Photoshop and/or Lightroom

I began with Photoshop CS3, then purchased CS5 (largely because I wanted support for the raw files generated by my Canon 5D Mark II and my Panasonic LX3). Now I am considering Lightroom.

Back in my CS3 days, I wrote some notes about Photoshop which you can read by following the link. At that time I was just coming to grips with not being able to run Photoshop under Linux and abandoning the GIMP.

In 2013, Adobe introduced a new policy and revenue scheme. In the new scheme, you no longer purchase (and later update) a copy of photoshop. What you do is pay a monthly subscription fee which gives you the right to use the latest copy of photoshop (whatever it may be). As I understand it, it gives you access to any and all of Adobes products (Photoshop, Lightroom, you name it).

Interestingly, Lightroom is still available for purchase outside of this subscription scheme (at this time Lightroom 5 sells for $150).

Also note that in early 2013, Adobe stopped running the validation server for Photoshop CS3. This led to an outcry by people who could no longer run CS3, and Adobe now offers (if you ask for it) a special copy of the CS3 installer that will install your CS3 in a way so that it will not try to contact the Adobe license validation server. For a time this was available freely online, but Adobe has clamped down on that as it effectively made CS3 freely available to the universe.

Lightroom

I am hoping to give Lightroom a try (if Adobe ever gets off their butt and lets me download the software I paid for).

I have heard experienced people say things like:

• Lightroom leads to an extremely efficient workflow.
• Lightroom handles 98 percent of photographic processing needs.
• It is cheaper than Photoshop.

• 100 ways lightroom kicks bridge+raw ass
• Scott Kelby - 10 things for new Lightroom users
• Lightroom Lab - tutorials