mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

So you are suggesting that the OP who has been using Picasa, and only seems to looking for something else because support for it is ending, should turn to Photoshop CC with a professional interface and stiff learning curve? That's kind of like telling a person asking for a replacement for a Point & Shoot camera to look into getting a professional body like a Canon 1Dx or a Nikon D5 DSLR

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

I also use Adobe CS6 Suite and have for several years. Photoshop is the best post processing software for still images, Premiere Pro is the best video editor, Audition is the best audio editor and can be use stand alone or integrated with Premier Pro. I tried the 30 day free trial of the CC versions of these titles, and found no advantage to paying monthly for essentially the same CS6 software I already owned.
Bob

Rongnongno Loc: FL

The thread is really about the for and against the stand alone vs the subscription so...

Stand alone LR 6 cost 142.00 (I just checked)
LR CC Subscription cost 10.00 per month so cost alone, you get 14 months use of LR.
Factor in the use of one of the best editor in the market and you have a steal for 14 months*.

LR CC is constantly updated, LR 6 is not.
LR 6 upgrade to 7 cost will be?

It also comes down to the idea of owning vs renting. Can you spare $10.00 every month? Yes/no?
Can you spend $142 one time? Yes/no?
Can you spend every time there is an upgrade? Yes/no?

From there...

Blah.

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* For me LR came with PS CC. I do not use LR at all so....

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I got the impression that someone thought I was editing the catalog file (.lrcat) which contains the database rather than doing the file renaming/deleting from within the Lightroom program.


Point taken. Lightroom is a program that uses a database to keep track of your files. The database is in the catalog file, and that file only contains the addresses of the image files and the instructions to modify them.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Lightroom does not "scan and organize your photo files". I don't know where you got that impression. The photo files are not moved from their original location by the program. Yes, it can organize things so you can find the files, but the locations are not changed.

As far as scanning your files, it only looks at the files you tell it to look at.

And Photoshop "does everything that Lightroom does and much more", but only in terms of editing your photos. Photoshop does not provide any sort of organization for your files. It will not help you find a file. Bridge does have that capability, but it's not part of Photoshop (although the two programs talk to each other). Bridge is a folder-based organization system while Lightroom provides organization for your files with a database. Different approaches.

I use Lightroom for all my photos. It has basic editing capabilities. I find the editing part fairly intuitive. The database organization is something I've gotten used to and find it quite useful. Editing in Photoshop is more capable than Lightroom, but 90% of the time I don't need more than Lightroom provides. For the 10% of the images that need more, Lightroom and Photoshop talk to each other so it's easy to send an image from LR to PS and back. Since all my images go into Lightroom (for the catalog) I might as well do the basic editing there.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Yes, but I don't consider it a stiff learning curve to learn the basics. I started with Picassa. When I got CS6 and Photoshop, it took me about an hour to learn the basic moves. The tweaks that will get the most results in Photoshop are simple clicks and sliders, 6 on the image tab and 5 on the image/adjustments tab. I've attached a screen shot and marked these effects with a red X. They are easy to reach and experiment with. For any change you don't like, you just press the undo button at the top of the edit tab. To change the view (zoom in and out) you click in and change the % of view in the lower left corner. When done you save the image as a jpg in the best quality setting. If the pic file is too big you can change the image size, which is one of the 6 effects on the Image tab I marked with a red X in the screenshot. That's as complicated as PS has to be. I've used it for years and rarely do more than that, unless I want to correct lens distortion, make a panorama, or stack pics. These advanced effects took me about an hour each to learn from youtube videos. I've tried free software like gimp and found it much more confusing than Adobe.

(Click the download button on the attached pic to see it full size.)

(Download)

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

As you said it does scan your files to figure out where they are, and it does attempt to organize your files, even if it doesn't change their location. I keep all my photo files in folders and sub folders. I don't want my software wasting time looking for them or scanning my files to determine where they are. Photoshop is as easy to use as Lightroom for basic tweaks, and much more capable for advanced tweaks. Why have two when PS does it all?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

It doesn't scan all your files, just the ones you tell it to import. And I don't think "scan" is the right word, anyway. You tell it what you want it to import to its database and it stores their locations. Once it has the locations it doesn't have to waste any time looking for them.

If you're used to PS for your editing, that's the way to go for you. And since you're organized by folders and subfolders, I think you might consider Bridge rather than Lightroom for your organizing. Bridge will add whatever keywords you want to your files. Keywords are a useful way to search for your images.

plessner Loc: North Dakota

can you explain to me what this means? I am a picassa user who has purchased elements but have not had the time to start using it or look into it at all yet

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Most image software creates an additional 'sidecar' file which encodes the changes that you have made to the image in that programme. This keeps your image looking as it was altered to when you look at it again. Most programmes can read the sidecar file OK. Occasionally you may use a programme that is not compatible with others - or has not been updated to be compatible. As more and more image viewers come on to the market (as now) conflicts may happen. Adobe generally is the #standard that others create their programmes to work to, but once in a while they don't. Do not worry about it Enjoy Elements it will be fine.