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Archive 2014 · Why Use Lightroom?

  
 
nWmR12
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p.3 #1 · p.3 #1 · Why Use Lightroom?


I used it because it was faster than using bridge for PS. Really the only reason, since it integrates ACR right there without having to open it up. I do still prefer PS for all other types of editing, including color grading, and I love using layers. Although I must admit I probably didn't learn LR to its fullest.

Other than that I have for the most part stopped using it and have gone to C1 where the images render extremely quickly and go from there. Almost all of my new work get processed in there. I like the work flow and how I can customize the layout. Then again I am not in much of a hurry for getting things done.

Of course there are things that I miss from LR but none that make me want to use LR all the time.



Jan 24, 2014 at 12:43 AM
15Bit
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p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Why Use Lightroom?


For me LR is a compromise. I don't like the speed, though on my overclocked i5 it is fast enough. And i'm not completely sold on the default camera profiles and contrast curves (and even with a colorchecker profile i am often not that pleased). But i do like the interface and workflow, and keywording is now pretty much required to manage even my pathetic photo collection. LR also has the best ecosystem of plugins and presets - i have lots of presets to play with that i downloaded for free, and i use plugins to add frames on output, merge panoramas, do exposure blending and to manage my website. Perhaps most importantly, with LR i have almost no need to use photoshop or any other package in my workflow.

I also have C1 Pro7 (i've had C1 since v3.7). I have it because i prefer the output - the default colours are better and the contrast curve more to my liking. For images i just can't get right in LR, i go to C1. But the workflow is not so good, they are years behind with the databasing and keywording, and there is no ecosystem. I don't find it much faster than LR to use either, in part because of the interface. I also generally find that having converted in C1 i still need to perform a couple of further tweaks. It's getting there, but the C1 workflow still involves photoshop (or for me LR) as a final step.

Also, don't underestimate inertia. For me to leave LR would involve mass exporting and reorganising of images, keywords etc and learning a new way of doing things. I haven't the time or motivation. So i put up with the bits i don't like or workaround them via converting with C1 and importing to LR. And i sit here hoping that they will introduce OpenCL acceleration in the next release and not make it subscription only.



Jan 24, 2014 at 01:31 AM
Light_pilgrim
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p.3 #3 · p.3 #3 · Why Use Lightroom?


What do you think is better than LR and why you believe so?

Bifurcator wrote:
Ya know… It occurs to me… There's an awful lot of time and energy being spent on these forums in consideration of getting the most out of LR when the best solution or certainly the easiest answer seems to plainly be just ditching LR in favor of another app. It's not like there's a shortage of alternatives out there and LR scores extremely low if not the very worst among them. More than a few people in recent threads have proclaimed their need and dependency for/on fast post processing. So I'm confused as to why those guys or anyone really,
...Show more



Jan 24, 2014 at 01:45 AM
Lars Johnsson
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p.3 #4 · p.3 #4 · Why Use Lightroom?


It's easy to use and work with. It has a rather low price for what you get. Nearly everything is very good with the exception of the speed.


Jan 24, 2014 at 01:52 AM
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p.3 #5 · p.3 #5 · Why Use Lightroom?


Lars has hit on a good point there also - LR costs about the same as DXO Pro and half as much as C1 Pro, but offers more functionality. It is not something you hear people saying much about Adobe products, but LR really is exceptional value for money.


Jan 24, 2014 at 02:42 AM
Bifurcator
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p.3 #6 · p.3 #6 · Why Use Lightroom?


Bifurcator wrote:
Ya know… It occurs to me…
So, honest question…. If you're an LR user, why?

Light_pilgrim wrote:
What do you think is better than LR and why you believe so?


Me? Hmmm, Depends what I'm doing I guess. I like CaptureOne Pro, GraphicConverter, PhotoShop, Bridge, OS X, ACDSee Pro, and AfterShot Pro (ASP) but ASP needs some work yet. I come from a background of teaching extremely complex interfaces with enormously elaborate tool-sets like Maya, Houdini, 3DS Max, LightWave, XSI, and so on. So to me learning a new photo editor like DxO, LR, ASP, PhotoLine, Photo Mechanic, is total cake. Maybe 1 hour to know 90% of it and another 2 hours to have a complete knowledge of the total package (skimming the manuals helps a lot too! ). I like variety in software so when something is new and different I'm drawn in rather than driven off like so many others seem to be. Neat, something new, let's explore, how intelligent were the designers, do they fit my thinking - can my thinking fit them, and so on like that.

I'm a hobby shooter so I have no deadlines. Application speed to me in an excitement or a stimulant if you can follow that. But sluggishness is a downer and a depressant. The stimulations and depressions are of course momentary, fleeting, and shallow but those are the emotions I feel. I want something capable and accurate but also which delivers a sense of speed and horsepower.

I also edit on my internet browsing machines. I have a render-farm comprised of high-end Workstations but I only use them for rendering and almost never touch them for anything else or install other software packages on them. This causes me to be hyper aware of the efficiency of code. Right, on a high-end workstation the speed difference between LR and CP1 may be 2min vs. 1min (respectively) for a given task which are both tolerable, but on my 2006 8-core 2.67Ghz MacPro the same task is the difference between 6min. (too long) and 3min. (acceptable). Also the 2006 8-core it pretty close to the same speed as a machine the typical home user is likely to buy in 2013 / 2014 (not high-end but typically average) so this gives me a pretty good indication of what the average hobbyist is likely experiencing.

When I sit down to edit a set of photographs which are interesting to me either to print or to share on the web the first app I grab is typically PhotoShop. I use OS X to preview and sort (or locate) them (and once sorted I can create "Smart Folders" if this is something I do very often):


OS X (10.6.8 I think) CoverFlow view of RAW, PSD, and JPeg Images


Once I select a few I want to edit I double-click adjust in ACR first and then run them through a PS "Action" script. Creating these scripts is cake and a very elaborate one might take 2min. to create. Editing them once created is as easy as clicking on the item you wanna change or pressing the Rec. button to add more steps. I set up the scripts to be interactive so that it actually has a totally different result for each image I run through it.

Here is what my most used one looked like in Feb, 2013:






The images open in an oversized demosiaced state (so my 16mpx images open as 22mpx in 16bit Prophoto) and along the way in this particular script they're saved for both printing and web-sharing. At any point along the way I can pause the script by canceling one of the fade operations (which occur at every edit) and reenter the script where I left off by pressing play once again. This happens occasionally when I need to use layers or run a different plug-in, or whatever. The fade operations allow me to adjust the amount I apply each edit or modification - so really all I (typically) do is wait few seconds, adjust a fade slider, click OK, and repeat till the script ends. This saves boatloads of time over every other app I've used. And shooting with a GH2 these kinds of edits are almost always required. I suppose if I were shooting something like a D4/D3X or a 1Dx/1Dc then a lot fewer images would need to be manipulated or "processed" and I would have a different workflow but for GH2 shooting this is the way I find works best in the majority of cases - most of the time.

I dunno if that answers your question of what I like better and why I believe xxx is actually better or not but I guess it informs you of what my typical workflow looks like. As I mentioned earlier in this thread I think Cataloger Apps are redundant and a bit of a waste of time. The OS+FileSystem itself already IS a cataloger and one that's far more diverse, faster, and more capable than any application I've ever seen. IMO apps like Bridge, ACDSeePro, PhotoLine, Photo Mechanic, CaptureOne Pro and AfterShot Pro (when used without their cataloging options) are capitalizing on this advantage and are superior for that reason. In every case navigation and sorting is about double the speed (of LR) and in AfterShot's case it's closer to four times the speed. And all of those do essentially the same needed things such as: Highlight recovery, Click-able white balance, Exposure adjustments, Sharpening, Noise Reduction, HLS Range adjustments, B&W conversion, Savable presets, Search-sort-tagging-labeling-keywording, RAW + JPeg support, External Editor support, and so on. Some have unique tools and conventions as well making them more or less powerful and enjoyable. AfterShot Pro for example has Layers built in and they act very much like PS SmartObject layers where any layer action can be revisited later and the amount or type of edit can be modified dynamically. And so on…

I guess the deal with me is that:
    if I want a SlideShow then I want the best most powerful slideshow software - and that's not LR.
    If I want to browse and navigate my images then I want the best and fastest - and that's not LR.
    If I want a RAW converter (demosiacer) then I want the best one - and that's not LR (although LR is close).
    If I want to edit the conversions then I want the most powerful with snappy responsiveness - and that's not LR.
    If I wanna make a Book then I want the best most versatile book-maker soft - and that's not LR.
    If I want to catalog my images then I want the best cataloger - and that's not LR (although LR is fairly good).
    If I wanna create a webpage of images to share I want the best most customizable - and that's not LR.
    If I want printer output of my images I want something versatile and powerful - and that's not LR.

and so on. Now I didn't need to add the "and that's not LR" to each of those but it shows why I'm wondering why people choose LR and it might help explain my modular approach. What good are a collection of tools all in one app if most of the tools are mediocre at best? What have I got then, a collection of junk that doesn't do what I want and/or doesn't do it well enough slash fast enough to satisfy? <shrug>



Jan 24, 2014 at 04:06 AM
jimmy462
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p.3 #7 · p.3 #7 · Why Use Lightroom?


OntheRez wrote:
>snip<

Like you I so want Apple to decide that one of the ways they can help sell more of those very slick, very expensive new trashcans (the nMP) is to really fire Aperture up.

>snip<




With apologies to the OP for my going OT here...

Updates to Aperture, Final Cut & Logic will tap into horsepower of new Mac Pro:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/10/23/updates-to-aperture-final-cut-pro-will-tap-into-horsepower-of-new-mac-pro

...no mention of GPU Computing on the update, though. Rats.

Anyhoo, just lurking here on this one...mostly looking for answers to my daughter's questions about migrating her workflow over to DAM software re: Aperture vs. Lr vs. others on her 2013 MBP. She's stepping things up from her current iPhoto, Ps Elements, Instagram, etc. routines. Just trying to keep dad's Aperture/Apple biases on the sidelines. (Hey, I'm not "too old to learn a few things!")

Great conversation and info here, thanks for starting the topic Bifurcator!


Jimmy G



Jan 24, 2014 at 09:42 AM
ggreene
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p.3 #8 · p.3 #8 · Why Use Lightroom?


Lars Johnsson wrote:
It's easy to use and work with. It has a rather low price for what you get. Nearly everything is very good with the exception of the speed.


I notice the lack of speed the most in the library module so I cull large sets of photos in Breezebrowser Pro and then import into LR. I would agree though that LR is a great value for the dollar and is well supported by 3rd party plugins. It's not surprising that it is so popular.



Jan 24, 2014 at 10:00 AM
Lars Johnsson
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p.3 #9 · p.3 #9 · Why Use Lightroom?


ggreene wrote:
I notice the lack of speed the most in the library module so I cull large sets of photos in Breezebrowser Pro and then import into LR. I would agree though that LR is a great value for the dollar and is well supported by 3rd party plugins. It's not surprising that it is so popular.


I often do the same thing. I also have Breezebrowser Pro & Downloader Pro



Jan 24, 2014 at 11:14 PM
Lars Johnsson
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p.3 #10 · p.3 #10 · Why Use Lightroom?


Bifurcator wrote:
Me? Hmmm, Depends what I'm doing I guess. I like CaptureOne Pro, GraphicConverter, PhotoShop, Bridge, OS X, ACDSee Pro, and AfterShot Pro (ASP) but ASP needs some work yet. I come from a background of teaching extremely complex interfaces with enormously elaborate tool-sets like Maya, Houdini, 3DS Max, LightWave, XSI, and so on. So to me learning a new photo editor like DxO, LR, ASP, PhotoLine, Photo Mechanic, is total cake. Maybe 1 hour to know 90% of it and another 2 hours to have a complete knowledge of the total package (skimming the manuals helps a lot too! ).
...Show more

But how many software's do you know that can make all those things? And make it better than LR ? If comparing it should not be against 25 other software
The strong side with LR is that you can do all that stuff without using 25 different software.



Jan 24, 2014 at 11:17 PM
Bifurcator
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p.3 #11 · p.3 #11 · Why Use Lightroom?


Not quite 25, but I take your meaning. And that's just it see, I want to use 4 or five different packages. It's not any less convenient [at all !] unless you consider one double-click per work-session an inconvenience. I dunno, I can only think of a nasty metaphor right now so bare with me: It's like scattering gold nuggets around on my desktop and then handing me a bag of doggy dookies, suggesting I would like the turds better because they're all together in one bag. It doesn't take much consideration for me to realize that the gold nuggets are far more valuable and useful - even if I do have to reach across the desk occasionally.

But if you just have to have a single app that does all those things better than LR there's a couple out there. C1P does all that IIRC and there are a few others as well. Aperture comes close. And I believe ACDSee and PhotoLine are in the same ball-park as well. DxO started doing a lot of that too. There's more too but I haven't slept in 20 hours so I'm a little too dull right now to think of what has what.

Anyway I could understand using a set of inferior tools all in one interface if said app was being used on a smart-phone or if the person was brand new to computers and didn't know how to download and evaluate stuff. But someone who's been using a desktop for a year or more… why?

But maybe you're just having a go - playing the devil's advocate here - as you yourself are doing the same thing using " Breezebrowser Pro & Downloader Pro".




Jan 25, 2014 at 12:30 AM
Lars Johnsson
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p.3 #12 · p.3 #12 · Why Use Lightroom?


I use " Breezebrowser Pro & Downloader Pro" with my laptop when travelling in S.E. Asia. But when doing some serious PP at home on my PC. Then it's PS+LR for 99,9% of the PP.


Jan 25, 2014 at 01:14 AM
Bifurcator
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p.3 #13 · p.3 #13 · Why Use Lightroom?


Cool! Ya, I use PS/ACR and OS X for about 97% of my PP.




Jan 25, 2014 at 01:42 AM
ggreene
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p.3 #14 · p.3 #14 · Why Use Lightroom?


I love Breezebrowser Pro. It is the fastest RAW viewer IMO and I can cull photo sets in the 1000's fairly quickly with it. That said, if the LR Library Module had the same capability I'd much rather use that as LR is my main workflow for 95% of what I do.

Unless the additional software offers a significant upgrade over LR I don't really want it. I would rather have more "flow" and less "work".



Jan 25, 2014 at 08:03 AM
chez
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p.3 #15 · p.3 #15 · Why Use Lightroom?


Lars Johnsson wrote:
But how many software's do you know that can make all those things? And make it better than LR ? If comparing it should not be against 25 other software
The strong side with LR is that you can do all that stuff without using 25 different software.


Exactly right Lars. For me, it's all about the time to get from camera to print and I have not seen anything better at this than Lightroom and PS combination. If I have to switch between 25 different programs to get the job done...its a pain and definitely takes longer.



Jan 25, 2014 at 08:04 AM
Mirek Elsner
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p.3 #16 · p.3 #16 · Why Use Lightroom?


Bifurcator wrote:
I guess the deal with me is that:
    if I want a SlideShow then I want the best most powerful slideshow software - and that's not LR.
    If I want to browse and navigate my images then I want the best and fastest - and that's not LR.
    If I want a RAW converter (demosiacer) then I want the best one - and that's not LR (although LR is close).
    If I want to edit the conversions then I want the most powerful with snappy responsiveness - and that's not LR.
    If I wanna make a Book then I want

and so on.
...Show more

Right. But there's more. Cameras, lenses, filters, tripods, ballheads, printers, papers, calibrators, tablets, displays and their budget. If I spent my hobby money on PP software, I won't be printing on the best paper, for example. Everybody has to find their own equilibrium.

More importantly, there is our thinking; you said in your post (not quoted) that you find the slow speed depressive. Good reason to look elsewhere. I found using multiple apps and scripts (actions) too similar to what I do at work. Hobby is supposed to be a recuperation from work and wanted a workflow that is creative, enjoyable, intuitive, something like the darkroom used to be. Last think I want from post processing is another session in technical problem solving. Lightroom takes this part away quite well and I am willing to pay the price.


Jan 25, 2014 at 01:33 PM
ben egbert
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p.3 #17 · p.3 #17 · Why Use Lightroom?


ggreene wrote:
I love Breezebrowser Pro. It is the fastest RAW viewer IMO and I can cull photo sets in the 1000's fairly quickly with it. That said, if the LR Library Module had the same capability I'd much rather use that as LR is my main workflow for 95% of what I do.

Unless the additional software offers a significant upgrade over LR I don't really want it. I would rather have more "flow" and less "work".


I also use BB pro for browsing and uploader pro to upload and rename my images by date and file name. I don't classify images until they are saved in galleries or folders.

I have found that BB locks up sometimes in Win-7-64 and when I loaded it I got an incompatibility message. Still use it however I like how it remembers the last folder I sent something to..



Jan 25, 2014 at 02:57 PM
ggreene
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p.3 #18 · p.3 #18 · Why Use Lightroom?


The only thing I have noticed about BB Pro is that it occasionally leaves a process out there that eats up CPU. No hangs or locks but if my PC seems a little slow I'll check to see if I have any extra BBPro .exe's in task manager. I'm on Win7 64bit as well.


Jan 25, 2014 at 03:49 PM
Bifurcator
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p.3 #19 · p.3 #19 · Why Use Lightroom?


ggreene wrote:
I love Breezebrowser Pro. It is the fastest RAW viewer IMO and I can cull photo sets in the 1000's fairly quickly with it. That said, if the LR Library Module had the same capability I'd much rather use that as LR is my main workflow for 95% of what I do.

Unless the additional software offers a significant upgrade over LR I don't really want it. I would rather have more "flow" and less "work".


I think it's extremely significant myself. It's the difference between a pencil that's been sharpened till it's so small it's almost no longer usable and a full set of brand-new pens, pencils, pastels, and crayons in every shade imaginable. But anyone who has looked already knows this. And the saying is of course true that over-diversity usually makes the whole thing weak while a group of developers dedicated to making just one thing the best it can be is a delight! Well, just take what you already know with Breezebrowser and apply that to each module and LR feature. Adobe themselves is very aware of this and probably why they continue employing the individual teams which create the vast number of applications they sell - many of which do the same things the LR modules attempt to accomplish - only better.

With the possible exception of the actual (ACR) raw converter in LR every one of it's modules are extremely poor and lack-luster. No one who has looked into alternatives can deny this. For browsing sorting and tagging I guess you've already proven this to yourself with Breezebrowser. As an example of the slideshow module choose anyone of these and compare it against what LR offers - Guarantee that if you're not laughing, you'll be crying! And I use something better than all of those called SpeedEdit from NewTek (but it doesn't call itself a SlideShow creator). And I guess that Sony Vagus software would be similar? The bookmaker module thinggy, I dunno if very many of these exist but the one I used just makes LR look sad… very sad. And really if I wanna create a good photo book I step up from even that and use Quark Express - which I've used to make many manuals - some of which you may even own.





Bifurcator wrote:
I guess the deal with me is that:
if I want _____ then I want the best most powerful _____ software - and that's not LR.


Mirek Elsner wrote:
Right. But there's more. Cameras, lenses, filters, tripods, ballheads, printers, papers, calibrators, tablets, displays and their budget. If I spent my hobby money on PP software, I won't be printing on the best paper, for example. Everybody has to find their own equilibrium.


Unless you're homeless or on a super strict budget I can't really see this being true. We're talking a difference of only about $250 to $500 considering everything - and that'll last ya about 2 or 3 years before you need to upgrade the tools. And then when you do go to upgrade them you'll find about half of them are free to upgrade.

More importantly, there is our [my] thinking; you said in your post (not quoted) that you find the slow speed depressive. Good reason to look elsewhere. I found using multiple apps and scripts (actions) too similar to what I do at work. Hobby is supposed to be a recuperation from work and wanted a workflow that is creative, enjoyable, intuitive, something like the darkroom used to be. Last think I want from post processing is another session in technical problem solving. Lightroom takes this part away quite well and I am willing to pay the price.

Absolutely! This is want I wanted to know about when I started the thread - and still do. I only got off into my way of thinking when someone asked for it.




Jan 26, 2014 at 02:17 AM
ggreene
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p.3 #20 · p.3 #20 · Why Use Lightroom?


Bifurcator wrote:
With the possible exception of the actual (ACR) raw converter in LR every one of it's modules are extremely poor and lack-luster. No one who has looked into alternatives can deny this.


Probably why I have the view I do. I have LR to organize my archive and develop RAW photos (mostly batch). I rarely use any other module. In fact, I hardly ever use PS anymore but at $10/month it's nice of Adobe to toss it in with LR.



Jan 26, 2014 at 09:09 AM
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