Filed under Digital Processing
I'm often asked what package I use for my processing, so I thought I would write a post outlining what and why and a few of the pro's and cons.
I adopted Lightroom back on version 1 and have persevered with it since then as there were many features I liked and found very conducive to a seamless and fast workflow. My IT background involves in a lot of sitting in front of computer screens watching progress bars, so would rather spend my photography time out with the camera and as little as possible doing post processing, and Lightroom certainly helps me achieve this goal.
Here is a list of a few of the key advantages:
- Import & backup in one action
- Non Destructive Workflow
- Sync Settings across multiple images
- Integration with Adobe CS Suites
- Powerful processing engine
- Keyword, ratings and filters to select best images and organise shoots
- Collections
- Slideshow, Web and Print Modules
- Watermark on Export
- Before/After Split Screen
Frankly this list could go on, but the ones here are my key reasons for sticking with Lightroom.
Let me walk through a typical workflow for a landscape shoot. I am simplifying this and not elaborating on any of the steps.
- Launch Lightroom
- Import to Hard Disk & Make a Copy to External Hard Disk and Convert to DNG. All in one step from one window
- On Import Add keywords relevant to the shoot and apply calibration presets
- Review images quickly and star rate any I feel I want to take a closer look at
- Edit some of my starred images in Develop Module and change star ratings to suit
- Sync some images with similar shots to more carefully review which are best candidates
- Make final decision on shots to use and publish and change star rating to 5
- Export with appropriate custom preset with watermarks
How would this compare with using Bridge & Photoshop?
I would have to import the files to a folder in Finder or Windows Explorer and make a backup manually to an external hard disk. I believe keywords can be added in Bridge. Review and rating of images can also be done in bridge, but I would need to work on each image one by one and manually create my watermarks. All the time I would need to be careful to keep versions of my files and be careful not to accidentally save a small version over my master file.
Being able to revert to "as shot" or walk back through history to see my images progression is very useful as is the ability to adjust sliders. It is often the case that a file can look over-processed when you return to a file from an earlier processing session, and backing off sliders is very useful; and for me easier than having large photoshop files cluttering up valuable hard disk real estate.
I'm sure there are many Photoshop users who will say there are ways to do many of the things I mention, but the simplicity of the interface in Lightroom is very important in achieving fast results and why it is my first port of call.
This is not to say I don't use photoshop, because I do. Lightroom has it's limits, cloning fussy objects for example. While the local adjustment tools and spot healing is adequate for some dodging and burning and removing sensor spots, it is sometimes necessary to use photoshop for the some images. Lightoom neatly makes a copy of the image with the Lightroom adjustments and puts it alongside the DNG when you save it.
Virtual Copies and another useful feature of Lightroom. Without creating a new actual file, so saving space, Lightroom show another version of your file, so you can perhaps experiment on it or make a mono version while leaving the other version where you left it.
I have created a number of Export Presets which helps me keep a consistent feel to my online galleries on my own site, flickr & facebook etc with watermarks. For example the facebook uploader manages to massacre images when it uploads them, but if you upload a 750px image and set facebook to upload at high quality, it seems to bypass some of the negative effects of the uploader. To streamline this, I created a facebook preset scaling the long edge to 750px, with a 60quality jpeg and my watermark at something like 20% of the size with an indent.
I hope this has whet your appetite and gone some way to making you aware that processing doesn't have to be too fiddly and require a great deal of prowess on file management in Windows Explorer of Finder.
I'll write some feature specific posts in the near future to elaborate on some of the ways to best use some of the modules and tools.
You can download a free trial from Adobe.