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The Right Way to Travel, Weekly Photo Tip
March 12, 2008
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Photoshop Tip: Photoshop vs. Lightroom

By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR.

Before we get into the Photoshop vs. Lightroom debate, let me explain what I do for a living...

The majority of my work these days includes two types of photography: stock and portraiture.

After a portrait photo shoot, my process includes:

1. Uploading the images to my computer and processing them in either Photoshop or Lightroom (to adjust lighting, color, and contrast).

2. Fixing little details like acne or wrinkles, so that my client looks 10 times better than she thinks she does.

3. Preparing the files for print -- including some cropping and size adjustments.

For stock photography, my workflow is similar, but with some important exceptions...

Firstly, I need to edit out any visible signs or logos.

Secondly, I need to avoid technical problems that might occur through my editing. (While these may go unnoticed by my portrait client, my stock client is more particular.)

Personally, I find both programs useful. Here's why...

Photoshop Tip: The Difference Between Photoshop and Lightroom

To appreciate the differences between Lightroom and Photoshop, I like to think about it this way:

Lightroom = global change
Photoshop = targeted change

To fix something specific within an image (remove a logo, fix a wrinkle, brighten dark circles under my client's eyes, etc.), I have to use Photoshop. 

But, when I want to apply a change to the entire photograph (convert it to black and white, crop, adjust the color saturation, etc.), I prefer to use Lightroom.

Why? Well... even though I can make my global changes in Photoshop, Lightroom is often faster and easier. While I may have to finish my editing in Photoshop, it can cut my workflow time by at least a half to start processing in Lightroom. When you're working with 30 to 40 images at once, that's a huge time-saver.

Lightroom also...

(continued below...)

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catalogs all my images, keywords them, adds my copyright info, and makes them super easy to sort, rate, and find. You can do some of that in Photoshop, too, but it's time consuming.

With Lightroom, when my client requests reprints, I can pull up his photos in a matter of minutes. It recalls the location of the photo on my computer and remembers everything I did to process that image before printing. You don't get that with Photoshop.

So, in my line of work, I find it helpful to combine the best of both programs.

If you're shooting for stock or portraits, I suggest you do the same. 

And, if you need help finding your way around Lightroom and Photoshop, you should also consider the special deal AWAI is offering this week, where you can get 3 tech-tools in a bundle.

You'll find the details here: www.thephotographerslife.com/phb/letushelp

ENTER TO WIN!

This month's photo challenge theme is "Let's Go Green."  If you have a picture to submit, log on to our website and click on the "Enter to Win" tab.  (Note: First-time users need to register on the "register" link on the right side bar first. Once you have a username and password, click "Enter to Win" to upload your photo. Only one photo per applicant will be considered. No purchase necessary to register.)

Photos are due by 8:00 a.m. EST, Monday, March 24, 2008.

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shelly Perry from Portland, Oregon, specializes in people photography -- using a documentary-style approach. She is known especially for her imaging of children. Shelly's concern for people is reflected both in her sense of purpose and the images she produces.  Her images have been seen all over the globe on music CD covers, books, magazines, catalogs, websites, ad campaigns, and TV. Her work has also appeared in several local exhibits and gallery shows.

To learn more about photography with Shelly and other successful professional photographers, you can listen to their photo workshop presentations with The Ultimate Photo Workshop-At-Home Online Package, on sale here: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/phr/website]