{"id":842,"date":"2016-06-26T19:25:19","date_gmt":"2016-06-26T19:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/?p=842"},"modified":"2016-09-23T08:46:26","modified_gmt":"2016-09-23T08:46:26","slug":"photoshop-cs6-cc-photoshop-vs-lightroom-wrong-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/photoshop-cs6-cc-photoshop-vs-lightroom-wrong-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Photoshop versus Lightroom? Wrong question!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been asked a version of this photoshop versus lightroom<\/strong> question over and over:\u00a0\u201cFor working on my images, should I use Lightroom or Photoshop?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"photoshop
Image of boxers from creative commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To me, that’s the wrong question, perhaps not even a fair question. Photoshop and Lightroom are not designed to replace each other; they\u2019re designed to complement each other \u2013 they\u2019re two different programs, with two different purposes.<\/p>\n

So, what are the right questions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to enhance my images and get the absolute most out of my digital capture, which is the better program?\u201d <\/em>Answer: Photoshop <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to critically edit and manage my collection of images, which is the better program?\u201d <\/em>Answer: Lightroom <\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s another way of thinking about it…
\nPhotoshop is your \u201cDigital Darkroom\u201d
\nLightroom is your \u201cDigital Library\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let me explain, and to do so, let\u2019s first define each program, both products from Adobe.<\/p>\n

Photoshop Versus Lightroom – Definitions<\/h3>\n

What is Photoshop?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an image manipulation & enhancement software program \u2013 or for you propeller-heads out there, it\u2019s a \u201craster graphics editor\u201d. It\u2019s an industry standard for a reason: it\u2019s an incredibly powerful (and complex) program.<\/p>\n

What is Lightroom?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like this definition from Wikipedia – it\u2019s an image management application database which helps in viewing, editing, and managing digital photos. It\u2019s also powerful for what it\u2019s designed to do, but not near as complex as Photoshop.<\/p>\n

Is there \u201ccrossover\u201d in what each program can do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, and therein lies the confusion. For instance, the program \u201cBridge\u201d comes free with Photoshop and it\u2019s a very good \u201cfile browser\u201d; Lightroom has a \u201cDevelop\u201d and \u201cPrint\u201d module.<\/p>\n

But you should never confuse what you can do in Bridge with the organizational power of Lightroom, nor should you even remotely confuse the \u201cDevelop\u201d module to the full capabilities of image enhancement capable in Photoshop.<\/em><\/p>\n

With that in mind, you have 3 choices when choosing\u00a0photoshop versus lightroom<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my comments, I\u2019m going to focus (pun intended) on getting the absolute most out of your digital capture, which is my passion and area of expertise.<\/p>\n

1.) Use Lightroom Only: <\/strong>\u00a0The best \u201cDigital Library\u201d out there, but for critical digital output, I don\u2019t consider this the best choice. It\u2019s a fallacy that the \u201cDevelop\u201d module in Lightroom is \u201cjust as good\u201d as Photoshop – in fact, the \u201cDevelop\u201d module is exactly the same as the Adobe Camera RAW Plug-in in Photoshop, and no more. Photoshop is a \u201cNASCAR race car\u201d to Lightroom\u2019s \u201cpassenger car\u201d \u2013 no comparison!<\/p>\n

Another question I get asked: Should a newbie try Lightroom first to enhance their images, and then step up to Photoshop later?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless you need the power of Lightroom (Digital Library), I would recommend against it. If you want to start right and truly discover the power of digital capture, learn Photoshop first (Digital Darkroom). The learning curve is a bit higher than Lightroom (see below), but the results to your digital output are worth it.<\/p>\n

2.) Use Photoshop Only (with Bridge): <\/strong>\u00a0As a custom photographic printer for over 30 years, I\u2019ve seen what works and what doesn\u2019t, and Photoshop is the best – no serious pro would consider not using the best in any discipline. A downside: Photoshop can no doubt be a bit harder to learn than Lightroom, but as a photographer, you only need to use about 10 to 15% of this complex program, and you can pretty much ignore the rest if you want. Oh, and it\u2019s not nearly as complicated with the right instruction designed for photographers (Hint-hint: shameless plug below for my Photoshop CS6 \/CC book.)<\/p>\n

3.) Use both Lightroom and Photoshop: <\/strong>Now, I confess – I\u2019m not a Lightroom fan and don\u2019t use it, but I also don\u2019t photograph hundreds of images a week. If you do, then you may want to consider using Lightroom too. Keep in mind the added complications to your digital workflow, as well as having one more program to learn. If you don\u2019t need the power of Lightroom, why learn a second program? That I’ll leave up to you. You best know your workflow needs.<\/p>\n

My approach? <\/strong><\/p>\n

As I\u2019m big on keeping things simple (and don\u2019t make hundreds of images a week), I rely on Bridge as my file browser, and use Photoshop exclusively. Oh, and I don\u2019t run every image through Photoshop \u2013 only those that, after critical editing, I\u2019ve decided need a Master File. You can learn more about\u00a0Master Files at “Photoshop CS6 \/ CC: The Master File and Workflow<\/a>”<\/p>\n

My recommendation in\u00a0photoshop versus lightroom question? <\/strong><\/p>\n

If your goal is to get the absolute most out of your digital capture (for print in particular), you should include Photoshop in your arsenal. If you\u2019re a newbie, I\u2019d suggest that you start with Photoshop (Digital Darkroom), and use Bridge as your Digital Library. If Bridge is not getting the job done, step up to the better \u201cDigital Library\u201d \u2013 Lightroom.<\/p>\n

By the way, you can download both programs from Adobe\u2019s Creative Cloud for Photographers<\/strong>, for $10 a month \u2013 click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about the creative cloud here:Photoshop CC: Time to Get Your Head into the \u2018Cloud\u2019?<\/a><\/p>\n

by John Watts, Watts Digital Imaging
\nAll text & photos \/ screen shots: \u00a9 2014 John Watts, Watts Digital Imaging. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve been asked a version of this photoshop versus lightroom question over and over:\u00a0\u201cFor working on my images, should I use Lightroom or Photoshop?\u201d To me, that’s the wrong question, [read more]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[169],"yoast_head":"\nPhotoshop versus Lightroom? Wrong question! - Apogee Photo Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/photoshop-cs6-cc-photoshop-vs-lightroom-wrong-question\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Photoshop versus Lightroom? 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