Question: Your opinions about Adobe Photoshop Elements?
Good day everybody! For several years I have been using a stand alone version of Adobe Lightroom for photo editing and processing.
My version has become a little outdated and - besides - I do not use LR for organizing my photos but rather as a photo editor. Buying a CC subscription looks like an overkill for my needs and I do not necessarily like the "subscription" thing. At the same time Photoshop became almost standard editing tool and even though there are plenty of other editors, starting with a free GIMP and ending with a competitive ACDSEE, Photo Ninja etc. I'm looking for a good raw processing engine and robust editing capabilities but only the most useful ones: noise control, tones, distortion correction, possibly - layers... I was thinking of moving to Adobe Photoshop Elements that looks like a little stripped down version of Adobe Photoshop CC, without its video editing capabilities. What is your opinion of it?
Thank you in advance,
MM
Good day everybody! For several years I have been using a stand alone version of Adobe Lightroom for photo editing and processing.
My version has become a little outdated and - besides - I do not use LR for organizing my photos but rather as a photo editor. Buying a CC subscription looks like an overkill for my needs and I do not necessarily like the "subscription" thing. At the same time Photoshop became almost standard editing tool and even though there are plenty of other editors, starting with a free GIMP and ending with a competitive ACDSEE, Photo Ninja etc. I'm looking for a good raw processing engine and robust editing capabilities but only the most useful ones: noise control, tones, distortion correction, possibly - layers... I was thinking of moving to Adobe Photoshop Elements that looks like a little stripped down version of Adobe Photoshop CC, without its video editing capabilities. What is your opinion of it?
Thank you in advance,
MM
Sorry, unqualified to answer, look forward to the conclusion!
ReplyDeleteIf you wish to work with RAW, you do not have a lot of choices. Unfortunately the ones made by the camera companies, only work for their own brand of RAW. Also none that I know of work with DNG. So you cannot for instance use Nikon's software with Fuji RAW. I used the nikon RAW software before Adobe adapted to RAW, quite some time ago. If you strictly work with JPG files, then of course you could use any software made, no problem.
ReplyDeleteI tried Gimp, and although it is powerful, for me it was very clumsy. It is more like photoshop. I also am unsure of it's abilities, if any with RAW. I have Nikon's and Fuji's software that both do RAW, but I do not find them as easy to use as Lightroom. I have never used Elements, but If using RAW be certain it would work for you. It is only recently that Photoshop itself was able to take full advantage of raw images. Before the "CC" version, it did not have any of the pre-editing adjustments you have in Lightroom. and without them using Photoshop, for me become very tedious. If you use Apple OS, they have just come out wit a new software I have not played with at all. However I tried Aperture from them, it's predecessor, and it was always buggy, very buggy. I would hesitate to recommend it for that experience.
I have not tried any 3rd party raw editing software, that is non specific to the camera file, as I have not noted any. Perhaps there are some, but I am unaware. Best of luck my friend, But if I had it to do again I would bite the bullet and go with Lightroom. Even if you do not used the filing features, it works efficiently and effectively with all the files I can throw at it and does not often make me wish to toss my computer out the window!
Oshi Shikigami thank you very much Oshi for your detailed answer... I do work with Raw, Canon Raw to be precise. I know that acdsee support various flavors of RAW, including Nicon's and Fuji's it looks like Photo Ninja does as well but these are less known and popular tools. I'm more interested in Adobe Photoshop Elements ability to work with raw files. I know that cc uses the same raw processing engine as Lightroom does.
ReplyDeleteHaving never worked with Canon RAW files, I cannot speak with any experience on that specific issue. If it holds true, to be as it is with Nikon, or Fuji, than I would expect much the same results with the other software as well. But that is "armchair quarterbacking"! And I hate to do that. LOL
ReplyDeleteWhen I get an update to the Adobe raw files, used now for both Photoshop and Lightroom, they list a huge number of RAW proprietary formats that they work with. I believe this list is over a hundred or so, at present.
ReplyDeleteAs such, It would be reasonable to assume that any used now, or any new files in the future, are, or will soon be, supported. If anyone other than the OEM was to do so, it would be Adobe. And, as far as I know, the Adobe files for RAW, are used with every one of their softwares, that utilize RAW files at all. That is, Photoshop or the most striped down version of Lightroom, or whatever, would draw from the same table.
So If I were to gamble on one software working with whatever RAW file, no mater how new, or unpopular it was, it would be Adobe, before any other. They have a base to draw from unmatched by any other 3rd party software.