Lightroom Classic vs. Lightroom?

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jeffersongraham

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jefferson
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I visited a friend the other day who uses Lightroom and he asked for help. I was thrown by the tools, since I use Classic. For the life of me, I couldn't see the advantage of the new version except that you get to move files from desktop to mobile easily, but you also pay for that. What do Lightroom users say? Why do you prefer the non-classic version?
 
I stuck with Classic for quite a while as CC was missing some crucial features (particularly around presets) but a while back one of the CC updates was the tipping point for me. I believe CC is still missing some features, but 99.9% of my editing is cropping and basic adjustments, and that's all present.

Classic is quicker to navigate on a desktop in my opinion, but I find CC slightly faster overall so it's swings and roundabouts in that respect.

Being able to access my work across multiple devices is really, really useful and obviously the main selling point of CC. At some point, although it may be some time in the future, Adobe will surely kill Classic (it makes no sense to maintain two).
 
I only use Classic (desktop). I have no desire to edit my images on anything less than a full-size screen, nor do I want to store my photos on someone else’s server (the so-called Cloud). If Adobe do kill Classic I will adopt a competitor rather than use CC.
 
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Stephen L said:
I only use Classic (desktop). I have no desire to edit my images on anything less than a full-size screen, nor do I want to store my photos on someone else’s server (the so-called Cloud). If Adobe do kill Classic I will adopt a competitor rather than use CC.
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Me too.
 
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jeffersongraham said:
I visited a friend the other day who uses Lightroom and he asked for help. I was thrown by the tools, since I use Classic. For the life of me, I couldn't see the advantage of the new version except that you get to move files from desktop to mobile easily, but you also pay for that. What do Lightroom users say? Why do you prefer the non-classic version?
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I used to use Classic only but when I got my iPad Pro I decided to try the cloud based model. I use my iPad as my primary editing machine now, but when I do want to sit at a desk and edit, all of my images are already there in Lightroom. The user interface is much, much nicer than Classic, as it actually looks like it was designed in the 21st Century. It's also much faster.

I know there are still missing features but for my editing I can achieve everything on the iPad or using LR on my laptop. I only ever open Classic to perform a backup now, as I have it set to download my Raw images from the cloud and drop them in a dated folder structure on an external drive.

I understand why people don't like the cloud but having all of your images available on any device at any time, and being able to edit them on any device at any time is absolutely brilliant and there's no way I'd go back to the old way of doing things now.
 
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RichardC27 said:
I used to use Classic only but when I got my iPad Pro I decided to try the cloud based model. I use my iPad as my primary editing machine now, but when I do want to sit at a desk and edit, all of my images are already there in Lightroom. The user interface is much, much nicer than Classic, as it actually looks like it was designed in the 21st Century. It's also much faster.

I know there are still missing features but for my editing I can achieve everything on the iPad or using LR on my laptop. I only ever open Classic to perform a backup now, as I have it set to download my Raw images from the cloud and drop them in a dated folder structure on an external drive.

I understand why people don't like the cloud but having all of your images available on any device at any time, and being able to edit them on any device at any time is absolutely brilliant and there's no way I'd go back to the old way of doing things now.
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I much prefer the Classic interface; I wasn't designed in the 21st century - just the first half of the 20th. ;) I find the speed of Classic perfectly adequate on my Mac.
 
I'm guessing you need a fairly fast internet connection to upload your photos to the cloud. Especially with large MP files and if you want to load all of your library. Some of us just don't have reliable or fast internet.
 
I understand that many processes are just called different names and not found in the same place so the cc version would take a bit of adjustment. However, cc does not have collections or virtual copies and no print module so no use to me. I did install LR cc on my iPad but not sure why as I have never used it.

Dave
 
I can't imagine every having fast enough internet for the cloud storage version to be usable.

For example, after a typical weekend of photography at Knockhill, I'll come home with about 120 - 150Gb of RAW images. Using multiple CF and CF Express readers I can copy all the memory cards to my desktop in about 10-15 minutes, import them into a new catalogue in a few minutes and maybe 30 minutes to build 1:1 previews for all the images (8 core/16 thread CPU). I can then start to work quickly on the images and have sent images to the press within another hour.

I typically get about 18Mbits per second upload speed via my internet connection, but theoretically the maximum is about 20. Converting 120Gb to bits, and dividing by 18Mbits per second gives me approx 13-14 hours to upload them to the cloud, assuming I can max out my connection for that period of time. I would have missed my deadline by about 7-8 hours before I've even finished uploading them to the cloud.
 
You don't have to wait for CC to upload to the cloud before you can start editing. The initial import process is no slower than Classic.
 
i just took the plunge and set up a sub for Lightroom and photoshop after using LR6 and and old version of PS for donkeys years! Cant say I'm overly impressed with LR CC for the simple reason it wont let me repoint the files away from my C: drive which i use purely for the OS and has limited space left. So I'm going back to Classic and see how that's changed from 6 :) Hopefully it has the same functionality as CC at least, i couldn't care less about the cloud or editing things on my phone anyway so if that's all it offers over and above Desktop then i wont be too bothered.

its the 21st century now and companies are still forcing people to use the C: drive. Ridiculous.
 
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ukaskew said:
You don't have to wait for CC to upload to the cloud before you can start editing. The initial import process is no slower than Classic.
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But won't it still take @JohnStewart 13-14hrs to upload to the cloud?

I'm lucky if I get 2.5mbs download and 1mbs upload on my broadband. Oh the joys of living in the countryside :)
 
ukaskew said:
You don't have to wait for CC to upload to the cloud before you can start editing. The initial import process is no slower than Classic.
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The import process is quicker than Classic I find, but I guess this is computer specific. I only ever import on my iPad now anyway and that's very fast indeed.
Nostromo said:
But won't it still take @JohnStewart 13-14hrs to upload to the cloud?

I'm lucky if I get 2.5mbs download and 1mbs upload on my broadband. Oh the joys of living in the countryside :)
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Not before he starts editing no. The files will be stored locally and he can work on them while LR uploads them in the background. The process would be quicker than using Classic as LR is faster. Then just leave the PC to run away to itself uploading. I have 18Mbps upload speed too and it really doesn't take too long, although I don't have anything like that volume of images from a day at the track. Think of the cloud as another backup if nothing else, your images are stored offsite. I also drop mine onto two external drives so I have three backups.

AshleyC said:
i just took the plunge and set up a sub for Lightroom and photoshop after using LR6 and and old version of PS for donkeys years! Cant say I'm overly impressed with LR CC for the simple reason it wont let me repoint the files away from my C: drive which i use purely for the OS and has limited space left. So I'm going back to Classic and see how that's changed from 6 :) Hopefully it has the same functionality as CC at least, i couldn't care less about the cloud or editing things on my phone anyway so if that's all it offers over and above Desktop then i wont be too bothered.

its the 21st century now and companies are still forcing people to use the C: drive. Ridiculous.
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Your local drive doesn't matter with CC. Once they're uploaded to the cloud you could delete them from your local drive if you wanted to, they'd still be backed up in the cloud and LR CC would just download them as required. Much more efficient as long as your internet connection is fast enough. The whole point of the cloud based model is that local storage doesn't really matter. Although if you edit your preferences you can set a storage location for your original files which I think can be on any drive you want
 
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The trouble with a "cloud" base system (hate that term!) is that you are wholly dependent on some other organisation's server farm. And their business model. I've worked in IT since 1977 and I've seen lots of major IT facilities organisations go to the wall, or be taken over, and terms and conditions changed, prices risen, etc. The only way to be sure what's going on is to take responsibility for it yourself.
 
Sky said:
That's three of us then, and I'm pretty sure many thousands of others too.

It's my data and I want it on my machine, not on someone else's.
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Agree wholeheartedly. I used LR6 for years and would be still but for the fact that getting Fuji X100V RAW files into it was a PITA. I opted for a subscription in the end and still only use Lightroom Classic but none of the other things that come with my subscription so I constantly feel a bit ripped off and coerced. Whether or not I continue when the sub comes round will depend on Adobe's pricing, if it's gone up then I'm off. I have tried several other packages but can't decide which to concentrate on so it all depends on Adobe. I half hope they put their prices up as it will force me to make a choice.
 
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so there is no way of using Lightroom CC with local files? Ok I know the whole point is to use cloud storage but when you're not fussed about that but just want to use the fancy front end , you're stuffed. In the interests of impartiality I'm trying to set up CC now, I had 400gig's of local images (large format film scans are rather big!) , it wouldn't even let me upload them until I freed up another 400gigs of space for it to make a local copy first! I'm trying to like it, honest, but its not helping itself. I trust I can delete this local copy after its uploaded them? I had to uninstall a couple of games to make room which i wasn't chuffed about.
 
I switched to LR CC a few months ago to give it a proper spin. It isn't for me. I was hoping to use my iPad more than my Mac for editing but didn't get along with the interface and small screen. Switching back to LR Classic (and PS) very soon. Syncing, albeit on a smaller scale, is still available. Archiving/restoring old work on LR Classic is also, IMO, easier.
 
AshleyC said:
so there is no way of using Lightroom CC with local files? Ok I know the whole point is to use cloud storage but when you're not fussed about that but just want to use the fancy front end , you're stuffed. In the interests of impartiality I'm trying to set up CC now, I had 400gig's of local images (large format film scans are rather big!) , it wouldn't even let me upload them until I freed up another 400gigs of space for it to make a local copy first! I'm trying to like it, honest, but its not helping itself. I trust I can delete this local copy after its uploaded them? I had to uninstall a couple of games to make room which i wasn't chuffed about.
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Yes it works fine locally. I spent a week in Skye without so much as phone reception and edited all my images in CC with no problems.
 
Stephen L said:
I only use Classic (desktop). I have no desire to edit my images on anything less than a full-size screen, nor do I want to store my photos on someone else’s server (the so-called Cloud). If Adobe do kill Classic I will adopt a competitor rather than use CC.
Click to expand...
This
 
Stephen L said:
The trouble with a "cloud" base system (hate that term!) is that you are wholly dependent on some other organisation's server farm. And their business model. I've worked in IT since 1977 and I've seen lots of major IT facilities organisations go to the wall, or be taken over, and terms and conditions changed, prices risen, etc. The only way to be sure what's going on is to take responsibility for it yourself.
Click to expand...
This for me also.

Classic all the way. As digital sensors get larger and image files get bigger, more room will be needed to store them and thus that 1Tb (or whatever it is) will eventually need upping. Cloud storage is great for accessibility, but as I don't need that, it's not worth it to me. I have (Amazon) cloud as a backup, but not as main storage. The price of cloud storage is variable whereas the price of home storage is fixed (once you've bought it - unless it breaks). In 15 years of amateur photography, I've had 1 desktop HDD failure (was backed up to NAS to no data loss) and 1 NAS drive failure (was RAID and had copies on my desktop HDD so no data loss).

I also use the Print module heavily - it's the main reason I haven't switched away from the sub model to a standalone. Also a heavy Collections user.
 
Just discovered that you can import a catalogue into Lightroom CC from Classic. But... There's no way (I've found) of importing from CC back into Classic whilst at the same time preserving edit history, etc.

[UPDATE] - There is a way, sync LR Classic with LR CC. Select the LR CC photos you want to import. Export them to another catalogue. Delete them from LR CC. Import the catalogue. Drink heavily.
 
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Well the whole classic v cc was solved for me as I don't have the storage space to upload my photos. Not sure why as I have just under 400gb of images but should have 500 storage. Ah well, desktop it is!
 
adrianday said:
Just discovered that you can import a catalogue into Lightroom CC from Classic. But... There's no way (I've found) of importing from CC back into Classic whilst at the same time preserving edit history, etc.
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Albums from CC will sync back into Classic as Collections. This is why I don't understand people saying CC doesn't have collections. It does, they're just called Albums. I was a heavy collections user in Classic and they all appear exactly the same in CC, just as Albums
 
RichardC27 said:
Albums from CC will sync back into Classic as Collections. This is why I don't understand people saying CC doesn't have collections. It does, they're just called Albums. I was a heavy collections user in Classic and they all appear exactly the same in CC, just as Albums
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I think the issue for me is that the originals remain on the CC server. What happens when to the originals when you run out of space? There doesn't seem to be a way of archiving them unless you're never going back to edit them again.
 
adrianday said:
I think the issue for me is that the originals remain on the CC server. What happens when to the originals when you run out of space? There doesn't seem to be a way of archiving them unless you're never going back to edit them again.
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You can download them at any time by choosing "Export Original" from the export menu. That downloads your original Raw file to wherever you want.

You can use Classic for this though. You can set a preference in Classic to tell it where to put originals it downloads from CC, and even specify a subfolder structure. When you open Classic, it will automatically sync all of your original files down from the cloud and drop them on a drive of your choosing in a folder structure of your choosing. This is the only reason I open Classic now, as it automatically downloads all of my Raw files and drops them in dated folders on an external drive. The edits also sync up so viewing the image in Classic has all of the edits applied, but you still have access to your Raw file as well.

If you wanted to remove them from CC, just open Classic and remove the files from the "All Synced Images" collection. This will remove the files from CC, freeing up your cloud storage, but keep them in Classic and on any backups you've made. You could then drop them into a new collection in Classic and sync that back to the cloud. It would only sync the smaller Smart Preview files, which don't count towards your cloud storage limit. I used CC and Classic together like this for years as I was too stingy to stump up for the full 1TB cloud storage.
 
RichardC27 said:
You can download them at any time by choosing "Export Original" from the export menu. That downloads your original Raw file to wherever you want.

You can use Classic for this though. You can set a preference in Classic to tell it where to put originals it downloads from CC, and even specify a subfolder structure. When you open Classic, it will automatically sync all of your original files down from the cloud and drop them on a drive of your choosing in a folder structure of your choosing. This is the only reason I open Classic now, as it automatically downloads all of my Raw files and drops them in dated folders on an external drive. The edits also sync up so viewing the image in Classic has all of the edits applied, but you still have access to your Raw file as well.

If you wanted to remove them from CC, just open Classic and remove the files from the "All Synced Images" collection. This will remove the files from CC, freeing up your cloud storage, but keep them in Classic and on any backups you've made. You could then drop them into a new collection in Classic and sync that back to the cloud. It would only sync the smaller Smart Preview files, which don't count towards your cloud storage limit. I used CC and Classic together like this for years as I was too stingy to stump up for the full 1TB cloud storage.
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Thanks for that detailed explanation. I'll give it a go. Cheers.

[UPDATE] - You Sir, are a GENIUS! This is exactly what I wanted to achieve. Thank you so much!
 
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adrianday said:
Thanks for that detailed explanation. I'll give it a go. Cheers.

[UPDATE] - You Sir, are a GENIUS! This is exactly what I wanted to achieve. Thank you so much!
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Adobe don't advertise this workflow at all and I don't think officially want you to use CC and Classic in the way I described but they do talk to each other quite well, although not as well as they could.

If you want to use Classic as your main program you can still sync everything, just drop your images into Collections and sync them to the cloud. Again this just uploads smart previews and doesn't count towards your cloud storage. So you can have your whole catalogue synced up even on the 20GB plan in this way if you want to.
 
RichardC27 said:
Adobe don't advertise this workflow at all and I don't think officially want you to use CC and Classic in the way I described but they do talk to each other quite well, although not as well as they could.

If you want to use Classic as your main program you can still sync everything, just drop your images into Collections and sync them to the cloud. Again this just uploads smart previews and doesn't count towards your cloud storage. So you can have your whole catalogue synced up even on the 20GB plan in this way if you want to.
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I was looking for a workflow that, in addition to direct import to Lightroom CC, provided the ability to download and select/flag/rate/cull on the iPad, then perhaps do a few rough edits prior to uploading to the Mac for final editing. Wasn't happy with Lightroom CC on the Mac because it lacked much of the functionality I'd previously enjoyed using Lightroom CC.
 
RichardC27 said:
Adobe don't advertise this workflow at all and I don't think officially want you to use CC and Classic in the way I described but they do talk to each other quite well, although not as well as they could.

If you want to use Classic as your main program you can still sync everything, just drop your images into Collections and sync them to the cloud. Again this just uploads smart previews and doesn't count towards your cloud storage. So you can have your whole catalogue synced up even on the 20GB plan in this way if you want to.
Click to expand...
+1 for using this method of combining Classic & cc for my Mac and iPad. It works for me.
 
for a full workflow, I didn't see that the newer version addressed that properly, maybe things have changed now.
However, for cycling through 3000 (often raw) files from an event, the desktop is my go-to,
 
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