ok here's my .o2 worth, take those classes, read those books, esp kelby, and save for lightroom, it's really above photo elements in my humble opinion, one of the greatest assets, the ability to make pre-sets for the development module. like actions for photoshop. but maybe a little easier to grasp and master, i have probably 75 made up, and i kind of fiddle with the first in a set of the same subject or lighting, find what i like, maybe tweak an existing preset, save it with a new name, and then batch sync it to all the like photos. saves lots of time