Lightroom for iPad - how useful is it for serious hobbyists & Pros

[sivakumarprs]

<p>Hello all<br /><br />I am posting this question here as I could not find satisfactory answers by Google search.<br /><br />I have two queries:<br /><br />1) Is the now recently launched FREE Lightroom for iPad (you do not have to have a Creative Cloud subscription - it is a standalone free of cost software for iPad & Android tablets & so is for mobiles) as functional as the original LR for iPad where one had to have a CC subscription ? I have a perpetual license for LR 6.xx (not a cc subscription and so was not eligible for LR for iPad before this Free version came out) and I have now installed the free app from the Apple Store on my iPad Air. Is this a scaled down version with lesser functionality?<br /><br />2) While LR for iPad seems convenient to do adjustments to photos taken with iPad, how does it really prove to be useful for a serious hobbyist and for a pro who shoots RAW/NEF with DSLR ? <br /><br />The idea behind LR for iPad seems to be to enable editing of RAW files on the go. But I do not see quite a few tools which are found on the regular Desktop LR. From what I have understood one has to buy a camera connector to iPad - which I have not yet bought - and the RAW files are transferred to iPad as smart preview files for editing.<br /><br />When only basic editing capabilities are present in LR for iPad (OR may be I have not figured out where the more advanced editing tools are) how does a serious hobbyist or a professional photographer has real productivity with LR for iPad ?<br /><br />And does one always have to have internet connection to transfer back & forth between iPad & computer ? And are the files always stored in the Cloud?<br /><br />That is quite a lot of questions from me. <br /><br />Thanks in advance<br />PRSS</p>

[marc_rochkind]

<p>I think Adobe's efforts here have mostly to do with branding and getting a foot in the door. It's hard to imagine how for "serious hobbyists & Pros" it would be productive. When productivity is a concern, I would think that carrying a lightweight laptop would make a lot more sense. Which is what "serious hobbyists & Pros" actually do.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>LR for iPad is a convenient way to present high quality images on a portable device. You can do some limited editing, but I've not taken advantage of that. Without calibration, it is risky to adjust colors. For now, I use it strictly as a portfolio without consuming a lot of memory on the device.</p>

[EricM]

<p>Adobe and Apple are a mess when it comes to desktop apps running on mobile. Here's a hilarious video making the rounds this week</p>

<p>

<p>If you're open to a Windows option, The Surface Pro tablet is a huge success and runs full versions of Ps and Lr.</p>

[sivakumarprs]

<p>Thank you for the replies. I have now realized that the FREE Lightroom for iPad is a scaled down version and you cannot sync from the laptop/desktop. Do not knoe if it would work with a camera connector to download smart previews from the camera RAW files direct to iPad through the camera connector.</p>

<p>Best regards<br>

PRSS</p>

[lukas_schmidt]

<p>Extremely useful! I'm not longer a pro, I chose a different career path a few years ago. So consider me a "former pro turned serious hobbyist". :-)<br>

One of the first things I do after a shoot (right now a huge collection of images from India) is to sync the LR catalog to LR on the iPad (through CC). No I can sort out the gems&turds on the go, do some first (basic!) corrections, etc. All this on my daily commute and/or on the go. So next weekend, when I really have some time to do the "real" editing on my MBP, everything is presorted/preselected. <br>

It is NOT a replacement for the "real" LR, but a great add-on. </p>

[digitaldog]

<p>I think the overall workflow is nonsensical. Think about it. You come back from a shoot. You must catalog the raws in LR proper. Then you have to be sure you create smart previews. So far, not bad. Then you have to upload all those smart previews to the cloud and then download them to a product that's not color managed and for most, a toy. You sit poolside and do some edits and you get to upload that to the cloud, then download the the desktop. Or you could just take a good laptop to the pool that has LR proper in the first place and do some editing. This LR mobile seems like an excellent workflow for those who charge by the hour. Otherwise? </p>

[sivakumarprs]

<p>Thank you for all the replies. That sorts out my queries.</p>

<p>Best regards<br>

PRSS</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>Uploading to the cloud is such a beastly task. Set up a collection and check one box.</p>

<p>I use a laptop to edit on the go, but simple selection and cropping would be well in the capability of an iPad. If it weren't for the Cloud, I would probably never listen to or watch the recording sessions I do apart from a few selected moments. I plug my iPad into the car radio and listen on the go, rather than watch the drivers around me talk on their phones or read books while driving. I drag the tracks into iTunes, and Apple does the lifting.</p>

[digitaldog]

<blockquote>

<p>Uploading to the cloud is such a beastly task.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Beastly no, slow and unnecessary with potentially gig's of data (in multiple directions) yes. <strong>Just</strong> to edit on a toy that provides minimal options compared to the device you had to use in the first place. But sure, if you prefer to use a kitchen knife as a screwdriver, when you just used a proper screwdriver previous, a fine and well thought out workflow.</p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>That "toy" has almost driven personal computers to extinction.</p>

[digitaldog]

<blockquote>

<p>That "toy" has almost driven personal computers to extinction.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>How does that overstatement have anything to do with the ridiculous LR mobil workflow Edward? <br>

The toy isn't color managed, has no direct input of our raws, can't provide any of the Develop module editing (just Basic) and only affects smart previews and we have to upload that data to Adobe's cloud two times. <br>

Here's how the LR Mobile team would propose we by a quart of ice cream:</p>

<ol>

<li>Hand wash and dry car. </li>

<li>Drive 2 miles to nearest bank, park car, exchange a $5 bill for 500 pennies.</li>

<li>Walk 8 miles to nearest supermarket, buy ice cream with pennies. </li>

<li>Walk back to car and then drive home. </li>

<li>Wash car again. </li>

</ol>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>The LR app for the iPad is free, and useful, among other things, as an high-quality, portfolio which can be modified or rearranged as needed.</p>

<p>It does not wash cars nor buy ice cream. For that you need an Android device ;)</p>

[digitaldog]

<blockquote>

<p>The LR app for the iPad is free....</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You get what you pay for (no wonder it's free <g>)</p>

<blockquote>

<p>...and useful, among other things, as an high-quality, portfolio which can be modified or rearranged as needed.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Which of course can be built in LR proper without LR mobile. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>It does not wash cars nor buy ice cream.<br /></p>

</blockquote>

<p>True indeed. </p>