ACR and LR

[Roxanne Baggott]

I know that LR has great organizational features, but Are there are there any differences between EDITING in Adobe camera raw and Lightroom?

 

[PKM-UK]

Hi Roxanne,

Lightroom (Classic - ‘LrC’) and ACR share the exact same processing engine.

There are clearly interface differences (in terms of the way things are laid out) and from time to time there have been some minor differences between iterations as updates are released (e.g. ACR was the first to get curves in the masking tools). As far as I know both applications currently offer identical tools and functionality.

Therefore you should be able to edit files to look the same using either - it just depends which one you prefer to use. (I use LrC).

(Note I don’t run ‘Lightroom’ - i.e. the non ‘Classic’ version - so can’t comment on it’s processing engine and tool options).

Phil

 

[Only RF]

Lr (Lightroom) or LrC (Lightroom Classic)? As Phil said LrC and ACR are identical in many ways. I call LrC - ACR on steroids. Since masking was introduced in LrC 11, I have not sent a file to PS for additional editing. LrC 13 is even better.

Lr which used to be called the cloud version is quite different now. It offers both cloud or local file storage and no catatogue. I still don't use it as I prefer the organizational of LrC. Maybe one day.

Are you new to Lightroom or better worded LrC/Lr?

 

[Roxanne Baggott]

I have used adobe bridge, ACR and PS for several years. But lately, I keep hearing so much about Lightroom, I just wonder if there is a reason to switch my workflow.

 

[Roxanne Baggott]

Hi Roxanne,

Lightroom (Classic - ‘LrC’) and ACR share the exact same processing engine.

There are clearly interface differences (in terms of the way things are laid out) and from time to time there have been some minor differences between iterations as updates are released (e.g. ACR was the first to get curves in the masking tools). As far as I know both applications currently offer identical tools and functionality.

Therefore you should be able to edit files to look the same using either - it just depends which one you prefer to use. (I use LrC).

(Note I don’t run ‘Lightroom’ - i.e. the non ‘Classic’ version - so can’t comment on it’s processing engine and tool options).

Phil

Thank you!

 

[Only RF]

I have used adobe bridge, ACR and PS for several years. But lately, I keep hearing so much about Lightroom, I just wonder if there is a reason to switch my workflow.

I've said this before and sometimes it didn't go over well on other forums. To sum it up ACR/PS is for the designer and LrC/Lr is for the photographer. I think some photographers didn't like the word "designer". Of course you use ACR/PS for photography. Many people do. PS is far more complex with many things I don't need. LrC is all I need to use these days.

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Below is very good video and I wish it was out when I started using Lightroom in 2011. Sometimes new users confuse the catalogue with the files. They believe they are the same thing and because you have to import files into LrC and it creates a duplicate set of files or it whisks the files off to some other location. It does not do that.

The catalogue is just a database that keeps a record of all of your adjustments - forever. It is separate from you actual files and works on the sidelines. I shot weddings 10 years and never kept and Jpegs as a back up. At any time I can open LrC, find that folder and export the fully edited files and export as Jpegs, or TIFF's, etc.

The only reason for importing files is so the catalogue can read the files metadata and add it to the database. Also so it knows where you files are located which is also important but very easy to maintain. If you look at your folder structure in LrC it will be the same as the OS or wherever you store your files/folders. It's not a new set of files.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Roxanne Baggott]

I've said this before and sometimes it didn't go over well on other forums. To sum it up ACR/PS is for the designer and LrC/Lr is for the photographer. I think some photographers didn't like the word "designer". Of course you use ACR/PS for photography. Many people do. PS is far more complex with many things I don't need. LrC is all I need to use these days.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

Below is very good video and I wish it was out when I started using Lightroom in 2011. Sometimes new users confuse the catalogue with the files. They believe they are the same thing and because you have to import files into LrC and it creates a duplicate set of files or it whisks the files off to some other location. It does not do that.

The catalogue is just a database that keeps a record of all of your adjustments - forever. It is separate from you actual files and works on the sidelines. I shot weddings 10 years and never kept and Jpegs as a back up. At any time I can open LrC, find that folder and export the fully edited files and export as Jpegs, or TIFF's, etc.

The only reason for importing files is so the catalogue can read the files metadata and add it to the database. Also so it knows where you files are located which is also important but very easy to maintain. If you look at your folder structure in LrC it will be the same as the OS or wherever you store your files/folders. It's not a new set of files.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

This is really good info. Actually I am a photographer but also a digital retoucher for a non profit organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. The retouching I do for this requires many features that I can’t do in Lr like frequency separation, actions, patch tool etc. But Adobe is always adding features to LrC and I think one day I might be able to use it alone.

 

[Only RF]

This is really good info. Actually I am a photographer but also a digital retoucher for a non profit organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. The retouching I do for this requires many features that I can’t do in Lr like frequency separation, actions, patch tool etc. But Adobe is always adding features to LrC and I think one day I might be able to use it alone.

Volunteering is very rewarding. From LrC you can send a file to PS, use all the editing capabilities and send it back. It will open as RAW comes back as a TIFF or PSD so if there are a lot of files you will use a lot of storage space. For event editing I only sent a handful for PS advanced editing. I would not have done that for all the files.

Actually if you send a file as Smart Object to PS you can access ACR.

 

[PKM-UK]

Thank you!

Hi Roxanne,

No problem - my pleasure!

Having read how the conversation is 'developing', I should clarify that I use a range of programs by DxO, Adobe and Topaz Labs (plus Photoshop Plug-ins by Tony Kuyper).

LrC is my photographic processing hub but I send files to other applications as required, with Photoshop being at the centre of my most creative editing.

I'd say if you're comfortable/ fluent with PS then you're in a very good place, but if time permits - and curiosity tempts you, try LrC to see what you think.


There are some (potentially) interesting/ useful threads on this site, which you can find using these links -

Lightroom Tips and Tricks, Photoshop Tips and Tricks and YouTube Channels for Instruction and Inspiration.

(Please feel free to add your own!).


Phil

 

[Roxanne Baggott]

Hi Roxanne,

No problem - my pleasure!

Having read how the conversation is 'developing', I should clarify that I use a range of programs by DxO, Adobe and Topaz Labs (plus Photoshop Plug-ins by Tony Kuyper).

LrC is my photographic processing hub but I send files to other applications as required, with Photoshop being at the centre of my most creative editing.

I'd say if you're comfortable/ fluent with PS then you're in a very good place, but if time permits - and curiosity tempts you, try LrC to see what you think.


There are some (potentially) interesting/ useful threads on this site, which you can find using these links -

Lightroom Tips and Tricks, Photoshop Tips and Tricks and YouTube Channels for Instruction and Inspiration.

(Please feel free to add your own!).


Phil

Thanks. I do love Topaz products too!

 

[Only RF]

Thanks. I do love Topaz products too!

Phil takes things to a new level with image processing. I wish I had that patience. I've been going in reverse and getting rid of as much 3rd party as I can. I had (or have access to) all of the Topaz standalone apps, Photo AI v1, PureRaw, ON1 NoNoise. Might be an age thing.

Since the release of Adobe Denoise I only use Topaz Sharpen AI only if I need to. I pre-cull all my files using Canon's DPP - Quick Check - Full screen so anything even slightly OOF does not get through. A file has to be pretty special to keep and I'n still never really thrilled with I know Denoise AI will get better and I'm hoping Adobe answers with a Sharpen AI module some day.

 

[DWU2]

Lightroom Classic provides a number of useful functions beyond the editing features that are also present in ACR.
- It is a DAM (Digital Asset Manager) facilitating finding, keywording, sorting, flagging, filtering, and organizing your images.
- It has the ability to organize photos into collections without duplicating the photos.
- It can "round-trip" to other editors enable you to invoke other editors (such as Photoshop, but also the NIK Suite, DXO, Photomatix, Paintshop Pro, Helicon Focus, On1, etc. Once you have done the round trip, your edited photo is automatically placed in the LR catalog.
- LRC has printing, mapping, slide show, and book creation modules.

 

[Archibald]

How do I open a file in ACR? I have heard of ACR for years, and have an Adobe photo subscription, but ACR is a mystery to me.

 

[PKM-UK]

How do I open a file in ACR? I have heard of ACR for years, and have an Adobe photo subscription, but ACR is a mystery to me.

Hi Ed,

From the LrC Library Module right click on your image and pick Edit In/ Edit in Adobe Photoshop 2024 (or Open as Smart Object in Photoshop), once the image opens in Photoshop pick Menu item Filter/ Camera Raw Filter. You are now editing in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Have fun...

Phil

 

[Archibald]

Hi Ed,

From the LrC Library Module right click on your image and pick Edit In/ Edit in Adobe Photoshop 2024 (or Open as Smart Object in Photoshop), once the image opens in Photoshop pick Menu item Filter/ Camera Raw Filter. You are now editing in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Have fun...

Phil

Thank you, Phil! Might be fun experimenting with that feature.

 

[Only RF]

You may find this interesting.

Your Lightroom Classic Tips and Tricks...

I just came across this video. I did purchase his video set before Adobe Denoise was introduced. Two step process. Using LrC create a virtual copy. On the first file reduce noise manually for subject and on the second for the background. Send both to PS and blend. No need anymore. I've also...

rfshooters.com

 

[ACEkin]

Although I don't know why, I found out recently when I tried to edit a very large Photoshop PSB file (big file format) in Lightroom. It was impossible to do even simple edits, even scrolling the image. I opened the same image in ACR and I could do everything I wanted with ease, scrolling, editing, etc. Their internal engines are the same, as they say, but the behavior and interface are a good deal different. I am sure you will not notice this odd behavior with normal-size images. The image was one of the samples I stitched after photographing St. Paul Church in Cranston, RI. In case you may want to see them, here is the link to the article on my website:

ROGETI 360 Panoramic Head - Kept Light Photography

I am not new to panoramic photography. In the film days, I printed carefully captured frames and mounted them side-by-side creating the panorama. There was

www.keptlight.com