First foray into Lightroom Classic - mystery?

gramps said:
I think this is basically my problem, the 'Catalogue' feature is a hindrance to me, I neither need nor want it.
In essence, the only benefit LR gives ME is in opening RAW Monochrom files, if PhotoLab or Affinity did this I wouldn't need it at all.
Maybe i'll find some greater benefit from it in the future.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you needed Adobe Raw Converter (free) to convert your files and open them in your preferred programs.

LrC needs a different way of working than applications where you have to find the photos, rather while they remain within your folder structure, the app presents them to you without a need to dig. It's a little like Apple, however you retain control of your pictures. If you can work with it rather than against it then it will be much more useful.
 
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ancient_mariner said:
It sounds like you needed Adobe Raw Converter (free) to convert your files and open them in your preferred programs.

LrC needs a different way of working than applications where you have to find the photos, rather while they remain within your folder structure, the app presents them to you without a need to dig. It's a little like Apple, however you retain control of your pictures. If you can work with it rather than against it then it will be much more useful.
Click to expand...
I'll keep persevering for a while! :)
Adobe Raw Converter will not make DXO or Affinity open the monochrome files. :(
 
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This bit of my post seems to have got lost.

You need to start "thinking in Lightroom". When learning a foreign language you need to think in that language before you become fluent. Translating from English into that language in your head is an intermediate stage. It's the same with lightroom. There are probably things you are familiar with in other software aren't relevant in Lightroom.

It didn't take me long because I wasn't wedded to the ways of Photoshop at the time, but that was a long time ago.

For example Lightroom stores your raw files together with a small file containing the changes you've made in "develop". The catalogue contains all these files. When you open the file up it combines the two so you see your processed image. I never convert my raw files into tifs/jpegs until I need to use them. You do the conversion in "export" and specify the size/format you want them in, and where you want them stored. I have a folder on my desktop called "Exports from LR 2026" That's where the exported files live until you move/delete them.

Hope that helps. Good luck with the learning curve!
 
jerry12953 said:
This bit of my post seems to have got lost.

You need to start "thinking in Lightroom". When learning a foreign language you need to think in that language before you become fluent. Translating from English into that language in your head is an intermediate stage. It's the same with lightroom. There are probably things you are familiar with in other software aren't relevant in Lightroom.

It didn't take me long because I wasn't wedded to the ways of Photoshop at the time, but that was a long time ago.

For example Lightroom stores your raw files together with a small file containing the changes you've made in "develop". The catalogue contains all these files. When you open the file up it combines the two so you see your processed image. I never convert my raw files into tifs/jpegs until I need to use them. You do the conversion in "export" and specify the size/format you want them in, and where you want them stored. I have a folder on my desktop called "Exports from LR 2026" That's where the exported files live until you move/delete them.

Hope that helps. Good luck with the learning curve!
Click to expand...
I can see how this would be important to, say a professional photographer, where the photos may need to be revised at some future stage.
For me, processing is a means to an end, ie the finished jpg. Now it’s true that I could possibly want to revise the odd photo in the future but the ‘cost’ to do that, of storing all of the RAW files has, up to now, not been worth it.
However I will persevere and see whether it benefits me beyond processing the monochrome RAWs. :)
 
gramps said:
I think this is basically my problem, the 'Catalogue' feature is a hindrance to me, I neither need nor want it.
In essence, the only benefit LR gives ME is in opening RAW Monochrom files, if PhotoLab or Affinity did this I wouldn't need it at all.
Maybe i'll find some greater benefit from it in the future.
Click to expand...
I mentioned it before (but you didn't respond), but does your license include access to Lightroom as well as Lightroom Classic. I've kind of lost track of Adobe licensing as I still have the Photographers plan that has Lightroom, Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

As I said in my earlier post, I am aware of several people who have stopped using Lightroom Classic and started using Lightroom, because you can now use Lightroom without a catalogue or being online. But I'm not sure what you give up by just using Lightroom. What you gain, is that you can just browse to files on your hard drive and open them directly with no need to get involved with a catalogue.

It may well be that a specific issue means it's not suitable, but it seems worth investigating, or maybe you already know it won't work for you, or indeed maybe your license is for Classic only :-(

I've just googled and Lightroom works with Lecia M2 Mono files and you don't need to be online to use AI denoising.

H
 
myotis said:
(but you didn't respond)
Click to expand...
Sorry! :(

It looks like I have Lightroom, Lightroom Classic & Bridge (I've only downloaded LRC).
The reason for LRC is to keep everything on my desktop rather than stored elsewhere - personal preference.

myotis said:
What you gain, is that you can just browse to files on your hard drive and open them directly with no need to get involved with a catalogue.
Click to expand...
That definitely sounds more interesting and what I need - I assume that I can keep/use both, or do I have to choose which I keep?
 
gramps said:
Sorry! :(

It looks like I have Lightroom, Lightroom Classic & Bridge (I've only downloaded LRC).
The reason for LRC is to keep everything on my desktop rather than stored elsewhere - personal preference.


That definitely sounds more interesting and what I need - I assume that I can keep/use both, or do I have to choose which I keep?
Click to expand...
You can use both, but that seems to be just adding to the complexity. Lightroom (non-classic) plus Affinity would seem the most straightforward combination.

And to add another non-catalogie option. Since you have Lightroom classic installed "I think" this means you have access to ACR via Bridge. So you could also just use Bridge as a browser and process in ACR, which gives you all the processing tools of Lightroom, but without the catalogue.

I've just googled it and apparently with Lightroom Classic installed you do have access to ACR from Bridge.
 
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