[Leica] Elements 5.0 Versus Lightroom 1.0

[jhnichols at bellsouth.net (Jim Nichols)]

Peter,

Thanks for sharing your experiences with PSE 5.0.  Your complaints about 
storing files as you would like to do reflect some of the shortcomings that 
I noticed in using Lightroom 1.0 .  My other complaint was that the sliders 
did not seem to have the range of adjustment that I am accustomed to using 
in PSLE. I also found that navigating the interface was not easy, similar to 
your complaint about the PSE 5.0 UI.  I will continue to look for other 
options.

Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Dzwig" <pdzwig@summaventures.com>
To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 30, 2007 5:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Elements 5.0 Versus Lightroom 1.0


> Jim,
>
> my comments on PSE5:
>
> I upgraded to PSE5 a couple of weeks ago because of my desire to be able 
> to use levels. That was the single reason. Frankly it does that in a 
> limited way, but in my opinion the User Interface to PSE5 is awful.
>
> UI:
>
> I say in my opinion deliberately because it is my opinion, but then that 
> is what UI design is all about, providing a good experience to the user. 
> To this user the UI singularly fails to do that. The user is forced into a 
> way of handling and storing my images which is Adobe's way and not, 
> probably the way that many users would want to.
>
> Several of the tools have been moved and the design of the sliders etc 
> changed. Previously they had been perfectly OK. If it ain't bust...
>
>
> Levels:
>
> FWIW I work entirely with TIFFs until I do something like putting the 
> images in the LUG gallery; as afr as I am aware all of these comments 
> apply equally to JPEG manipulation.
>
> Levels, or lack of them, has been for me one of the major differences 
> between PSE and PS. My workflow is based upon scanned C41 B&W (BW400CN) 
> images stored as RGB TIFFs. Generally I convert these to B&W and then work 
> on them as required. Levels is one of the last steps one would go through.
>
> Unfortunately "adjust colour levels" - which is what you get - requires a 
> colour image, so you have to work entirely in colour or convert a B&W 
> image back to colour! The levels that you get from the UI are then only 
> adjustable at certain points via sliders, no manual dragging of the 
> curves. The preview seems to take a longer time to react than I would have 
> expected, but that is a minor point. Finally you cannot save the output 
> from a set of levels adjustments independently of the image. In other 
> words you can't save the adjustments to import and re-use.
>
> PSE5 adds a number of features which are aimed at the digital video 
> capture market and at doing the sorts of things that I guess that most 
> LUGgers probably don't do; most of which aren't "traditional photographic" 
> manipulation.
>
> Gripes apart PS/PSE does enable you to do a lot which you couldn't do in a 
> darkroom and that is its strength.
>
> Peter Dzwig
>
> Jim Nichols wrote:
>> LUGGERS,
>>
>> In my digital endeavors, I work with JPEG images, not RAW or the other 
>> more detailed files.  For some years, I have used Adobe Photoshop LE as 
>> my editing software.  I am now interested in upgrading, and today 
>> downloaded the beta version of Lightroom.  In experimenting with 
>> Lightroom, I find I miss the functionality of PS, but can't justify the 
>> professional package. I wondered if anyone not requiring work with RAW 
>> images has compared Lightroom and Photoshop Elements 5.0?  If so, please 
>> share your opinions.
>>   Jim Nichols
>> Tullahoma, TN USA
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>