Lightroom vs Photoshop: Which One Should I Choose?

If you’re looking for the right editing program, Lightroom and Photoshop should be at the top of your list. These programs are preferred by professional photographers all over the world.

While you can edit photos with either Lightroom or Photoshop, here’s what’s most important to keep in mind.

Photoshop is for perfecting one photo at a time where Lightroom is for editing and organizing hundreds of photos at a time.

Let’s take a closer look at each program.

Editing Features of Lightroom

While you can make basic adjustments in either program, there is a reason why most photographers prefer to begin their editing process in Lightroom, not Photoshop.

Bulk Adjustments with Lightroom

The ability to make bulk edits in Lightroom makes it the perfect choice to begin the editing process.

You can select an entire series of imported photos and apply the same edits to each photo at once.

When you have hundreds of photos to process, this is a massive time-saver.

And to save even more time, you can apply these adjustments at the same time you import your photos.

This magic happens with an assist from Lightroom Presets.

Lightroom Presets for Bulk Photo Editing

Lightroom Presets are photo editing recipes that adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, apply gradients and much more.  They make all of your photos look like they were edited by a pro…even if you’re an editing novice. 

The beauty of a preset is that you don’t have to adjust any sliders yourself unless you want to make a few fine adjustments. 

They can be applied to as many photos as you wish when you import your images into Lightroom – and with only a single click! 

Needless to say, the ability to edit a large number of photos with a single click cuts hours of editing time down to just seconds. 

(Grab some FREE Lightroom Presets to edit your photos in one click here!)

Lightroom’s Organization and Cataloguing Features

Worry-free Editing with Lightroom

Another key difference between Photoshop and Lightroom is that Lightroom is a non-destructive editor.

The program keeps a database of your edits, so you can go back to your original photo and change it up at a later time. With Photoshop, once you hit the ‘Save’ button, you’re committed.

Now that I’ve given you a quick overview of Lightroom’s features, let’s take a closer look at Photoshop.

Photoshop Features

The ability to use layers lets you work only on specific areas of a photo while leaving the others untouched.

Photoshop’s advanced graphic design capabilities mean that it is used not only by photographers but also by graphic designers, digital artists, social media marketers, architects and more.

This is why Photoshop is the best, most comprehensive (and probably the most complicated) editing program in the world.

When You Care About Perfection, Choose Photoshop

If Lightroom is the workhorse program for photo management and basic editing, Photoshop is the best tool for refining and perfecting single images.

Photoshop is also the best program for compositing images. (Compositing means to seamlessly combine images together to create a brand-new image.)

Here are a few of examples of compositing. 

Replacing a grey, washed-out sky in a photo with a vibrant blue one, or changing out an unattractive background for one with a lot more appeal. 

Compositing is also used a lot in portrait photography. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve replaced the head of a non-smiling kid in a  photo with a different photo where he has a perfect cheeky grin.

All in the name of creating a perfect family portrait!

But really, what Photoshop is most famous for is its retouching abilities. 

The Photographer’s Choice for Retouching Images

Photoshop is a pixel-level editor. This means it has the power to transform the pixels of the image as it is edited.

We’ve all seen amazing Photoshop work where editors removed people from a scene, made chubby people thin, and even switched heads on subjects.

That’s pixel-level editing. Lightroom doesn’t have this capacity.

Photoshop also lets you zoom in and make fine adjustments with healing and cloning tools on a level you just can’t achieve with Lightroom. 

So how would you use Lightroom and Photoshop together? Let’s go through an example editing session!

Sample Lightroom & Photoshop Editing Workflow

Say you just finished an epic photoshoot and shot 1000 images for a client.

Now you’re ready to cull all these images down to the very best ones from the shoot. 

You import all those the images into Lightroom, then narrow those down into 300 images.

From there, you’d be super picky and cull these 300 images down to the 50 best images from the shoot. At this point, you could apply a Lightroom Preset, so all of your images have a consistent look. 

Then you would send your top 50 over to your client and have them select their favorites. 

Only after your clients select their favorites, are the images imported into Photoshop for final retouching.

A general rule of thumb is that any time your photos are to be printed in a large format, they need some extra TLC and refinement inside Photoshop. 

When you enlarge photos for print, you see every little imperfection. So go the extra mile and do some touch-ups inside Photoshop.

I Don’t Use Photoshop for Every Photo Session

Personally, the only time I bring photos into Photoshop is when millions of people are going to see a specific image.

For example, because it’s going to be printed in a magazine or on an album cover and I want to zoom in on the details and give it a little more love.

Now, if your photos aren’t seen by millions (yet), that doesn’t mean you don’t ever need to use Photoshop.

I just wanted to put it in perspective for you by describing what a typical workflow is for me.

Do I need both Photoshop and Lightroom?

My honest answer to this question is, “It depends.” 

I would encourage you to ask yourself some questions first before deciding:

1. What kind of photography are you involved in or interested in?
2. Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced photographer?
3. Are you a hobbyist or a professional?
4. What do you need from a photo editing program?
5. What overall “look” are you going for in your photos?
6. Do you want to edit quickly or on the go, or do you wish to perfect each and every image?
7. Are you publishing or printing your images somewhere?

Choose the Editing Program that Best Fits Your Needs

Adobe makes both Lightroom and Photoshop.

But you don’t necessarily NEED to use both in your workflow.

You need to pick what best suits your needs, whether that means Lightroom, Photoshop, or both!

Regardless, I would almost argue that you DO you need Lightroom.

It’s really the best program for quick and professional photo editing – and there is no better program for managing and organizing your photo collection.

But I’ve got good news – you really don’t have to decide on which program is best for your editing needs!

Get Both Lightroom and Photoshop for the Same Price

If you decide on Lightroom, you might as well get Photoshop too for the same price!

Both programs are offered together in the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. 

I have this exact plan and love it because I ALWAYS have the latest versions, plus it’s less than $10 a month.

Select the Photography plan that includes Lightroom Classic CC, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, and also get 20 GB of cloud storage for only $9.99/mo!

Want More Training?

I am doing a FREE editing training, where I’ll reveal my 5 Step Editing Recipe that every photographer should know.

In under 30 minutes, I’m going to show you how to edit your photos like a pro.

Yep, you heard me! After just 30 minutes with me, you’ll walk away a better (and more confident!) photo editor and photographer.

Click this link to register! 

How to Allow Motion to Show in Your Images

Have you ever ‘ooh’ed’ and ‘ahh’ed’ at photos that show the movement of traffic on a busy street at night?

Marveled at how the water in seascapes and waterfalls looks soft and dream-like in certain images?

Or maybe you’ve gasped at the images of fireworks captured in the night sky?

None of these cool effects are photoshop magic!

Capturing images like these are all about slowing down your camera’s shutter speed to the point you can capture motion.  And it’s easy to do!

Even if you’re a brand new photographer, this is a technique you can easily learn. Here are some tips and tricks to get started.

Step 1: Use a tripod

When you want to show motion show in your images, use a tripod whenever shooting at shutter speeds below 1/60 of a second. 

Most of us cannot physically hold the camera steady at shutter speeds below 1/60.

Everyone’s hands shake a little, and at these slow shutter speeds, your camera will pick up that shake. This causes the unwanted blur known as camera shake to show up in your photos. (It looks like your image is out-of-focus.)

So dust off that tripod!

Note: when shooting on a tripod, always turn image stabilization (aka vibration reduction) off.

Leaving image stabilization turned on while the camera is on the tripod can pick up the vibration caused by the image stabilization feature itself.

Step 2: Turn AUTO ISO on

Set your camera to AUTO ISO. If you’re not sure how to do this, refer to your camera’s user manual. (ISO controls your image sensor’s sensitivity to light.)

Once you do this, you won’t need to touch your ISO setting again during your shoot. Your camera will automatically calculate the correct ISO based on your shutter speed and aperture settings.

Step 3: Put your camera in shutter priority mode.

All DSLR and mirrorless cameras that aren’t point-and-shoot cameras have a shooting mode called Shutter Priority. This mode is a semi-automatic mode that is ideal for new photographers to experiment with changing their shutter speeds.

In this mode, your camera automatically adjusts the size of your lens’ aperture so that your image doesn’t become overexposed. All you need to do is change your shutter speed setting, and the camera takes care of the rest.

It’s very simple to set your camera into Shutter Priority mode.

For Nikon and Sony users, simply turn your mode dial to ‘S’ to select Shutter Priority.

Canon cameras have also this mode, but  Canon doesn’t use ‘S’ to denote shutter speed. Instead, turn your camera’s mode dial to TV. This stands for ‘time-value’ or the length of time the shutter stays open. 

This setting is exactly the same as Shutter Priority mode on the other cameras.

Step 4: Set your shutter speed

You’ll have to experiment a bit with your shutter speeds to get the effect you want – and of course, your settings will depend on the speed of your subject.  Lighting conditions play a big part in selecting the right shutter speed, as bright conditions call for a faster shutter speed.

Here are some suggested shutter speeds to start you out.

Fireworks:

Start out with a shutter speed of 2 seconds. Experiment with reducing your shutter speed down to 8 seconds. For the best fireworks images, get your shots in early in the show. The longer the fireworks show lasts, the more the sky fills with smoke.

Fireworks images look best when the fireworks are contrasted against a clear sky.

For detailed instructions, check out this post on how to perfectly capture fireworks. 

 Student Feature Brenda Williams

  ISO 100    Aperture ƒ/11    Shutter Speed 8s

ISO 200    Aperture ƒ/14    Shutter Speed 4s

Waterfalls:

If you’d like to capture the movement of a waterfall and create a soft, dreamy effect in your photo, try a starting shutter speed of two seconds.

If you keep getting ‘too bright’ warnings, add a neutral density filter to your lens. A neutral density filter acts like sunglasses for your lens and allows you to keep the shutter open longer without overexposing your image.

In a pinch, try using a polarizing filter. It won’t be as effective to reduce the light as much as the N.D. filter is, but it’s still better than nothing.

 ISO 100    Aperture ƒ/11    Shutter Speed 10s

 Student Feature Kristen Wallace

  ISO 400    Aperture ƒ/8    Shutter Speed 13s

Seascapes:

The same techniques used in capturing waterfalls are also used for seascape photography.  Start with a shutter speed of two seconds. Use a neutral density or polarizing filter if needed.

 Student Feature Lisa Bronitt

  ISO 400    Aperture ƒ/10    Shutter Speed 2s

Moving Traffic:

 Student Feature Tim Ritchie

  ISO 100    Aperture ƒ/20    Shutter Speed 15s

To capture the movement of tail lights at night, start out with a shutter speed of 10 seconds. Experiment with leaving your shutter open up to 30 seconds to capture different effects.  

Panning (Advanced):

If you’re looking for more dramatic action shots, try panning. Panning gives the effect of a moving subject in sharp focus with a blurred background, This effect is created by moving your camera along with the subject as they pass by.

It can be challenging to nail the technique, but well worth practicing.

Set your camera in shutter priority mode. The speed you choose depends on the speed of the subject. You’ll need to experiment a bit to get the right shutter speed, but here are are some starting points to try.

1. Fast moving subjects like cars – try shooting at 1/125 of a second
2. Slower moving subjects (people running or walking) – ⅛ of a second
3. Cyclists – 1/60 of a second.

ISO 100    Aperture ƒ/8    Shutter Speed 1/40s

Set your autofocus mode to AI Servo or AF-C (continuous) mode. (Different camera manufacturers may use different names – consult your camera manual if you are unsure.)

This autofocus mode automatically adjusts focus for moving subjects.

For best results, combine AF-C mode with the dynamic area setting. This allows you to focus on a single point, and the camera makes adjustments as the subject moves.

Frame your subject as they come into view then partially depress your shutter to activate autofocus. Smoothly follow your subject right to left or left to right as they move past you.

You may need to experiment a bit with these suggested shutter speeds. If your subject looks blurry, increase your shutter speed until you get the results you want. 

Have fun and experiment with shutter speed for more creative photos! 

Ready to take your photos to the next level?

Join me for my free training called “Show Your Camera Who’s Boss” and I’ll show you how to use the dials on your camera to freeze motion.

6 African American Photographers Who Advanced

Civil Rights Through Their Art

We’re celebrating Black History Month with a tribute to six pioneering African American photographers.

Their accomplishments were astounding considering the odds against their success because of segregation and prejudice. Through their technical excellence and storytelling through image, they fought racial stereotypes and injustice.

Among these men, two won Pulitzer Prizes for journalism. Others created successful studios that captured a rising black middle class in the early 20th century.

Civil rights advancements in the 1950s and 60s owe a massive debt to the collective works of these superb photographers.

Gordon Parks  (1912 – 2005)

“I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs. I knew at that point I had to have a camera.”

Photographer, filmmaker, musician and novelist Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott Kansas in 1912 in an era where racial violence was commonplace. After his mother died when he was 14, Parks moved in with relatives in Minnesota, but soon after became homeless.

He began his photography career in 1941, after purchasing a second-hand camera in a Seattle pawnshop. After seeing his work for a women’s clothing shop in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mrs. Joe Louis encouraged Parks and his wife to move to Chicago and start a portrait studio.

His exemplary work led to him winning a 1941fellowship with the Farm Security Administration (FSA), which was tasked with documenting the nation’s social conditions, under the direction of Roy Stryker.

Staff Photographer at Life Magazine

In 1948, Parks became a staff photographer for Life Magazine, the premier publication of its day. His association with the magazine lasted until 1972.

During this time, Parks became one of the most celebrated photojournalists in the U.S., photographing celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Muhammed Ali, Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael as well as capturing sports, fashion and documenting poverty and racial division.

During Parks’ tenure at Life, the March 8, 1968 edition featuring Parks’ portrayal of the shocking living conditions of the Fontanelle family, living in abject poverty in Harlem rocked the nation at the height of civil rights unrest.

As well as achieving fame as a photographer, Parks was a celebrated filmmaker and musician (directing the screenplay for the hit movie Shaft, as well as composing the score).

Parks passed away in Manhattan at age 93.

James Presley Ball (1825 – 1904)

Working with a team of fellow African American artists, Ball created a massive painted canvas panorama titled: “Mammoth Pictorial Tour of the United States Comprising Views of the African Slave Trade; of Northern and Southern Cities; of Cotton and Sugar Plantations; of the Mississippi, Ohio and Susquehanna Rivers, Niagara Falls & C.”

The panorama consisted of 2,400 yards of canvas that was slowly unrolled before an audience. The work exposed the shocking conditions his fellow African Americans endured under slavery.

Sadly, this work has been lost.

Featured Exhibits, Notable Clients and Awards

Ball’s works were featured at the Ohio Mechanics Institute expositions in 1852, 1854, 1855 and 1857. He won the bronze medal for photography in 1857. 

In September 1887, Ball was honored as the official photographer of the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Among Ball’s noted subjects were Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Jenny Lind, P.T. Barnum and the family of President Ulysses S. Grant.

He moved west and became a prominent figure in Helena, Montana. He was active in politics and established a studio there.

In his last years, Ball relocated to Honolulu in 1902 to find relief for his rheumatism. He passed away there in 1904.

Daguerreotype Sets Auction Record

In 1992, an 1851 daguerreotype of Ball’s sold for $63,800. At the time, this was aworld’s record for sale of a daguerreotype at auction.

James Van Der Zee (1886 – 1983)

James Van Der Zee was born in Lennox, Massachusetts and received his first camera in 1900, at the age of 14. As the owner of one of the few cameras in his hometown, Van Der Zee was often called on to document events in his community.

After moving to Newark, New Jersey in 1915, Van Der Zee was employed as a darkroom and photographer’s assistant. After relocating to New York City in 1916, Van Der Zee established his first photographic studio in his sister’s music conservatory.

Depression Brings Change in Business Model

During the Depression, the demand for portraiture dried up due to economic circumstances and the increase in numbers of personal cameras. Van Der Zee responded to the challenging times by doing passport photos, photo restorations and other miscellaneous photography jobs for the next decades.

Featured in ‘Harlem on My Mind’ at the Met

In 1967, Van Der Zee rose to worldwide fame after he was featured in a Metropolitan Museum of Art Exhibit titled “Harlem on My Mind.”

It was mere chance that Van Der Zee was featured after exhibit researcher Reginald McGee walked into Van Der Zee’s studio and asked him if he had any photographs from the 1920s and 1930s.

Because of this accidental discovery, Van Der Zee’s legacy is still with us today.

Moneta Sleet Jr. (1926 – 1996)

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Moneta Sleet Jr.’s fascination with photography began when his parents gave him a box camera as a child. But he didn’t decide to pursue a career in photography until attended Kentucky State University as an undergraduate.  

Initially enrolled as a business major, Sleet made the switch to photography after he landed a job as an assistant at a photo studio operated by one of the deans at KSU.

After graduating from Kentucky State, he went on to receive a Master’s degree in journalism from New York University in 1950.

Sleet’s first job was as a sportswriter for the now defunct Amsterdam News, a black newspaper in NYC.

Joins Johnson Publishing Company

In 1955, Sleet joined the Johnson Publishing Company and began shooting photos for Jet and Ebony magazines. He went on to spend four decades with the company, covering the U.S. Civil Rights movements, including the 1963 march on Washington D.C., and the 1965 march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. Sleet also covered the rise of independent African nations, including independence celebrations in Nairobi, Kenya in 1965.

He photographed many African heads of state, including Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, Liberian president William Tubman and Kenyan president Jomo Kenyatta.

White’s photojournalism assignments took him all over the world, including Russia, South Africa, Mexico, the Middle East and Asia. In 1979, he covered Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico as one of the few photographers approved by the Vatican.

To honor his long career and body of work, White received the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 1982.

Selected as a Photographer for ‘Day in the Life of America’ Project

White was one of 200 photographers who participated in the largest photographic project in U.S. history, the 1986 “Day in the Life of America.”

As well as being employed by the Sun-Times, White also taught photojournalism at Columbia College Chicago, passing on the torch to the next generation of photojournalists.

The ‘Eyes of the World’

One of White’s most inspiring quotes is, “A photographer can be the eyes for the world. It’s a privilege and a tremendous responsibility.”

There is no better way to sum up the achievements of these men than those words. Their work helped break down racial barriers and shine a light on the issues of injustice and poverty. We owe them a debt of gratitude.

Sources used for this article:

http://www.kmuw.org/post/photographer-gordon-parks-work-was-weapon-against-racism-intolerance-and-poverty

http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/artist/biography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Parks

https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/TgKir2PbNAV4Kw

https://heritagevillagemuseum.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/james-presley-ball-cincinnati-photographer/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Van_Der_Zee

http://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/james-van-der-zee?view=slider#2

https://www.biography.com/people/james-van-der-zee-9515411

http://kentakepage.com/moneta-sleet-jr-the-pulitzer-prize-winning-photojournalist/

https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/kentucky-state-graduate-was-the-eyes-black-america/h1FYAbqd0yyxUTTNNhT2cJ/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moneta_Sleet_Jr.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-scurlock-studio-picture-of-prosperity-4869533/

https://www.culturetype.com/2017/04/03/scurlock-photography-studio-father-and-sons-documented-black-washington-for-much-of-20th-century/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addison_N._Scurlock

https://www.adorama.com/alc/meet-a-pro-john-h-white-on-shooting-from-the-heart

https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/white-john-h-1945

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_H._White_(photojournalist)