Lightroom 5 versus Photoshop Elements 11

[ajperk]

Hello everyone!

I am interested in purchasing some photo editing software. Unfortunately, I'm not really aware of what the different options are best for. Right now, I am debating between Lightroom 5 and Photoshop Elements 11. I have been using the Canon Digital Photo Professional up to now just for tweaking and touching up colors and noise and what not, but I want to expand my ability to edit photos and more control over how they ultimately look.

So, I was wondering which of these two would be more useful? Also, are there other software options that I am overlooking?

I'm sorry if similar threads have already been posted, I searched a bit but I didn't find anything quite like this.

Thanks!

 

[Harry Muff]

Lightroom 5. Thank me later. 8)

 

[Don Haines]

The free software included with your camera in better than photoshop elements. Lightroom 5 is much superior to either.

I had a copy of photoshop elements before I got Lightroom, I have not used it since.

 

[TonyMM]

Hands down, first. choice is LR5. You may find needs/opportunities in some cases for using Layers in which case you can then consider PSE or OnOne Software's Perfect Photo Suite (one module of which is Perfect Layers with several other highly useful modules). I had PSE first, then got LR5 and find most of my post processing needs (95+%) are met with LR. I now use PPS for all the balance and don't go to PSE anymore.

Tony M

 

[Harry Muff]

I've been using Photoshop since CS2, so around 8 years, tried using Elements a couple of times out of curiosity and really struggled. Just couldn't find my way round it.


I mean, isn't it supposed to be easier?

 

[TonyMM]

Harry: that's exactly why I bought LR 4 and upgraded to LR5 when it came out. I could not easily/naturally find a good workflow with PSE and LR was inherently easier to work through - the ""top to bottom" normal workflow just plain works for me!

Tony M

 

[Janbo Makimbo]

If you are interested in photo editing then I suggest you take a look at PSE 11, I have this and LR5 as I got it free with my 6D. A lot of 'Pros' use LR but I suppose its down to what you want to do in editing.

Here is a balanced comparison


http://photographylife.com/lightroom-vs-photoshop-elements

 

[Halfrack]

The tools are different, but related. Lightroom will do a lot of what you will need, but some times you need Photoshop, and Elements can be purchased where as the full size product is subscription only.

Both have free trials, download them and give them a go.

 

[MrFotoFool]

I use Photoshop Elements 9 and love it. I have not personally found a need to use the full CS version of Photoshop (pricey), because Elements does everything I would need to do. I have not used Lightroom but I generally do not shoot RAW. You can do RAW conversion in Elements, but for large groups of photos it would be rather time consuming.

My understanding is that Lightroom is for sorting and standard edits (color balance, noise reduction, etc) of large batches of photos and Photoshop (Elements or CS) is for more advanced edits, such as replacing backgrounds, doing composites (including panoramas), adding text, etc.

You may find a need for both or you may find Lightroom is enough (as others have said). If you are in the very tiny minority of serious photographers like myself that shoots camera JPEG, then you may find like me that Elements is sufficient.

 

[MichaelHodges]

I use LR 3.6 and Photoshop Elements 5. I use LR for most of the processing, and PS for stuff like clone stamp.

 

[risc32]

I use PSE for cloning, panos, dust removal and a couple other little things, and DXO for everything else. I shoot RAW. a friend of mine is always pushing me to get lightroom but i can do everything i've ever dreamed of doing to a photo, so i just don't see the need. he like sorting files by camera and focal length and if your into that sort of weird stuff i hear LR is just the ticket.

 

[kjay27]

I have not worked with LR, so I can't give a comparison, but have used PSE for some time and find it has a lot of capabilities. If your decision is indeed PSE, I'd recommend waiting until Sept/Oct when PSE 12 will be available. Also, PSE does have a fairly steep learning curve, and I was frustrated with it early on. However, I found a couple of absolutely fantastic online courses from ED2GO for the various versions of PSE 9, 10, 11, etc. "Photoshop Elements for the Digital Photographer, parts I and II." They use a step by step approach and provide the photos used in the lessons. What I've found most useful is that you can print the various lessons, and you'll have them as a reference book. (They also have courses on regular Photoshop, and perhaps LR, but not sure about that.)

 

[swampler]

I do 99% of my editing in LR5. If I need advanced cloning/healing, layers, background replacement, etc, then i would use PSE, but that just isn't needed daily.

 

[darrellrhodesmiller]

i would start with lightroom.. its an amazing piece of software thats VERY powerful.. but all the power isnt apparent at first glance. (all adobe products seem to be that way) it'll take some time and patience to learn. Lightroom 5 has really improved on a lot. i've been a photoshop user since version 3.0.. i still use photoshop quite a bit.. but with each new release of lightroom, i find i have to use photoshop less and less. Unless you really want to get very artsy.. or really get into deep editing.. Lightroom will do all you need. my suggestion is to buy lightroom for 100.00 or whatever its on sale for now.. and spend 20.00 for a lynda.com subscription.. and go through their Lightroom 5 essentials class. in about 4 hours (its broken into 5-10min lessons) you'll learn everything you need to know about lightroom. its worth the time and money.

photoshop elements is great. it has a few advantages over lightroom but unless you plan to really get deep into editing.. you wont need them. Photoshop has a far better healing brush and stamp tool than lightroom. these tools are used to hide blemishes.. and remove things from images.. like wires and telephone polls.. there are other things.. but i'd start with lightroom.. once you full learn lightroom and feel like yu've really hit a wall.. and you want to do things you just cant do in lightroom.. then look into photoshop elements or something else.

 

[mdmphoto]

LR5 is dramatically superior to PSE for editing photos. While I do have CS5, I fiind that over 90% of my work is in LR; I rarely, rarely bother with ps nowadays, for near- 2 years. I also use onOne Perfect Photo Suite 7, and am toying with the idea of adding Nik complete to my workflow, but the overwhelming majority of my work is completed in LR5. It's also easy to synchronize global edits, i.e. WB, color, and tonal changes, across large numbers of photos in LR .
Additionally, the image-management tools in LR are unparalleled for organizing and keeping track of large numbers of files.

 

[Janbo Makimbo]

Lightroom 5 is not dramatically superior to Photoshop Elements 11 for editing pictures.... To say so is nonsence!!

Thought I would insert a random image like the previous post.....this one used no LR or PSE editing...

 

[bycostello]

they are very different programs, LR allows organising of your files and edits non distructivly.... LR5 is what you want probably....

 

[wsheldon]

I do 99% of my editing in LR5. If I need advanced cloning/healing, layers, background replacement, etc, then i would use PSE, but that just isn't needed daily.

+1

Now with LR5 I expect to take even fewer trips to PSE. That said, the two programs do pair nicely when you do need a pixel editor to really do heavy editing on a photo. Just right click, select "Edit In", then choose "Edit in Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor". A dialog then lets you choose various options for creating a file to edit. The resulting file is then managed in LR side-by-side with the raw image when you save and return from PS/PSE, and you can keyword, export and print right from LR without going back to PS/PSE.

PSE does include cataloging and other overlapping features, but the editor is just a slightly cut down version of PS optimized for photography. For $70 it's a good add-on IMO.

 

[zim]

So no issues with editing in 8bit then?
I don't but I thought that was the main reason PSE was disliked

 

[Jim K]

Since the OP does not have either Lr or PSE I would start by getting the new Lightroom 5 and then if you find that the additional editing ability of PSE is needed get PSE 12 as it should be out by then. Most people find that Lr5 works for 95% of their images.

I just took the Ed2go Lr 4 course (Lr5 was not released yet) and found it worth the money. It gave me a good overview of Lr. The instructor there thought that the Lr cataloging was better than PSE 11 cataloging and a better place to start as you could do corrections to groups of similar images and then "fine tune" the ones that needed it.