Lightroom Secrets

Photoshop or Elements

In a previous article (I Have Lightroom. Do I Need Photoshop?) I discussed whether or not a Lightroom user needs the extra power that Photoshop affords. A few readers asked if Photoshop Elements was enough or is Photoshop the way to go. So, let’s take a look at what the differences are and whether you need one or the other.

Photoshop is the gold standard when discussing pixel based image editing software. It has a broad and deep set of tools that address the needs of a wide variety of users. Whether you are a designer, graphic artist, 3D modeler, filmmaker, photographer, or forensics expert there are tools for you. Of course all this power and functionality comes at a price. The current list price for Photoshop is $699.00. If you need the additional tools of Photoshop Extended then you are looking at $999.00!

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I Have Lightroom. Do I Need Photoshop?

Every time I talk about Lightroom I am asked some variation of this question. I usually answer it by saying “I don’t know…. Do you?” Of course I quickly follow up with a short explanation of why someone would or would not need Photoshop in addition to Lightroom.

Lightroom is for photographers. Photoshop is for graphic artists and designers.

OK, put down the torches and pitchforks while I explain!

Lightroom was designed from end to end with a photographer’s needs in mind. The tools available in the modules all address some aspect of the photographer’s workflow. Photoshop, on the other hand, was not designed with the photographer in mind but with the graphic artist in mind. It’s a powerful and rich toolset but only a small portion address a photographer’s needs. It is arguably the premiere pixel based editor but do you need all that power?

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