription to Scott Kelby's training videos- great for both image capture and processing-he uses a variety of experts so you dont have to get forever stuck with a presenter whose style you cant quite get or appreciate- and there are precious few of those- he has chosen his presenters very well. You've gotten some very good guidance with this thread, and I wish you luck and enjoyment.

Kevin

[davidedric]

Thanks, Kevin, I'll certainly take on board the guidance. It doe seem that I can only get the George Jardine CD's of amazon.com, not amazon.co.uk. Does anyone know of a UK source to save shipping costs?

[Glenn NK]

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for the hints and suggestions.

I downloaded LR4.1, kicked the tyres (OK, tires), went through a couple of tutorials and I do like what I see.

I don't think I'll be using Picasso to manage photos, and will work within LR. I have been using ACDSee which I think is a bit out of date, but still a very nice way to manage, view and move images around.

One more question. I am going to need some help and I do like a book as well as on-line tutorials. I've used and liked Scott Kelby's book on PSE9. Any views on his LR book?

Ta again. Back to th' Olympics.

My favourite author on LR is Martin Evening. I have his books on LR2 and LR3, and will likely get the LR4 one.

http://www.focalpress.com/page/authors_martin_evening/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL16cUzwZqE

You may find his accent more to your liking.

Another good one is Nat Coalson. I bought one Kelby book, and his humour is good, but when one goes back to read again, the humour becomes a bit tiresome (a joke re-told isn't as good the third time).

Glenn