Photoshop Elements is superb. I don't think it has layer masks, but that can be got round with a bit of extra work.
If Raw gives you no more flexibility than the compressed jpegs then go for jpegs rather than process from Raw. I like the ability to alter the white balance in Raw and amend the lens aberrations. There are some easy tweaks available in RAW.
At the end of the day, it's all subjective.
Thanks for the honest appraisal. My next retirement project is to master editing software. I was hoping to find more YouTube tutorials.
"Try to live a good life. Don't be afraid to be what you are'. some bloke in the pub.
Editing images is incredibly rewarding. Digital cameras create very fine quality files. However, an awful lot of technology in cameras is designed to be a Jack Of All Trades, and therefore can never be perfect. It is the user of the camera who has to decide how he or she wants the pictures to look. That is when personal style comes into the equation.
As someone who once had a darkroom, I still value the chance to alter my pictures in my own way. Editing really does lift almost all pictures.
R.B.
I've split this topic so that there's now a dedicated one for all things to do with image processing HERE