Thinking of buying lightroom... a few questions....

anniephoto

anniephoto

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Annie
Edit My Images
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OK, so to date I have shot in JPEG and edited in Photoshop. I am now looking to shoot in RAW having read a lot about the benefits of doing this and because some clients want a certain amount of PP that can't be set in camera and my understanding is that RAW is the best way to edit without loosing the IQ that over editing in JPEG does (please correct me if I'm wrong!)

So I have also been reading a lot on hear about light room and am considering purchasing the full version (£232) but having just bought a load of new kit I am tightening the purse strings a little and want to make sure I'm doing the right thing!

I am currently on Mat Leave but was made redundant from my job of 12 years whilst pregnant and this has given me an opportunity to (slowly!) set up my photography business and I need efficient tools to manage my workflow effectively (I have a 4 month old and a 2 year old!!!) as time is precious and in short supply!

So will Lightroom be a worthwhile investment? Will it help?
 
Well I would download the free trial first to see how you get on. Personally it is the program I do about 95% of my editing in, only using Photoshop as a last resort. On the pc I can't think of any other program that offers so much for the price.
 
Before you splash out on Lightroom ( which I think is an excellent programme) can I suggest you try using the DPP programme that came free with your 7D. This will show you what you can achieve with RAW files as a simplistic level. ( Lightroom has a much more sophisticated develop module than DPP but DPP will show you what can be done.).

I would then have a look at several of the Lightroom tutorials on the web, look at the NAPP web site plus of course Adobe. Then if you think Lightroom is for you download the trial and see.

I'm suggesting this route as you only have a 30 day trial window, so finding time to fully evaluate Lightroom in that time may be difficult, especially with the distractions you currently have :)
 
shooting raw is more flexible, but if your time is limited, processing raw takes a great deal longer. if you are more or less happy with the jpeg output of your camera then maybe stick with what you are doing, and perhaps tweak what you've got in photoshop ,if not raw is the way to go.

i always shoot raw and i use the lightroom + photoshop workflow - it's pretty seamless and i can work efficiently and quickly, but takes a good few minutes to get from raw to what your camera would have outputted in jpg.

there is no question that the quality of the image is better and that you have more flexibility but it does come at a cost.

lightroom isn't just good at raw processing - it's great at cataloguing all your images so when you download the demo, be sure to check out that functionality too as whilst raw may take up more time the other features of lightroom may save you time.

i could personally never go back to jpg - the extra tonal range available in raw images means you can really push the histogram and get your images using the full dynamic range of the sensor, rescue clipped highlights and tweak the shades with absolute precision to get your own unique look.

but as i have said, all this control comes at a cost- and that's mainly your time.
 
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first off you will definitely notice the difference shooting RAW. There is so much more you can do to a file, but you also have to factor in the extra time it takes to process the images. Also if you are not used to editing in RAW then you might be shocked how poor the images look to begin with, but once processed they will look ten times better that jpegs from the camera.

I use lightroom 3 for 90% of my editing and its also worth noting that it has a great cataloguing feature, although you still have watch where the files are being put as sometimes its easy to get lost. Although this only happens if you want to edit outside of lightroom and photoshop.

As said above, watch some tutorials then download the trial, but honestly my work flow has become much more efficient using Lightroom.
 
If you have photoshop already, have you considered using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

I know Lightroom does have some extra adjustments over ACR but how many of these do you actually need to process files? As Guy Gowan says, 'you can have too many adjustments'!

ACR has all the fundementals and many many more and I use it to process all my work. Most of those files never even see Photoshop with the exception of the ones that I want to make 'specials'.
 
As Chris says above, You already have a RAW processor in ACR. If I were you I'd shoot some RAW files and have play with the editing functions there. If you shoot RAW+JPEG you can compare your efforts with the camera output and see if you think it's worth the extra effort. To be honest it shouldn't take you long to be significantly better than the camera!

Download the Lightroom trial once your familiar with the basics, and see if the extra functions, over and above what you've got in ACR, are worth the cost. Personally I use LR for about 99% of my workflow, and would be completely lost with the catalogue system.
 
cuthbert said:
shooting raw is more flexible, but if your time is limited, processing raw takes a great deal longer. if you are more or less happy with the jpeg output of your camera then maybe stick with what you are doing, and perhaps tweak what you've got in photoshop ,if not raw is the way to go.
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Editing RAW's in LR actually saves time!

I can shoot 600 images at a wedding and I can WB in batches. If I need to WB the speeches I simply select all the speeches images and pull the WB in the whole lot.

I also apply a preset on import so the bulk of my processing is done before I've even looked at a file.

The individual tweaks to exposure or the occasional crop are done in LR and takes about 10 sec.

I can do all the basic edits and have a slideshow done for a wedding in about 1 1/2 hours.

It's only if I want to do anything more artistic or blend in a different sky that I use Photoshop now.
 
As has already been said, try shooting raw anyway, when you open them in photoshop, ACR will deal with them and allow them to open.

I switched to LR from Bridge/ACR/CS3 for browsing/processing raw files back end of last year and it certainly has improved my work flow enormously.

To try and describe it based on what you know, imagine lumping bridge and ACR together and you get LR. They then stuck in a few extra processing bits, and improved cataloguing system and the ability to create web galleries, etc, all within the same console and it almost becomes self axplanatory why LR improves and minimises time spent in PP - with the caveat that you will need to allow yourself time to learn and understand it initially.

I also find the 3rd party plugins reduces work time even further, I can export straight from LR to my Zen galleries, Flickr, Facebook, and there are the same for photobucket, deviantart and most other well known photo sharing sites - as well as a multitude of image setting options that will be performed during the export if you want it to.
 
AliB said:
Editing RAW's in LR actually saves time!

I can shoot 600 images at a wedding and I can WB in batches. If I need to WB the speeches I simply select all the speeches images and pull the WB in the whole lot.

I also apply a preset on import so the bulk of my processing is done before I've even looked at a file.

The individual tweaks to exposure or the occasional crop are done in LR and takes about 10 sec.

I can do all the basic edits and have a slideshow done for a wedding in about 1 1/2 hours.

It's only if I want to do anything more artistic or blend in a different sky that I use Photoshop now.
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yep - exactly how we use lightroom. also, it is very good at tagging images, so if you are diciplined enough, in the future, you will be able to pull out of all your photographs (regardless of when shot) "ALL THE RED FLOWERS", OR "ALL THE CONFETTI SHOTS" etc
 
Wow, thanks for all the replies and the detail behind them, really really helpful! I have a shoot this evening so I was waiting for tomorrow to do the free trial to maximise how much I get out of the 30days!

I have been happy with the JPEGS out of camera but now the progression from serious sometimes profitable hobby to career makes me think I'd like the added security of the full image data of RAW!

Also think the improved work flow will help me in the long term and appeals to the OCD in me!!!!

Now who wants to watch my kids for a few days so I can follow up on all the advice given here LOL!
 
Annie, where are you located? It's not on your website and it may be helpful to sit down with another photographer and talk to them about what their workflow is and have them walk you through what they do.

Lightroom is a mighty tool that will seriously help you in your business once you get to grips with it. I wrote this tutorial, which is also a post on my blog. That may help.

I'm seriously considering expanding my business to encompas digital workflow consultancy. Everyone's busy teaching shooting techniques, and photoshop techniques, so maybe there's a market for my big workflow brain.... ;)
 
JasonRS said:
Annie, where are you located? It's not on your website and it may be helpful to sit down with another photographer and talk to them about what their workflow is and have them walk you through what they do.
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Not far from you! Southampton! I really think organisation is going to be key to my success (after taking decent pictures obviously!) as my time is sooooo limited at the moment!
 
Nice one Jason. :)

Actually I think there is a market for workflow analysis and teaching. Not everyone would need the same workflow but if you can analyse their needs and deliver training on that as a module then yes, I think there could be a market for it. :)
 
AliB said:
Nice one Jason. :)

Actually I think there is a market for workflow analysis and teaching. Not everyone would need the same workflow but if you can analyse their needs and deliver training on that as a module then yes, I think there could be a market for it. :)
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This what I need most form sitting in front of my screen. A workflow and catalogue preset :D.

I would love to go on a course to help with my organising in LR, it might be OK now but I doubt it.

Any chance of Alison of sticking your hat in the ring????
 
AliB said:
Nice one Jason. :)

Actually I think there is a market for workflow analysis and teaching. Not everyone would need the same workflow but if you can analyse their needs and deliver training on that as a module then yes, I think there could be a market for it. :)
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That's what I'm thinking of delivering. Getting away from the cookie cutter training and come at it from much more of a solution based approach that suits the particular photographer or studio.

Along with managing and editing the images there's all the stuff that gets overlooked when we start off too, like backup, archiving, calibration, colour spaces and all that jazz, which we slowly come to as we weave our way through this quagmire.

I'll be meeting up with Annie when she gets back from her holiday and we'll see what I can do to set her on her way :)
 
Jason, if you could merge that into a full tech consultancy (providing NAS and backup strategies and equipment for photographers), it could be a very good service, though obviously with limited and difficult to break into target market - a lot of the content on dpbestflow makes my head hurt, and I'm pretty technically literate and professionally experienced (though a lot of it also strikes me as being a /bit/ OTT as well).
 
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itsdavedotnet said:
though a lot of it also strikes me as being a /bit/ OTT as well.
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That's so true, and why it's not easy to just give a one size fits all solution. So many variables from budget, frequency of shooting, speed of turnaround required through whether it's a one man band or a team of shooters and digital techs.

I'm going to try and get some market research done to see how much opportunity there is.
 
I have to say that if I didn't have 12 years business background and the organisational and technical skills that I gained from that I'd have fallen flat on my face by now so I'm hoping Jason will be able to guide me into using the tools like lightroom to get my workflow in order and then I can draw on those old business skills to get things moving smoothly along! There is soooooooo much more to running a photography business than just photography!
 
Currently on day 3 of the 30 day lightroom trial and just have to say..... how did I EVER survive without it? It's brilliant... trying hard not to get carried away with it but I LOVE it!
 
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