Photoshop vs Lightroom - Real World Users

Damian Brown

Damian Brown

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Damian Brown
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Hopefully not a misleading title..

Installed Lightroom, looks and feels impressive BUT I don´t think it´s going to improve my workflow and speed to be honest. Maybe it´s because I´m so used to doing what I need to do in CS2 that I´m much quicker on it but currently can´t see that changing with Lightroom.. no doubt it is possible but CS2 just feels more manageable and roomy for me.. no pun.

Question is... Will you be moving to Lightroom for your working practice or sticking to Photoshop? Either way.. why?
 
i downloaded the beta version of lightroom, but i prefer CS2, i have been using photoshop for over 10years so i suppose that makes my descision harder to change apps. Maybe the more you use it the better you will find it.
 
Will be using both - Lightroom for prepping images, and Photoshop for more image manipulation (when necessary). Think of Lightroom as the digital version of the film photographer's darkroom...
 
Keep the responses coming! I´m with markgray, been using PS for a while now with my work and am happy. Time is of the essence as well so don´t think I can be swapping between programs too often on a large shoot.
 
db247 said:
Keep the responses coming! I´m with markgray, been using PS for a while now with my work and am happy. Time is of the essence as well so don´t think I can be swapping between programs too often on a large shoot.
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Agreed - esp if you aint got a massive chunk of available Ram. You dont have to use a product because others are, but I can see advantages for me with it.
 
On the plus sides for Lightroom, it looks great.. it has a lot of functions right there ready for you.. works well with the wider screens.
 
I'm switching to Lightroom. I (pre)processed a few images in it yesterday, and I'm working on my workflow to get them in the right folders and catalogued/indexed/tagged easily.

Then into photoshop for final manipulation that Lightroom can't do.

I must say I was wary at first, but now I've sat down and tweaked it to suit me, I'm enjoying the software much much more.
 
I have spent the best part of a month of non shooting time reorganising and moving over to Lightroom my personal/fine art stuff from the last year or so (more then 10K images). I don't think I would have done this if I did not think it would be improving my workflow.

I can now find my images really quickly. Syncing dust removing across a whole shoot non-destructively? GOLD!
 
I've yet to see any software that process from RAW better than PS, or even as well in many cases. Lightroom (or it's applely counterpart) are a totally different workflow. If you want to browse, rate, add keywords, manage/file, do some light processing and output for clients in the shortest possible time, then they really come into their own.

If you want to sit down and extract the max from a single or small number of images, PS all the way.
 
AdWright said:
The workflow is different, but is the RAW convertor in Lr not the same as Ps, ie Adobe Camera Raw?
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Probably. I meant more the total control within one workspace.

i.e. the ability to take a raw file, apply a conversion and then have complete freedom with each pixel, coupled with layers, filters, masks etc.etc.
 
Read your thread mate. Like the thing about the spot healing across a number of images. Very handy if your camera is getting old and grumpy like mine!
 
At work now, so cant check for certain, but i think you can change the plate (at top left of screen) for your own name/image and use that to overlay a watermark-type thing (- not very tech description, sorry!)
 
Youre right...you can!
 
total ps phobe and keep saying i will take a night class to get over this. have cs2 and hate it (my ignorance more than anyhting else) but downloaded lightroom last night and loved it. will be using both when i learn how to get to grips with cs2.
pbh
 
tried to get on with LR but found it impossibly slow to use, maybe its me thats the dinosaur, but i really didnt find it intuitive at all and the total change to my workflow actualy made it slower and more cumbersome than what i do now.
 
IanC_UK said:
tried to get on with LR but found it impossibly slow to use, maybe its me thats the dinosaur, but i really didnt find it intuitive at all and the total change to my workflow actualy made it slower and more cumbersome than what i do now.
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I agree. Lightroom with all it's fade transitions and the light out preview looks great but is all this needed to get your pics dealt with. I do like it but only as an alternative to bridge and acr.

For me that all the fancy bits will probably be unused and LR will just be a way of getting images in to Ps.

I don't mean to be negative, but Lr has features aimed at competing with aperture, rather than being a straight forward "get the job done" pro tool.
 
Having read lots of threads here about lightroom, I've decided it's not for me, yet. I'm happy with PS2 and will stick with it for the time being. It's a lot of money to shell out for something I'm not sure I need....I'd rather spend the dosh on a new lens (or two)!
 
photostar_1 said:
Having read lots of threads here about lightroom, I've decided it's not for me, yet. I'm happy with PS2 and will stick with it for the time being. It's a lot of money to shell out for something I'm not sure I need....I'd rather spend the dosh on a new lens (or two)!
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Very sensible attitude, the truth is you can have PS without Lightroom but not the other way round.

I have the 30 day but that's it for me.
 
IMHO i think Lightroom sucks, just not usable in the same easy way that CS2 and now CS3 is, I can use CS3 stock photos to browse the folders and info of my pics and edit in PS CS3. Lightroom just seems to be very "fancy" just for the hell of it, and seems so slow! plus the editing of pics is poor compared to CS3
 
Capture NX then CS2 for me. Get most things done in Nx apart from cloning and it seems to produce the best IQ of all the raw developers for me.
 
I love Lightroom. Ive been a Photoshop user for over 10 years, but it must have only taken me half an hour to get used to Lightroom. I now tend to use both side by side, both for different things. My workflow usually goes like;



1.Insert memory card into cardreader.
2.Lightroom automatically loads up and detects that ive got pictures to import.
3.I click import, and Lightroom sets up the folder structure by date and transfers all my pics.
4.I quickly go though all the pictures and delete all the ones out of focus or with no potential at all.
5. I then select all the remaining images and rate them all with 1 star.
6.Then I start editing and tweaking the images for saturation etc. At this point, some more may be deleted if they show no potential. Meh! Ones are left with 1 star, average ones are given 2 stars, good ones 3 and very good ones 4. 5 stars is reserved for what I consider exhibition standard ones(Not many of them yet;) )
7. I then work my way up through the ratings, giving more and more time to tweaking to the good ones.
8. Once im happy the tweaking/cropping etc, I export the 4 and 5 stars to another folder, and lightroom automatically opens them in Photoshop for me. I then run a Photoshop action to add a border, and occasionally do a bit more tweaking(cloning spots/dust etc out and general level and curve tweaking)
9. These are then uploaded to my Deviantart page.


Thats the workflow that happens for 95% of them. Some require a bit more work, so i might jump in and out of photoshop more often. I find I this all gives me very fluid workflow that allows me to go through 300-500 photos in about an hour or two. I havent been using Lightroom for very long, but im already a big fan of it.:)
 
Interesting.

I have PS 7, just downloaded Lightroom trial version. Not used it yet though. I have ordered 2gb of ram so waiting for that to come in first.

Got 1gb of ram at the moment but slow when browsing through lots of photos. I have Vista home premium.

Not used PS that much get the impressions from Lightroom vid that it's easier to sort photos more than in PS. Also V 7 of photoshop is old now.

Also someone said LR is better with widescreens. Will see, I use a 26" widscreen LCD tv on my pc.
 
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