lightroom

paigew · Jan 20, 2012

okay so what is the deal with lightroom. Right now I have my phots in iphoto and edit there. If I have a photo I really want to edit well I use ps cs5. So where does lightroom fit in? Why do I want/need it? Is it a storage program like iphoto? Or an editing program? Is LR3 the one to get? Is it an add on to ps? Sorry for the crazy amount of questions.

To add more info. Using ps is hard on my computer. It takes forever and its the only program I can run if its open (macbook). Is lightroom better in this sense?

2WheelPhoto · Jan 20, 2012

Lightroom 4 beta is out free for the time being. Google it, download it, watch some tutorials, and have fun.

Lightroom is my fun workhorse, maybe 10% of my pics make it past that software to CS5

2WheelPhoto · Jan 20, 2012

here you go: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 | photo management software beta - Adobe Labs

paigew · Jan 20, 2012

Thanks I had no idea there was a free trial version; Downloading now!

Dominantly · Jan 20, 2012

Yeah I spend the majority of time in LR, with the second most in the plug in Viveza, and the least in CS5.

If you can reasonably nail exposure, focus, and composition, then you really would never need to leave LR.

If I could only have one program it would be LR.

jwbryson1 · Jan 20, 2012

I love LR3. I'm reading this book by Scott Kelby currently which is a great addition to the software:

http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lig...0910/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327090342&sr=8-1

MLeeK · Jan 20, 2012

Lightroom is a cataloging and developing program. It's simple, easy and stream lined. With PS CS5 you have the same engine as LR has for developing in it's Adobe Camera Raw.
Open adobe bridge and navigate to a folder of your images. Right click on one and click open in camera raw. Then begin to play. It's MUCH easier to do the basic adjustments to a raw image or even a jpeg in LR or ACR. I do 95% or more of my work right there.
Download the trial of LR or Beta4 and play with it. It's an amazing program.
It's not for me, but it's all a personal preference kind of thing. I'd never deny it's worth every penny of it's price!

2WheelPhoto · Jan 20, 2012

Dominantly said:
Yeah I spend the majority of time in LR, with the second most in the plug in Viveza, and the least in CS5.

If you can reasonably nail exposure, focus, and composition, then you really would never need to leave LR.

If I could only have one program it would be LR.

Right on me too, but sometimes outside studio shots I go to CS5 to remove something from the pic or such. Or use the Portraiture plug-in in CS5....but rarely do I have a need to go past Lightroom

Big Mike · Jan 20, 2012

As mentioned, LR is (was developed to be) a cataloging and developing (workflow) program for photographers.

In other words, they took many of the things from LR, that photographers use most, combined it with some cataloging capabilities and put it into a streamlined package. As the versions have advanced, they have added more and more images editing tools.

But on a base level, it works much differently than Photoshop or most other programs. In LR, you don't open a file, work on it, then save it (like you probably do for most other programs). When you 'import' photos, it creates a database with the image's location and a preview of it. LR does not touch the image files while your working. Instead, it creates side-car files that record the changes/edits that you make. This is called parametric or non-destructive editing.
It's only when you 'export' that LR grabs the originals and applies the changes, then giving you the output files that you want.

Big Mike · Jan 20, 2012

I forgot to mention. If you are going to try the 30-day trial...put some effort into learning how to use it. It's not immediately intuitive for many people. So watch plenty of tutorials, read plenty of web sites and maybe a book or two.

paigew · Jan 20, 2012

Thanks! I just downloaded off the link above. Haven't opened it. I will definitly watch tutorials. But does this mean I won't use iphoto? I will import the pics directly into lightroom instead of importing them into iphoto and exporting them to lightroom to edit?

Dominantly · Jan 20, 2012

2WheelPhoto · Jan 20, 2012

If you learn Lightroom you'll forget how to spell iPhoto and the other inferior products =)

paigew · Jan 20, 2012

whoo hoo! I love it! I'll never use iphoto or ps again hehehe. Here is my first try at a lr edit. How did I do??

adjusted wb, exposure, skin smoothing brush, teeth (eye) whitening, some iris brush thing, and tried to 'clarify' the lashes

before

IMG_3054 by paige_w, on Flickr

after

IMG_3054.jpg by paige_w, on Flickr

IgsEMT · Jan 21, 2012

LR fan here as well.
Here's my workflow, even as we speak.
I import the job from the camera/card using ACDSee, for me its more effective then LR. Then the job goes into LR. Before the fun starts there, I look at if there are raw files, how many and what are they off: if something very VERY important, then the raw will be edited in Capture NX2 (I shoot Nikon) b/c I prefer its raw converter over adobe's. If the shot isn't important but I shot raw IN-CASE there would be an exposure issue or no time to correct it on the spot, then it'll be edited in LR.
crops, sharpness, NR, contrast, exposure, filters, etc - 99% are all via LR. if i need something specific (non-raw) then it goes to PS.