Adobe is a creative software giant and they have two of the most popular photo & image editing software available. The two software suites have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Lightroom is known for its non-destructive editing and sophisticated batch processing features and is primarily used by photographers and image editors, whereas Photoshop favors layer-based editing and is used by photographers, image editors, graphic designers, illustrators, animators, and a wide range of other creative types.
It should be mentioned that Lightroom comes in two varieties: Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Lightroom is intended for more casual users; its user interface is simpler and cleaner, making it easier to use across desktop and portable touchscreen devices, including desktops, iPads, iOS, and Android.
It’s inextricably linked to the cloud, so devices instantly sync any changes. Professionals who require more editing tools and a more complex organizational element prefer Lightroom Classic. It primarily stores data locally, but it can synchronize collections and photos with the cloud if necessary.
After all, any expert craftsperson’s trademark is knowing which tool is best suited to a job. Are you the type of person who cracks a nut with a sledgehammer? To trim your nails, you’ll need an angle grinder. Understanding how Lightroom and Photoshop differ – and how they may function together can help photographers, both amateur and professional, streamline their workflows, generate better images, and give them more time to do what they love.
By the way, taking photos is not the same as stewing in front of your computer. Let us now compare Photoshop and Lightroom to help you decide which software is the best photo editing tool suitable for you and where to start.
What Is Adobe Lightroom?
Adobe Lightroom: Adobe introduced Lightroom as part of the creative suite in 2006, and the latest iteration makes a perfect non-destructive image editor, with a focus on image organization, batch processing, and intelligent editing tools.
Adobe Lightroom contains a portion of Photoshop’s features that are created specifically for the modern photographer. Lightroom includes the majority if not all of the image manipulation tools you’ll most likely require.
Adobe Lightroom Classic, which is what we’re talking about here is a little different from what is now just known as Lightroom. Lightroom Classic is a full-featured desktop application that includes picture editing, cataloging, and more. Lightroom is a cloud-based application that can be used to edit photos on a tablet, a desktop, or a phone.
However, it is less powerful, and people serious about picture editing who are contemplating Photoshop as a photo editor should only examine Lightroom Classic. Adobe Lightroom Mobile is also extremely popular these days with the higher presence of mobile photographers on the scene.
Read More: How to Use Lightroom Basic Guides
Is Adobe Lightroom free?
Adobe Lightroom is among one of the best photo editing apps and some of its services can be availed for free of cost. But for the best experience, one has to buy the premium version of it. Some of the Lightroom Mobile features are available for free.
Other premium functions, such as editing RAW files and making selective modifications, need a paid subscription after a trial time. Some features that can be only availed in the paid service are given below for the readers to get a look at.
Batch Editing, Editing RAW Files, Selective Adjustments, Presets Repair Tool, Perspective Correction, Syncing Web Galleries, People View, Adobe Spark, Portfolio Website, Adobe Fonts, etc.
The above-mentioned services are not available in the free version and one has to subscribe to the premium version to experience the best photo editing tool experience on Lightroom.
The Benefits of Using Lightroom:
There are many reasons why one should opt for Lightroom. We are discussing it below.
1. Automation Options: Lightroom users may synchronize modifications across many pictures at the same time, saving time and effort. Not only will it synchronize photo adjustments, but it will also make it simple to apply specific metadata to multiple photographs, such as keywords, ratings, or labels.
2. User-friendly: The interface of Lightroom is less complex than that of Photoshop, making it easier to learn for newcomers or those with editing experience in other software. Lightroom is also more user-friendly on touchscreen devices like iPads and smartphones.
3. Non-Destructive: Every time you modify a photo in Lightroom, a new file is created, ensuring that the original is never lost. The editor also keeps track of all changes so that any changes can be easily reverted.
4. Overall Interface: Organizing your workflow in Lightroom is much easier than in Photoshop or Adobe Bridge because you can create databases of your photos and highlight, star, or flag specific images.
Lightroom also makes it much easier to search for images because it automatically collects metadata on each image, allowing you to find photos with very specific filters, such as aperture, camera make and model, date, time, and resolution.
5. Raw Editing Option: Photographers who shoot in the suggested RAW format can import their collections directly into Lightroom and work with them in the same way they would with lossy files like JPEGs or PNGs. Photoshop, on the other hand, necessitates Adobe Camera Raw for this type of editing, at least at first.
6. Masking Enhancements: Colour and luminance ranges are now used for more refined masking in selective editing tools such as the adjustment brush and radial filters. Lightroom now uses machine learning to enable automatic subject or sky selection with the click of a single button. Additionally, new cameras and lenses are more compatible.
Considering the above-mentioned facts, it can be stated that Lightroom is the more convenient image retouching and editing tool. But we must also keep in mind that we should not rush to any conclusion on which one is the best photo editing app. For that to determine, we need to discuss more Photoshop.
What Is Adobe Photoshop?
Photoshop: Both Photoshop and Lightroom Classic are image editors, but they operate in very different ways. Photoshop may have the word “photo” in its name, but it’s evolved from a simple image editor to an incredibly versatile program for illustration, page layout, video editing, animation, and a few other things.
That makes it almost absurdly powerful, especially given the price (more on that later), but it also means there are a lot of tools that photographers will only use infrequently, if at all.
Is Photoshop Free?
Adobe Photoshop is free to use but the trial period ends only after 7 days. So, it is a pay-to-use photo editing application. Photoshop’s three most popular variants are Photoshop CC, Photoshop Elements, and the Mobile apps on both iOS & Android. One will have to pay a monthly subscription price for Adobe Creative Cloud if one wants to get the full edition of Photoshop.
Both Windows and Mac users can use Photoshop CC. If one doesn’t require all of the features of Photoshop’s full version, you might want to consider purchasing Photoshop Elements instead. Photoshop Elements is available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. There are a few Photoshop mobile apps for iOS and Android that you can use to edit photographs on the move.
Most of these programs, however, are likely to be less powerful and provide less flexibility than the full desktop version.
Read More: Amazing Photoshop Shortcuts
Advantages of Using Photoshop
At some time, most photographers and digital content makers will need to learn Photoshop. Its capabilities extend far beyond basic picture editing, allowing users to create multi-layered composites, animations, and more. The following are some of Photoshop’s benefits:
1. Perfection in Editing: Photoshop is the world’s most popular software for a reason. As a pixel-level editor, the photographer has complete control over every detail of each image, resulting in consistently stunning images.
2. Neutrality of Filters: Photoshop employs Artificial Intelligence in the form of Neural Filters to do more complicated machine-learning processing. Users may now apply style presets, colorize black and white photos, zoom in on photos without losing information, and much more without having to lift a finger.
3. Compositing: One of Photoshop’s most powerful features is compositing, or replacing selected parts of an image with similar sections of other images. This tool eliminates the need for perfect images to be jeopardized by minor details that can be easily replaced, cloned, healed, or moved.
4. Layering & Masking: Photoshop’s key feature is layer editing. Unlike Lightroom, Photoshop supports layers of edits that interact with and affect different parts of the image, giving users far more control over the image’s appearance.
5. Object Removal: Photoshop’s healing capabilities are highly strong, whether they’re used to mend large buildings or tiny skin imperfections. While some professional photographers may be able to conduct some editing with Lightroom’s lesser toolset, professional retouchers can use Photoshop to achieve clean, thorough adjustments.
6. Plugins: To speed up the workflow, plugins, and actions can be used to apply effects and edits autonomously. They are available from Adobe as well as from third-party users or companies. Editors can also create their actions, allowing long processes to be completed in a fraction of the time.
7. The iPad App: The current iPad version of Photoshop is identical to the desktop version. Users can edit files with the same degree of sophistication whether at home or on location since Photoshop documents have the same level of detail and intricacy.
Read More: Best Free Photoshop Alternatives
Constructive Analysis Based on the Costing
Adobe includes both Lightroom and Photoshop in its Photography plan bundle, as most users will want to own both to get the most out of their image editing. The full Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop standalone apps are also only available separately, albeit at a slightly higher price.
Both software, however, are only available as monthly or annual subscription plans and cannot be purchased outright. Adobe has put together a brand-new package for those who enjoy creating on the go, saving you 50% on the price of its four design programs. Photoshop and Illustrator for iPad, Fresco for iPad and iPhone, Adobe Spark, and the Creative Cloud app are all included in the Design Mobile Bundle.
On the other hand, Photoshop Elements is a much more user-friendly version of Photoshop that still has a plethora of features. It offers guided options for newcomers and can still be purchased as a one-time fee rather than a subscription.
Final Words:
So, we can conclude that the go-to option for professionals should be Photoshop as the best photo editing app. As well as for designing. Photoshop is a more convenient photo editing tool in terms of versatility. But Lightroom is relatively easier to use.
Photographers who are only into photo editing should prefer Lightroom over Photoshop. Both the apps are great but which one is the most convenient photo editing tool depends upon lots of factors and there are no clear conclusions to it.
