PSE11 Guides

Having just broken into the world of PP and DSLR for that matter, I have had a dabble with PSE11 and LR to see which one to choose to go with to start, Its hard to make a decision on either to be honest, when you haven't got a clue how to use either, I 'think' i am going to go with elements (please tell me if this is a bad mistake) from what i initially understand i can 'play' a bit more with the photos, I have searched the net for guides, but would ideally like a book/how too's so i can refer to them whilst i am using the program, What do you all recommend?

I went through the same thing. My feelings are that LR is great for RAW processing, batch processing, and organizing. PSE is better at "pixel tweaking". PSE can do more, but it's not as efficient at the basics. Ideally, get both!

That said, I just ordered PSE11 and hope to get LR4 soon.

I have the Kelby book for PSE8 and plan on getting the PSE11 book as soon as it comes out.

I agree get both....LR enables organisation and global corrections like WB and Exposure etc. and PSE is needed for detailed editing such as effects, cloning, layer masks etc.

Thankyou both, I was thinking of eventually getting both, when funds allow, just which to get first, Im not really worried about organisation of pictures as i like to do that myself, just which one i am going to make more use of first?

Personally I would suggest get LR first as it is probably most useful and more likely to be used more often than PSE especially if you shoot in RAW. I find that LR is quick to use and gets used on virtually all my shots and PSE is only used for selected few that are going to be printed and need specific editing that is beyond functionality of LR. I used to think I could organise my photos myself but the power for key-wording/tagging/flags in LR make life so much easier I don't know how I managed before LR. The syncing and batch processing tools in LR also very helpful and speed-up repetitive tasks on multiple shots which could be tedious in PS/PSE.

HTH

Thanks again for more imput, I think you may be right, i have been having a bit more of a play with LR this morning, and re-thinking what i am initially going to be doing and that is editing the raw files, rather than pixel bending, Now its time to find a decent book on LR4 (oh and actually buy LR4)

Once again thankyou for your help birderman,

As a new user to LR4, PSE11, I can say that the guided edits on ps11 have been helpful. Use the guided feature, then apply that to doing it from "scratch".

I've been led to believe that both programs compliment each other.

For people just beginning with photo processing I advise PS Elements and the grab some good books and/or online tutorials in procesing photos using the sofftware,

If you are jumping into photo organization then Lightroom is good. If you are launching into shooting Raw then Lightoom has better Raw processing tools.

I tried LR 4 and while I figured out how to do some adjustments, I don't like the way its setup. It's not designed for someone that's new/relatively new to PP. Unlike Picasa or WLPG which are easy to figure out and use. Next I'm going to tryout PSE11, wasn't a fan of 10.

I've also been playing with PhotoDirector 4, I like the presets and before/after screens. my only complaint is that it seems a little slow at times. Right now PD4 is what I'd put on my christmas list.

I would recommend Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage.

If anyone is coming into processing of photographs and is new, I do not believe any of the software is intuitive. I am fairly new at this game - 3 yrs shooting and 2 yrs trying my hand at processing. Without the tutorials and/or books, it is difficult to understand just what each facit of the software really does.

As I mentioned, I am fairly new. LR was my choice, and there is a TON of FREE online help for every aspect of the software. I am just recently getting into more sophisticated software after getting pretty good at processing in LR. (just to mention it, I also use NIK software and am just starting to also use onOne software - both are very good at helping me with my growth in processing.

**Unless you are a prodigy, do not expect to learn and be proficient without putting time and effort into all aspects of photography.
GoodLuck!

Pumba wrote in post #15155091
Having just broken into the world of PP and DSLR for that matter, I have had a dabble with PSE11 and LR to see which one to choose to go with to start, Its hard to make a decision on either to be honest, when you haven't got a clue how to use either, I 'think' i am going to go with elements (please tell me if this is a bad mistake) from what i initially understand i can 'play' a bit more with the photos, I have searched the net for guides, but would ideally like a book/how too's so i can refer to them whilst i am using the program, What do you all recommend?

How do you UL your photos to your computer? Mine go to ZoomBrowser or EOS Utility but I open them in DPP (Digital Photo Professional). I shoot RAW and use DPP to work with the RAW file, set the WB, Stamp, Trim, and etcetera. If it does not need anything else I Batch Process as a TIF or JPG then have it printed.

If it needs more tweaking I save as TIF and open in PSE 10 (intend to buy 11). Kelby is supposed to have a good book but I have links to POTN discussions and a lot of links to website Tips & Tricks gound in Google searches amd/or mentioned in here. Google has a plethora of PS Elements "How To" advice. I recommend PSE 11 but I have never used LR. I do not need it to organize photos and, as anyone can tell you, I avoid PP if at all possible. So far DPP and PS Elements have been more than enough for me. Oh, I copied and pasted numerous T&T to a MS Word document and saved them in a PSE folder in case the websie (POTN discussion) disappears.

Gil