Different Software and Plugins

[DRwyoming]

Overwhelmed reading all these posts wondering where to start. Is there not one program that can do it all?

Yeah, there are many all in one solutions and Photoshop or Photoshop elements with its companion Bridge is definitely one of those solutions. It may lack some of the organizational features of LR or other Digital Asset Management programs such as very easy bulk key wording, arbitrary image collection structures (one image on the hard drive collected into multiple organizational groups without having to maintain a lot of copies of the same image) and some other features. A lot of those added features return the most value to working professional photographers or those with very large image libraries but Adobe PS and Bridge is a perfectly functional combo that is all a lot of folks need.

Lightroom has a lot of the pro library organization features and makes things like batch processing a photo shoot real simple (again really helpful for some working pros, less so for folks shooting a lot of different subjects in different light all day long) but it lacks the powerful selective retouch capabilities of Photoshop though it's pretty good for small touch up work.

The other thing to mention is that many of the software applications listed above like Topaz DeNoise or Gigapixel can operate as plug ins to other software like LR or PS which means you still operate out of one main program but then call up some of these utilities when they're needed much like you'd run a PS filter on an image. So even though many folks run a variety of different processing software apps, a lot of us do so out of one main image organizing and processing program which simplifies things. It also means you can start with a single software engine approach (like just using Bridge/PS or just using LR) and then add plug ins down the road if you find you need them for the kinds of photos you process.

Bottom line, don't get overwhelmed with software choices and don't feel you need everything folks have discussed in these threads. What you're using is a fine approach up until the point where you get frustrated that it can't do something you want to do.

 

[pochito]

I load my pics in LR. After some adjustements I go to PS if something else is needed.
I prefere using PS for the plugins because the system of layers gives me lots of control on the resulting images.
And for some Actions I created but not always needed.
After finishing I go back to LR and make the last adjustements if necessary.
I use Denoise and Sharpen from Topaz or Sharpener Pro from Nik
PS is complex, no doubt about that. But is worth the effort. IMHO

Anyway, I'm still struggling with my camera and that's where the picture is born.

 

[gbodave]

So0mething to consider. Naturally, a lot of folks are using PS. If you get the Photographer's bundle from Adobe you get two versions of LR plus Bridge and PS for $9.99 per month. It's a steal and although some around the internet say PS can do what LR can do that's not true. LR has some features PS doesn't have and the combination of LR and PS is powerful

 

[Howard5252]

LL4D500 said:
Overwhelmed reading all these posts wondering where to start. Is there not one program that can do it all?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are several that can "Do it All". The reality is that each may have a process that stands head & shoulders above the others. So, if you want the best processing possible, you wind up with several editing programs.

 

[LL4D500]

Yeah, there are many all in one solutions and Photoshop or Photoshop elements with its companion Bridge is definitely one of those solutions. It may lack some of the organizational features of LR or other Digital Asset Management programs such as very easy bulk key wording, arbitrary image collection structures (one image on the hard drive collected into multiple organizational groups without having to maintain a lot of copies of the same image) and some other features. A lot of those added features return the most value to working professional photographers or those with very large image libraries but Adobe PS and Bridge is a perfectly functional combo that is all a lot of folks need.

Lightroom has a lot of the pro library organization features and makes things like batch processing a photo shoot real simple (again really helpful for some working pros, less so for folks shooting a lot of different subjects in different light all day long) but it lacks the powerful selective retouch capabilities of Photoshop though it's pretty good for small touch up work.

The other thing to mention is that many of the software applications listed above like Topaz DeNoise or Gigapixel can operate as plug ins to other software like LR or PS which means you still operate out of one main program but then call up some of these utilities when they're needed much like you'd run a PS filter on an image. So even though many folks run a variety of different processing software apps, a lot of us do so out of one main image organizing and processing program which simplifies things. It also means you can start with a single software engine approach (like just using Bridge/PS or just using LR) and then add plug ins down the road if you find you need them for the kinds of photos you process.

Bottom line, don't get overwhelmed with software choices and don't feel you need everything folks have discussed in these threads. What you're using is a fine approach up until the point where you get frustrated that it can't do something you want to do.

Thank you! Really appreciate the effort/manner in which you take in responding to others like me that are like a sponge - wanting to absorb as much as we can! I would describe myself as an "avid hobbyist". Here is a brief summary of the pictures/volume I take that may impact your recommendations. I just take a lot of family, scenery, wildlife pictures and enjoy doing so. Have always just taken pictures in JPEG format and would like to stick my "toes in the water" with RAW, when and if I get some scenery/wildlife pictures I'd like to enhance. Not looking at selling anything. Virtually all of the pictures we have hanging in our home are pictures I've taken in Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Sedona, Florida, AZ and the "OTA's" (ND/SD/MN). Like to spend some time in the Tucson area/Grand Canyon/Sedona this winter and have a friend in Western SD that has a horse ranch. Like to schedule a trip or two there to include Custer State Park, Badlands over the next year to see if I can get a few keepers!

 

[Oztours]

Would also look at buying a computer, but am a “deer in the headlight” in regard to how much memory, which graphic card! Afraid going into Best Buy, I wouldn’t know what questions to ask or evaluate their recommendations!

It can be very overwhelming. The following is from another post I made in a different thread. Feel free to PM me if you need more help.

@Chad Huff. I probably should have mentioned (did in another thread but can't remember which one), but there are 4 things you need to consider as they all play a part and if you or anybody else is intending to upgrade, get the best that your budget can afford.

1. CPU - the microchip that runs everything
2. GPU - the graphics card - for photography, I would always recommend a dedicated card rather than using the built in onboard GPU.
3. RAM Memory - what the computer uses for processing
4. Storage Memory (hard drive) - never fill your drive to capacity. Drives need free space to work with and I always recommend having a minimum of 2 drives. One with nothing but the operating system and any others for storage.

Remember that with today's photography, cameras go hand in hand with computers. We spend big $$$$ on our cameras but in a lot of cases, we try and process those images on computers that are more like a point and click camera. That is to say, we can get good images from the point and click but if you want something better, you better upgrade.

 

[gbodave]

What you're suggesting wouldn't change anything I would suggest i.e. LrC, PS and Bridge plus Topaz denoise AI. They all work for all genres.

 

[LL4D500]

It can be very overwhelming. The following is from another post I made in a different thread. Feel free to PM me if you need more help.

Thanks - will take a look at tomorrow!

 

[gordon_g]

Brand new to processing. Use Adobe PS for my library of pictures/albums. Overwhelmed reading all these posts wondering where to start. Is there not one program that can do it all? Would also look at buying a computer, but am a “deer in the headlight” in regard to how much memory, which graphic card! Afraid going into Best Buy, I wouldn’t know what questions to ask or evaluate their recommendations! Any kind of a resource available in regard to “if this is what you want to do, here is what you need!”
with the depth of knowledge most of you have, I feel like I am a 7th grader, that walked into a Graduate level class!

Sorry just saw this.. If only it was this easy! ... Lets start with a computer

You have 1000's of choices ... first thing to determine is how much experience do you have on a PC? Have you used windows or Mac? (the 2nd part to this is buy something that will fit your needs... get the best CPU (intel HIGHLY recommended) at this time I would recommend at least an i5 processor but an i7 would be better... the faster the better.. (of course the fast you get the more you spend) memory you need at min of 32 GB IMHO... Now depending on what you buy you might be much better off adding more memory after you buy the PC to get to the 32GB. Hard drive space I would say you want at least 1TB but you could buy get something smaller if you wanted to buy an external HD to just hold photo's (but make sure you are backing all of this up daily, and this is regardless of how you do this) (note on HD's. the new SSD (solid state drives) are much more reliable then the SATA drives, but again more money. As a general rule of thumb I say figure a Sata drive will last 3-5 years (but some last 6 months and other last 8 years). SSD drives have no moving parts, it basically memory so they are much more stable.
I personally use a Mac... I've had Mac for 15 years now I've never had a virus or had antivirus software installed on my Mac. if you buy a windows PC BUY Antivirus software! I work in the IT field (30 plus years) so I use windows everyday... there are some nice windows machines out there... although I'm no fan of windows or how they provide updates.

Processing - Lightroom or Photoshop is all you really need to get started... I pay 10.00 a month for both ( They both can do certain things... photoshop can do a lot more than Lightroom but it also a MUCH longer learning curve.. (I would recommend you get on YouTube and search for "Lightroom getting started" and the same for photoshop, it will give you an idea what you are getting into... There are other programs out there some free some not... really this is a personal choice...

As for all the other "stuff". I would recommend just getting a nice PC / Mac and then looking for your primary Editing software... all the other plugin are great and some work Fantastic but don't overwhelm yourself with that stuff now... start with a solid base and work your way into it... it's how 99% of us got to where we are now...

Happy to answer and other questions you have.

Gordon

 

[Oztours]

@LL4D500. Some further very good advice from @gordon_g and overall very good advice as expected from this group. Even though you are new to computers, look at going to the highest end of the scale your budget will allow and make sure the motherboard is capable of extension further down the track for such things as updating the RAM memory, adding NVME on board SSD storage or adding a specialised Graphics card.

What Gordon said is spot on. I just recently rebuilt my PC and blew the budget but worth the expense...

• CPU Chip - minimum i5. I had i3 and went to i9
• RAM - you can get by on 16GB, @ 32GB the PC doesn't struggle. I went 64GB and it flies and still upgradable to 128GB.
• Hard drive - definitely SSD for the operating system. I went for the NVME SSD which attaches directly to the motherboard. I got a 500GB dedicated for the O/S and speed and added a second 1TB for storage. My old plugin SSD's have now become storage space.
• A dedicated Graphics card is a great option as it uses its own memory rather than taking from your RAM memory.

 

[AlexY]

Excellent advice from Gordon and Peter above.
I would only add that you should get a computer that you can upgrade...make sure that the motherboard can accept at least 32GB of RAM, can accept a second internal SSD drive (and SATA disk drive) and either has a dedicated video card with at least 4 GB of memory, or can accept a video card - this means not only a slot to plug it in, but also a power supply capable of powering it.
Perhaps you know someone who knows about computers?
Best,
Alex
edit...Look at computers that are suitable for gaming; they generally have the attributes that you'll need for photo processing...

 

[LL4D500]

Sorry just saw this.. If only it was this easy! ... Lets start with a computer

You have 1000's of choices ... first thing to determine is how much experience do you have on a PC? Have you used windows or Mac? (the 2nd part to this is buy something that will fit your needs... get the best CPU (intel HIGHLY recommended) at this time I would recommend at least an i5 processor but an i7 would be better... the faster the better.. (of course the fast you get the more you spend) memory you need at min of 32 GB IMHO... Now depending on what you buy you might be much better off adding more memory after you buy the PC to get to the 32GB. Hard drive space I would say you want at least 1TB but you could buy get something smaller if you wanted to buy an external HD to just hold photo's (but make sure you are backing all of this up daily, and this is regardless of how you do this) (note on HD's. the new SSD (solid state drives) are much more reliable then the SATA drives, but again more money. As a general rule of thumb I say figure a Sata drive will last 3-5 years (but some last 6 months and other last 8 years). SSD drives have no moving parts, it basically memory so they are much more stable.
I personally use a Mac... I've had Mac for 15 years now I've never had a virus or had antivirus software installed on my Mac. if you buy a windows PC BUY Antivirus software! I work in the IT field (30 plus years) so I use windows everyday... there are some nice windows machines out there... although I'm no fan of windows or how they provide updates.

Processing - Lightroom or Photoshop is all you really need to get started... I pay 10.00 a month for both ( They both can do certain things... photoshop can do a lot more than Lightroom but it also a MUCH longer learning curve.. (I would recommend you get on YouTube and search for "Lightroom getting started" and the same for photoshop, it will give you an idea what you are getting into... There are other programs out there some free some not... really this is a personal choice...

As for all the other "stuff". I would recommend just getting a nice PC / Mac and then looking for your primary Editing software... all the other plugin are great and some work Fantastic but don't overwhelm yourself with that stuff now... start with a solid base and work your way into it... it's how 99% of us got to where we are now...

Happy to answer and other questions you have.

Gordon

Really appreciate your very clear/thorough response with your background and experience. Am very familiar with Windows/Microsoft Office and Adobe PS - Basics. I am a Geek Squad member and pay $100/year for the resources they provide - I definitely get my money's worth. I also have anti-virus software 24/7! Was looking at a lap top with a minimum of 16 GB and 512 memory. Not sure what graphic cards I should look at? With the input from you and others, will look at 32/1TB. Like to get a lap top as we are in AZ for three months and have a good desktop at home with a 22" monitor/ 16GB/512, but am concerned how much a disappointment a lap top would be, because of having a smaller monitor than the 22" at home. Prefer not to buy two desktops, as it would be convenient to have a laptop for travel. You helped me focus on what I need - Thanks again!

 

[Tim Haynes]

I use Affinity Photo and occasionally Topaz Sharpen AI, but try to avoid using it unless needed. I mainly process in RAW in the Develop persona using the Affinity Photo persona to make minor adjustments to exposure once I've done with RAW. I'm sure i could be more creative in the .jpg editing world, but I try not to edit too much, hoping to up my game and get the shot right in the first place.