Should I purchase Lightroom?

[Nessy024]

Ive been trying to research what is so special about Lightroom with little results. Is it a program i can upload all my photos, fix 1 to a certain exposure i like, and the rest will copy that same edit? Also Im a nightclub photographer and would like to upload my photos and put 1 logo on all of them with a click of a button. Is this the kind of program Lightroom is? Thanks to anyone who can help

 

[2WheelPhoto]

It will do that and a whole lot more: digital photography editing software | Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3

 

[Josh66]

You know, there is a 30 day free trial... Try it out and see what you think.

 

[Kerbouchard]

You know, there is a 30 day free trial... Try it out and see what you think.

Yep, just what I was going to say. Adobe is great about making sure you know what you are getting before you make a purchase. The only restriction on the free trial is that it expires after 30 days. Everything else is fully unlocked, including saving. Integrate it into your workflow, and after 30 days, you will be the best one suited to make that decision.

For me, it wasn't something I found worthwhile. I'm fine with Adobe Bridge and CS5.

 

[tevo]

Lightroom and Photoshop will get you a LONGG way. Throw in photomatix if you do HDR photography.

And, if you are a Facebook Fauxtographer you could just use PhotoBooth if you own a mac...

 

[KmH]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3's Develope module, and Adobe Photoshop CS5's camera Raw are the same parametric edit rendering engine - ACR 6 (Adobe Camera Raw 6). ACR 6 is a Raw image data file converter.

Adobe designed Lightroom to be a compliment to CS5, because Lightroom's main use is for management of a large image database, not image editing.

Lightroom is in fact an incomplete image editing solution, because it cannot edit pixels. Most do as much image editing as they can in ACR 6 (Camera Raw/Lightroom), then by necessity finish the image in CS5.

In short, unless you consistantly make a lot of images (on the order of 1000+ per week) you don't need Lightroom's main function, image database management.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Lightroom and Photoshop will get you a LONGG way. Throw in photomatix if you do HDR photography.

And, if you are a Facebook Fauxtographer you could just use PhotoBooth if you own a mac...

^^^^^a marriage made in heaven indeed!


No need to go into how eloquently file handling becomes. Lightroom3 also:

* has web publishing tools that make creating extremely custom html/flash portfolio gallery presentations a simple snap. and it automatically publishes/FTP to your site (web module)

* makes it SIMPLE to create custom print layout packages for customers or yourself. or use Lightrooms array of preset print packages (print module)

* automatically custom and/or auto uploads to all your social media at at once

*creates custom video slideshows for your customers with audio or music options

* edit, manage, and showcase all your images with this one program

* handles the whole post-shoot workflow. import, choose, edit your raw files in Lightroom, export to photoshop and do your thing, photoshop on the "saves" sends the pic back to lightroom for a side by side before and after. or should i say "original and photochopped and ready" now live side by side in lightroom and ready for print, web upload, social media upload, distribution, and everything else lightroom will do with your finalized picture product.

* it will create custom and embed (or your existing) watermarks, if you're into that type thing

Did i suggest download the free 30 day lightroom3 trial??? Many would be hooked and never look back. And the student version of this awesome program costs peanuts, as a nooB student I'm loving it paired with photoshop. I enjoy hearing some talk about lightroom as a "cataloging gig" or "image management software"

 

[KmH]

Few seem to know that Bridge also:

* has web publishing tools that make creating extremely custom html/flash portfolio gallery presentations a simple snap. and it automatically publishes/FTP to your site (web module)

* makes it SIMPLE to create custom print layout packages for customers or yourself. or use Lightrooms array of preset print packages (print module)

* automatically custom and/or auto uploads to all your social media at at once

*creates custom video slideshows for your customers with audio or music options

* edit, manage, and showcase all your images with this one program

* handles the whole post-shoot workflow. import, choose, edit your raw files in ACR, export to photoshop and do your thing, or should i say "original and photochopped and ready" now live side by side in lightroom and ready for print, web upload, social media upload, distribution, and everything else lightroom will do with your finalized picture product.

* it will create custom and embed (or your existing) watermarks, if you're into that type thing

 

[2WheelPhoto]

KmH, take one example of above, such as web galleries/thumbnails, templates and open Bridge, you'll quickly see Bridge is a packaged freebie deal and Lightroom is the bomb-diggity. This is the second time right now I've opened Bridge to do just that.

I'll never open it again with Lightroom on this machine.

 

[paulanton]

I can say that the workflow is more intuitive and less confusing- much easier to use. while CS5 is more capable, I find that light room handles 90% of the post processing I need to do.