The Portland Metro Photographic News

The first time I saw Adobe's Lightroom, while it was in its earliest beta version, I wondered what the point of it was. I could already do everything it did in Photoshop. Why did I need to learn a new way of doing what I already knew how to do? However, as I began using the software on a daily basis, I soon realized that Lightroom?s approach to workflow is quite different than the Photoshop approach.

Photoshop is an amazing assortment of image editing tools. There are tools for web designers, graphic artists, engineers, doctors, 3-D modelers, and even photographers. Photoshop is like going to the hardware store and ordering one of every tool. Then tossing all those tools into a giant toolbox. Whenever you need any particular tool, it will be somewhere in the toolbox. It may take a while to find it - and then you may need to spend some time learning to use it - but it will be there.

Lightroom was designed specifically for photographers. It's more like going to the digital hardware store and ordering only the tools a photographer uses the most often. Then laying out the tools on a workbench in the order in which they are intended to be used. This intuitive user interface, combined with a narrow purpose, makes Lightroom an ideal working environment for photographers.

At this point you may have come to the conclusion that I think Lightroom is better than Photoshop. However, I believe that a well-balanced digital post-production workflow requires both Lightroom and Photoshop. That's because each of these products is intended for different parts of the workflow.

The Two-part Post-Production Workflow

When photographers were shooting film, they rarely gave much thought to the processing workflow concept. That's because it was a fairly intuitive two-part workflow. The first part was designed to get all images processed quickly, at a low cost per image. If proof prints were involved, they were usually low in quality to keep the price down and speed-up the printing process. They were only needed for review purposes, such as eliminating bad shots and identifying the best images.

After the best shots had been selected, they entered the second part of the workflow. The chosen negatives or slides were used for enlargement printing at the darkroom or photo lab. Usually these prints were custom printed by skilled darkroom technicians. Often, more money was spent on a single print than for the film and processing of all images in the shoot.

We still have this divided workflow when processing digitally. In fact, it's more pronounced due to the large number of images digital cameras are capable of capturing, and the range of editing possibilities. In the first part of the workflow, when culling the cuts and locating the winners, it's necessary to work as efficiently as possible, using a wide range of editing and output options. Think of it as an assembly line. Because of this production-focused nature, I call this first portion of the workflow the Production Workflow. Lightroom was designed to handle the Production Workflow. Using it instead of Photoshop for this portion of the workflow makes the most sense.

In the second part of the workflow, every effort is made to find the highest level of quality and creativity.  I call this second post-processing step the Creative Workflow.  Here, the things that can be done to special images go way beyond the possibilities of the film darkroom, especially when carried out by someone who has mastered the digital tools and techniques. Many of these tools and techniques, such as masking, complicated retouching and advanced printing, are not available in Lightroom.  Enter Photoshop. Photoshop becomes the tool of choice for the Creative Workflow.

Lightroom vs. Photoshop

So back to the original question, "Which is better, Lightroom or Photoshop?"  When you're working with lots of images, trying to organize, edit quickly, and present them, nothing beats Lightroom. Most photographers I know who have embraced Lightroom find they can accomplish ninety percent of their workflow using Lightroom. However, when they have special images, or images with special needs, nothing beats Photoshop.

What does this mean for you? If you're just starting out with digital photography, you should begin with Lightroom. It will most likely do everything you need for now. However, if you're serious about your photography, at some point you're going to want to delve into the mysteries of Photoshop. Only then will you be able to take complete control over every aspect of your photos and become master of the two-part, post-processing workflow.

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