For good reason, Adobe Lightroom is still one of the most popular catalog-style editing applications on the market. It gives photographers a simple yet powerful all-in-one workflow solution, allowing them to batch import, edit, organize, and export their photographs from a single window.
However, not everyone is thrilled with Lightroom’s subscription-only access, and it competes with apps like Luminar AI, which just requires a one-time purchase. Is the software sufficient to keep professional shooters happy? Is it a little too much for people who are just getting started in photography?
Yes, in our view. If you can get past the subscription model, you should be able to get all you require. Because of its picture organization tools and quick color correction presets, we consider it one of the finest photo editing applications for astrophotography photographs. It’s especially handy for professional photographers who require a simple way to export and transmit photographs to customers.
When you sign up for an Adobe Photography subscription (£9.98/$9.99 per month), you receive two versions of Lightroom in addition to Adobe Photoshop. Lightroom Classic and Adobe Lightroom CC have distinct user interfaces and functionality, but neither is necessarily superior. It’s better to think of them as two distinct applications, and we’ll go through both of them here.
Lightroom for Consumers has a simpler interface, fewer output options, and a cloud-based storage system (you receive 20GB for free when you sign up for Adobe’s Photography Plan).
Lightroom Classic, on the other hand, is a desktop-based tool that stores the original photographs to your computer’s folder structure, removing the need for the cloud. It also provides sophisticated users with additional tools and output choices for printing or creating picture albums. Lightroom Classic has a professional appearance, and the sheer number of transformative effects and available plug-ins provide limitless editing possibilities.
Features
- Excellent keywording and organizing capabilities
- Lightroom Classic has a large number of output choices
- Built-in presets and additional plug-ins work well
To begin with, the grey-on-grey in both Lightroom interfaces might be difficult to read at times, but navigating isn’t difficult even for beginning users.
You work in clearly identified modules at the top of the window in Classic. The editing magic begins in the Develop module once photographs have been imported into the initial Library module, which may be done from a memory card, existing folders on your device, or the cloud.
The Basic panel, which uses a slider-based method to alter the key exposure, color temperature, and tone parameters, may be used to make the majority of important modifications. Lightroom also has the ability to apply Lens Corrections from a bank of profiles, which Adobe Photoshop Elements lacks. The program is updated multiple times each year, with each new version adding compatibility for new lens releases.
Another new feature in Lightroom 2021 is the Local Hue tool, which allows you to modify the hue of a specific region of the image by painting over it with an adjustment brush. This is a feature that makes you wonder, “How come we didn’t have this before?” Nonetheless, it functions adequately.
Consistency in editing is critical for professional photographers with a particular visual style. One of Lightroom Classic’s best features is the ability to keep track of your modifications as you go (under the History tab to the left of the picture window) so you can see precisely how you’ve made changes. Saving a Snapshot (also on the left of the picture window) is a handy method to preserve the edit at any point in time, which is handy if you, like us, get carried away and want to compare your modification to an earlier version.
Presets are another key feature of the software, allowing you to save your editing parameters and apply them to a variety of different photographs with a single click. They’re also great for batch processing, such as if you have a lot of photos from a wedding.
Adding tags and keywords to photographs is a time-consuming chore for every photographer, but it’s the best approach to ensure that you can discover shots afterwards. Lightroom CC’s picture search option is wonderful for categorizing photographs, and it allows you to limit down your choices by file format, camera used, location, and more.
Furthermore, Adobe Sensei artificial intelligence can evaluate photographs and tag them with relevant keywords automatically. This doesn’t always work (it mistook a lighthouse for a tree once), but it may save a lot of time compared to manually entering the data.
The varied export choices in Lightroom CC and Classic demonstrate the significant disparity in Adobe’s target audience. CC allows you to export an image on your device while also providing a link to share that image with colleagues, due to cloud storage. It’s a genuine solution that’s a fantastic method to involve clients or even family members in the editing process.
Lightroom Classic is clearly designed for more conventional methods of “sharing” photographs, which is why the Book, Slideshow, Print, and Web modules are still available. Each module allows you to go into great depth, and you may even print a book directly from the program using Blurb.
However, many photographers will want to edit and export their photographs first, then have any printed materials created by a third party. It’s very adjustable, like much of Lightroom Classic, but it’s overkill for the inexperienced user.
Beginners may find Lightroom CC scary at first, but the Learn area on the left of the UI provides truly helpful tutorials to ease the learning curve and expose users to a superb editing tool that works on desktop and mobile devices wherever they are.
Compatibility and Plugins in Adobe Lightroom
Lightroom Classic is compatible with Windows 10 (64-bit) 1903 and macOS Mojave (version 10.14) or later in terms of operating systems. Both require at least 8GB of RAM and a monitor with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.
Adobe Lightroom allows plugins, and there are several fantastic free and paid choices available to help photographers get the most out of the application. As a starting point, check out Luminar AI, Nik Collection by DxO, and Topaz Labs.
Adobe Lightroom Review: Price and Subscription Options
Adobe Lightroom CC is available for $9.99/£9.98 a month and includes 1TB of cloud storage, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Fonts, Adobe Spark, and “access to the newest features and updates as soon as they’re released,” according to Adobe.
Lightroom is also included in a number of Creative Cloud membership packages. The Photography package ($9.99/£9.98) includes Lightroom CC and Classic, as well as Adobe Photoshop on PC and iPad and 20GB of cloud storage.
Mini Review Of The Adobe Lightroom Mobile Version
Advanced capabilities including as selective tweaks, an excellent Auto edit, and built-in Presets are available in Adobe Lightroom mobile. The tools are located below the image, or to the right if the phone or tablet is turned, and this mobile-friendly design gives plenty of room to examine changes in real time.
Finished images may be exported in a variety of file kinds, dimensions, and color schemes, with the option of adding a watermark for security-conscious photographers. Within the app, images may be simply categorized and saved to the phone’s folders, camera roll, shared on social media, or forwarded via a unique URL.
Should You Buy Adobe Lightroom?
Lightroom CC is an excellent solution for photographers of all abilities who want to batch process their photographs, and it also comes with a fantastic mobile app. The built-in presets make it simple to produce excellent results if you’re a novice or dedicated amateur, and the pared-back UI makes it simple to edit and store photographs without becoming bogged down in superfluous features. You won’t be able to print or utilize plug-ins, so keep that in mind.
If you’re an expert user who wants to import, save, classify, and edit photographs all in one spot, Lightroom Classic is still the way to go — and if you’re a paid pro photographer, the cost is well worth it.
Both Lightrooms have strong RAW picture editing tools, and the alterations are non-destructive, allowing you to return to the original image at any time. Both, however, do not allow for the extensive, layered manipulation of single photos; you’d be better off using Adobe Photoshop for this.
If you wish to avoid a subscription model, Lightroom is the incorrect choice because you can’t buy it outright. However, both versions of Lightroom come with a Photography membership plan, so you may try them out to discover which one works best for you.
Photographers who often photograph commercial work can benefit from Lightroom Classic’s output options, which include the ability to create a book, slideshow, print, or online gallery directly from the software. Hobby and social photographers, as well as content developers who want to preserve their portfolio in the Creative Cloud, will find all they need in Adobe Lightroom CC.
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