Help please: C1 LE vs PS CS

[Paulc]

Folks

Hoping you can help me decide between these 2 software packages for RAW conversion. I am stuck between the following 2 options:
1. Buy C1 LE and continue to use Elements 2 and PSP 7
2. Go the whole hog and buy PS CS

Option 1 would allow me to put the money saved towards an L series lens (tight budget hence the C1 LE). But am I losing out in any way? Is there any difference in image quality between the packages when it comes to processing RAW images?

Thanks
Paul

EOS300D
Dog
L lens lust
Coping saw and hammer

[Scottes]

I got C1 before PS CS came out, so I got used to it. Once I got PS CS I was kinda bummed because I think that PS's RAW conversion stinks compared to C1. Not the image, but the way it works, the flow. C1 lets you process an image in the background while fixing another, C1 is much more responsive to controls (because it's showing you a smaller preview, not the full-sized image like PS) and there's probably something in the fact that I learned C1 before PS CS came out. So I'm very glad I have C1, and I don't use PS for processing RAW images. (This is just my opinion - dedicated users of PS CS RAW processing may not like C1 at all. Like I said, I'm used to C1, so I never use PS CS for RAW conversion.)

However, there *is* something to be said for processing images in a single program. C1 produces 16-bit TIFFs (because I want to work in 16-bits) which just end up taking drive space most of the time. So far I haven't gone back to a TIFF to use it again, but that's because I'd rather use knowledge gained and process it again. Ideally the TIFF should get saved as a PSD with layers and then the TIFF should get deleted. Working in PS CS alone skips the TIFF step.

Also, I have 512 megs of RAM and I can't really run both C1 and PS CS and Mozilla. On a large collection C1 is taking 85 megs of RAM, and with other stuff running that leaves me only about 220 Megs for PS CS - I'd rather have more for PS. If I had more RAM this wouldn't be an issue.

C1 LE is $99 and PS CS upgrade is $189 - so going to C1 is half the price. Alas, that's not it. PS CS has a lot more new things in it that make using it very nice. One feature is that many filters now work in 16-bit mode - that's huge to me. A list of new features is on Adobe's site, but that one alone is good enough for me to want PS CS. I'd look at the list to see what else might interest you.

But you can get by easily on PS 7 and C1 - I did for a long time and finally bit the bullet and upgraded. I'm happy that I did. So now I have both C1 and PS CS.

If I were in your shoes - as much as I like C1 - I'd get PS CS. It will do everything that C1 does, and it will do it well. I just like C1 better because I had it for months. My feeling is that you will eventually get PS CS - sometime, sooner or later.

[KennyG]

My view is C1 gives you the best workflow and the better quality output. Just finish off in PS 7.

Even if I bothered to upgrade to CS, I wouldn't use it to convert RAW, it would just be used the same way I do PS 7 now.