PSE & Lightroom

Here is the link to Nigel's 'Mini Guide' to PDCU4 for RAW editing:-
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/topic/a-mini-guide-to-pentax-digital-camera-uti...

I forgot to add that once you are happy with the quality of the RAW image developed in PDCU4 you can the save it as a jpeg (or better as a tiff) file which can then be worked on further in PSE (or any other program). Thus PDCU4 and PSE can be used in a complementary fashion rather than as separate programs.

That said, since you can also do some cropping in PDCU4 I have found that it is all I need most of the time and my new PSE11 has remained idle for months !

Peter

Its certainly true that a RAW converter (like PDCU) and a pixel image editor (like Photoshop / Elements) work well together.

Photoshop & Elements also offer us a RAW 'Front end' with the Adobe Camera Raw plugin (ACR), which applies 'parametric' edits to a RAW image, altering key aspects (White Balance, exposure, vibrance etc) and then 'export' this work into the main interface of the program as either a JPEG / TIFF / or PSD file. This is then further worked on at the pixel level, or better still, more non-destructively using the enormous flexability provided by the layers system.

PDCU offers editing controls that are significantly aligned to the actual Pentax on-camera image controls, and gives a greater and enhanced degree of fine control than you get if just using the menus on the camera.

Lightroom is a different kettle of fish altogether - it is what I would term a 'Cataloging Parametric Image Editor' (yes, I do love these big terms !). But it is helpful to categorise it.Other examples of this type of software would be Apple Aperture and Bibble Pro.

Firstly, it provides an integrated file import and management database (the Catalogue), which creates a stored cache of thumbnails based on system folders it monitors and which updated 'on the fly' when the program is running. And secondly, it applies the 'parametric' aspect of editing (ie slider adjustments stored as metadata to be rendered out to an image file) throughout all the editing steps, giving a greater 'non-destructive' basis than Photoshop. This is achieved by the image being held in various states and stages in system memory during each editing session.

It is getting very hard now to clearly advise people on what software is 'best'. It mostly depends on where you are starting from - in my case I have a well established standalone Cataloging program (iMatch), so don't need the database aspects of Lightroom, and I enjoy using the Pentax PDCU converter and like the output I can get from it. Also for some images I need the extra precision and flexability that layers provide, so I use Elements 9 which gives all that I need in that respect.

Elements on its own ? The main part of the program has a lot of the most important parts of full Photoshop at a bargain price, but you may find that the image management and purely RAW conversion aspects are more limited than you would wish.

Hi,
Iv'e got a Pentax K30 and shoot all my shots in both RAW and JPEG, there's a neat setting on the camera which saves every shot you take in both formats. I then transfer all the photos into Photoshop Elements 11, which has two elements to it (if you'll pardon the pun), a pretty good Organiser & a picture Editor.

Elements 11 gives you the ability to edit RAW imagines very easily, as soon as you open a RAW file Elements pulls up the relevant editing parameters, e.g. Exposure, Shadow, Saturation, Clarity, etc, and being new to Photoshop Elements, I'm finding it a lot more complicated to use all the standard editing facilities provided in Elements 11 to get anywhere near the same results on the JPEG version of the image.

Typical time to edit a RAW image; 2 minutes, the same image in JPEG using Elements Expert mode 8-10 minutes.

Editing RAW images in Photoshop Elements 11 is a doodle!

Yes, the ACR RAW converter in PS Elements does provide the key global adjustments in an accessible and concise layout. For many shots there may be no need for much further editing once the file is converted and open in the elements editor.

The only point I would make for general consumption is that the ACR plug-in for PS elements is significantly reduced in complexity and its range of selective edits is much less than the version available in full PS. That is why I advised caution in my post above if only using Elements, as for some photographers and many shots the range of adjustments might be too limited.

Those looking to gain more control and power over their shots at the RAW stage (before rendering into an image format) may prefer more sophisticated standalone options - there are quite a few available both free and paid for, or why not give our own Pentax Digital Camera Utility a go?