Best Photo Editing / Tagging Software?

[Trevelyan]

I've now got several thousand digital photos saved on my network, and generate several hundred (if not thousand) more each year. Currently they're filed in folders by date and topic, but after spending hours trying to find some specific pictures recently I've decided that I want to catalogue and tag them before it's too late. I've also started to play around in photoshop recently, and would like to learn more about how to use it, possibly doing a course or similar.

Before I start the process I can't decide whether to invest in some new software. Currently I use photoshop Elements 5. I want to make the organisation and workflow process as easy as possible, and also don't want to learn how to use software which is already obsolete. I work with both jpg and Canon Raw files, so can't decide what the best software is. As my budget is somewhat limited I'm trying to decide between three options:

1) Upgrade to Photoshop Elements 8 (not sure what the improvements from version 5 were though)
2) Invest in Adobe Lightroom (expensive, but presumably better for handling RAW files)
3) Stick with Photoshop Elements 5 as the benefits of the other two aren't worth spending the money on

Any comments or advice appreciated...!

[Famous Graham]

I'd go with Lightroom, to be honest. Not only does it handle RAWs very well, its library aspect is excellent - lots of categorisation options, including tagging with keywords.

Edited by Famous Graham on Monday 1st February 18:37

[Chicken Pox]

Ive got Elements8 not got around to using it to organise my files yet but has face recognision software so you identify Mrs X and apparently it can then find all photos of Mrs X, seems to have a handy backup to CD,Hard Drive feature.
You could try the Trial Version? http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshopelwin/

[DiscoColin]

Well, if MHO is worth anything this is a really simple question. If you use a Mac, Aperture or Lightroom. If a PC, Lightroom. If your time is worth anything to you, you will recoup the cost in hours of effort saved...

[Major Bloodnok]

Lightroom.

[ian in lancs]

Tried the rest and chose lightroom - never looked back

[Trevelyan]

Dammit! I was hoping that everyone would tell me that Lightroom wasn't worth the money and I should stick with Elements

Thanks for your comments everyone, it looks like lightroom is the way forward. Out of interest, I know that Lightroom strengths are the RAW file handling and catalogue/tagging features, but how does it compare to Elements for photo editing and retouching? Presumably it has a similar range of tools and capabilities?

[Famous Graham]

Trevelyan said:

Dammit! I was hoping that everyone would tell me that Lightroom wasn't worth the money and I should stick with Elements

Thanks for your comments everyone, it looks like lightroom is the way forward. Out of interest, I know that Lightroom strengths are the RAW file handling and catalogue/tagging features, but how does it compare to Elements for photo editing and retouching? Presumably it has a similar range of tools and capabilities?

Not quite. It has cropping, resizing, spot removal (via clone or heal) but not clone/heal brushes per se. Also levels, curves, brightness, contrast etc. Oh and a graduated filter and adjustment brush (for being more specific with exposure, brightness, contrast etc etc).

There's no selection, cutting and so on, or painting/pencilling. But tbh, the only time I ever go into Photoshop these days, is to clone out something big, like a telegraph wire. LR does just about everything I need (there's a few plugins for adding stuff like borders/watermarks and so on in post too).

[sgrimshaw]

Pretty much all Adobe software is available as a 30 day free trial, including Lightroom2, Elements 8 and CS4.

Best thing is to try them out before shelling out.

[beano500]

You could also try the Lightroom 3 beta - free 'til April IIRC.

[Trevelyan]

Lightroom 3? That puts a different slant on things. I'd be better resisting the urge of buying LR2 now and waiting until LR3 is released I guess.

[Major Bloodnok]

If you do get Lightroom, do yourself a favour and invest in a good book, too. There's an awful lot in there that you just won't discover by trial and error and a book will at least help you start off with good practice. It's a right bugger doing a couple of thousand images and then finding out that there's a better way...

I got Martin Evening's book and found it very useful.