brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Great idea, Bill. Let us know your results.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Well, that's where I had been. It was quite the revelation to me how quickly it yields good basic adjustments. Give it a try and let us know.

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Bruce, you have opened a Pandora's box. I see two big issues here: the auto button and going to PS. I would like to share my experience with you. When Adobe upgraded the auto button a few months ago, it was a vast improvement over the previous version. I liked it at first but after a while I found it helped in much less than half the time. It was either way off in exposure or gave an unreal look to the shot. I now rarely use it.

Here is my development workflow. I start by adjusting exposure visually, applying +30 clarity and the medium contrast tonal range. Why the last two? Because I shoot raw with no adjustments and the shots are very flat and lifeless. The clarity and contrast bring the picture alive. Then I straighten, crop, adjust the other exposure sliders, make local adjustments, adjust the noise for high ISO pictures, vignette and then readjust the exposure as needed. If the picture needs something special, then I go into PS. I found, the hard way of course, that nailing the exposure is the best way of staying out of PS. I do about 90% of my editing in LR only. If I were interested in moving objects around or certain complicated effects, then I would spend more time in PS.

I have ranges for presets. For example, my clarity presets range from 0 to 60 in increments of 10. I have presets combine noise reduction, chromatic aberration and a lens profile. These do save a lot of time.

You mentioned you have many pictures from a family gathering. I go through the same thing but with basketball. The goal is to shoot your pictures well enough that you can stay in LR. PS is a time hog. Use only if you cannot find a way of doing it in LR. To be specific, you should explain in detail, possibly with pictures, why you think you have to use PS. Perhaps someone here can show you how you can do it in LR instead of PS.

Let me suggest one thing that is great for family shots. If you have any closeups of older people who are often self-conscious about skin lines, LR has a preset brush for softening them. Your subject will not even know you used it.

charlienow Loc: Hershey, PA

Yes, it is a great starting point....usually make a few tweak from there...sometimes use without tweaks...i use elements 19 and start by batch processing a bunch of photos with auto...it saves a lot of time...

lsimpkins Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Bruce, I'm with you. I have added Auto as part of my Import on each batch of raw files. I think it does a good enough job that I can more readily decide which images to cull out and which deserve additional tweaks in LR and/or PS. The latter are my Picks that may end up in a book or printed for the wall, while the former are just deleted. Prior to Adobe's improvement of the Auto function, I had to spend more time just in the culling stage.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I must admit, this revelation (of the AUTO button) came about as a result of my desire to spend more time in PS. I want to do that so I can learn it. A typical workflow for me right now is to start in LR, make any necessary crop, keywords, map and then hit the AUTO button. You're correct, in that, the AUTO button won't work every time, but it doesn't take long to tweak the AUTO adjustments, if need be. Then, I take the image to PS where I create a LEVELS layer to adjust the brightness, a CURVES layer to add contrast then a SATURATION layer to adjust color. From there, the image dictates what else I use, but it isn't uncommon to DODGE and BURN, each of which is on their own layer. I simply appreciate the range of adjustments that are available to me in PS, over those available in LR. I started with LR in version 3 and feel I became rather adept at using it, but it bothered me that I had PS sitting out there not being utilized. It still does, because after nearly a year of practice in PS, I still don't feel that I know it well enough. But, I do have a good starting base of knowledge that lets me venture out to try new things.

None of this should indicate that I don't use LR, for I do. When I work with my images, LR is the first app opened and it is from there that I work. And I use the sharpening tools in LR, for I believe them to be better, and some of the other LR tools (i.e. the graduated filters) just work easier than in PS.

I want to continue my quest of learning/using PS, simply for the knowledge/expertise I can gain about the tool. But, know that I appreciate your insight and your words of wisdom. You aren't wrong. It's just my different impetus involved. Thanks.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I think it does too, Charlie. Thanks for you viewpoint!

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

I'm quite surprised there are so many that do use the button. I ignored it for so many years. But, of course, it was just updated a few months ago, and it is much better. I believe your points to be spot on. Thanks for sharing!!

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Sounds like a solution in search of a problem. I suggest that you take a picture and adjust it in both LR and PS and time it. When done, ask yourself if the difference, if any, matters. I prefer the radial and linear gradient tools in LR but the shake reduction, by-pass sharpening, stamp and healing tools in PS. However, I do use LR's heading tool and adjustment brush but sometimes I need to go into PS for the better versions.

I need to get a lot of pictures out quickly than optional esoteric adjustments. No doubt PS is more powerful but for most of my work, LR does a great job. Plus, I have keywords. That being said, everyone needs to find the tools best suited for one's needs and skills.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

Well stated! Thank you.

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Agreed, I generally hit Auto first, then make adjustments from there. I can't say this for certain, but I think it actually adapted over time to my specific style, because I don't seem to have to tweak it as much now, as I did in the early days of LR. (maybe, I'm adapting to it?)

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

It may be the AUTO function shows us edits we ordinarily wouldn't make. I've perceived that, anyway. Thanks for sharing!