Elements 7 or Lightroom 2

I'm not sure either produce better images as at the end of the day they are both tools and the end result will largely depend on the user.

I have had elements 6 but I have now moved across to lightroom 2.2 and CS2. I used CS2 for the more detailed editing and lightroom for the faster processing and bulk processing.
 
They both "do" different things. I use lightroom for importing images/sorting/tagging etc. Then photoshop for editing.
 
Elements 7 is for enthusiasts who do not need the power and control that Lightroom 2 provides. Whether Amateur or Professional, if you take your photography seriously, then go for Lightroom 2. But for detailed retouching, you will always need Photoshop.

It depends on your budget and your wants, needs and desires to which one you choose. I use Lightroom 2.

Cheers

Stu
 
They are different. Ideally you want both.

Lightroom makes RAW processing - especially batches - really easy.

PSE is more for layers and more enhanced image manipulation.

Personally I would go for PSE first. If you like it and find batch processing RAW a bind get Lightroom next.

Or download the demos and see which you prefer....
 
I'm not sure either produce better images as at the end of the day they are both tools and the end result will largely depend on the user.

I have had elements 6 but I have now moved across to lightroom 2.2 and CS2. I used CS2 for the more detailed editing and lightroom for the faster processing and bulk processing.

I want my £6 back as i have a book called digital photography masterclass saying that the more you spend on your software the better the image quality and while it is accepted that phase 1 cap1 v4 produces much more pleasing end results than most others i wouldn't have though the difference would be that great
:thinking:
 
I would say that Elements allows you to tweak the image more than Lightroom, so if you have the time and inclination to heavily manipulate every image they will generally look better than after a quick batch process in Lightroom. I would say that Elements gives you more power and control over images than Lightroom as it is just a slimmed down version of Photoshop.

On the other hand Lightroom is a full workflow tool including image management, if you are shooting a lot of images you may find that useful.

My suggestion would be to download the free 30 day trials of each and see how you get on.
 
Which produces the better quality images
neither, its all down to you knowing how to edit images, either from RAW or JPEG formats. Personally its just as difficult to process images right as it is to understanding how to correctly take a photo.

Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 software is essential for today's digital photography workflow. Now you can quickly import, process, manage, and showcase your images — from one shot to an entire shoot. With Lightroom 2, you spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens.

So really its there to import your images and manage them. Most people then edit/process the images in photoshop. So you will probably need both to gain the full benefits, and that's not cheap.

Photoshop elements does all this in one package on a budget, and doesn't have the power of the full version, but then you comparing a £600 piece of software off against a £70 piece of software.

There are some deals out there at the moment for existing photoshop customers like 1/2 price CS4 if you buy lightroom etc, but you're still talking alot of money to invest in a piece of software that you'll only use about 30% of its capability.

Peter
 
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