FYI, this is Part 2 of a 3-part series on this subject – – 

•  Part 1 is here:  https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=1840

•  Part 3 is here:  https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=2637

To see why Photoshop vs Lightroom is the “Wrong Question” (& much more),
I’d encourage you to check out Part 1 (at the link above) before perusing Part 2 below – that way, some of the things discussed below will be put in their proper context …

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So, here’s the perspective I’m coming from:

•  I am, at my core, a custom photographic printer, and have been professionally since the early 1980’s – you know: enlargers, lenses, easels, chemistry, etc, etc. – “analog”, baby!  But, as analog printing started to go the way of the dodo bird (and my hairline!), I was dragged kicking & screaming into the Digital Age in the mid-1990’s.   Now, I embrace it with a passion.  

•  For decades, I’ve always strived to get the absolute best out of ANY image for custom printing – and sometimes there’s an “art”, as well as a “science”, to that.  Hey, I do this for a living – so generally, I know what works, and what doesn’t (and yet, I still seem to be learning – haha, joke’s on me!).

•  So, sometimes it pains me to see how photographers approach their post-processing  workflow, and I gotta ask myself – –

 

Why go to all of the trouble of capturing those awesome images – – all of the blood, sweat, tears, travel & money that’s involved in achieving your photographic vision – – 

 

 … and then proceed to use your digital post-processing tools incorrectly and/or improperly for “ho-hum” (or even mediocre) print output?

 

Yes – I’m speaking of the great
Photoshop vs.  Lightroom “debate”…  

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For those of you who know me (or have worked with me), you know I’m not a big fan of Lightroom for most of my clients, for 2 reasons:

1) I believe that a lot of photographers who use Lightroom are not using the Develop Module properly for the highest quality output, either thinking that it’s the “end-all” in post processing for best printing results (it’s most definitely not!) – or that it’s “Photoshop Lite” or “Beginner Photoshop” – or that, just by moving a few sliders willy-nilly, they can make their image “look great”- – and generally, none of this could be further from the truth.

•  FYI: The Develop Module is virtually the same program as the Adobe Camera RAW Plug-in (“ACR”, which is accessed through Photoshop), and they should both be utilized with the same end result in mind.  See these important post-processing “Goals” for your RAW capture in my post (and why), “The Philosophy of RAW”: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=2215

2) I also believe that it’s more “program” than most people need for browsing, cataloguing & labeling your digital files  – plus, it has its own separate (and sometimes complex) learning curve.  If you don’t need the organizational power of Lightroom, why learn a second complex program?

•  I use Bridge, by the way, and have for dozens of years – and even though I don’t personally shoot hundreds of images a week, its not unusual for me , as a printing professional, to work with hundreds (sometimes thousands!) of files in a week’s time, and I still don’t need (or want) the complexity of Lightroom – I prefer the sheer simplicity of Bridge.

•  Here are some examples of photographers who might benefit from the extraordinary organizational power of Lightroom (this list is far from complete):  wedding photographers, product / catalog photographers, fashion photographers, sports photographers, both professionals & amateurs with thousands & thousands of digital images, photographers who regularly shoot hundreds of images a week, etc.

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So – do you still need (or want) Lightroom in your post-processing workflow?  Read on …

•  Remember, Lightroom’s strength is its incredible organizational power for those with a zillion images – That being said, I’d consider using it as your “Digital Library” ONLY(see Part 1) to select those images that are ultimately deserving of a Master File.

•  For those Master File images, I’d recommend that you generally perform ZERO permanent post-processing adjustments in the Develop Module in Lightroom – but instead, perform your adjustments in Adobe Camera RAW plug-in, which is the first step of working in your “Digital Darkroom” – see Procedure #1 below for more …

Why this “Procedure”?

• THE biggest reason:  migrating your files in & out of Lightroom can be confusing.  If you want the highest quality final output, you’re typically going to want to open the file in Photoshop.  By using Procedure #1 (discussed below), there is ZERO chance of corrupted metadata while migrating your RAW, TIFF or PSD files between programs.

•  Photographic community blogs are full of horror stories of compatibility issues when migrating files between Lightroom & Photoshop.  For example, one noted Lightroom / Photoshop guru even has a specific video course on how to “clean up” your Lightroom Catalog, and it’s over 5 hours long – yikes, really?!?

•  Now I admit that this is strictly a personal preference – but to me, the Develop Module workspace in Lightroom is not near as “user-friendly” as the Adobe Camera RAW plug-in (ACR) accessed through Photoshop.  The Develop Module has a very dark workspace & a cluttered layout – personally, I prefer a much cleaner, lighter interface (ACR, including the new RAW 12.3 User Interface) – but, hey, that’s just me …

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Ok – so, if you’re a dedicated Lightroom user, you’ve got 2 possible “Procedures” you can use to migrate your files between Lightroom and Photoshop (& safely back) –  BOTH with the same ultimate post-processing “Goals”:

 

Before you decide which “Procedure” below to use, ask yourself a question: do you want to PROPERLY work on your RAW file …

 

– in the Adobe Camera RAW Plug-in (ACR) – –  

OR

– in the Develop Module of Lightroom?

 

After answering that question, pick the appropriate “Procedure” below, and stick with it – Procedural consistency is a major key to effective post-processing – ultimately, either “Procedure” gets the job done, especially if you use my suggested Photoshop Workflow Chart.

•  Procedure #1 Summary (using ACR):

 –  Use Lightroom as your “Digital Library” ONLY (See Part 1 of this series), then “Export …”

– Using the “Goals” as guidance, adjust your RAW file in the Adobe Camera RAW plug-in ONLY

–  Open your file in Photoshop, then use your PS “mojo”  to create your Master File (as a .PSD)

– Once saved in Photoshop (as a PSD), synch Folder in Lightroom

•  Procedure #2 Summary (using the Develop Module):

– Using the “Goals” as guidance, adjust your RAW file in the Develop Module of Lightroom ONLY

– “Edit in …”, Open in Photoshop, then use your PS “mojo” to create your Master File (as a PSD)

– Once saved in Photoshop (as a PSD), synch Folder in Lightroom

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•  Once you decide which “Procedure ” to use, check out this blogpost for the specific illustrated “how-to” steps:

Part 3:  Lightroom to Photoshop Migration (& safely back):

https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=2637

•  For a closely related post, check out – “How (and why I use Adobe Bridge …”:

https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=3442

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Was this information helpful?  Sign up for my free newsletter here …

By the way, all of this is part of my Photoshop book designed for photographers,  “Not just another Photoshop Book”,  available exclusively on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNLS1Q2

Questions? Please contact me – also, feel free to comment, and tell all of your photography friends!

Thx again, and cheers,

John Watts  🙂

john@wattsdigital.com

10-01-20:  Pssssst … wanna see more free Photoshop videos like the one below?

https://www.wattsdigital.com/photoshop101videos.html

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•  Master File Creation and Proper Workflow should be essential elements in how you approach and use Photoshop, regardless of the version.

•  Creating a Master File is NOT for every image: it’s for those images that you want to spend time with, doing all that’s necessary to make your image “pretty”.

•  Here’s where you pour your artistic “blood, sweat and tears” into your image – more on Master File Creation here: https://blog.main.wattsdigital.com/?p=1853

… and on my webpage: https://www.wattsdigital.com/masterfilecreation.html …

For a free PDF of the extensive notes that accompany the video below
(including a Workflow Chart & Table of Contents), click here:

https://main.wattsdigital.com/images/WD_Master-File-Workflow_Notes.pdf

This video was recorded live on April 9th, 2020
via the San Diego Photoshop Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Photoshop-for-Photography/

Total length: 1 hour & 14 minutes long

•  In case you weren’t there on April 9th, here’s what we did: we took 8 images from attendees, and created Master files for each one, using the flowchart from my Photoshop book.  We also answered questions from attendees.

•  This particular video perfectly encapsulates how best to use Photoshop for the Photographer, with a diverse range of images. Think of it as a conglomeration of the other 3 “Photoshop 101” Meetup classes (plus an upcoming book & classes focused solely on Layer Masks) – there’s tons of great information in this video!

•  Think of it as a “study” video, if you will – heck, it’s an hour & twenty minutes long! You can download copious notes (see link above), including a Workflow Chart and Table of Contents – – just in case you cannot watch it all in one sitting, or need to refer back to it (and you will!).

•  Also, unlike the “live” event, you’ll see full-on annotations, key points highlighted, and other stuff not seen at the time of recording – enjoy!

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•  Wanna see more free Photoshop videos like the one above?

https://www.wattsdigital.com/photoshop101videos.html

•  Here’s more info about my free live & online Photoshop Meetups:

https://www.wattsdigital.com/San_Diego_Meetups.html

•  Was this information helpful?

Sign up for my free monthly newsletter here …

•  By the way, all of this is part of my Photoshop book designed for photographers, “Not just another Photoshop Book”, available exclusively on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNLS1Q2

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Questions? Please contact me – also, feel free to comment and tell your photography friends!

Thx again, and cheers,

John Watts 🙂

john@wattsdigital.com