You are right of course. I just re-did the same image on my system with -1 lighting boost using AO and it looks 99% identical and took a fraction of the time.

I may have to re-consider my review of RANCH after I actually spend a little more time making sure I RTFM before throwing money at something exciting, especially when I could've saved myself money had I done it right the first time.

/sigh As Fred pointed out, it's already forcing one hobbyist to think like a professional. While it's a frustrating learning curve, it is a good one.