tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

Currently and most of the time, I only need LR for its White-balance, Lighting functions and Raw-Jpeg conversion. Then I process the image much easier and faster with the plug-ins of Topaz (Adjust AI, Denoise AI, Sharpen AI, Clean, ReMask) and Lumina AI. Do you agree?

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

No, it is a function of what programs you use.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

No. I rarely use Lr for anything. All of my processing is done within Ps.
--Bob

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

Almost the same for me: I never use LR for anything.

BebuLamar

I think the main purpose of lightroom is cataloging which I hate so I don't use it.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

I use LR as a data base only. I do ALL my processing in PS. Nothing against LR, it's just because I know PS better and don't want to learn another program that does less than PS

tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

I don't use LR for Cataloging, because it will lose its tracking if the folder's name is altered. I use Faststone for keeping my stock, and include all my external programs.
Moreover, I find LR is very good at batch and Hightlights/Shadow processing.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Is Lightroom losing value for me? No and it gets more valuable every day.

Lirghtroom handles 95% of my processing and 100% of the cataloging. The rest is in Photoshop. If you learn the Adobe tools, you will have little need for other products. In the end, do the others really give you a product that you cannot get in LR/PS? The cataloging is great. I can find photos in under three seconds in LR out of 50,000 pictures.

I am sure the other products are good with friendlier user-interfaces. Want to make life easier in LR? Create your own presets. I rarely spend more than three minutes on a picture in LR and I do not need an extra DNG or TIFF to take up space and time.

Try it. Maybe you will like it.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

Yikes! No. Caveat: I'm not a Topaz user but my understanding is that Topaz returns a TIFF to LR and then you're left managing the TIFF as well as the raw file. How does Topaz save the work you did so you can return and re-edit if you want to make a change? Sounds like a workflow clog and kludge.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I am a minimalist when it comes to post processing. Although I have the entire Adobe photographic suite, everything I need or wish to do can be accomplished in LightRoom.

gsmith051 Loc: Fairfield Glade, TN

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I use Lightroom for 100% of my initial editing, as well as the catalog and for exporting to jpeg. It is the fastest way I know of to reduce a set of 1000 raw captures to something I could show to a client (really good proofs). From it I can launch just about any external processor with the confidence that it will be added to the catalog once I am done processing externally. I also use DXO, Capture One, and On1 Raw.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

A simple AMEN! 95% with LR and the other 5% with PS or Topaz set. Just watched a video to get the Orton effect with LR sans any layering and it's use of range masks. The more LR videos I watch the more I appreciate it's power. The one weak area in LR that drives me to PS is spot removal. Unless it is a trivial removal, I'm off to PS with content aware.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

My comments are not aimed at the addicted tunnel-visioned "Professional" who has been glued to LR and PS for years, rather it is for the UHH person who is even a very advanced "amateur."

I blow my nose on Kleenex which is actually generic tissue that we all call Kleenex, cover a nick on our finger with a Band-Aid a generic look-alike, and look at photos that have obviously been Photo-Shopped by, most probably, some other brand of photo edit program. Examples, low-cost Affinity, and open-source free ever-improving GIMP.
https://listoffreeware.com/free-open-source-photoshop-alternative-windows

Lightroom has likewise been replaced by raw editors perhaps generic Photoshop programs that do both LR and PS functions well.
https://windowsradar.com/lightroom-alternatives

The use of plugins, such as those by Topaz, makes life easy and with the addition of AI to the plugin world performs magic. When consulting with Adobe management, Bob Dylan sang his song, "Times Are A-Changin' " and told them to get out the doorway, the first (Adobe) will be last. While Adobe and Adobe users are reluctant to see the handwriting on the wall, cost and new better programs are the future. For sure, as the thread title suggests "Lightroom is losing value."

tenny52 Loc: San Francisco

Of course, if an image after LR and PS, further processing will only diminish its beauty, then it is done deal.
But I initially batch job my project with LR mainly for white-balance and lightings, I can always further enhance my photos with PS plus Topaz, Nik-collection and/or Luninar plug-ins which can do better, faster and easier job than PS.
So anyone think/do differently?