Scott Martin's photographic imaging newsletter
thoughts, news and techniques for photographic imaging professionals
Photoshop vs Lightroom and "Is it real?"
Q: "When I process a RAW file, I use the RAW image processor in Photoshop. I then save it as a TIFF file (and then to a JPEG for clients and stock agencies). This already seems like so many steps. Why would I want to use Lightroom?"
A: Photoshop wasn't designed to work with camera RAW files - it was designed to work with film scans. IMO, the Camera RAW plugin and Adobe Bridge represent an inelegant approach to modernizing an application based on 1980's technology.
Lightroom is the new Photoshop written from the group up with Camera RAW imaging in mind. It's a paradigm shift. With it, we inch closer to a workflow that allows us to do everything (adjustments, retouching, printing, etc) directly from the camera RAW files, or our "Digital Negatives" as I like to call them, without cumbersome TIFF and PSD files. JPEGs are a temporary format designed for transportation and internet use. Maintaining a collection of Digital Negatives without all the other files is simple and elegant, takes up a lot less drive space and simplifies file management and archiving.
If and when you choose to become a Lightroom user, I'd encourage you to use it to import images directly from the camera's memory card, all the way through your workflow including printing, client file delivery and website creation. Think of Photoshop as a temporary retouching tool that you'll one day be able to retire once Lightroom gains those more extensive capabilities. If you need to goto Photoshop, do so quickly and return back to Lightroom for everything else (printing, client file delivery, etc).
Some people's work revolves around Photoshop and image compositing. Maggie Taylor and Dan Burkholder are two friends whose work I admire whose creative process has been deeply engrained in Photoshop for decades. Lightroom isn't necessarily for them, and that's OK. Photographers that don't do much compositing or extensive retouching are better off adopting Lightroom for the majority of their workflow, even if it involves Photoshop at times. Those that say "Why use Lightroom when Photoshop does more?" just don't get it. It's about simplicity and elegance. It's about rethinking the whole process of working with images. Lightroom isn't for all everyone but it represents the future for 90%+ of DSLR photographers. Photoshop will remain a powerful tool for those doing extensive retouching/compositing and for non-photographers like 3D illustrators, architects, graphic designers, etc.
The elegance and simplicity of Lightroom's workflow has changed my whole relationship to photography. I'm able to spend less time behind the computer and more time behind the lens. I used to spend hours and hours perfecting an image in Photoshop but now I do so behind the camera. When I'm shooting, I strive harder to get it right in-camera because I want to avoid using Photoshop at all costs. Instead of saying "Oh I'll fix that in Photoshop" I just shoot something else or I'll work to perfect the lighting. I spend less than 5% of my time in Photoshop now and look forward to the day when I can retire it altogether.
Is it real?
15 years ago I had an exhibition of palladium prints and it really bothered me when someone asked "What did you do in Photoshop? Are these real?" These days when people ask these questions at my exhibitions my response is "all of these images were made completely without the use of Photoshop." And that means something. For the viewer or print buyer, it's powerfully confidence building. Someday Lightroom will have a lot more extensive retouching capabilities than it has today. But for now, saying that an entire exhibit was printed entirely with Lightroom means that the retouching is minimal if at all, and that no compositing was done. It looked like that in camera. Some mastery of the craft is evident. It has integrity - similar to in-camera transparency. And it's "real" - however the viewer is defining that. :-]
Developed in Lightroom using almost no adjustments. Yes, it's real. No Photoshop.
Upcoming Workshops
Urban Night Photography Workshop
February 18th - 20th
Starts at 6pm Friday and goes late each evening
Houston Center for Photography, Houston, Texas
$850
Night photography book signing, talk and cocktails
Saturday, Febraury 19th
5pm to 7pm, talk at 6pm
Houston Center for Photography, Houston, Texas
free
Southtown Urban Night Photography Workshop
February 24th - 25th
5pm till midnight
The Liberty Bar Restuarant, San Antonio, Texas
$335
Nocturnes 20th Anniversary Night Photography Festival
2011 marks the 20th anniversary of The founding of The Nocturnes in San Francisco. To celebrate, we're planning a full schedule of events, including a Night Photography Festival at Mono Lake in June with multiple workshops and many special presenters.
June 13-16, Mono Lake, Calfornia
led by Tim Baskerville, Lance Keimig and Scott Martin.
Predictions and Hopes for 2011
Predictions
Xrite's i1Profiler software, when released, takes over the color profiling market
HP cancels the Z printer series
Canon releases the 17" and 60" versions of the latest iPF larger format printers (ie: the 9300 and 5300 models)
Canon finally releases a super high resolution and clean 1DsMark4
Nikon releases a successor to the D700 with HDvideo
Hopes
People stop using the outdated and unreliable i1Display products and switch to Spyder3 or DTP94 devices
More photographers learn to minimize their Photoshop usage, and prepare for a post Photoshop era
Designers produce their own in-house SWOP certifiable proofs
Apple wises up and releases a non-glare version of their fantastic 27" Cinema Display and 27" iMac
Although I'd like to hope for lots of new things in Lightroom I think we'll have to wait till 2012 for Lightroom v4...
Last One Out, Please Turn On The Light
A survey of London's remaining professional darkrooms (via HA)
Industry Tidbits
Phase One Backs now High Resolution and Touch Sensitive
It's about time. Paying $20K+ for a back with a 1990's era 1.5 inch screen with four crude buttons was getting old.
Impossible Project now selling and shipping Polaroid film
It's the real thing.
Adobe Ideas iOS app update brings Layers Support
Adobe's Free "Adobe Ideas" mobile scketching app gives us a glimpse as to what Photoshop/Lightorom/Illustrator/Paint apps might look like
on an iPad or iPhone. They are starting from the ground up rethinking critical uder interface (UI) design for today's mobile device. Expect this and their free Photoshop Express app to get more exciting as they evolve. Today's update brings Layers support.
Hipstamatic update brings background processing
Every photographers favorite camera app just got better. Today's update brings background image development processing
which enables rapid fire shooting of up to 9 images without waiting.
Four ways to add eSATA to a new iMac
Want badass performance with external hard drives? Ditch USB and Firewire and go eSATA.
Nature Inspired Image Stabilization?
Perhaps camera manufactures should learn a few things about image stabilization from chickens. (via DB)
Not Photographic Imaging
I've been a coffee/espresso fanatic for many years but this video and coffee pouring technique by friend and local micro-roaster Aaron Blanco is really enlightening. Aaron runs Brown Coffee which roasts what is regarded by many as the best coffee in this part of the USA.
Feedback
As always, I love to hear from creative professionals. Please email me and let me know what you are up to. Thanks! - Scott Martin
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postal: 816 Camaron Suite #207, San Antonio, TX 78212
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