Digital Photo Pro or LR3

I got LR3 for christmas but I still find myself using Canon's Digital Photo Pro software more than LR. For some reason I feel like because the canon software is specifically made for Canon cameras it should produce better results. All I really do is adjust color temp, sharpness, and trim the images. Would LR3 be just as good for this purpose and are there other things I should be exploring in LR3 for better photos?

Like many other products out there Lightroom serves more as a workflow solution. In addition to its RAW conversion capabilities I personally see the power of Lightroom in its cataloging of images. If one takes the time to properly keyword your images it is a snap to find something even two years later. I personally did not upgrade to version 3 as I feel that I get better conversions from C1Pro and there is no shortage of cataloging software that I feel is as good as what Adobe offers.

It is really a personal choice and if you feel comfortable with DPP and can manage your folders so that you can find your shots then do it that way. There will be lots of opinions and the overwhelming will be to use LR and I think you should try it since you have it but again, do what you are comfortable with.

I think I'll watch some YouTube tutorials on LR. I wasn't interested in it to begin with. A family member knew i just got interested in photog and bought it for me on a whim. Lucky me

I normally used DPP.
I just started using LR3 a couple weeks ago.
I am still in the early learning stages (reading a book and lots of tutorials), but I see myself migrating away from DPP and using strictly LR3.
I find LR3 to be a much more powerful tool over DPP.

When working with RAW files there is no "right" result and even the determination of "better" can be individual and subjective. The photographer whose only editing is to "adjust color temp, sharpness, and trim the images," may not have the same demands and expectations from a program as one who does more editing. I love editing and (being retired) have the time to indulge myself. Two years ago I migrated to LR2 from DPP because I frequently went to a second editor after DPP and LR offered the tools to stay in one program most of the time, although I thought neither program, within the parameters of what DPP does do, was clearly better, only different. However, with the appearance of LR3 last year I became convinced that, for me at least, LR even at the most basic levels, without considering the additional tools, provides the images I want.

lr so far better in noise reduction then other software...at high iso default lr is nr one!!

I switched from DPP to LR3 when it first came out. I had no experience with the first two versions. After learning the workflow of Lightroom I haven't opened DPP in months.

d.

I used DPP for a while now and recently switched to Lightroom. I decided on learning how to use Lightroom via Lynda.com ($25 a month unlimited tutorials). Lightroom is superior in every way once you understand how to use the tool. Just the library function alone is worth the price of admission but the develop tool is superior though not the end of the processing chain. Lightroom interfaces CS5 flawlessly and is designed to be the front end to image management. Lightroom is an amazing tool for the photographer. DPP is a tool for the image.

Lightroom has been my "workflow central" for some time, but at the same I find DPP to be quite useful and actually fun as a quick "in and out" app.

But, yeah, if you take the time to learn LR, you will likely find yourself doing most of what you need with it and not having to resort to other apps unless you need the tools in an app like Photoshop.

ssim wrote in post #11662637
If one takes the time to properly keyword your images it is a snap to find something even two years later.

You remember a key word two years later or is there an app for that?

R1200GS wrote in post #11668367
You remember a key word two years later or is there an app for that?

Lightroom enables you to use keyword hierarchies so you can set up a structure of categories (like "people", "places", "events", etc) and subcategories and such so it's pretty easy to just browse to whatever you are looking for. There is also a sophisticated search utility so you can look for combinations of keywords and such.

tonylong wrote in post #11669706
Lightroom enables you to use keyword hierarchies so you can set up a structure of categories (like "people", "places", "events", etc) and subcategories and such so it's pretty easy to just browse to whatever you are looking for. There is also a sophisticated search utility so you can look for combinations of keywords and such.

Gotcha. Sounds good. I don't have any need for LR, I just don't have such a big library and I don't do any work for hire so I don't need its cataloging capabiliteis. Also I really like working in layers which I'm pretty sure LR doesn't do. But LR seems to be very popular with a lot people. PS works for me. Different strokes.

R1200GS wrote in post #11671430
Gotcha. Sounds good. I don't have any need for LR, I just don't have such a big library and I don't do any work for hire so I don't need its cataloging capabiliteis. Also I really like working in layers which I'm pretty sure LR doesn't do. But LR seems to be very popular with a lot people. PS works for me. Different strokes.

Get the 30 day trial and see if you may not want to integrate it into your work flow. Both LR and CS work very well together. LR is designed for photographers, and CS was designed for much more than just photographers.

pbelarge wrote in post #11671444
Get the 30 day trial and see if you may not want to integrate it into your work flow. Both LR and CS work very well together. LR is designed for photographers, and CS was designed for much more than just photographers.

I have LR3 here at work as well as CS5. We use CS5 for the captures we do with the Sinar and LR3 for the stuff we do with DSLR's and since I don't do any work with the DSLR I haven't needed LR3. That's why I'm not familier with it. I guess it's just a learning curve thing. I'd like to just drag a file to the LR icon in the dock. When I do that I get an import dialog box that asks me if I want to convert to a DNG. It's already a TIF. No, I don't want to convert to a DNG, just open it. I guess I just don't think like a cataloger. The whole "import" thing confuses me. I drag the same file to the CS5 icon and bam, it opens it. Besides like I said I really like working in layers. I'm not knocking LR. It seems to be a great tool lots of people like. Photoshop just work for me.

Photoshop through Bridge handles keywords just like Lightroom does. But of course the OP was asking about LR vs DPP, which is a completely different discussion.