Which program is greatest, Adobe Digicam Uncooked vs Lightroom? And which must you use to your images workflow?
On this article, I’m going to share an intensive comparability of those two applications. I’ll talk about all the important thing options, from enhancing capabilities and file varieties to digital asset administration and integration.
By the point you’re achieved, you’ll know which program is best for you – and I’ll even clarify how one can successfully combine each applications into your enhancing workflow.
Let’s get began.
What Is Adobe Digicam Uncooked?
Adobe Digicam Uncooked (ACR) is a RAW file converter. It turns a RAW file right into a extra versatile file kind, reminiscent of a TIFF, JPEG, or perhaps a PSD – so as to simply preview, share, or edit your work.
ACR started as a Photoshop plugin, permitting photographers to open RAW recordsdata, convert them in Digicam Uncooked, then proceed with enhancing in Photoshop. Nevertheless it quickly turned a everlasting fixture of the Photoshop surroundings (method again in 2003, when Adobe first launched Photoshop CS).
Since then, Digicam Uncooked has gone by loads of iterations. As we speak, it affords a whole bunch of enhancing choices, together with fundamental publicity changes, fundamental colour changes, and focused (native) changes through brushes and filters. Whereas ACR can’t match the expansiveness and depth of Photoshop, and whereas it’s technically nonetheless a Photoshop plugin, it now packs the ability of a standalone editor.
What Is Lightroom?
Lightroom is a picture enhancing and digital asset administration (DAM) program supplied by Adobe.
Not like Adobe Digicam Uncooked, Lightroom is break up into a number of modules, every with a delegated operate. For example, you get a picture library (for importing and organizing photographs), a Develop module (for making edits), a Print module (for making ready photographs for print), and extra.
Lightroom was initially labeled “Photoshop Lightroom,” with the aim of high-volume picture processing that simply wasn’t doable in Photoshop. Word that Lightroom’s builders took the (already present) Adobe Digicam Uncooked and caught it into Lightroom’s Develop module – so the enhancing options in each applications are functionally an identical, with the identical sliders, the identical adjustment instruments, and as of the newest main replace, the same enhancing format.
In different phrases:
With regards to enhancing, ACR and Lightroom are primarily the identical program.
That stated, there are some necessary variations, particularly in the case of workflow and digital asset administration (and I talk about these in depth beneath).
The Benefit of Nondestructive RAW Modifying
Each Digicam Uncooked and Lightroom are nondestructive RAW editors, which suggests they regulate RAW recordsdata with out overwriting the unique picture.
So in the event you enhance the publicity in ACR or Lightroom, you’re not truly brightening the unique pixels; as a substitute, you’re writing the adjustments to a picture catalog (Lightroom) or to a sidecar file (ACR).
The unique RAW picture at all times stays untouched.
Why is that this necessary?
It means which you can make as many adjustments as you need to your recordsdata, but you’ll by no means destroy the unique. Every part is reversible. In case your tastes change otherwise you make a mistake, you possibly can at all times reset the edits and begin over.
Additionally, ACR and Lightroom (together with Lightroom Basic, Lightroom, and Lightroom Cell) all acknowledge each other’s catalogs and sidecar recordsdata – so you possibly can edit in a single program, swap to a different, and head into a 3rd with full continuity.
And since ACR and Lightroom presets are the identical, you possibly can import any Lightroom presets into ACR and vice versa.
What Are the Benefits of Lightroom?
As I defined above, Lightroom and ACR provide an identical enhancing packages.
However Lightroom affords a degree of performance on high of its enhancing:
Digital asset administration.
In Lightroom, you possibly can import recordsdata of all kinds (together with each RAWs and JPEGs), then you possibly can set up them into completely different collections, give them key phrases, scores, flags, and far, rather more. And after organizing, you possibly can transfer into the Develop module to make edits, then again into the Library module for additional group, and so forth.
It is a big deal. It’s a solution to preserve the whole photographic workflow – from group to enhancing to exporting – in a single place, and that is invaluable for newcomers, fans, and professionals. Plus, Lightroom isn’t simply a digital asset administration program, it’s the digital asset administration program, one which outperforms a lot of the different choices in the marketplace and is utilized by loads of world-class professionals.
Evaluate this to Adobe Digicam Uncooked, which incorporates zero group capabilities. You click on to open a file, you edit the file in ACR, and also you reserve it, export it, or proceed on to Photoshop. There’s no organizing photographs into folders or collections or anything. (You’ll be able to add a star score, however it’s not particularly helpful except you utilize Adobe Bridge, mentioned beneath.)
What Are the Benefits of Adobe Digicam Uncooked?
As you’re now conscious, Adobe Digicam Uncooked is generally only a portion of Lightroom that converts recordsdata for Photoshop.
However this does include some advantages.
For one, ACR doesn’t use a catalog; picture edits are saved alongside the unique RAW file. This may be helpful if you wish to share RAW recordsdata with one other laptop – as a substitute of sending your RAW file plus the entire Lightroom catalog, you possibly can simply ship the RAW file and the sidecar file (which is conveniently positioned proper subsequent to the unique RAW).
(You can make Lightroom do that, however it takes some setup, plus it takes up further cupboard space.)
And two:
Adobe Digicam Uncooked is made for Photoshop, so it’s extremely simple to start out in ACR, do some enhancing in Photoshop, after which (through Adobe’s Digicam Uncooked filter) make further adjustments in Digicam Uncooked.
Sure, Lightroom does provide Photoshop integration. Nevertheless it’s not almost as handy because the ACR-Photoshop workflow, so for many who plan to spend plenty of time in Photoshop, ACR is very interesting.
Digicam RAW + Bridge vs Lightroom
For these of you who like Adobe Digicam Uncooked however are pissed off by the shortage of DAM capabilities, there’s a answer:
Adobe Bridge.
Bridge was launched again in 2005, and it’s simply a picture organizer – so it could act because the DAM companion to ACR’s enhancing.
For photographers preferring to not use Lightroom, Adobe Bridge is a lifesaver. You’ll be able to set up photographs in Bridge, then do RAW conversions and fundamental edits in Adobe Digicam Uncooked earlier than making main changes in Photoshop.
Plus, Adobe Bridge is a picture organizing program that’s utterly free.
The right way to Use Lightroom and Digicam Uncooked Successfully
Adobe Bridge is nice – however what if you wish to keep on with Lightroom for picture group, however you additionally need to have the ability to entry Adobe Digicam Uncooked? What do you do?
You’ll be able to mix ACR and Lightroom by a useful little workflow:
First, you import and set up your photographs in Lightroom.
Then, you can also make fundamental changes within the Lightroom Develop module.
When you’re able to do higher-level changes, you possibly can right-click on a picture and choose Edit In > Open as Sensible Object in Photoshop.
Your file will open in Photoshop. You can also make any Photoshop changes you want. And you’ll additionally use the Digicam Uncooked filter, which helps you to entry ACR throughout the Photoshop interface.
Adobe Digicam Uncooked vs Lightroom: Conclusion
Adobe Digicam Uncooked and Lightroom are each wonderful applications. The hot button is to find out which one works for you.
When you spend most of your time in Photoshop, ACR (plus Bridge) may be the higher selection. However in the event you choose Lightroom’s enhancing and group capabilities, you possibly can at all times work successfully with Lightroom and Photoshop – and, once you want it, the Digicam Uncooked filter!