I have the canon software that came with the camera to open the raw files into their system,but it seems limited.So I am looking at LR 4.1 as it seems to deal with the raw images well from what Ihave read and the price I see on EBay are resonable.Much more reasonable thatn CS6 or such.Am I on the right track?
Thanks for any comments.

LR may give you 90-100% of what you need to do. You can adjust most anything, and with the adjustment brush, apply adjustments in user-defined regions. The editing is non-destructive and applying edits across multiple images is a breeze. There are some things that will force you into photoshop, such as advanced cloning/healing (the LR brush is strictly a circle), more control on sharpening/masking there-of, and anything that requires layering and merging. It all depends on where you are, and what you need to accomplish. My 2-cents is to start with LR as it is the substrate for your workflow and get good at it. There is ton of stuff on line, and the Kelby book, Lightroom for Photographers is fantastic and an easy read. Once you know what more you need, you can opt for CSx or PSE as your need/want/budget dictate.

I second the advice to get LR. Look at Calumet, Samy's and BH they all have really good deals on it regularly.

-Philip

Originally Posted by adbsgicom LR may give you 90-100% of what you need to do. You can adjust most anything, and with the adjustment brush, apply adjustments in user-defined regions. The editing is non-destructive and applying edits across multiple images is a breeze. There are some things that will force you into photoshop, such as advanced cloning/healing (the LR brush is strictly a circle), more control on sharpening/masking there-of, and anything that requires layering and merging. It all depends on where you are, and what you need to accomplish. My 2-cents is to start with LR as it is the substrate for your workflow and get good at it. There is ton of stuff on line, and the Kelby book, Lightroom for Photographers is fantastic and an easy read. Once you know what more you need, you can opt for CSx or PSE as your need/want/budget dictate.

Thank you.I got it and Scott Kelbys book to just make sure I can comprehend all the facets.I am staring all over again.

Originally Posted by philiphutson I second the advice to get LR. Look at Calumet, Samy's and BH they all have really good deals on it regularly. -Philip

Originally Posted by PHOTOMAYBE Thank you.I got it and Scott Kelbys book to just make sure I can comprehend all the facets.I am staring all over again.

Keep an eye on Amazon...I buy a lot books there at dirt cheap prices.....hardly ever pay book retail.......

LR will be an immense help, I hardly ever touch Photoshop any more ... it is there just for certain plug ins.......90% right in camera and do final work with LR....