Adobe Lightroom, Here I Come
When it comes to my editing workflow for stock photography, I am very resistant to change. My lifetime 92.5+% acceptance rate at iStock makes me very set in my ways. I have reminded myself numerous times of the stereotypical grumpy old man with responses like "Why should I use that newfangled Lightroom thing when what I do now works fine" when asked why I don't use it.
Well that appears to be coming to a change.
Due to friendly encouragement from some of my photographer friends (Jarvie, Nicolesy, Sylvanworks, WelcomePhotoImages - you reading this?), I am now testing Lightroom in my commercial workflow. My previous system of editing images using Adobe Bridge/Camera Raw/Photoshop is being replaced with Lightroom/Photoshop. Since both Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Lightroom use the same engine for RAW conversion, the interface is the big change.
One thing I really like so far in my limited use of Lightroom is the Presets. While I don't anticipate using them much in my stock work, I really like this option for working with my portrait and non-stock commercial work. Today's image of Jane is a sample of using a couple quick presets to change an existing stock image. I can see Lightroom presets replacing several of my Photoshop Actions in my near future.
I plan on using Lightroom for at least a couple weeks in my workflow before making my final decision. But from what I've seen so far, I think I will like the switch. Stay tuned to see how this plays out...
Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens - 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 200
12 Comments:
The more you learn about Lr2, the more you'll be amazed. It's an incredibly deep program under the surface. It will open your eyes to a lot of new, creative ideas.
Yay! :)
(nuf said)
You'll obviously still do a lot of your work in Photoshop.
But organizational stuff will change and lightroom will be the hub to the other programs you use. (photoshop)
In the end it'll be a lot like adobe camera raw in cs4 was (so I hear, since I stopped upgrading a while back)
And when it isn't being submitted for stock, you're right... you can get those done way faster. (Photowalks, other shoots, friends)
But going to lightroom won't take you away from photoshop, at least not for your main type of detailed work.
It just gives it all a new front in and a new workflow.
Interested to hear the results
front in = front end
Ditto what everyone else said :)
LR is definitely a faster workflow compared to the Bridge/PS set up. You still drop into PS for some detail work, especially in your field, but for the bulk of images and the organization LR is hard to beat!
Be sure to check out Matt K.'s http://www.lightroomkillertips.com for lightroom tips.
Unfortunately for me LR still doesn't render Nikon's raw format as well as viewNX (or CaptureNX) even with the "new" profiles.
This is a shame as I really love LR. So my workflow now is open in viewNX and do global edits such as exposure, sharpen and contrast etc. Then convert to high res jpg/tiff and either do futher work in PS or LR.
Give a shout if you ever have any questions! :-)
Rich, glad you have seen the Light.....Room. haha :-)
dale
I love love love Lightroom! I do all of my editing in it except for adding textures. Can't wait to see more of what you do with it.
Welcome to the light side! You're gonna love it!
Just remember, Lightroom is meant to be the "Grunt" when editing photos. You can always export to Photoshop for the final tweaks. I also second the Lightroom Killer Tips website. Matt's Presets work really well with Canon and Nikon Cameras.
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