Photoshop cs5 vs Lightroom 4

[JohnTrav]

Currently have photoshop cs 5 on my computer. I was wondering if there are any advantages to having Lightroom 4 also. I have heard a lot about Lightroom but was wondering what people had to say that used both programs personally. I just don't want to spend money I don't have to.

I'm just looking for the easiest program to use. I still have no clue what I am doing in photoshop. I haven't had time to use it as much as I want to.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[KmH]

CS 5's Camera Raw is ACR 6, which is also used by Lightroom 3's Develope module. So with CS 5 and Camera Raw you already have essentially the same editing capability Lightroom 3 has.
(ACR = Adobe Camera Raw)

Lightroom 4's Develope module uses ACR 7.

CS 5 can edit pixels, Lightroom can't edit pixels. Lightroom can only do a tiny fraction of the editing CS 5 can, but Lightroom was designed specifically for photographers that make a butt load of $$$ producing images they need to manage. In other words, Lightroom's primary function is image database management, not image editing.

You can't learn to use image editing software by osmosis. You have to do some learning.

Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC

 

[Derrel]

I have a LOT of respect for KmH's knowledge of many,many photography subjects. He is one of TPF's most-respected, most even-keeled members, in my opinion. He's a big-time Photoshop type guy. I OTOH, am a Photoshop minimalist. I am a slow,deliberate software upgrader, and realllllly hate to upgrade from one version of PS, or Nikon Capture, or computer Operating System. But honestly, I think KmH is barking up the WRONG TREE on this issue of Photoshop CS, any variant, versus Lightroom 4.1...

Lightroom 4.1 is a remarkable advancement in RAW processing capabilities. I myself JUST started using LR 3.6, which I got cheap, after 4.0 hit the streets. From a "photographer's point of view", the capabilities of Lightroom are, here comes that word again, remarkable. I have a shooting buddy, who is a member here on TPF, and another long-time friend who used to work for a major US daily newspaper as the HEAD pre-press photo prep and toning dude, for over 20 years...both of them have shown me, personally, at their screens, how LR absolutely kicks butt. My newspaper buddy is used to working with HUGE numbers of images coming in from multiple sources, and for also importing,keywording, and automatically uploading tagged, and keyworded, and captioned images to FTP and other servers, as well as uploading to web galleries to almost instantaneously fulfill CLIENT REQUESTS for images to review for purchase, based on search engine hits generated by clients...allowing him to sit down at Lightroom, and search for keyword matches, and then nearly instantly, have Lightroom locate images, and then help him format web galleries that are ready for automatic upload to various photo selling site, or toi his own server, for client perusal and purchase--within mere minutes. But LR is much more than a cataloging and web-published application.

In another vein...Lightroom 4 has a new type of INCREDIBLE highlight/shadow recovery that, as far as I know, is as-yet-unequalled by any other Adobe program. Here is an article entitled "tonal Adjustments in the Age of Lightroom 4" by Charles Cramer, published on the well-respected web site The Luminous Landscape.

Tonal Adjustments in the Age of Lightroom 4

I dunno..there are "some features" that PS does better...like cloning on portraits...CS is FAR better, IMHO, for REAL-WORLD PORTRAIT "spotting" and "dust removal". Still...using LR 3.6, I have personally been able to HUGELY INCREASE the speed and efficiency of "my" file handling and retouching and color-toning + effects applications. SO, with ONE MONTH of Lightroom experience and four real-world, 1-hour LR tutorials, I have been able to easily kick PS CS's a&& in file handling and prep time. Yeah...for pixel-level editing, CS is undoubtedly better,and for removing facial blemishes and moles, the "Way" the clone tool works in CS is vastly better for me...BUT, for enhancing real-world digital images by the 8-gigabyte-card-full??? LIGHTROOM, baby, Lightroom. In this new web-based imaging environment, LR has many advantages for the photographer who needs to "handle" images more so than "edit them at the pixel level".

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I can't live without LR4. Only 5-10% of my raw files go on to photoshop CS5 for further editing.

 

[pixmedic]

we have CS5 master-suite and lightroom 4.1, both get used depending on what needs to be done to a photo. Lightroom is fast, good at dealing with multiple files, and uploads right to smugmug. Great if you don't need to do any pixel editing. sometimes not editing pixels is good if you only want to make some minor adjustments.
Lightroom is NOT a replacement for Photoshop, its an accompaniment to it.

Lightroom 4.1 is AWESOME btw. :mrgreen:

 

[JohnTrav]

Thanks for the input everyone. Its very appreciated. I am going to research more and look at the links everyone has posted once I get some time. Any more input is greatly appreciated

 

[Majeed Badizadegan]

I told my wife if Lightroom was a girl, I'd marry her.

 

[HughGuessWho]

You have probably figured it out already, but I say LR4 without a doubt. ARC 6 vs ARC 7, no comparison. I seldom have a need for PS anymore.

 

[bhop]

I agree with KmH.. at least for me.

I can do image edits wayyyyyy faster with Photoshop, but then, I have nearly 20 years of experience using photoshop, while i've only used lightroom for about a year, so, as it is, I use LR mostly for batch editing and organization a lot of images at once.

 

[swanseamale47]

Lightroom has more or less the same tools you have in the camera raw part of photoshop, it's also got options for printing and web etc, it's designed to be used for image editing/catalogue. While it's very good at the basic editing, it lacks layers and proper selection tools, (there is an ajustment brush) Lr 4 does use the new process 2012 which is much better than the 2010 version you have in CS5.
Look at the two programs complimenting each other, LR for the bulk batch editing, and photoshop for the tricky stuff.

 

[ghache]

i couldn't live without both. my workflow use both. lightroom 4 is AMAZING but there is still some stuff it cant do, or can be done in photoshop alot faster.

 

[JohnTrav]

Thanks everyone. Seems like I am going to be investing in Lightroom sometime real soon. Then I can have both and just use what is best for what I am doing at the time.

Thanks for all the input.

 

[usayit]

I've slowly gone from a workflow that uses both photoshop (I have an old version) to almost exclusively using LR 2 and now LR 3.6. IMO, the workflow management capabilities are irreplaceable.

.. but...

I recently purchased complete set of Nik software and working that into my process. Only short time using it but I'm fairly impressed and intend on making use of all the plugins (with probably the exception of HDR). I passed up on the upgrade to LR 4 and put the money towards licenses Nik software which is on sale btw.

 

[charlie76]

I have a YES/NO quick question about Lightroom.

When you install Lightroom, does it detect Photoshop? Does it register with Adobe..and all that sort of data exchange? Or do they operate completely separately?
I am using CS2...and want Lightroom strictly for file management.

 

[usayit]

Does it register with Adobe..and all that sort of data exchange? Or do they operate completely separately?
I am using CS2...and want Lightroom strictly for file management.

Hmmmm.. ok... sorry but that sounds fishy. What does registration have to do with operating completely separately?.. and the concern over registration too.

But to answer your question.

Yes... Photoshop and Lightroom operate independently. You can set it up in lightroom to easily open a photo in photoshop as a convenience. The same for almost any plugin or thirdparty software.


PS> Installation LR will scan your entire computer for illegal Adobe products and report you to the local authorities....



.. Joking..


..

Well.. maybe... kinda.. joking..