How much software do you need for your photos?

I use Lightroom Classic with one plugin: ON1-NoNoise.
I don't use Photoshop (yet).

I chose LrC because I like working with subscriptions: you can always stop, it's clear and affordable on a monthly basis and you always get the latest version.

Another reason is that many friends from the photography club work with it and there are a great many courses and tutorials for it. That makes it easy for me to learn and to see how others do things.

I added the ON1 plugin because at the time it removed noise better than LrC, these days I might not do that anymore.

Recently I tried StarStaX (https://markus-enzweiler.de/software/starstax/) to replace the use of an ND filter by combining a series of photos with a relatively short shutter speed.

In summary, I am happy with LrC, I am a beginner who already knows how to operate some of the controls on my own. If I hear about something else, I sometimes want to try it out, but I certainly won't make a major switch.

For RAW I use Silkypix 11pro
Then Affinity 2 ,which I used to use Photoshop for, by now I can do more with it than Photoshop.
Topaz for noise reduction and sometimes sharpening

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 11:40  | reply

Nando, I agree with you for the most part. I have a subscription to Adobe's photography package and a subscription to Luminar Neo. I only use LrC for the library function because you can find photos very quickly in it. Especially if you create good tags and good collections, photos can be found very quickly.

For post-processing I mainly use ACR and Ps. ACR corresponds completely with LrC and because I like working with layers, I prefer Ps over Lightroom's develop module.

I mainly use Luminar Neo for its high AI quality regarding noise removal and sharpening. If I want to finish a photo very quickly, I also use Luminar, because you're done with a few clicks. Moreover, the extensions work well for, for example, HDR and focus stacking.

I think Adobe is falling far behind in the use of AI. They are now trying to catch up, but I don't like the way they are doing it. For example, creating photos based on GPT is a crime. It really looks like nothing. For example, if you create a photo of a meadow with cows based on a text prompt, you can manage that. But if you then zoom in to 100% , you see that those cows look more like cartoon figures from a 3D cartoon generated by a computer.

So that is not a good development for using AI.

To me, it is clear that Skylum is much further ahead than Adobe with the development of Luminar based on AI, and they are also doing it in a good way.

In any case, I don't need any more software. This remains affordable for me. Because don't forget; I also need to be able to continue taking the courses from Photofacts Academy and that also costs money.

I am happy with what I have now and won't miss any update.

I also only use LrC and Pshop myself. Ever since the very beginning.Ps4 and Lr
Other programs don't add any value for me either.

I use Corel PaintShop Pro 2022 with a software update every 2 years.
The reason is the price-quality ratio. The disadvantage is that there is little to be found about it apart from Corel's support.
Although this program has a great many possibilities.
Occasionally I use the NIK Collection plug-in.

Years ago I started using Photoshop and Lightroom. Lightroom actually turned out to be sufficient for me, but difficult to master. After a tip, I switched to the cheaper ACDSee Pro and I am still satisfied with it to this day. Every 2 to 3 years I buy a new version to keep up to date and explore new possibilities.

Strange that ACDSee Pro (full name: Photo Studio Professional) is so little known. For me it is clearer and easier to use than Lightroom. Excellent RAW processing and a fast, convenient library. I only occasionally use the NIK software for editing black and white photos.

I usually use Lightroom Classic, and sometimes Photoshop when I want to do something crazy
I can get by well enough with this. Especially with my work attitude: 'garbage in, garbage out' (in other words: get it right at the source straight away)

Sometimes I use Nikon's NX Studio alongside it, especially when I still want to be able to see exactly where focus was placed (I miss that in LrC). I also get to see more Exif data that way, and that can sometimes be useful for analyzing a failure.

Albert Wester wrote on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 12:25  | reply

After Apple Aperture, which I think was the best editing program ever, I was forced to switch to LR. Besides LR I ran PS and Perfect Photo, the predecessor of On1 Photo Raw, because Perfect Photo could do various edits that weren't possible in LR. When Adobe completely missed the mark with the transition from 32 to 64 bit on the Apple computer, I had had enough of LR's subscriptions and poorly working or non-working programs and I completely banned Adobe from my machine. Because I was already running Perfect Photo, switching to On1 Photo Raw was a small step and I've been using it for years now because it's the perfect combination of LR and PS in one program. From stitching panoramas to producing timelapses, it's all in On1.

I usually use Zoner.

Hi Nando, I use Lightroom CC and Photoshop, and it suits me just fine.
You always stay up to date. Previously I had the purchased version of Lightroom, but that was discontinued, and now with Photoshop included it is an extensive package. I rarely use Topaz.

PixelDude Raoul wrote on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 13:24  | reply

I mainly use LightRoom 6. To create special atmospheres I mainly use Skylum Luminar Neo. Since I received Neo (for free) because I had bought Luminar AI shortly before that, I use AI less frequently. I also use Topaz sharpen AI occasionally. In the past, for B&W, often Silver Efex Pro 2 from the NIK collection, now practically no longer because that works just as well in Neo. For the special edits, Affinity Photo. For my Infrared photography I ‘always’ use Affiniy Photo because I can do the blue-red conversion in batch there in a simple way. I also do the further color edits and all other adjustments in Affinity Photo. In programs I regularly export in tif (not in jpeg) so I can then get to work in my other programs.

Nando, you are right that a new program takes time to learn various things. For me, it has definitely been worth switching to ON1 -no hassle switching between LR and Photoshop (time saved) and virtually all the editing possibilities that LR and PS offer!
Also, the AI functions are there -and are constantly being perfected and expanded.

I previously used Topaz Denoise as an extra, but the noise reduction in ON1 is currently much better!

I am happy, you are too... let's keep that in the picture.
Rashmideva

I work with Bridge (Camera Raw) and Photoshop from Adobe and also sometimes use Topaz Denoise AI and Sharpen AI. I have been using these for years and therefore know them very well, by the way Camera Raw and Lightroom do exactly the same thing, just with a different layout. I also prefer photographing to learning how to use other programs.

Liesbeth Verkade wrote on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 14:12  | reply

Hello Nando, started with Photoshop Elements a long time ago. Now I have had an Adobe subscription for years, including LRC and PS. I mainly use LRC. I can work best with that and almost always the possibilities are more than sufficient to edit my photos. Occasionally I also use PS, but I still haven't really got the hang of it. I should spend some more time on that because there are some things that LRC cannot.
I tried Luminar and Topaz, but after I had bought a new camera, that didn't bring me anything extra.
I try to become as proficient as possible in LRC (and PS). The courses on Photofats are a very good help with that.

Hello Nando,
I have been using Photoshop Elements 11 for years, as well as Corel Aftershot Pro 3, and taught myself everything over the years. I am due for a new version of Elements because my camera and lenses are no longer recognized despite Adobe's automatic updates. But my preference is for Dutch-language software because at my age it is becoming increasingly difficult to understand the new features. The developers should stop and think about that now and then, it should no longer be a problem in this day and age.
kind regards Henk.

LRC, PS and the NIK suite. I can do everything I want with them.

I first use FileRenamer to give my photos a unique number. Then I select the photos via ViewNX. I then import the photos I want to continue working with into LightRoom Classic. I have the Adobe subscription but don't use PS itself. It's a shame that you can't take out a subscription for LightRoom only.

martinphili wrote on Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 19:30  | reply

When I used to mainly do model photography, I only used Photoshop, but since the subject has changed, Lightroom has come into play. By far most of what I do now is in Lightroom Classic CC. Then you're done quickly.
I use Photoshop CS5 Extended (yes, very old but I can do everything with it) when I need to work with layers or when I want to use the NIK filters.

foxhusky wrote on Wednesday 28 June 2023 at 03:09  | reply

Since 2009 I have been using the combination of Lr Classic and Photoshop (almost daily). So that is already very familiar to work with. I do most of my work in Lightroom, but sometimes for the more complex edits I jump over to Photoshop for a moment. In addition, I have also recently started using Topaz's packages. First Sharpen AI, DeNoise AI and Gigapixel AI separately, but they are now conveniently combined in Photo AI.
I scan a lot of old negatives and I know how to restore them well with Topaz Photo AI.

I use LrC and Ps for my photos. Works perfectly for me.
I make presentations in Pinacle, a film editing program. I've been using it for a very long time because of my film activities. I'm satisfied with it too.
I don't need anything more.

I use LrC and PS for my photos. I do still have the plugins from Nik software (for special effects sometimes) and Topaz Sharpen (but with the new Lightroom I no longer need that).

'Open in Photoshop' remains the title. However, I linked this to AP. AP opens but not the photo. I then have to open that myself

I use Photoshop (almost daily) (subscription).
Topaz Denoise, Sharpener and Studio 2 (for fun artistic edits).
Nik filters (DxO), especially Color Efex, Silver Efex, Viveza.
On1 filters (rarely).
Flaming Pear (Flood 2) for fun water effects.
Photoshop Elements for a few applications.

After extensive testing (and hesitation), I use Capture One for editing my raw photos. I do find the colors in Capture One just a little nicer, and Capture One is simply faster than LrC. LrC has the same capabilities and, yes, the 2023 version includes a few nice/useful options that aren't in Capture One (but that you can easily recreate). The catalog functions of both programs are also comparable. I now use LrC for cataloging my old jpeg photos. So actually I do use both.

Stefan ALEN wrote on Monday 3 July 2023 at 11:50  | reply

For my workflow I use different programs because each program has its strengths. By this I mainly mean for my model photography and not for holiday snapshots.
Lightroom Classic I still mainly use as a library and for importing and exporting.
As a RAW converter I have preferred COne for years, mainly because the noise reduction was much better than LR's years ago. Now it turns out that this has also improved in LR. I find the fine-tuning of the exposure in COne much more accurate than in LR as well.
After a rough adjustment in COne, the photo goes to PS for further adjustments, such as removing spots or distracting things, making some color adjustments, in short the finishing of the photo.
Ultimately I still consistently rely on Nik SilverEfex for conversions to black and white.
I never use Denoise, or Sharpen, or whatever...
It can certainly be done with less but then you have to be satisfied with a less good result. I have already tried dozens of alternatives, but never found better ones. With Luminar, for example, you can add different skies, use automatic functions such as skin enhancement, but none of that is for me. I am therefore not a fan of all this AI stuff.
Greetings,Stefan