Lightroom Workflow. Can I Do It Like This?

I am trying to work out how Lightroom works, with regard to getting images from the camera to the computer, then the way in which you would involve Photoshop with the process.

My current workflow:

1) Plug camera into computer.
2) Open EOS Viewer Utility.
3) Open appropriate folder view to show RAW files on camera.
4) Select, drag and drop the RAW files from my camera onto my image folder on the computer to copy them from the camera to the computer.
5) View and adjust RAW files in EOS Viewer Utility, then convert to TIFF.
6)Open into Photoshop to process, save TIFFs and also save for web as JPG.

I can see that you have a lot more in the way of editing features in Lightroom, so that would replace some (but not all) of the processing tasks I currently do in Photoshop. If I do some of these tasks in Lightroom that I previously did in Photoshop, is the image affected in exactly the same way as it would have been in Photoshop, or will there be differences? If I wanted to, could I treat Lightroom as a viewer utility and simply convert to TIFF to work in Photoshop? If so, I think I would probably do that to start with, then involve more of Lightroom's capabilities when I get used to it.

So, I suppose the main question is would I be able to transfer my current workflow intact, across from my present set-up to Lightroom?

Thanks very much,

Mike

Take card from camera plug into computer card reader

open LR

Import from disk

Copy photos to new location and import (apply copyright data)


done

Thanks Dan. I'll give that a try. Does the card have to be in a card reader, or can I leave it in the camera and plug the camera in?

Mike

having the camera plugged in requires using the EOS utility, thereby adding steps, which is why I went with a card reader

.

Okay, thanks. I didn't know that.

Does removing the card and using a card reader cause any problems with the file numbering? I like to keep my file numbers ongoing.

Mike

Mike-DT6 wrote in post #4877169
If I do some of these tasks in Lightroom that I previously did in Photoshop, is the image affected in exactly the same way as it would have been in Photoshop, or will there be differences? If I wanted to, could I treat Lightroom as a viewer utility and simply convert to TIFF to work in Photoshop? If so, I think I would probably do that to start with, then involve more of Lightroom's capabilities when I get used to it.


Thanks very much,

Mike

Lightroom does what are called non-destructive "metadata edits." The edits you do inside LR do not touch your image files AT ALL unless you have it write back those edits as .xmp data. Even in that case, it does not touch your pixels.

Benefit of that is no duplicate files for the edits in LR... the changes are visibile in real time within LR but nowhere else. Also, you can hit "reset" at any time and instantly be back to how the image originally looked... without ever once touching the pixels or modifiying the original file. [To get a "hardcopy" version of your image to share with other, etc, you export it out.]

To do further edits OUTSIDE of LR, you can choose within LR to 'Edit in Photoshop.' It will THEN create a file containing your LR edits next to your original, and open it in PS. When you are done editing in PS (assuming you save to exact same name/location LR gave it) you will have two images in LR... your original, and the one you just finished fixing in PS.

I would reccommend doing your global edits that you can in LR; then go to PS only when you need to.

Mike-DT6 wrote in post #4877589
Okay, thanks. I didn't know that.

Does removing the card and using a card reader cause any problems with the file numbering? I like to keep my file numbers ongoing.

Mike

No problems with file numbers (or formats).

Same idea as sticking a CD with pics into the CD drive.

.

Thanks Dan. I'll definitely give that a try then. I'm just trying to migrate to Lightroom and not spoil my routine.

Mike