Lightroom vs Adobe Photoshop

pwm2 wrote in post #15923761
But don't you need something newer than CS2 to take advantage of the full dynamic range with 16-bit and 32-bit editing?

CS2 will happily edit your 16 bit files, although there have been some notable additions to the PS toolset in later versions, Content aware fill is one example, introduced I think in CS4. It has 32 bit capabilities for the HDR user. Actually for most photographers the pixel editing capablites of any CS version of Photoshop are going to be perfectly adequate. Most of what the later versions seems to bring is easier ways of achieving certain results, rather than totally new results. Also the fact is that if you want to remain in 16 bit for your round trip to PS from LR then you will probably be better off using CS2 than Elements 11, 16 bit is one of the things that PSE still pretty much limits.

Alan

LR5 Beta is available and good through June 30th, 2013. It has new features like PS, to edit out parts of an image. It will likely eliminate desire for PS/PSE for some. As inexpensive as it is, i'd hope it stats as a retail package for a few more years.

So let me ask. When you guys go to edit your photos. What is your actual workflow? What programs, in what order and what do you mainly do?

Audionut11 wrote in post #15923313
That may be the case. But there is quite a significant difference between, "it can't", and, "well actually it can, just not the same"!

Arguing Semantics won't change what are some core differences between the programs.
If Bridge and ACR could do everything LR does then Adobe would never have bothered with purchasing and developing LR.

Frodge wrote in post #15925319
So let me ask. When you guys go to edit your photos. What is your actual workflow? What programs, in what order and what do you mainly do?

I always start out in Lightroom 4. If I need more, I export to PSE 11. With the new brushes that will be available in Light Room 5, I will probably only use PSE 11 rarely.

Frodge wrote in post #15925319
So let me ask. When you guys go to edit your photos. What is your actual workflow? What programs, in what order and what do you mainly do?

I use lightroom to rename and import the files from my memory card.

Then I process the files in lightroom. When needed I roundtrip with photoshop.

I then export/publish the final work directly from lightroom.

dalto wrote in post #15925375
I use lightroom to rename and import the files from my memory card.

Then I process the files in lightroom. When needed I roundtrip with photoshop.

I then export/publish the final work directly from lightroom.

Like you, LR is sort of my base of operations. Things start out there and end up there.

Frodge wrote in post #15925319
So let me ask. When you guys go to edit your photos. What is your actual workflow? What programs, in what order and what do you mainly do?

check my previous post on the page before

Moppie wrote in post #15925337
Arguing Semantics won't change what are some core differences between the programs.

Not trying to argue, some factually correct statements on your part would be a bonus.
You clearly stated that Bridge/ACR couldn't do a number of things, which is incorrect.

Moppie wrote in post #15925337
If Bridge and ACR could do everything LR does then Adobe would never have bothered with purchasing and developing LR.

I didn't say everything, I've simply stated that Bridge/ACR can do a number of things that people such as yourself have stated it cannot (LR love fest).

Bridge/ACR are integrated into a $649 product.
They've taken the core functionality of RAW editing (without the power editing of PS) and integrated into a product priced accordingly.

Of course the functionality of LR is a little different, how else would they convince people to buy LR and PS.

Frodge wrote in post #15925319
So let me ask. When you guys go to edit your photos. What is your actual workflow? What programs, in what order and what do you mainly do?

I'd already got a folder structure of photos with some degree of organisation before I started using LR, so, I:

1. Copy the photos from the card into a suitably named new directory
2. Ask LR to import the files at their current location (i.e. just add them to the LR database), also adding any keywords that would be common to all, and sometimes generating 1:1 previews (takes a while)
3. Enter any keywords for specific groups of photos
4. Go through the photos, rejecting bad ones (lots ) and picking ones I like
5. Refine the picks to leave just the ones worth using
6. Use the Develop module to set colour temp, shadows, highlights, cropping etc.
7. Maybe do an "Edit in Photoshop" if I need to do more complex changes (cloning, patching, layers based work, panoramic stitching etc.). Once saved, that image in LR will now be a stack of the original RAW + an edited PSD
8. Use the Develop module to create print proofs if I'm going to print

I use the colour labels (with edited names) as I work, to highlight pics as "needs metadata", "needs edit", "done", "print proof" etc., so it's easy to filter for certain photos.

I don't tend to use the star rating (unless I want to highlight a 4 or 5 star shot I really like). As Scott Kelby notes; it's completely pointless to spend hours going through photos trying to decide if one is a 2 star or a 3 star. If it's not a "pick" you're not going to want to show it to anyone, so why spend your life rating photos you'll never use?

there is a core dif between Lr & Ps were Lr is for Photographe & Ps is for Designers

id b nut to use Ps to get Lr result & mainly how Ps is configure & its tool for photo edits are not at hand like Lr
but there also the issue of IF u have the cpu & Hdd for Ps as not every one has or want a 3-4 gig ( or 12gig for the Cs6 master edition) over the 780mb of Lr

id say its mainly do u have the hardware for it & will u take the long learning curve of gettin to know such a big prog & that is were small progs like Perfect Photo Suite 7 & Acdsee Pro comes along (also cheaper compared to Adobe products

80$ for Perfect Photo Suite 7
Lr 150$
Acdsee Pro 60$

So now I need to decide whether I want to invest in light room or the two programs you have recommended acdsee and perfect photo suite. Insure have learned a lot from this thread . So far in my uses, I hVe only fiddled with saturation contrast and things of that nature. I do admits that cs2 is a very big learning curve. There is so much there that not even sure what its all for, or what my workflow should be. I've read several guides on the Internet, and have my own workflow with cs2. But everything I've read recommends me that I need either light room or one of these other photo specific programs. I'm leaning towards Lightroom only because its what is mentioned the most. But of this photo suite or acdsee can do he same for less money, that is surely an option.

Audionut11 wrote in post #15925987
Bridge/ACR are integrated into a $649 product.
They've taken the core functionality of RAW editing (without the power editing of PS) and integrated into a product priced accordingly.

I would hardly call Bridge/ACR integrated into PS. More like a thrown in RAW converter, a very good one mind you, and a file manager replacement, with a few bells and whistles for imaging folks. There is though absolutely no integration.

I see that Bridge can do collections and smart collections, but as it seems that all of the images have to be in one folder it is not really very helpful, unless I want to stick all of my images in one folder that is. In LR I can have images from multiple folders, in either standard or smart collections. I also have the option of displaying all of the images that are in the library at once. Or if in a folder, all the images in any subfolders. Also although only just introduced with the latest Beta version, I can now work on images that are on removable drives, or unconnected network locations. In the older versions although I could not work on the images I could still see them when disconnected. Bridge cannot do that, and there is no getting around it at all. As well as the management and processing modules there is also the very good print module, much better IMO than the printing options available in PS, as well as the Slideshow and Web modules, which beat the tools available from within PS hands down for usability/customisatio​n.

LR is truly integrated into one logical whole, with a consistent interface and tools. I do not see Bridge opening a file directly to the Crop tool in ACR with a single key press, or to the PS printing tools. For the things photographers do with the most regularity LR has Bridge beat by a long margin. Finally with LR4 Adobe seem to have a product that for most photographers will do all the PP required for between 90 and 98% of their images. LR5 looks in improve on that ratio. Yes there are things that you need an external editor for, but fortunately Adobe do not force you to use only their editor, you can pick one to suit your needs.

As a user of the full CS3 suite, along with PS CS5 and LR4 Bridge is still very useful to me when dealing with file types not supported by LR. In situations where I have done the photography for a site, as well as the coding I will do all the image editing in LR/PS then once I have finished product ready I export the JPEG's to the hard drive that I use for those projects, when I then use Bridge to manage ALL of the files needed.

Alan

Frodge wrote in post #15920953
CS2

LR, or a good RAW converter like Capture ONE, or even Canon's DPP is a good thing to pair with CS2.

Frodge, I don't see any mention of what you are doing now other than using CS2.

Are you shooting jpegs or RAW files?

If RAW, what are you using to convert them? Still CS2?

For RAW shooters there seesm to be two different common workflows, as well as a 3rd less common one.

The Orginal: Use a RAW converter to do RAW manipulation, color correction, and out put a second File type like 16 bit tiff or jpeg. Then open in Photoshop for final work, sharpening, and maybe more precise Noise removal. For this method almost any RAW converter will suite your needs, including the Free DPP that comes with your camera.

The more common today: RAW Converters are much more powerful and have included a lot more tools in the past years, sop many don't use the final stage of photoshop at all. They just use the RAW converter. Here LR is the most popular with apparently the most image editing tools built in. Others like Capture One or Corels RAW converter are excellent options as well.

3rd option is to use Adobe ACR built into Photoshop. This all in one method is easy for some, but cumbersome when dealing with a lot of RAW files.

If you are shooting jpeg, you don;t need anything but PSCS2

I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you take some time to work with Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) before bothering to pay for Lightroom. It may serve your needs perfectly.

BigAl007 wrote in post #15926988
I see that Bridge can do collections and smart collections, but as it seems that all of the images have to be in one folder it is not really very helpful, unless I want to stick all of my images in one folder that is.

I can have images from multiple folders in a collection, not sure why you can't. I'm using Bridge CS6.