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Author Topic: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM  (Read 11557 times)

Jglaser757

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What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« on: December 24, 2014, 10:05:40 am »

I have been using LR for 4/5 years now and four times in the last year I had issues with the catalog. In fact it is an ongoing problem with a friend of mine. And, if you cant read the catalog then you can access your settings for images.

Well, what is the benefit of LR and keeping a sidecar with image setting as opposed to keeping them together like in bridge?

I am rethinking my DAM and using Bridge or setting up my own.

I am tired of the lost catalog issue
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digitaldog

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #1 on: December 24, 2014, 11:11:49 am »

Bridge is not a DAM, it’s a browser.

Rather than throw out the baby with the bath water, perhaps it would be better to figure out why you can’t read the catalog, and why this issue manifest. I and many, many others have been using the  product without issue since day one (some of us before day one).
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Jglaser757

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #2 on: December 24, 2014, 12:43:41 pm »

Bridge is not a DAM, it’s a browser.

Rather than throw out the baby with the bath water, perhaps it would be better to figure out why you can’t read the catalog, and why this issue manifest. I and many, many others have been using the  product without issue since day one (some of us before day one).

I agree with you. I really do! and, I have been using it for years also,,since its first version. And, I understand its benefits, especially with workflow and everything in "one"place. The Keywording is essential for my workflow. But, I am now questioning that workflow.

Why I have been using a third party processor for my Raw images that is limiting. It does a good job but now as well as the manufacture. You can see the proof when converting IR images. Lr room doesnt interpret images as well.
Why I am switching between so many software programs. I have to many different locations for folders.
Why I have critical information for a file that is separate(sidecar) from the file. Shouldn't it be in the file?
Why I am using LR when I am using PS so much.
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Rhossydd

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #3 on: December 24, 2014, 05:57:41 pm »

I am tired of the lost catalog issue
I think you need to address why you're loosing catalogues before worrying about ditching LR.

I've been using LR since the beta of version 1 and have never 'lost' a catalogue yet.
If you're regularly seeing corruption of file data that's a far more important issue to resolve than which DAM you use.
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Tony Jay

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #4 on: December 24, 2014, 09:05:39 pm »

I agree with you. I really do! and, I have been using it for years also,,since its first version. And, I understand its benefits, especially with workflow and everything in "one"place. The Keywording is essential for my workflow. But, I am now questioning that workflow.

Why I have been using a third party processor for my Raw images that is limiting. It does a good job but now as well as the manufacture. You can see the proof when converting IR images. Lr room doesnt interpret images as well.
Why I am switching between so many software programs. I have to many different locations for folders.
Why I have critical information for a file that is separate(sidecar) from the file. Shouldn't it be in the file?
Why I am using LR when I am using PS so much.
By the sound of it your entire workflow and digital-asset-management is a mess.
Blaming Lightroom for user error (lost catalogs) does not help.
Also if you are doing niche stuff like shoting IR images and then converting them in Lightroom - is it really Lightroom's fault if you don't like the result?

As for the issue of XMP sidecar files - go whinge at the camera manufacturer for producing such hopeless raw file formats or convert your images to DNG.
As for the rest of your rhetorical questions they just create a strong impression that you are not using your tools too well

If you need help with your digital asset managment (and it does seem that you do need help) post some specific questions that will help to straighten up your workflow. There is plenty of expertise here to help.

Tony Jay
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Jglaser757

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #5 on: December 24, 2014, 09:59:10 pm »

By the sound of it your entire workflow and digital-asset-management is a mess.
Blaming Lightroom for user error (lost catalogs) does not help.
Also if you are doing niche stuff like shoting IR images and then converting them in Lightroom - is it really Lightroom's fault if you don't like the result?

As for the issue of XMP sidecar files - go whinge at the camera manufacturer for producing such hopeless raw file formats or convert your images to DNG.
As for the rest of your rhetorical questions they just create a strong impression that you are not using your tools too well

If you need help with your digital asset managment (and it does seem that you do need help) post some specific questions that will help to straighten up your workflow. There is plenty of expertise here to help.

Tony Jay

It is a mess and I admit it is my fault for misplacing catalog. But I was just trying to clean things up. And, when I erased hard drive I lost the connection to the catalog. I got it restored twice but it seems counter intuitive to have files separate from adjustments to those files. What is the purpose?

As far as the quality of LR for not processing images correctly. I convert them to dng when importing. I was told to do this thru a kelby video years ago. And have been doing it this way ever since then. However, I recently converted a Nikon to IR(I also switched from Canon) and discovered a big difference in the way files are processed. The " third party" processor in LR does not handle the IR files properly. It can't . It stands to reason that it can't handle any files as well as the manufacture. Granted, I have done all of my conversion directly in LR except for the last 6 months but I think it's time to rethink and figure out a better system. I just don't know what that is.

And yes I know a lot if not all adjustments can be done in LR but I feel like a I have more control with layers in PS.

And to complicate things even more  , I use "image print" to print and go directly from LR.
In some ways I love LR but it is sure making it hard with Nikon and IR images.
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Tony Jay

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2014, 11:10:47 pm »

OK first off you do not need to have XMP sidecar files.
The catalog has all the edit information.
However the purpose of the XMP sidecar files is that the proprietary raw files have no facility for storing parametric editing metadata - however DNG does.
This is no fault of Adobe's though - much more to do with the camera manufacturers.

I am not sure why you are having so many problems with your catalog and image collection.
As mentioned, by others, many of us are managing huge image collections (in the hundreds of thousands) using Lightroom as the prime digital-asset-management tool with no issues at all. To me it just seems that you have not yet got to grips with what the application is really capable of. (And perhaps also how it is not mean't to be used.)

As for porting images to other applications for work - we all do it - less so now that Lightroom has become so capable as an image editor and it isn't a big deal.

Tony Jay
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #7 on: December 25, 2014, 02:51:39 am »

Hi,

Lightroom and Camera raw share the raw conversion engine, so you would get exactly the same conversion in ACR is you used the exactly same settings.

Very clearly, some other raw converters can make a better job in special cases. It can also be argued that other raw converters may be better than ACR/LR. On the other hand, many photographers who know what they are doing are using Lightroom, so I would think it is good enough for even the most demanding work.

What I have seen is that folks who have many different catalogues may run into problems finding them. Personally I am in favour of just using a single large catalogue.

Best regards
Erik
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deejjjaaaa

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #8 on: December 25, 2014, 06:39:23 pm »

However the purpose of the XMP sidecar files is that the proprietary raw files have no facility for storing parametric editing metadata
they actually do, just because tiff derived formats allows that... it is another story that most of manufacturers do not think it is a good idea to write back into raw files... some however do that - Nikon for example... you might want to study the subject first
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digitaldog

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #9 on: December 25, 2014, 06:41:42 pm »

Exactly, Adobe treats proprietary raws as read only. They don’t have to but decided they should. DNG is another story, they are quite happy to embed all that data inside the container.
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Tony Jay

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Re: What is the benenfit of LR as DAM
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2014, 04:02:45 am »

they actually do, just because tiff derived formats allows that... it is another story that most of manufacturers do not think it is a good idea to write back into raw files... some however do that - Nikon for example... you might want to study the subject first
Thanks for the correction :D
Nonetheless the prime point of the post stands that it is not necessary (obligatory) to write metadata back to XMP sidecars if you don't want to.
There are other options to make sure that all your data can be adequately backed up.
However, for what it is worth I do write metadata back to file.

Tony Jay
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