PHOTO PROCESSING AND EDITING PHOTOSHOP OR LIGHTROOM?

Finally you have your first SLR camera in your hands. You have begun to take pictures like crazy with the automatic mode and you hallucinate with the good results that it gives you comparing it with the old compact that you had a few years ago. You take it everywhere, you photograph everything, you like the weight it has, the objective, the zoom, everything. Once the initial euphoria has passed, you begin to see some defect. Do not focus where you want, do not expose where you want, do not blur the background as you would like. You take a look at the photographer's blog and gradually answer questions . One day you dare with the semi-automatic and manual modes of your camera, and you fall in love again, the euphoria and magic of photography return, and this time to stay. A few days later you are still euphoric, but you miss being able to perfect that final image a bit more. You don't know exactly what, but you feel that with some editing that image would improve a lot. Then you decide to take the step and launch yourself fully into the world of publishing.And then comes the eternal question. Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom? Well, like everything else in this life, it depends. Let's see what its main advantages and disadvantages are for you to decide which is the perfect editor.

MAIN ADVANTAGES OF ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Allows you to retouch the images very precisely thanks to its numerous and powerful editing tools (clone buffer, patch, etc.).
It allows you to work in layers with different images, which allows you to adjust the settings very precisely and make assemblies very effectively.
It allows recording actions : to save you long and monotonous processes that you do again and again, you can record the process of a series of adjustments in the form of action. The next time they all start up with the push of a button.
It allows editing videos, adding text and other design tools not purely photographic.
It allows you to add all kinds of effects to the image (lights, reflections, etc.).

MAIN DRAWBACKS

Record directly above the original , so if you neglect it is easy to lose the original photograph.
Do not edit RAW files (so you have to go through Lightroom or Adobe Camera RAW first and then import it into Photoshop).
It does not organize the images , to do so you must do it externally (for example with Adobe Bridge).
You have to work the images individually .
Little intuitive and difficult to use.
It is expensive , so you have to think well if you are going to squeeze your full potential.

IDEAL USER TYPE

Anyone with a lot of free time, patience, and desire to learn can be a Photoshop user , but the truth is that Adobe Photoshop is aimed at an advanced-high photographer, graphic designers, professional portraitists, fashion editors, and so on. Photoshop has been the undisputed king of the edition since this concept exists in digital format, and it still is, but it is not suitable for everyone, since most photographers looking for basic settings are lost among so many possibilities, actions, buttons, etc. Photoshop is as complete as it is dense. Luckily there are other options that depending on what aspects, they have little to envy their "big brother."

Photomontage with Adobe Photoshop

MAIN ADVANTAGES OF ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM

It is easy , intuitive and quick to use.
It is specially designed for photographers , so it takes into account their needs and eliminates more superfluous or unnecessary elements or actions
It allows you to organize all your images very effectively , label them, share them on Facebook, rate them, and so on.
Nondestructive Editing . It works on the original RAW and what it shows is a preview of the image when exporting it to another format (how it will be once exported to JPEG for example), but the original in RAW is not modified. This is very important, because Photoshop does and it is easy to lose the original images hopelessly. With Lightroom you will not have this problem.
It allows you to work with several images at the same time (for example to make the same adjustments to all of them).
It is cheaper than Photoshop (you can buy the license for about € 130).
Combine editing and archiving effectively (so you can save other programs such as Adobre Bridge to organize images or Camera RAW to edit RAW files that are the ones that usually accompany Photoshop)

MAIN DISADVANTAGES OF ADOBE PHOTOSHOP LIGHTROOM

Just edit photos
You cannot add texts
Does not allow mounting
If the image requires very advanced settings, concrete or detailed, Photoshop is more complete.

IDEAL USER TYPE

As I have advanced previously, Lightroom was designed based on the specific needs of photographers. Its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, together with the possibility of storing images in a practical and effective way, make Lightroom the perfect choice for anyone who wants to work on the image. If you know Adobe Camera Raw and it works for you, Lightroom is somewhat more extensive, with the advantage that it also allows you to store images efficiently. That is, if your work does not need very specific touch-ups, or combine several images (panoramic, HDR, montages, etc.), I dare to ensure that this is your program.

Edited in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

WHERE TO GET PHOTOSHOP AND LIGHTROOM

Adobe currently offers both Photoshop and Lightroom with monthly subscription plans . If you don't know if this is for you or you're not sure, you can always use the free trial month they offer you. They have several plans with Photoshop, Lightroom, or the entire Adobe application suite (video, graphic design, etc.). They also have a specific plan for «Photography», which includes both Photoshop and Lightroom programs (so you don't have to choose) for 144 Euros per year (or 12 Euros if you prefer to pay monthly). You have everything here .

SUMMARIZING

I have to admit that I love the magic of Photoshop to create non-existent worlds, impossible lights, incredible images. I am fascinated by its perfection, its details, its INFINITE possibilities. But it is also complicated, heavy, difficult to learn and tired. When you have spent hours retouching an image, fiddling, taking notes, making error-proof, looking for tutorials on the internet, and you realize that with another program you would do it in a third of the time and the headache ... Anyway That was my process; Start with Photoshop, which at that time fascinated me, because at that moment what the body asked me was precisely to create other realities, beyond photography. But when my artistic-not-exclusively-photographic vein calmed down a bit , I discovered Lightroom. And what a great discovery. Next to Photoshop is very easy, the results are incredibly good, the possibility of storing the images within the same program is great and very practical. It occupies less space (3 programs in 1) and has everything you could need to improve your image at an amateur, medium and advanced level. From my humble opinion, if I had to recommend one for exclusively photographic uses I would have it clear: Lightroom ( Mind you , it is clear that both are EXCELLENT programs ) I hope you liked this article and it was useful. If so, as always, we ask you to share it to continue filling this blog with content that may be useful. Thank you very much and see you next time .