Lightroom or Photoshop

[tonylong]

Originally Posted by dirtylens

Can someone comment on the learning curve on the software? For instance, LR. For a total newbie, is it difficult to use? if so, what is the best way to learn the software?

For Lightroom, the big part of the "learning curve" is to me learning a good "workflow" that incorporates the organizational tasks as well as the development tasks. I recommend getting one of the Lightroom "primers" by Scott Kelby, Victoria Bampton or Martin Evening. Work through one (or more) of the books completely and you should be in good shape. I gather that maybe only Victoria has the LR4 version out, but for most things the LR3 version would be very good.

As to the image development/processing, again one of the books, but there are many online resources as well giving pointers in using Lightroom, and really it can be quite quick to get "up to speed".

Photoshop is a much more complex program and will be a much longer process to learn its various features and tools, although you can get "started" pretty quickly with a few tasks.

For both Lightroom and Photoshop a good step would be to go to either Lynda.com or KelbyTraining.com and sign up for an "essentials" course.

Originally Posted by Ltdave

in reading the responses, i gather that for standard editing for IQ, LR or PS will work but for RETOUCHING images, PhotoShop is the preferred software?

thanks for the responses

It depends on what you mean by "retouching". Lightroom can do a whole lot, but for some tasks you will need an app like Photoshop. Many people do the great majority of their work in Lightroom but at least have Photoshop Elements on hand.

[curlydog]

Originally Posted by René Damkot

Only for those who subscribe for a year and already own the entire CS3 (or newer) suite

https://creativecloud-specialoffer.a...fer/?loc=en_US

And that's subscription based, which you may not like (I don't).

Partly correct, however you only need to own Photoshop CS3 not the entire suite. An I too have always hated the cloud idea, however in this case the software actually runs locally and when you add in all the other piece it is an awesome deal if you use those pieces which my wife and I will. While I assume we will only be allowed to loaod the software on one of our laptops(both are beefy enough to handle any of the suite items) I only work on CS in the evenings and weekends and the wife uses them in the Church office during the day so 1 should do it.

[rjx]

Originally Posted by Ltdave

What kind of learning curve do these programs have? Are they just "get them and start playing with them" type software?

Originally Posted by dirtylens

Can someone comment on the learning curve on the software? For instance, LR. For a total newbie, is it difficult to use? if so, what is the best way to learn the software?

The learning curve is dependent on the user. Some will grasp it easily and quickly, some might not. LR IMO is extremely easy to grasp compared to PS.

There are many places online where you can learn these programs easily. If you are determined to learn, you'll probably do well.

I'm just throwing out some random number with no data to back this up. But I think a newbie who's determined and dedicated could learn LR and know everything there is to know in about 3 months. This is someone who's very determined and reads / watches tutorials and regularly practices. As far as PS is concerned, maybe 2 years of dedicating yourself to the software.

In PS there are many ways to accomplish the same thing and imo it's good to learn as many ways as possible to perform certain tasks since one technique might work better in one situation, where a different technique might be better in different situation. And you can determine which techniques fit your workflow better.

Originally Posted by Ltdave

in reading the responses, i gather that for standard editing for IQ, LR or PS will work but for RETOUCHING images, PhotoShop is the preferred software?

That sounds right to me. LR is your digital darkroom with great organization options. You can do some basic retouching in LR too, such as selective coloring, selective sharpening, etc. In PS you have more control and flexibility (if you need it) and there are many things you can do in PS you simply can't in LR, such as liquify, warp, transform, layers, etc. But not everyone needs that.

I finally started taking the time to really learn PS and few weeks ago. So far I've learned a ton though I've been using LR since the 2nd version. Thank goodness for the internet and all these fabulous tutorials!!

Originally Posted by tonylong

For both Lightroom and Photoshop a good step would be to go to either Lynda.com or KelbyTraining.com and sign up for an "essentials" course.

These are great places to learn and you can have LR or PS open and practice while you learn.

There are many great videos on youtube and other sites, for free, but be careful who you learn from.

[TTuna Eye]

If you shoot RAW and simply want a means to refine and develop your images then LR is the way to so. If you want to do multiple layers and create composite photos you need at least PSE if not PS. I had both PSE and LR and after a few months of using both I uninstalled PSE and now just use LR. I am not trying to create something I did not see, I am just trying to make what I saw show up in my output. I am just a hobbyist so my success rate varies. I really love the LR program and have learned a ton at slrlounge.com about it.

[sssc]

Originally Posted by Ltdave

What kind of learning curve do these programs have? Are they just "get them and start playing with them" type software?

I need to get one soon...

. Was new to digital.Didn't know anything about raw. Learned about raw and all of that here on POTN. Got LR3. now have LR4. Learned a bunch from this here http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=684360 .Got PS played with it. bought a book .Now doing some of the online courses with it. At this point there are things i rather do in PS than LR. But 98% of my stuff runs through LR with out PS.Pretty much what Tony and the others have said. The one thing i have really learned from my experience at this point is .I need to know my lenses better than what i do and take better shots.

[drmaxx]

Originally Posted by Ltdave

in reading the responses, i gather that for standard editing for IQ, LR or PS will work but for RETOUCHING images, PhotoShop is the preferred software?

If you want to boil it down to black and white: YES, you are correct.

Just be aware that there is quite some substantial 'grey' overlap.

[ratempa]

To OP, get lightroom first. It is much easier to use than photoshop. Once you've outgrown lightroom then go for photoshop.

[Wilt]

LR is a RAW conversion program, and heavy duty photo database management.

Programs like Elements and Paint Shop Pro are often used to complement LR, when the user needs to do some pixel-level editing.

ACR is a RAW conversion program, and normally is used alongside Photoshop for pixel editing and graphic design, as part of the Adobe CSn suite of programs, which also includes Bridge for some data management; 'Photoshop CSn Extended' = Photoshop + ACR + Bridge.

So 'LR or Photoshop?' is like asking if I need 'Microsoft Office or Word?'.
"LR or Photoshop CSn Extended?" is a direct comparison of purchase alternatives.

[René Damkot]

Originally Posted by curlydog

Partly correct, however you only need to own Photoshop CS3 not the entire suite.

You're right. I read a bit too fast

Originally Posted by curlydog

An I too have always hated the cloud idea, however in this case the software actually runs locally

Obviously.

Originally Posted by curlydog

and when you add in all the other piece it is an awesome deal if you use those pieces which my wife and I will.

Depends. http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/...Adobe-Tax.html

[FlyingPhotog]

Originally Posted by ratempa

To OP, get lightroom first. It is much easier to use than photoshop. Once you've outgrown lightroom then go for photoshop.

I respectively disagree with this position...

Despite an exponential growth in my own CS5 skills over the last 18 months, Lightroom is still an integral part of my workflow. It's my "home base" where all my projects start through culling, basic exposure and white balance adjustments, leveling and cropping for aspect ratio all take place. It's also where all my CS5 edits come home to roost at the end of the entire production process.

I've grown into other applications by Nik, Filter Forge and others but I don't think I'll ever reach a point where Lightroom no longer matters.

Just my $0.02 worth...