Lightroom vs Photoshop?

O

OldrockyGN

May 22, 2024
76
19
#1
Hi,
I already use Elements. Thinking about going up. Question is Lightroom or Photoshop? I use both an R7 and an R5m2 and currently only shoot jpeg so would also be adding jpeg+raw. Opinions on which one?
 
#2
I'm too stupid/unmotivated to learn photoshop and I want the computer to do all the organization, so I use LR. It's great as DAM, so I can easily find old pictures, by date, camera, keyword or face recognition. The new AI masking tool is faster and more accurate than I am with a manual brush and if I want better IQ for RAW, I can use the DxO PR4 plugin.
LR makes it really easy for me to re-process old pictures, e.g. DxO releases an updated lens profile for the EF-M 22mm and I can with about 5 clicks select all the pictures I took with that lens. I have replaced a few prints on the wall in my living room after LR added the new magic masking, it removed the halos caused by my sloppy brushing of the masks. Although I'm the only that is annoyed by those :)

And in case you decide to get fancy, you can instruct LR to send a photo to PS so you can have layers and many more masking tools. The result can be imported back into LR, most of the times automagically.

OTOH, having LR manage your pictures rubs some people completely the wrong way: "I HAVE PUT THE PICTURES IN A FOLDER MYSELF, STOP MOLLYCODDLING ME", I am not one of those. And you can configure the folder structure LR uses, if you're really picky, like me :)
 
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#3
OldrockyGN said:
Hi,
I already use Elements. Thinking about going up. Question is Lightroom or Photoshop? I use both an R7 and an R5m2 and currently only shoot jpeg so would also be adding jpeg+raw. Opinions on which one?
Click to expand...
Massively different use cases.

Photoshop has a huge learning curve and is ideally suited to just a few edits per shoot, one at a time type of stuff.

LR (Classic) can manage your assets, and is far and away more superior for bulk edits or editing (many) multiple shots per shoot.

You’ll need a sub for Lightroom, and Photoshop comes with it anyway, so you don’t have to choose.
 
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#4
OldrockyGN said:
Hi,
I already use Elements. Thinking about going up. Question is Lightroom or Photoshop? I use both an R7 and an R5m2 and currently only shoot jpeg so would also be adding jpeg+raw. Opinions on which one?
Click to expand...
DxO PL is much better in my opinion for the R7 and R5/R5ii, getting out more detail with less noise from RAW. The learning curve is easy. I do use PS for editing jpegs.
 
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#5
So I also did more research and figured out that LR includes PS (thanks). Not sure I like the "it takes over"
aspect of Lightroom since I'm already organizing into folders that make sense (for me). It is rare that I have a
question that involves a multi-folder answer (such as "show me a list of all the images shot when ____").
Can you "teach" lightroom to use your prior folders? I'm not gonna like it if I have to redo all of the
organizing I've already done.
How many computers are the LR/PS licenses good for? I want to be able to "do the same stuff" on at
least 2 different computers.

I'm a hobbyist birding photographer - I shoot less than 500 images a week and edit less than 10 of those
to put them in a web-based shared location (smugmug).

===> So it sounds to me like my best choice is PS and not LR?
 
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#6
OldrockyGN said:
So I also did more research and figured out that LR includes PS (thanks). Not sure I like the "it takes over"
aspect of Lightroom since I'm already organizing into folders that make sense (for me). It is rare that I have a
question that involves a multi-folder answer (such as "show me a list of all the images shot when ____").
Can you "teach" lightroom to use your prior folders? I'm not gonna like it if I have to redo all of the
organizing I've already done.
How many computers are the LR/PS licenses good for? I want to be able to "do the same stuff" on at
least 2 different computers.

I'm a hobbyist birding photographer - I shoot less than 500 images a week and edit less than 10 of those
to put them in a web-based shared location (smugmug).

===> So it sounds to me like my best choice is PS and not LR?
Click to expand...
As long as you one at a time and quit before using the next computer, your Adobe licence will be fine for two computers.
 
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#7
AlanF said:
As long as you one at a time and quit before using the next computer, your Adobe licence will be fine for two computers.
Click to expand...
You can tell it to log out other computers when logging into Adobe on a new computer, but you are limited on concurrent usage. At home we have 2 desktops and 2 laptops, so from time to time we have to remotely log out a machine when both of us want to use LR concurrently.

DxO is locked to specific machines and reports on the internet indicate you have to contact DxO manually to get a machine revoked.
 
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#8
koenkooi said:
You can tell it to log out other computers when logging into Adobe on a new computer, but you are limited on concurrent usage. At home we have 2 desktops and 2 laptops, so from time to time we have to remotely log out a machine when both of us want to use LR concurrently.

DxO is locked to specific machines and reports on the internet indicate you have to contact DxO manually to get a machine revoked.
Click to expand...
I use DxO PL on one machine at home and another in my lab, so I just checked: "You can activate your DxO PhotoLab software on 2 computers (macOS and/or Windows) with the ESSENTIAL edition, and on 3 computers with the ELITE edition as long as it is never run on more than one computer at a time. You may install it on both Mac and PC with the same license."
I keep old versions of PL and wonder if I can use different versions simultaneously,
 
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#9
OldrockyGN said:
So I also did more research and figured out that LR includes PS (thanks). Not sure I like the "it takes over"
aspect of Lightroom since I'm already organizing into folders that make sense (for me). It is rare that I have a
question that involves a multi-folder answer (such as "show me a list of all the images shot when ____").
Can you "teach" lightroom to use your prior folders? I'm not gonna like it if I have to redo all of the
organizing I've already done.
How many computers are the LR/PS licenses good for? I want to be able to "do the same stuff" on at
least 2 different computers.

I'm a hobbyist birding photographer - I shoot less than 500 images a week and edit less than 10 of those
to put them in a web-based shared location (smugmug).

===> So it sounds to me like my best choice is PS and not LR?
Click to expand...
I think PS is a great fit for you in that case.

Lightroom will need to catalogue all your images (the ones that you want in it anyway) But you can still use your regular structure - the photos can be kept anywhere when they get imported, ie - they’re referenced.

You could use the free Adobe bridge to help manage your photos nothing needs to be imported into it, but also it has no editing capabilities (afaik) - you can edit in Photoshop from that for example though, and any other editor.

If I were you I would use LRC plus Photoshop. You may find you edit more photos. You can use Photoshop as you wish. Your photos can remain as they are, but can also be catalogued at the same time via LR. Just make sure you use Lightroom Classic and don’t bother with Lightroom as that will mess with your head and all your photos and you suddenly won’t know what’s going on.
 
Last edited:
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#13
AlanF said:
I use DxO PL on one machine at home and another in my lab, so I just checked: "You can activate your DxO PhotoLab software on 2 computers (macOS and/or Windows) with the ESSENTIAL edition, and on 3 computers with the ELITE edition as long as it is never run on more than one computer at a time. You may install it on both Mac and PC with the same license."
I keep old versions of PL and wonder if I can use different versions simultaneously,
Click to expand...
The issue with it being locked to specific machines comes up when you are using the 3 'seats' and replace a computer, be it with a newer model or warranty replacements. I'm the only one using DxO, so I only need it on my desktop and the travel laptop. If my new job provides a laptop that is better than an M1 Macbook Air, I'll get to experience the revocation process myself:
DxO PureRAW can be activated on a total of two personal computers, as long as it is never run on more than one computer at a time. You may install DxO PureRAW on both Mac and PC with the same license.
Click to expand...
Or PR5 gets released with enough improvements to justify the €€€, and I start with a clean activation slate :)
 
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#14
koenkooi said:
The issue with it being locked to specific machines comes up when you are using the 3 'seats' and replace a computer, be it with a newer model or warranty replacements. I'm the only one using DxO, so I only need it on my desktop and the travel laptop. If my new job provides a laptop that is better than an M1 Macbook Air, I'll get to experience the revocation process myself:

Or PR5 gets released with enough improvements to justify the €€€, and I start with a clean activation slate :)
Click to expand...
I am not sure if you get caught if you use "migration" when upgrading a Mac? Does DxO monitor the address of your computer over the internet when you use the program or is it the installation process?
 
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#15
AlanF said:
I am not sure if you get caught if you use "migration" when upgrading a Mac? Does DxO monitor the address of your computer over the internet when you use the program or is it the installation process?
Click to expand...
I’m not sure, I never used DxO on my intel based mac, which is what I used for migrating to the desktop. Let’s hope Apple has indeed fixed this :)
 
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#16
It would seem that I should go with either Lightroom Classic or Photoshop. I think there is a 'package' deal that
provides both for a single fairly reasonable monthly ("Photography"?). It appears that the primary difference
between Lr and Lrc is whether or not your images are on your local computer or up in the cloud. Since I have
never used any of these products - and I'm "an old guy with a hobby (birds)" and I currently use Elements - it
would seem that if I decide to "go up" it should be to Ps (but only first?). My primary interest in "going up" is
the ability to have better end results (better images due to a more full function image editor). Oh yes, I should
also add that I currently use only JPEG (don't even have the cameras save RAW/CRAW) and my target images
are exclusively for "sharing with family and friends - web-based". I've been on this journey for about 5 years
and in all that time I've averaged a little over a hundred images a year. So all of that says "Ps" or even stay
with Elements. Do you agree?
The primary reason why I'm even considering a change is because I got a new camera and lens and so I'm
tempted to try out stuff like pre-capture and continuous shutter mode - which means that my pre-post
quantities will go -way- up.
 
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#18
Hmmm - just went to the Adobe website and it seems like the Lrc + Ps package (Photography) for $10 is no longer available. :-{ It
kind of says it is ... but it is definitely NOT an easily selectable option and I saw guys saying their already in use subscription is
locking them out (can't use it). I hope Adobe hasn't moved even further into their "cloud solution".
 
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#20
OldrockyGN said:
Hmmm - just went to the Adobe website and it seems like the Lrc + Ps package (Photography) for $10 is no longer available. :-{ It
kind of says it is ... but it is definitely NOT an easily selectable option and I saw guys saying their already in use subscription is
locking them out (can't use it). I hope Adobe hasn't moved even further into their "cloud solution".
Click to expand...

Adobe Creative Cloud Plans, Pricing, and Membership

Discover Adobe Creative Cloud membership plans and monthly prices for our full suite of applications including Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and more.
www.adobe.com www.adobe.com
 
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