using lightroom and photoshop together

<p>I've been using photoshop for about 10 years and have been very happy with the software. Is there any advantage to purchasing lightroom and using it along with photoshop for image compositing and general usage)?<br>

Thanks....David</p>

<p>You'll find it a lot faster and more organized. You'll also find yourself dropping into PS a lot less once you're comfy w/ LR.</p>

<p>Download the trial and road test it!</p>

<p>I loved it from the first minute with LR! I use LR for the cataloging and organization features, and for 95% of my "developing" work. Only when I need bit-level editing or masking or complex effects do I drop into PS. And using the "Edit in PS" command makes sure LR knows about the new version.</p>

<p><Chas><br /><br /></p>

<p>Lightroom (and if you are on a Mac I might suggest Aperture) is a <em>different</em> tool than Photoshop. LR is your workflow tool that provides an array of editing features. As example:</p>

<ul>

<li>how do you import your images now? LR can import your images.</li>

<li>how do you back up your images? LR will back up your images.</li>

<li>do you sort, rate, stack, add metadata, arrange images, etc? LR will do all of that for you. And when you back up the catalog using LR, all of this is backed up as well.</li>

<li>you can do a lot of general editing: raw conversion, dodge & burn, levels, various brushes, and more. If the editing isn't enough, you then take the image into Photoshop.</li>

</ul>

 

<p>it sounds like photoshop remains the software of choice for editing especially if you use some of the advanced features...lr may be more geared towards data management and general work...i thought Adobe Bridge provided a decent data asset management workflow...i downloaded a trial version and will take a look under the hood...thanks....David</p>

<p>If you have been using PS for 10 years then there is going to be a learning curve using LR. I just started using LR a couple of years ago and I still prefer the simple pick-and-choose interface PS has to offer. LR is great, but all the features that are thrown at you all at once can get a little getting used to... Then again Photoshop was a little overwhelming at first.</p>

<p>Hi David. I have used Photoshop for quite a few years and feel rather comfortable with it. I purchased Lightroom about six months ago, although I cannot remember now why I felt I needed to learn Lightroom. I print my favorite photos on 13 X 19 paper, and because of Lightroom, I feel they have improved quite a bit. I will use Photoshop from time to time. Lightroom really does have a lot of tools that photographers use frequently. I must say it was quite a learning curve for me because of the catalog concept. I watched quite a few Adobe videos (free) as well as some on <a href="http://www.linda.com">www.linda.com</a> (paid), but the videos that I felt helped me the most were the beginning videos by <a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com">www.luminous-landscape.com</a>. Once I felt comfortable with those, I got the <a href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com">www.luminous-landscape.com</a> advanced videos. Both sets, I believe, are well worth the money. I love the printing module in LR! I'm very happy I learned LR.</p>

<p>thanks Harry and Diane...it seems like LR creates an efficient workflow...i will give it a whirl...regards....David</p>