Lightroom 2 Issues

[Josh220]

I am using Lightroom 2 currently, but I have 2 issues with it. I used Aperture 2 before I used this, and there is a huge difference that bothers me. In Aperture, when you edit a photo, it puts the edited photo next to the original, whereas the Lightroom edit goes right over the original. You can toggle between before/after, but you no longer have access to the original unless you reset the whole image back to it's original settings.

Second, is it's saving/export settings. If I upload a picture from my desktop, but then later move it into a folder, Lightroom loses the image and you can no longer make any edits to it. Aperture is intelligent enough to follow the image no matter where it is saved or moved to.

Is there any way to fix these 2 problems? I was expecting Lightroom 2 to be a little more advanced, and pair with Photoshop CS4 better, but at this point it's downfalls are larger than it's benefits.

 

[Josh66]

Well, if you move it you have to tell it where you moved it to. It would be nice if it could find it on it's own, but it hasn't really been an issue for me - I don't move my RAWs around much, if at all. I move them to where they will stay before I import them.

If you want a copy of the original un-edited picture, you could make a virtual copy of it before doing your editing. As all of the edits are non-destructive, I don't really see the need to have an untouched copy. If I want to process it in two different ways, I'll make a virtual copy for that.

...I wouldn't exactly call these two issues downfalls. To each their own, I guess.


EDIT
If after you do your edits you realize that you want to try something else (while keeping what you have already), you could make a virtual copy then and revert that back to it's default settings.

 

[Big Mike]

whereas the Lightroom edit goes right over the original. You can toggle between before/after, but you no longer have access to the original unless you reset the whole image back to it's original settings.

You can always reset the edits in LR, which essentially gives you back your original image.
If you want a 'before & after' view, I'm sure you can set that up in LR.
Or are you saying that you want two image files?

Second, is it's saving/export settings. If I upload a picture from my desktop, but then later move it into a folder, Lightroom loses the image and you can no longer make any edits to it. Aperture is intelligent enough to follow the image no matter where it is saved or moved to.

I'm not sure if LR can follow a file like that but it's easy enough to re-associate the file...and in future, try to save images in their proper place before importing into LR, to avoid this.

and pair with Photoshop CS4 better

From what I've heard, it integrates quite well with CS4. Is there something that you are trying to do (in terms of LR to CS4) that you can't do?

 

[Josh66]

If you want a 'before & after' view, I'm sure you can set that up in LR.

Just push "Y".

 

[Josh220]

If you want a 'before & after' view, I'm sure you can set that up in LR.

Just push "Y".

Yup, or "\"

I tried the option for virtual copies, but I found it inconvenient. I'll have to try the virtual copy then setting that one back to original settings if I need to, rather than making a copy of every single image before I edit them.

Thanks

 

[Josh66]

I tried the option for virtual copies, but I found it inconvenient. I'll have to try the virtual copy then setting that one back to original settings if I need to, rather than making a copy of every single image before I edit them.

Thanks

Yeah, that's what I would do - only make copies of the ones you want to start over on. When you create the copy, it will have any edits the first one had, but it's easy enough to reset it.

 

[musicaleCA]

Just to hopefully add a bit of understanding to this: Aperture is made by Apple, which also makes the OS you're running it on. Apple integrates all of their software and hardware to an impressive (and sometimes amazing/startling degree), and that integration is why Aperture can follow files. I suspect the mechanics are similar (if not integrated with) to Spotlight. When the OS moves, edits, renames, deletes, or otherwise modifies a file, it can report those changes to certain root (admin) level processes that request that information. There's probably a process running all the time updating Aperture's catalogue with that information, or keeping the changes in a file somewhere and updating the catalogue when Aperture runs again.

So, could Lightroom do this? Maybe, if Adobe managed to finagle the OS into doing what they want it to, or if Apple was willing to tell Adobe how to do it, which is unlikely since their software is in direct competition.

What don't you like about the integration with Photoshop? I think it's fantastic, particularly selecting images in LR2 and just right-clicking to merge to HDR in PS.

 

[Josh66]

RE: Before & After view...

I wish there was a way to make the 'before' view have the 'correct' WB.

If you crop or straighten an image, both the before & after views have the new crop.

I always shoot in Daylight WB. I won't go into my reasons too much here (let's just say that's the way I like to do it).
Sometimes, I know this will be wrong, in those cases I take a WhiBal shot.
When I correct the white balance, the "before" picture still shows the old WB.

Not a major problem, but it is annoying...

 

[Josh220]

What don't you like about the integration with Photoshop? I think it's fantastic, particularly selecting images in LR2 and just right-clicking to merge to HDR in PS.

I don't use it with Photoshop yet. I meant that is one reason I am leaning more towards Lightroom. It's supposed to be better at working with Photoshop since they are made by the same company, I am just trying to fine tune the issues.