For a long time Adobe Photoshop has been known as the reigning champion of image editing programs.
The term “photoshop” has even worked its way into the language of popular culture. People know that to “photoshop” something means to digitally alter an image. Just look at the glossy magazine covers, and you’ll know what it means!
Since Photoshop has developed such a glowing reputation, it’s usually the first choice among many new photographers looking to edit their images.
But then one day…
A new contender came along: Adobe Lightroom. It boasted some pretty fantastic features, and seemed similar, yet somehow different than Photoshop. I mean, they both are for editing your images…
So the big question on many photographers’ minds is “Which one should I use? Photoshop or Lightroom?”
Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each program, and see which one will win the battle! Fight!
In The Blue Corner: Photoshop!
Photoshop is a pixel based image editor. (Pixels are the tiny dots that make up photographs.) When you use Photoshop to edit your photos you have ultimate control—right down to the individual pixels. Lets take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of this contender.
Strengths
Retouching
Photoshop excels at retouching. If you need to remove blemishes, get rid of stray hairs, reduce bags under eyes, whiten teeth, remove garbage, or perform any other change to a specific part of an image, then Photoshop is likely the fastest way to do it.
It has powerful tools like the clone stamp, the spot healing brush, and the patch tool that make for speedy and powerful retouching.
Layers and Opacity
Photoshop works on the principal of layers (imagine the way cartoons used to be drawn). You can create layers of different adjustments and control their opacity (the intensity of that layer). This allows for super precise control of the look of your image.
Actions
Actions let you to record a sequence of steps in Photoshop so that all you need to do is press a button and they’ll automatically be carried out.
For instance, you could create an action that automatically duplicates the current layer and then adds a curves adjustment layer to create contrast. By using an action you’ll save the time it typically takes to perform those steps manually.
Actions can be quite complex and an entire industry has sprung up around creating and selling them. Because Photoshop has a steep learning curve, buying pre-made actions to achieve certain effects has become a popular option for many photographers.
Compositing
Did you run into a blinker in a group photo? No problem with Photoshop! You can copy a pair of open eyes from one image, and paste them into the blinking image!
This magic is possible because Photoshop is a pixel based image editor. Being able to select specific pixels (like the eyes from one photo), and paste those pixels into another photo means Photoshop can be used in a wide variety of ways to combine and manipulate images.
This combining of images is termed compositing, as you’re combing elements from multiple images into a single one. Photoshop is fantastic at it.
Content Aware Fill
Content Aware Fill is a magical feature of Photoshop that can be used in a couple different ways. You can use it to remove huge and distracting elements from images (like removing a tree or a building).
You can also use it to artifically stretch or extend an image. It doesn’t work perfectly every time, but Photoshop does a pretty impressive job of filling things in.
Weaknesses
Expensive
Weighing in at $699, Photoshop is a pricey program!
Potentially Destructive
If you’re not careful it’s easy to accidentally save over your original file, making it impossible for you to return to the untouched image.
Steep Learning Curve
Because Photoshop offers you so much detailed control, learning how and when to use each feature can be pretty overwhelming.
Not Workflow Centric
Photoshop is designed to work with individual images. It’s not designed to work with groups of photos. You won’t find it much fun to open hundreds of photos simultaneously in Photoshop! Instead, you’ll generally find yourself opening up each photo individually, which takes quite a bit of time.
Also, because Photoshop’s main purpose is being a pixel based editor, you need to use other programs like Adobe Bridge to view, sort and organize your images.
Not A RAW File Editor
If you’re shooting in the RAW format (which you should be!) then you’ll need to either process your images in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) or Lightroom before bringing them into Photoshop.
In The Grey Corner: Lightroom!
Lightroom is an image management and editing program also developed by Adobe, the same folks who created Photoshop.
Using Lightroom, photographers are able to work through their images from import, to sorting and organization, to processing, and finally all the way to export and sharing on the web. It’s a workflow centric program designed to help you efficiently work with large quantities of images.
Just like Photoshop, Lightroom has it’s own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. Let’s lay it out.
Strengths
Process RAW Files
At the heart of Lightroom is the same Adobe Camera Raw engine you find with Photoshop and Bridge, only it’s presented in an interface with far better design.
You can quickly make adjustments to settings like exposure, contrast, and saturation. You can also perform sharpening, noise reduction, add vignettes, crop, add split toning and even apply creative dodging and burning effects with the adjustment brush.
Efficient Workflow
Lightroom covers nearly every step of the post production process. Youcan import your images, sort through selects, tag images with keywords, organize collections, perform RAW processing, create slideshows, print photos, create web galleries, and even share directly to Facebook & Flickr! Adobe managed to pack a ton of practical features into one program.
Presets
Lightroom has presets, which are similar to actions in Photoshop. The difference is that instead of saving a sequence of steps for how an image should be processed (like actions in Photoshop), Lightroom presets record how all the adjustment sliders are configured.
Presets are less flexible in that you cannot easily control opacity like you can with Photoshop actions. However it’s easy to make individual adjustments to sliders to fine-tune the look.
It also takes far less time to apply a Lightroom preset to a batch of images than it does to apply a Photoshop action to a batch. Since actions are based on steps, Photoshop has to carry each step out individually, on each image individually. With Lightroom, presets can be applied to multiple images simultaneously, making it far more efficient.
Non-Destructive
Whether you’re working with RAW files or JPEGS (learn about RAW vs JPEG files here), Lightroom does not edit the original files. When you make adjustments to an image what you’re actually doing is creating a set of instructions for how Lightroom should save a copy of the file. These instructions are stored in the Lightroom catalog file, or in special sidecar files known as XMPs.
You don’t have to worry that you might accidentally save over the original—which also make it easy to experiment without fear!
Easier to Learn
Lightroom is a more global program (focused on making adjustments to the whole image) as opposed to the the pixel level control found in Photoshop. Because of this, Lightroom is more straightforward and easier to learn. The interface is also designed to help you work through images in a logical manner.
More Affordable
Lightroom weighs in at $299, which is still a significant price tag, but much more affordable than Photoshop.
Weaknesses
Retouching
While simple retouching is possible in Lightroom, it’s really not the program to use if you need to do moderate to extensive retouching. It doesn’t have the fine tuned control or speed necessary.
For that you’re going to need to head to Photoshop, where the clone stamp and spot healing brush will allow you to perform retouching much faster and better than you possibly could in Lightroom.
Advanced Image Manipulation
If you need to combine photos, stitch photos together, or do any sort of heavy image manipulation work then you’ll need to head to Photoshop. Lightroom works well for making global adjustments to images, but for pixel level editing Photoshop is what you need.
Photos Only
Lightroom is a program designed specifically for photographers editing photos. Photoshop, on the other hand, can be used to edit a wide variety of graphics, not just photos.
And the Winner Is?
Yep! It’s a draw!! See, Photoshop and Lightroom are two very different programs that both offer immense value to photographers. It would be a mistake to say that you should only be using one program or the other!
Most wedding and portrait photographers will find they can do 90-95% of their editing in Lightroom. Lightroom helps you speed through your workflow, especially when working with RAW files. However, when it comes to retouching or advanced image manipulation, Photoshop is definitely the winner.
For photographers who don’t need all the horsepower that Photoshop offers, Adobe has a consumer level version of the program called Photoshop Elements. It offers a lot of the essential retouching features you might need, but at a fraction of the cost of Photoshop (~$80). Photoshop Elements and Lightroom would be a great, relatively affordable combination for new photographers to start out with.
Lightroom Vs. Aperture (A Preview)
Aperture is an image editing program made by Apple that is very similar to Lightroom (available on Mac only). It’s actually much more affordable than Lightroom, at $80 in the App Store.
Aperture is a powerful program as well and certainly deserves a more detailed review in the future. It’s another situation of both programs having pros and cons.
Having tried both programs, I found Lightroom to be more effective from a usability point of view. You may want to take advantage of the free trials of Aperture, and Lightroom, and decide which you enjoy more.
Wrap it UP!
Photoshop and Lightroom are friends, not enemies. Lightroom can handle the majority of editing, helping to create a streamlined workflow. Then, when retouching is needed, Photoshop steps in and finishes the job.
There is no winner. Just two powerful programs that are equally well-suited for different tasks!
What do you find indispensable about Photoshop or Lightroom? What do you dislike about the programs? Share it with us in the comments below.
Margaret says
What’s the difference between Lightroom and Bridge (or is that what this entire post is about!?) I never really learned to use Lightroom but rather learned to bring all my raw photos into Bridge where I can do a lot of basic processing before I even import them into Photoshop. If I’m using Bridge successfully, do I need Lightroom?
Daniel Scott says
Funny huh. It’s such a big un-answerable question. Normally when people ask me I say. If you’re a photographer start with Lightroom and move to Photoshop if you NEED too. If you’re a designer then start with Photoshop and you’ll probably never go to Lightroom.
I made a little poster too: http://www.bringyourownlaptop.co.nz/images/wallpaper-lightroom-photoshop-small.jpg
jeff says
An article like this takes on totally different meaning depending ont he DATE. If this is an old article then the touching up blemishes strength of PS is meaningless since LR 5 does it just as well. As time goes by, things in PS and LR will change but this article will continue to show up in a Google search. The point, dear author, is DATE your articles!
nelle says
Interesting. I’m just beginning with Lightroom, but I’m finding it far harder than Photoshop. I hope that opinion will change soon. ;-)
Stacy says
@Jeff–Are you able to do composite photos with LR 5?
Ted says
I am an artist and photographer, a MacUser for many years, and have the full complement of CS6 on my computer, which includes Lr, Ps, Ai, Id, etc. . Most of my experience has been with Ps, and I consider my skill level very high — as I am able to accomplish so many types of edits and effects… and then translate them into working finished files that I can apply for creating printed graphics, printed textiles, etc. . I am learning LightRoom, and it does offer some special tools like the adjustment brush and the gradient tool ( which I think are great) — but LightRoom would never ever replace Photoshop, at least in my opinion. By the way I am running Lr 4.4 … as well as the most recent version of PhotoShop.
I am always open to new programs and products, of course… and enjoy learning from the viewpoints and experiences of others. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this web space.
Tiffany82 says
I feel so overwhelmed choosing a program. I am a brand new to photography and purchased my first DSLR and have been learning and snapping away. My goal is to honestly just be able to shoot pics of my kids and family (have a very large family with new babies being born all the time). I want to be able to edit my photos like the photographer that I used to pay 1k for pics once a year too) where I can remove a blemish or a toy in the background etc. so confused between LR and PS and now elements??? help!!!
Clayton Waters says
Interesting, although it seems like a bit of a production. The after photo looks nice though. :)
Richad says
Today i know the basic difference between these two. Now i can change editing preferences according to their merit and demerits. Thanks
Brad says
I’ve been trying to play with Boundary Warp today. I took a large pano (roughly 60 images), and neither Lightroom or Camera RAW can handle stitching the images. I was able to stitch them successfully by using Lightroom’s “Merge to Pano in Photoshop” feature. However, what I end up with is a merged image made up of several image layers. Is it still possible to utilize Boundary Warp when stitching photos this way?
Rob Lim says
Hey Brad,
As far as I know boundary warp is only available through Lightroom’s pano feature (not Photoshop’s).
Adrian Brown says
Have you tried ICE by Microsoft?
Peter M says
That’s a rather sensationalist title, don’t you think?
Comparison PS and LR is like comparing apples and bananas, both together, and a few different fruits, make a nice fruit salad!
It would be much more helpful to explain how both are used in your workflow.
Most photographers will import raw images into the Lightroom library, do the culling, cropping and exposure/color adjustments. For some selected images, where the photographer chooses, there are the layers or tools (like the liquefying tool) that PS has, and LR doesn’t have.
Lightroom was never intended to replace Photoshop, or be ‘better’. Both products complement each other.
Carol says
Thank you. I am an amature and did not know what program would be best. I have Elements 9 and want to upgrade to either Photoshop or Lightroom. I do a lot of touching up. Your solution of getting both Elements and Lightroom see perfect for my situation. I would like to know if Lightroom or Elements 14 perform layering for focus and exposure? I understand that panoramic photos are not possible with this set up. Is there a program that would accomplish that? Also I have read that Helicon is recommended for focus layering. Are the results better than Lightroom?
Joseph Carrillo Sr says
Rob,
Thanks for putting this together. Quite helpful in its concise, yet detailed comparison of the “image megas”. Good to know that PS Elements is a helpful companion to LR. Just starting to put thoughts to goals and your insight was very helpful. Off to add LR & PSE to my Christmas Wish List… “Oh KIDS….!”
Adrian Brown says
Why did Aperture qualify for inclusion, no matter how small, in a comparison of Photoshop and Lightroom? Perhaps you should have also given a paragraph or two to Dark table which is another excellent contender but only for Linux and Mac. Or perhaps Gimp?
a i r says
When you have time and want to do simple brightness control or simple adjustment its fine to use photoshop. Now when you have gone to a marraige and taken 1000 pictures. This is where time is important. You want to eliminate non sharp images, blurred images , duplicate or almost similar shots, export entire album to web, send pdf files from images etc. then using photoshop is not ideal as it is very very time consuming and repeated actions that you take have to be done on several thousand images. 1 minutes per photo and imagine 1000 pictures. You donot have 10 to 12 hours in a day and seriously its not worth it. So you just pickup lightroom and start working and the deed is done within a few hours. after that if serious work is required you sit with those images and work in photoshop or other software. Lightroom open the image and stores thumbnails for you to work with and is fast. I hope you get the idea.
Kaitlyn Luckow says
Thanks for the insight!
Michael Snow says
Great Post you are a great writer ! kept me reading all the way to the end which is rare …
Kaitlyn Luckow says
Awww! Thank you so much, Michael!
ronyags says
Nice Explanation, clear, quick and understandable … Now, i am understanding difference between those both app. Thank’s
sohana says
I really enjoyed this awesome idea. thanks
Kaitlyn Luckow says
Oh yay! Thank you!
Wayne Griffis says
Wow great post. Many many thanks for sharing with.
Kaitlyn Luckow says
You’re so incredibly welcome. Many many thanks right back at you for being here.
Ethan Lilian says
This is a great resource that I see here about photoshop vs Lightroom. thanks for these bets idea
Kaitlyn Luckow says
Thank you so much for your kind words!!!
Dino Polsinelli says
I am just starting out what would you recommend for editing photos? I use GIMP at work.
Kaitlyn Luckow says
I would highly recommend investing in Lightroom
Alan J Dombrow says
I’m an amateur photographer who shoots with a Canon 5D Mark IV camera in raw+JPG and uses Lightroom Classic and Photoshop CC 2019 (with plug-ins like PortraitPro and Alien Skin products). I print photos with my Epson SureColor P800 printer and get great results. In every raw photo I process in Lightroom, I always do Lens Corrections first, especially the Profile feature to adapt to the lens I use. I’m still uncertain about the format to save my photos. I process in raw and sane in “lossless” TIFF. Years ago I saved in DNG and the format changed (not backwards compatible) so I had to open my DNG files in Photoshop and then re-save them in the new DNG format. I’ve never had that problem with TIFF files.
Johann says
Thank you, I was trying to decide what program I should learn first. I have used both program a bit and was confused as to what each programs strength /weakness was.
Your article helped clear the confusion and was very informative.