Capture NX 2, Lightroom and CS 5

[larrys]

I was at a Nikonians workshop this weekend and the teacher was pretty high on NX 2. I have older versions of LR and PS, LR-1 and CS3, and have been thinking of getting a newer Apple that can run the new versions of each. It looked like NX 2 would run on my current G-5 which could save me some money.

He did a quick demo of NX 2 and I was pretty amazed at how simply it worked. Most of the photos I will want to work on are landscapes from backpacking trips. I am constantly wanting to tweak the color of the sky or grass and he was able to click on the sky and change the color. He also did a neat deal with bringing out the highlights in shadows underneath the Concord jet. Just in watching him it looked pretty simple, like he clicked on the area he wanted changed and it did it. Can LR3 do this this simply?

I am very much of a novice in LR and PS but I don't remember it being that easy to just change the color of the sky in either one...but I may be wrong on that and just not know what to do.

He felt like that nearly all of his changes for color, saturation and sharpness could come in NX 2 and he just used PS for more intricate changes.

Advice on NX2 vs LR3 would be appreciated.