For those that have finally seen the light!
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I am becoming more and more convinced that I should get this lightroom. A few questions: is it user friendly..do you have to use its file system..how much space will it take on HD..when you are done processing what does it save image as or do you have a choice..are my images worth the expense ( I mean I am not a pro or plan to be, this is just fun for me and I give all my work away)
I will try to answer your questions, suzi. At least from my point of view. ;)

is it user friendly.


I did not find LR that difficult to get used to. If you have been using PSE for awhile and can adjust color, exposure, contrast, etc. then you should be able to figure it out in LR fairly quickly. But just like PSE, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye! You should be able to get started on the basics without too much trouble.

do you have to use its file system


If by that you mean LR's catalog (Library in LR) and tags, no. You can still use PSE's Catalog. Just remember, though, that changes done in pics outside of PSE will not be picked up until you export the picture into PSE.

how much space will it take on HD


My current installation of LR takes up 57 meg in the "My Programs" folder. It also puts a folder in your Documents folder where it stores all the editing commands and that can get quite large. For instance, LR says I have 18,000 photos in my Library and currently my LR folder in My Documents is currently about 9 Gig. I've been using it exclusively on my photos since I picked it up this summer.

when you are done processing what does it save image as or do you have a choice


Saving within LR is a bit of a misnomer. What LR does is save the editing steps you apply to a photo but LR leaves the original photo completely untouched. You see the results of your editing on the screen when you open up the picture, but you can just as easily go back as many steps as you want to or discard all your changes at any time. Changes to a photo are not saved until you export the photo from LR to disc, or into your favorite photo editor. The original file is still available completely untouched. The saved file is another file entirely, but will contain all the changes you have made to it. And LR can export in the usual formats: JPG, TIFF, PSD, DNG, and also offers to save in the file's Original format. LR does not allow you to save over your original file. You would really have to work at it to get it to let you.

are my images worth the expense


I am sure even if you are giving away your work, you still want it to look the best that you can make it look. Is it worth it, then? To me its worth every penny I spent and the amount of time I spend working on my pics.

Before you decide yes or no, Adobe does allow you a free trial for 30 days so you can try it out and see for yourself. Although it will take longer than that to really get to know it well, you should at least get a feel for whether or not it will fit into your routine. You can find free trials of all Adobe products here.

HTH :!:
GeneVH

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Suzi.....

Just to add to Genes good answers....

In terms of user friendlyness I would disagree with Genes statement somewhat. While the Developing of RAW images is very similar to what you can do in Elements with ACR (but with even better controls) the rest of the program, in my opinion doesn't appear overly intuitive.

Specifically if you expect the Library module to work just like Elements Organiser then you can run into problems. There is also a degree of inconsistency between the modules.

Don't expect to open up Lightroom and get the most out of it straight away. I would recommend giving it the full 30 days trial and getting a book to help you through it - or look at some of the online tutorials.

If you're really into RAW images then once you've got the hang of it you'll think it's the best thing since sliced bread. :-)

Colin
__________________________________________
WinXp, PSE4, PS CS, Lightroom 1.2, Proshow Gold
Thank you both for your detailed replies. That is great. I don't use the organizer in elements just use my own filing system. Will that make a difference in getting the images into LR??
Suzi.....

It will make no difference to importing your images. In fact the LR option of Import from Elements doesn't work very well anyway.

Colin
__________________________________________
WinXp, PSE4, PS CS, Lightroom 1.2, Proshow Gold
Question?

I have been thinking of Lightroom myself. How do you move your organizer catalog into Lightroom?

My biggest concern. :oops:
~kimi~
Gone Crazy... Back Soon...


Gallery ~ a la kimi

My Blog

kimboustany.com
Kimi....

In LR there is a command called Import from Elements. It's supposed to import the images from your Elements Catalog along with Keywords/Tags. Unfortunately if you have a Tag Hierarchy e.g People > Family > Uncle Bob - it gets very confused and makes a mess which you then have to sort out manually.

It obviously depends on your Tagging strategy but for me znd quite a number of others it didn't work. I decided to start using LR going forward with new images and then from time to time I go back and manually import the old RAW images.


Best thing is to play with it before buying but do give it a good trial.

Colin
__________________________________________
WinXp, PSE4, PS CS, Lightroom 1.2, Proshow Gold
Colin, I agree "it's the best thing since slice bread" :mrgreen:
Shalom,
Don
A well conseived image is a poem written with light.
PSE6 - Lightroom - CS3 - Win-Vista -Epson 7800
Nikon D80 - D-700 - Canon G9
http://www.condeimaging.com
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