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I'm confused about LR's place in workflow.

tom in mpls

Active member
If ACR is contained as part of Photoshop, then why use LR? Isn't that the same as ACR? I do normally shoot RAW.

I use C1 and PS5, using rather basic processing techniques to be completely forthcoming.

Is there an advantage to using LR? Can I use it as my complete RAW processor, post processor, and printing platform?

What is the best guide to the use of LR4? I have been looking at these at Amazon:

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers

Lightroom 4: Streamlining Your Digital Photography Process by Nat Coalson

Opinions or better recommendations?
 

darr

Well-known member
Tom,

You can use LR as your RAW processor, for post-processing, shooting tethered (certain cameras), and "especially" for printing. Their printing module IMO is the best. You can also seamlessly work between LR and PS, meaning you hit 'crtl e' (win) and your file goes directly into PS (as a copy or original with or without prior LR adjustments--your choice). When you are done working in PS, click save and it goes back into LR as an edited copy or original, again your choice.

I prefer any PS or LR book by Martin Evening:
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

Amazon.com: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers, The (9780321819598): Martin Evening: Books

I never got the hang of C1, and at the time LR came out, I was looking for a DAM program. So I went with LR and PS and for me, it is my workflow. I do use C1 for shooting tethered with my P45.

Darr
 

Wayne Fox

Workshop Member
Lightrooms place is the workflow. Basically it's strength is full workflow management. PS is relegated to tasks that require bitmap manipulation, and as long as you open from LR into photoshop and then just hit save in Photoshop (not save as), LR automatically is aware of the new file. In fact you might find that after doing some stuff in LR, some tweaking in PS, you may do some additional adjustments on the tiff file in LR, before printing which as mentioned is fantastic in LR ... far better than trying to print in PS. LR does a great job with local adjustments on tiff files.

Personally I think Luminous Landscape videos are good, somewhat entertaining to watch, pretty thorough and they have one on LR 4. Jeff Schewe is certainly one of the foremost experts, he does most of the teaching in those.

Adobe has a ton of free videos about LR and Julianne Kost to me is probably the best presenter/video tutorial person I've ever watched. Check out her stuff on AdobeTV.
 

ustein

Contributing Editor
>Lightrooms place is the workflow.

Yes. Lightroom is a photo organizer. Any organizer that cannot do top raw processing is problematic. Credit goes to Aperture to create the first organizer with tight integrated raw processor. Today I find Lightroom more flexible and open.

Till about some weeks ago I used any raw converter (also LR, C1, ...) just to prepare my images for final tuning in Photoshop. Now I try to to as much as ever possible in LR and leave only things to Photoshop that cannot be done in LR (q=still quite a few).
 
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