Which program is finest, Adobe Digicam Uncooked vs Lightroom? And which do you have to use in your images workflow?
On this article, I’m going to share a radical comparability of those two applications. I’ll talk about all the important thing options, from enhancing capabilities and file sorts to digital asset administration and integration.
By the point you’re performed, 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, corresponding to a TIFF, JPEG, or perhaps a PSD – so to simply preview, share, or edit your work.
ACR started as a Photoshop plugin, permitting photographers to open RAW information, convert them in Digicam Uncooked, then proceed with enhancing in Photoshop. Nevertheless it quickly turned a everlasting fixture of the Photoshop surroundings (manner again in 2003, when Adobe first launched Photoshop CS).
Since then, Digicam Uncooked has gone by means of loads of iterations. At the moment, it affords a whole lot of enhancing choices, together with fundamental publicity changes, fundamental shade 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 cut up into a number of modules, every with a chosen perform. For example, you get a picture library (for importing and organizing pictures), a Develop module (for making edits), a Print module (for making ready pictures for print), and extra.
Lightroom was initially labeled “Photoshop Lightroom,” with the aim of high-volume picture processing that simply wasn’t potential in Photoshop. Notice that Lightroom’s builders took the (already current) 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 latest main replace, an analogous enhancing structure.
In different phrases:
In terms of enhancing, ACR and Lightroom are primarily the identical program.
That mentioned, there are some necessary variations, particularly on the subject 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 implies they alter RAW information with out overwriting the unique picture.
So when you enhance the publicity in ACR or Lightroom, you’re not truly brightening the unique pixels; as an alternative, you’re writing the adjustments to a picture catalog (Lightroom) or to a sidecar file (ACR).
The unique RAW picture all the time stays untouched.
Why is that this necessary?
It means that you could make as many adjustments as you need to your information, but you’ll by no means destroy the unique. All the things is reversible. In case your tastes change otherwise you make a mistake, you’ll be able to all the time reset the edits and begin over.
Additionally, ACR and Lightroom (together with Lightroom Traditional, Lightroom, and Lightroom Cellular) all acknowledge each other’s catalogs and sidecar information – so you’ll be able to edit in a single program, change to a different, and head into a 3rd with full continuity.
And since ACR and Lightroom presets are the identical, you’ll be able to 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 prime of its enhancing:
Digital asset administration.
In Lightroom, you’ll be able to import information of all kinds (together with each RAWs and JPEGs), then you’ll be able to set up them into totally different collections, give them key phrases, rankings, flags, and far, way more. And after organizing, you’ll be able to transfer into the Develop module to make edits, then again into the Library module for additional group, and so forth.
This can be a big deal. It’s a solution to preserve your complete photographic workflow – from group to enhancing to exporting – in a single place, and that is invaluable for rookies, fans, and professionals. Plus, Lightroom isn’t simply a digital asset administration program, it’s the digital asset administration program, one which outperforms many 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 pictures into folders or collections or anything. (You’ll be able to add a star ranking, however it’s not particularly helpful until you utilize Adobe Bridge, mentioned beneath.)
What Are the Benefits of Adobe Digicam Uncooked?
As you’re now conscious, Adobe Digicam Uncooked is usually only a portion of Lightroom that converts information 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 information with one other pc – as an alternative of sending your RAW file plus the entire Lightroom catalog, you’ll be able to simply ship the RAW file and the sidecar file (which is conveniently situated proper subsequent to the unique RAW).
(You can make Lightroom do that, however it takes some setup, plus it takes up extra space for storing.)
And two:
Adobe Digicam Uncooked is made for Photoshop, so it’s extremely straightforward to start out in ACR, do some enhancing in Photoshop, after which (through Adobe’s Digicam Uncooked filter) make extra adjustments in Digicam Uncooked.
Sure, Lightroom does provide Photoshop integration. Nevertheless it’s not almost as handy because the ACR-Photoshop workflow, so for individuals 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 resolution:
Adobe Bridge.
Bridge was launched again in 2005, and it’s simply a picture organizer – so it will probably 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 pictures 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 photograph organizing program that’s utterly free.
Learn how 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 means of a useful little workflow:
First, you import and set up your pictures in Lightroom.
Then, you may make fundamental changes within the Lightroom Develop module.
When you’re able to do higher-level changes, you’ll be able to 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 may 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 bottom line is to find out which one works for you.
When you spend most of your time in Photoshop, ACR (plus Bridge) is perhaps the higher selection. However when you favor Lightroom’s enhancing and group capabilities, you’ll be able to all the time work successfully with Lightroom and Photoshop – and, whenever you want it, the Digicam Uncooked filter!
