LR vs PS (LR=Light Room, PS=Photoshop)
Apr 6, 2022 21:41:33 #
John7199
Loc: Eastern Mass.
Hoggers
Right know I have both LR and PS. I don't know what versions. I am a little familiar with PS (very little), not so much with LR. Right now I do very little post processing but I hope to start going over some slides that need color work. Do you guys use both programs? I like the eraser tool in PS and the sky changer.
I was told LR is more for pictures while PS is more graphics oriented. Do I need both, LR and PS? Which one do I keep and why? Appreciate any feedback.
Thanks for your help.
John
Right know I have both LR and PS. I don't know what versions. I am a little familiar with PS (very little), not so much with LR. Right now I do very little post processing but I hope to start going over some slides that need color work. Do you guys use both programs? I like the eraser tool in PS and the sky changer.
I was told LR is more for pictures while PS is more graphics oriented. Do I need both, LR and PS? Which one do I keep and why? Appreciate any feedback.
Thanks for your help.
John
Apr 6, 2022 22:30:17 #
Sounds like you have quite a large learning curve in front of you. But you are doing the right thing by asking how to proceed at this point while older guys like me who have been into it since the beginning days of digital had to plod along by trial and error wasting a lot of time. But we got there.
I would say talk to an educator, get a mentor, take a class, sign up for instruction online, and go to seminars and workshops.
For myself, I was lucky to acquire and retain about 10-20% of new information per week and the rest of the time I was practicing it.
To help you get started, these are some of my initial thoughts about your original question.
The 3 most well known photo-editing programs among dozens of others are Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom. And being well known and popular is a good thing. Photoshop for example, is well known and used by professionals, hobbyists, and industry. Many tutorials from all over the world are given in Photoshop more than any other program by far and make up the most shown on YouTube for instance.
1. Photoshop: The industry standard for bringing out the best in your digital images and transforming them into anything you can imagine. The first and most powerful editing program in the world. Capabilities range from automated one-button operations to control over individual pixels. Comes bundled with Adobe Camera Raw and Adobe Bridge. Sold as a subscription.
2. Photoshop Elements: ‘Photoshop Lite’; it can do roughly 70% of what Photoshop can do, albeit in a basic consumer interface without as much individual control. Three modes to work in. Edit Full, Edit Quick, Edit Guided. A good choice for entry-level to intermediate hobbyists. Many serious Elements users eventually move up to full Photoshop. Under $100.00. Not sold as a subscription.
3. Lightroom: Used by many photographers who want to edit and catalog their images in mass but don’t want to manipulate them on the granular or pixel level. Includes a digital asset management function much more powerful than Photoshop’s Bridge, however, the raw editing module is nearly identical to its counterpart, Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop. Editing in both Lightroom and Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw is identical and powerful. Sold as a subscription.
I would say talk to an educator, get a mentor, take a class, sign up for instruction online, and go to seminars and workshops.
For myself, I was lucky to acquire and retain about 10-20% of new information per week and the rest of the time I was practicing it.
To help you get started, these are some of my initial thoughts about your original question.
The 3 most well known photo-editing programs among dozens of others are Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom. And being well known and popular is a good thing. Photoshop for example, is well known and used by professionals, hobbyists, and industry. Many tutorials from all over the world are given in Photoshop more than any other program by far and make up the most shown on YouTube for instance.
1. Photoshop: The industry standard for bringing out the best in your digital images and transforming them into anything you can imagine. The first and most powerful editing program in the world. Capabilities range from automated one-button operations to control over individual pixels. Comes bundled with Adobe Camera Raw and Adobe Bridge. Sold as a subscription.
2. Photoshop Elements: ‘Photoshop Lite’; it can do roughly 70% of what Photoshop can do, albeit in a basic consumer interface without as much individual control. Three modes to work in. Edit Full, Edit Quick, Edit Guided. A good choice for entry-level to intermediate hobbyists. Many serious Elements users eventually move up to full Photoshop. Under $100.00. Not sold as a subscription.
3. Lightroom: Used by many photographers who want to edit and catalog their images in mass but don’t want to manipulate them on the granular or pixel level. Includes a digital asset management function much more powerful than Photoshop’s Bridge, however, the raw editing module is nearly identical to its counterpart, Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop. Editing in both Lightroom and Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw is identical and powerful. Sold as a subscription.
Apr 7, 2022 06:15:16 #
Like Fotoartist I have been using Photoshop since it's very early days on the market. My wife works primarily in Lightroom and ventures over into Photoshop only when she needs editing tools that Lightroom doesn't offer. I rarely venture into Lightroom because I have everything I need in Photoshop. Like any tool, they come with a learning curve. You have to put the time into learning the programs if you really want to be satisfied with the results.
Apr 7, 2022 06:42:57 #
Focus on learning one well, recommend that initial focus is specific and exclusively on LR. The two tools overlap significantly, but their approach is about as different as you could imagine software being different from the same company. Personally, I only use my PSE software for graphics and complete all image (photo) editing in LR. As an example of PS/PSE power for image work (just one minor example), this recent post shows an example of PSE for modifying an image to 'invent' content to re-position an bird initially edited in LR.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-732864-1.html
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-732864-1.html
Apr 7, 2022 08:33:52 #
I've been using Photoshop since CS3 and find it to be the one truly indispensable editing program. I've never felt the need to use Lightroom and have a separate program for database management.
Apr 7, 2022 10:11:13 #
I do about 95% of my work in LR and the rest in PS. Though both share many similar tools (none is really identical), each has its own unique features. For me, the killer tool in LR is, yes, the catalog. That is the powerful database manager that allows you to fish out a few specific photos out of thousands in a second or two. Adobe has been added more PS-like tools to LR so you can stay in LR more.
I started working in the darkroom in 1959. I find the thought processes in LR to mimic those of the darkroom and the tools more photographer-friendly.
If I had a crystal ball, I know what I could recommend to John1799 but I do not. Nonetheless, I would recommend using the Adobe tutorials exclusively. Different tutorials have different paths. If you mix approaches, you will become very frustrated very quickly. However, once you understand LR, by all means, go to Youtube or other places on how to solve specific problems and learn other technics. Yes, LR has a long learning curve but the rewards are worth investing your time, patience and intellect.
Good luck John1799, post more questions here and keep us posted on your progress.
I started working in the darkroom in 1959. I find the thought processes in LR to mimic those of the darkroom and the tools more photographer-friendly.
If I had a crystal ball, I know what I could recommend to John1799 but I do not. Nonetheless, I would recommend using the Adobe tutorials exclusively. Different tutorials have different paths. If you mix approaches, you will become very frustrated very quickly. However, once you understand LR, by all means, go to Youtube or other places on how to solve specific problems and learn other technics. Yes, LR has a long learning curve but the rewards are worth investing your time, patience and intellect.
Good luck John1799, post more questions here and keep us posted on your progress.
Apr 7, 2022 14:50:36 #
Like many others I have been using Photoshop since release 2, and it has been and is my go to photo editor. I'd like to recommend PS to a newbie but I can't. It is too complex, with an incredibly steep learning curve. Lightroom is a little less so and in my opinion a good place to start if you are serious about post processing. Otherwise PSE may be the way to go. There are literally tons of free tutorials on You Tube for what ever program you decide to go with. Good luck in what ever choice you make
Apr 7, 2022 16:53:22 #
Apr 7, 2022 16:58:05 #
Within Adobe choices, it used to be Photoshop or nothing. Then it became Photoshop or Lightroom. Then it became Photoshop or Lightroom Classic or (cloud based) Lightroom CC.
Often missed and maybe over looked in this topic is what Adobe has really done in the past half dozen (or more?) years. They have connected their products into an interrelated system. For photographers, there is the low priced package of Photoshop, five (!) Lightrooms and a Portfolio display "website". All for $10 a month.
John7199 (the OP) asked, "Do I need both, LR and PS? Which one do I keep and why?" The answer is all of it. For any given photography project, there will be a way to get it done. Often there will be multiple ways within the system. Today it might be a DSLR portrait shoot of a teen with too many "blemishes". Tomorrow it might be a sunset panorama with detail in an exposure range beyond the camera's specks. Next week it might be smartphone shooting at a social event, perhaps with bad light.
Do you learn it? Never. It is too vast. You have to pick and choose skills and workflows that fit what you want to do. In fact, that might be the best part. There is always some new thing to learn.
So, John, keep both and if you are not on the subscription plan for the current interconnected system, do it.
Often missed and maybe over looked in this topic is what Adobe has really done in the past half dozen (or more?) years. They have connected their products into an interrelated system. For photographers, there is the low priced package of Photoshop, five (!) Lightrooms and a Portfolio display "website". All for $10 a month.
John7199 (the OP) asked, "Do I need both, LR and PS? Which one do I keep and why?" The answer is all of it. For any given photography project, there will be a way to get it done. Often there will be multiple ways within the system. Today it might be a DSLR portrait shoot of a teen with too many "blemishes". Tomorrow it might be a sunset panorama with detail in an exposure range beyond the camera's specks. Next week it might be smartphone shooting at a social event, perhaps with bad light.
Do you learn it? Never. It is too vast. You have to pick and choose skills and workflows that fit what you want to do. In fact, that might be the best part. There is always some new thing to learn.
So, John, keep both and if you are not on the subscription plan for the current interconnected system, do it.
Apr 10, 2022 20:45:11 #
Been using Adobe since around 2006 or 7. I use both programs. LrC does simple edits for me but the main reason I use it is for the catalog. Once my photopile got over 10K I found it tough to remember where to find a particular photo. LrC is my memory. PS does the heavy editing work and the two programs talk to each other.
Apr 10, 2022 21:28:52 #
John7199
Loc: Eastern Mass.
I have started using Photoshop. One problem I have is how to save the adjusted photo as a jpeg or anything that can be seen easily.
Apr 10, 2022 21:41:13 #
John7199 wrote:
I have started using Photoshop. One problem I have is how to save the adjusted photo as a jpeg or anything that can be seen easily.
Inside PS with your edited image as the active file, do File / Save-As and convert to a JPEG. Watch some "basics / getting-started" video training for tips.
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