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.