Switching from Canon's DPP to LR

[Khurram]

I've been trying to decide whether to switch to the Lightroom, after using Canon's DPP raw processor, pretty much since i went digital when the Canon 1D2N and 5D were released.

Up to know i've pretty much just used ND grads for handling contest, and while i've bracketed shots, in case i want to blend exposures in the future, up to now, i've only tried DPP's HDR, which i found very limiting.  I also found PS a little too intimidating and in previous versions of LR, you still needed to use PS.  However, with some of the added functionality in the new LR that has funtionality to blend using HDR merge and the Pano' merge features, I've been considering making the switch to LR.  

I am a bit confused with the release of LR 6 and CC.  Are they the same program???  Other then one being subscription, is there any difference in functionality between the two??? 

I did try Lightroom 2 for a couple of months (LR2), but struggled with the following lightroom workflow:
1) necessity to use the library structure and always work with the library. I only have a macbook Pro and my workflow consists of creating a file structure on my Macbook Pro, processing the files and than moving the processed files to external portable hard drives. If I ever wanted to rework the files, i transfer them back to my laptop to work on them.
2) In DPP, when sharpening, I typically just used the sharpening slider to 3 or 4. In LR you need to use the unsharp mask, and while i got Kelby's PS CS2 book, i still struggled with understanding how to use the unsharp mask (i.e. setting radius, amount, when to use different settings, etc). even the DPP 4 now has unsharp mask as well, i don't use that.  Is there a simple way to figure out how to use unsharp mask in LR???
3) Similarly with noise reduction - in DPP, i pretty much just go by feel using the sliders in DPP, but really felt uncomfortable in PS and LR.

If i create a LR directory on my Mac Book Pro and after processing them, move folders to portable HD's, will the edits I make still be there if i import those folders back to my MacBook Pro hard drive to work on them???

I'd appreciate any advice and feedback on whether LR is a good option for me, if i am going to be moving folders off of my Macbook Pro, once i've finished my processing and if there are any issues with moving file folders back to my MacBook Pro, if i wanted to work on them in LR at a later date.

[Schewe]

I am a bit confused with the release of LR 6 and CC.  Are they the same program???  Other then one being subscription, is there any difference in functionality between the two??? 

To be clear, LR 2015.0 and LR 6.0 are the same app with the same features and functionality. However, once LR 2015.1 is released, there will be differences between CC 2015.1 and LR 6.1. This is due to the what subscription and perpetual licenses are allowed to add to the feature set. LR 2015.1 will get new features that are not in LR 6.1. So, you need to decide if you want to get new features as they are developed, or if you are willing to wait for LR7 to get those new features.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

...
2) In DPP, when sharpening, I typically just used the sharpening slider to 3 or 4. In LR you need to use the unsharp mask... Is there a simple way to figure out how to use unsharp mask in LR???
3) Similarly with noise reduction - in DPP, i pretty much just go by feel using the sliders in DPP, but really felt uncomfortable in PS and LR...

Yes, there is a simple way to do sharpening in LR: there are two presets: "Sharpen - Faces" and "Sharpen - Scenic." In 80-90% of cases, that is all you need to chose from. If you have a lot of smooth surfaces in "Scenic," like clear blue sky or similar, I found it helpful to use the Masking slider and move it to, say, 40 (that prevents noise in the sky from sharpening).

For noise, I found that, again, in 80-90% of cases with visible noise, moving the Luminance noise slider to 10 or 20 is sufficient, and sometimes the color to 50. If you do use that Luminance slider, you may go back to sharpening and add 10-20 (I do 20) of the Amount.

Of course there could be a lot more to it, but if you want to keep it simple and have a good starting point, that's it.

[eliedinur]

1) necessity to use the library structure and always work with the library. I only have a macbook Pro and my workflow consists of creating a file structure on my Macbook Pro, processing the files and than moving the processed files to external portable hard drives. If I ever wanted to rework the files, i transfer them back to my laptop to work on them.....If i create a LR directory on my Mac Book Pro and after processing them, move folders to portable HD's, will the edits I make still be there if i import those folders back to my MacBook Pro hard drive to work on them???

A more sensible workflow for LR (or DPP, for that matter) is to:
1. Connect the external drive to the MBP and either first move the photo files to their permanent home and then import them into LR's catalog using the Add (meaning "leave in place") option in the Import dialog or let LR do the transferal of the files from card to external HD together with the import by selecting the Copy option. Either way, there is no need for the photo file to be on the MBP's internal drive. When the external is connected and you want to edit the image, LR will only read the CR2 file (never write to it) and list your desired edits in its catalog database, which is in the MBP, and show you a preview of how that editing will look. Only when you want to export an RGB version of the image (tiff, psd or jpg) is any real editing done.
[Actually, DPP works the same, except that the list of proposed edits is stored inside the CR2 when you do Save.]

But LR has a feature that DPP doesn't. If you don't want the external connected up while you are editing or it is physically impossible (you are in a different city), you can make Smart Previews, either while importing or later. These are reduced resolution, highly compressed DNG (RAW) versions of the CR2 which sit in the MBP next to the LR catalog file and are used as stand-ins for the CR2 when the external is off-line, so there is no need to move CR2s back and forth. When the external is reconnected, those edits that were done to the SPs are associated with the CR2s.

I used DPP for four years with a lot of help from secondary editors and a lot of growing dissatisfaction, until in 2008 I switched to LR2. Four versions later, it is still my primary Raw converter. Image editing can be as simple (by using Adobe-provided presets or any of the thousands available from other sources) or as challenging as you want.

[Khurram]

To be clear, LR 2015.0 and LR 6.0 are the same app with the same features and functionality. However, once LR 2015.1 is released, there will be differences between CC 2015.1 and LR 6.1. This is due to the what subscription and perpetual licenses are allowed to add to the feature set. LR 2015.1 will get new features that are not in LR 6.1. So, you need to decide if you want to get new features as they are developed, or if you are willing to wait for LR7 to get those new features.

thanks for the clarification!

[Khurram]

Yes, there is a simple way to do sharpening in LR: there are two presets: "Sharpen - Faces" and "Sharpen - Scenic." In 80-90% of cases, that is all you need to chose from. If you have a lot of smooth surfaces in "Scenic," like clear blue sky or similar, I found it helpful to use the Masking slider and move it to, say, 40 (that prevents noise in the sky from sharpening).

For noise, I found that, again, in 80-90% of cases with visible noise, moving the Luminance noise slider to 10 or 20 is sufficient, and sometimes the color to 50. If you do use that Luminance slider, you may go back to sharpening and add 10-20 (I do 20) of the Amount.

Of course there could be a lot more to it, but if you want to keep it simple and have a good starting point, that's it.

thanks for the info!  Those sounds like good options to ease into LR, without having to learn everything right away.  Have you used the HDR merge, is it really as effective as their demo videos show it to be???  I've always used ND grads to deal with contrast, but would like to try blending exposures using HDR merge.  I want to keep it natrual though.  I've never tried blending in PS as i found using layers a little to daunting.

[Khurram]

Thanks for the info regarding Smart Previews that may be an option.  I find working of the external drive to be painfully slow, so it may be a good option of using smart previews and plugging in the hard drive afterwards.

A more sensible workflow for LR (or DPP, for that matter) is to:
1. Connect the external drive to the MBP and either first move the photo files to their permanent home and then import them into LR's catalog using the Add (meaning "leave in place") option in the Import dialog or let LR do the transferal of the files from card to external HD together with the import by selecting the Copy option. Either way, there is no need for the photo file to be on the MBP's internal drive. When the external is connected and you want to edit the image, LR will only read the CR2 file (never write to it) and list your desired edits in its catalog database, which is in the MBP, and show you a preview of how that editing will look. Only when you want to export an RGB version of the image (tiff, psd or jpg) is any real editing done.
[Actually, DPP works the same, except that the list of proposed edits is stored inside the CR2 when you do Save.]

But LR has a feature that DPP doesn't. If you don't want the external connected up while you are editing or it is physically impossible (you are in a different city), you can make Smart Previews, either while importing or later. These are reduced resolution, highly compressed DNG (RAW) versions of the CR2 which sit in the MBP next to the LR catalog file and are used as stand-ins for the CR2 when the external is off-line, so there is no need to move CR2s back and forth. When the external is reconnected, those edits that were done to the SPs are associated with the CR2s.

I used DPP for four years with a lot of help from secondary editors and a lot of growing dissatisfaction, until in 2008 I switched to LR2. Four versions later, it is still my primary Raw converter. Image editing can be as simple (by using Adobe-provided presets or any of the thousands available from other sources) or as challenging as you want.