What Software?

[Black Pearl]

Could I import, organise and processing the images I take without Adobe CC - yes.
Would I want to import organise and process and the images I take without Adobe CC - absolutely not.

In the UK the CC package costs £8.57 per month - for that you get the very latest version Lightroom, the very latest Photoshop, Lightroom Mobile and Bridge. Yes you can do most of that (not all of it though) with standalone bits of software from various sources and yes it is perfectly possible to get most of the functions by jumping from one to another to another to another until you have an end result you are happy with - or you could do it all with one fully integrated, well designed, fully manufacturer supported and always up to date package. Remember we're dealing here with an interest that has a significant cost to it - cameras aren't cheap, lenses cost a fair bit, computers are quite expensive and need updating, there are accessories galore in most of our bags (which cost money) so £8.57 is quite frankly a meaningless amount of money. I could drive a little more gently and save more than that each month in petrol, its a bottle of wine, a trashy novel to read on the netty. The "It costs too much" argument needs to be put to bed.

[spacecadet]

Depends on your income, and whether or not you like the idea of not owning software, and having it turn off if you stop paying.
LR is a professional tool. It's something of a luxury for an amateur who doesn't need to prepare dozens of images for a specific purpose in a short time. There's perfectly adequate free software for dealing with the odd image.
Sure, you take hundreds of images nowadays, but that's partly because you can. It doesn't mean you should.

[davidedric]

I'd be between Robin and spacecadet.

There are certainly photographers out there who have all the gear they will ever have and for whom £10 is indeed a significant sum.

On the other hand, I'm sure there are many more for whom it's not a problem, and there's far too much chatter.

On yet another hand Lightroom is emphatically not just for professionals. I and many other "amateurs" are enthusiastic users (as looking around any of the pp forums will demonstrate). I, like Robin, greatly value its integration, the results I get, and the enormous support infrastructure.

Dave