CC App Lightroom or Lightroom classic for newcomers to Lightroom?

[johnjohnlin]

Lightroom Version Number

13.5

Operating System

1. macOS 14 Sonoma

After wrestling with Apple Photos for far too long, I’m planning to get my kids into Lightroom. They are budding photographers, one more than the other.

Is it better to get them started with Lightroom or Lightroom Classic, assuming its something they would grow into?

 

[clee01l]

I think it resolves into this dilemma. Do you want your images stored in the Adobe Cloud or do you want to retain total control? Lr is Cloud based and works best with an internet connection. If you are used to Apple Photos transitioning to Lr would be comfortable. While Lr does have a Local option, I think "local" is still immature and poorly developed.

Also if you are not interested in printing at home, then Lr has all of the organization and editing tools found in LrC. Missing from Lr is a robust Keywording feature and print.
It has been said that LrC has a steep learning curve. I think it is most suitable for serious photographers that are interested in getting the most out of each photo.

As for me, I am first a LrC user and second a Lr user to access my image inventory form any mobile device that I have plus a Web feature to access the same photos stored in the Adobe cloud,

 

[johnjohnlin]

This is very helpful, thank you.

Right now, for me, I mostly use LrC to manage/file my own photos and then I will move things to Apple Photos when I want to share them or make them available to others. Plus, as an iPhone user, I end up with lots of photos from my iPhone, which are easy to manipulate in Apple Photos.

Is Lightroom basically an Adobe version of Apple Photos? We're not professional photographers (more like enthusiasts), so there really isn't much need to share sophisticated albums with others.

How do you manage your own workflow between LrC and Lr? And is there any ability to manage/edit photos in LrC remotely? Like can I access or edit my LrC photos when I'm traveling and way from my desktop?

 

[clee01l]

This is very helpful, thank you.

Right now, for me, I mostly use LrC to manage/file my own photos and then I will move things to Apple Photos when I want to share them or make them available to others. Plus, as an iPhone user, I end up with lots of photos from my iPhone, which are easy to manipulate in Apple Photos.

Is Lightroom basically an Adobe version of Apple Photos? We're not professional photographers (more like enthusiasts), so there really isn't much need to share sophisticated albums with others.

How do you manage your own workflow between LrC and Lr? And is there any ability to manage/edit photos in LrC remotely? Like can I access or edit my LrC photos when I'm traveling and way from my desktop?

I do not use Apple Photos anywhere. I have even gone so far as to remove it from my Mac. Photos that I take with my phone are taken with the Lightroom Camera or auto-imported into Lr and synced to the Adobe Cloud and down to LrC on my Mac.

Lightroom is a counter to the Photos app on mobile devices such as a phone. While it uses the Adobe Cloud for storage rather than Apple’s iCloud, It is not an Adobe version of Photos. Lr photos are just as easy to edit on the phone as are Photos taken with the Photos app.

I contend that you should use only one image management app. Photos and Lightroom are two image management apps, you do not need both.

Some time ago, I replaced my travel MBP with an iPadPro It works well as a front end to LrC and all images imported into Lightroom (Phone or iPad) automatically end up in my master catalog in LrC. I can do preliminary processing on the iPadPro and even create albums to feed my Adobe Portfolio website for a quick share with friends on the web during my travel.

By doing my initial import on the iPadPro, Those and all of the images I have synced are available to any app that can access the Adobe Cloud. Using the editing tools in Lr will cause these edits to sync back to LrC So, to answer your questions about remotely editing LrC, this is done with LrC and the Adobe Cloud.

I don’t manage a workflow between LrC and LrC, It is automatic and transparent. I just sync both to the Adobe Cloud.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Paul McFarlane]

Is Lightroom basically an Adobe version of Apple Photos?

No. I think Cletus summed it up well:

Do you want your images stored in the Adobe Cloud or do you want to retain total control?

Functionally, the two options are now very similar.

Take a look through our blog:

Lightroom cloud ecosystem vs. Lightroom Classic – which do I need?​

 

[johnjohnlin]

This is all very helpful. I've been using Lightroom for a while, though really haven't explored it fully. I switched to Lightroom after Apple retired Aperture.

I guess the question is, for someone new to photo managing, editing, etc. (my 13 and 14 year old kids), which should they use? Lightroom or Lightroom Classic?

 

[Gnits]

A factor to consider…. will the kids be sharing your computer and Adobe Account or have their own. Will they be using iPads and iPhones rather than a classic desktop keyboard and mouse. Will they have access to local storage or will they need cloud storage.

I imagine initially volumes will be modest… so a degree of experimenting may be worthwhile.

 

[Replytoken]

You can always get a trial account for each kid and let them play around and see what they prefer. I suspect they may have a preference for LR as they may want access to their images wherever they are. Granted, they can use both programs, but starting out they may want access from mobile devices.

--Ken

P.S. Come to think of it you may want to see how much interest either has in editing/post processing. At 13 or 14, I suspect that presets may be appealing, and many of the post processing skills and tools we at the forum value may be of lesser value.

 

[PhilBurton]

I do not use Apple Photos anywhere. I have even gone so far as to remove it from my Mac. Photos that I take with my phone are taken with the Lightroom Camera or auto-

I don’t manage a workflow between LrC and LrC, It is automatic and transparent. I just sync both to the Adobe Cloud.

And to be clear, have you encountered any of the sync'ing issues that others have reported?

 

[BobT]

If you are big on documenting and keywording, like me, then LrC is the way to go. If not and mobility and connectivity is an advantage, then Lr. However, don't try to get the best of both worlds by using both, at least not until you are fully familiar with syncing and confident that using both will improve your workflow.

 

[karl.nyhus]

I guess the question is, for someone new to photo managing, editing, etc. (my 13 and 14 year old kids), which should they use? Lightroom or Lightroom Classic?

There is a third option that may make sense for kids just starting out: an Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw workflow. Both come with your Adobe Photography Plan.

The Bridge app is a photo-aware local file browser that is more like the Finder on the Mac than it is like either Lightroom Classic or Lightroom. No importing, no catalog, and no cloud to worry about at the start for the kiddos.

It is easy to select a photo in Bridge and open it in Adobe Camera Raw (or Photoshop, for that matter). Camera Raw has the same editing capabilities for raw files and JPEGs that LrC and Lr have. And when or if your kids show interest in something more, it will be a snap to bring their photo collection into either LrC or Lr.

 

[Paul McFarlane]

The Bridge app is a photo-aware local file browser that is more like the Finder on the Mac than it is like either Lightroom Classic or Lightroom.

I would suggest Lightroom Desktop, using Local Mode, accomplishes this in an interface that will be easier for them to transition from if they take to Lightroom, and one that OP will be more familiar with.

 

[johnjohnlin]

Thanks!

 

[Califdan]

Ask 5 people, get 6 opinons.

Lightroom Mobile (Cloud based) will be more familiar to kids who tend to lead their lives on their phones. the user interface (even the apps that run on Windows and Mac are more like phone apps. Less functionality but simpler for the functions that are there.

However, in one or your statements you suggest that this may turn into a serious hobby or even a vocation. This would point toward LrC (Lightroom Classic) which is more full featured, allows the use of 3rd party plugins for many things not included in the app and can sync images with the LR/Cloud apps (with a few limitaitons). This can be important if they want to interface LR with various websites they might create on Flicker, Smugmug, Zenfolio.

In terms of image editing functionality they are pretty much equivilent albeit when Lr/Cloud is used on small devices the size of the screen poses challenges but this can be overcome by using the PC or Mac apps. However, in terms of image management I think LR/Classic has a significant edge over LR/Cloud in many regards.