Using Lightroom as a Photographer

A while ago, I picked up Adobe Lightroom after forgetting about it for quite some time. Oh, how I regret forgetting about it. This program has completely change the photo editing game for me. Whether it’s personal photos, events, portraiture or anything in between, Lightroom is now my go-to editing program as a complete one stop shop.

Why not Bridge and Photoshop?

Photoshop is a fantastic tool with very detailed retouching features, where you can really get down to the nitty-gritty. But Lightroom is an extremely streamlined program that has made life as a photographer easy. I do use Photoshop for very detailed or one-off projects, but for my overall body of work and maintaining a high quality consistency in my images, Lightroom is the way to go. Here are my favorite things that Adobe Lightroom has optimized…

Bulk Editing

Editing in bulk got a hundred times easier when I started using Lightroom. I had previously been using Photoshop and using their batch processing tool to perform curves, actions and more. When I realized how easy bulk editing was in Lightroom however, I was hooked. Being able to create a consistent set of images and easily flip back-and-forth between them made the quality and consistency of my final product so much higher. Lightroom also has amazing tools For whittling down your photos, cataloging and more. It will even carry over spot retouching between frames if you want it to!

Presets

I love making presets. They provide the opportunity to share consistent color edits across multiple bodies of work. It makes it simple to have several weddings, for example, with the same lighting and editing style so that your book is consistent. That way, your clients know exactly what they’re getting into. On top of being able to make your own presets, there are many photographers out there who have put out great high-quality presets for free and for small prices to be able to give your work a certain look that maybe you hadn’t been able to achieve, or maybe you hadn’t considered to be a fit for your own photos. 

Cohesion

I cannot express enough the importance of a consistent body of work. Lightroom makes that simple through its easy-to-use image editing tools. If you’re not going too heavy on the retouching, I would say the application also acts as a one-stop shop. If you have a little more than light retouching, you can finish off your photo batch in Photoshop. But otherwise, creating a consistent body of work is made extremely simple with Lightroom.

Exporting Ease

Exporting photos to match specifics is so easy with Lightroom. File naming options, file types, and easy sizing options for both your own needs and clients needs. Optimize your saving and storing process, and produce high quality work for clients from start to finish.

Have you tried Lightroom?

These are just some of my favorite ways that Adobe Lightroom has optimized my workflow, but I’m sure I could think of many more reasons. Do you use Lightroom, or what editing software do you use for your photography? Let me know in the comments!