So why do you love Lightroom?

[KarenC]

I've just downloaded Lightroom and explored it just a bit. I am really needing a faster way to process raw. The software that came with my camera is soooo slow. So...what do you love about lightroom? How is it different than Elements? Has it been worth the money to you? Thank you so much for any opinions.

[Mark]

I think that the adjustment brush alone is worth buying Lightroom. What an amazing capability. You can make so many adjustments (and my photo's need a lot of adjusting!) quickly and easily before exporting to Photoshop. I love it!

[tylertooo]

I have been wanting to test out lightroom as sell - let me add a question - what does lightroom do that photoshop does not?

[katrinak]

Everything

[KarenC]

Originally Posted by katrinak

Everything

lol, Katrina. I'm trying to find reasons to tell my husband why I just have to have it.

[deanie]

You need LR! and you need photoshop... they are a great team for making your photography better. LR can adjust your exposure, WB, contrast, etc. with just an adjustment slider, the cool brush Mark mentioned, plus you get a great organizing and sorting tool as well. Photoshop is great for repairing or adding to photos and sharpening. There are presets for LR that act the same as actions in Photoshop.....on and on..

[katrinak]

It will give you more quality time with him Karen. You can edit one photo, copy your settings and paste it to 100 and be done.

[Aino]

It is really a timesaver when postprocessing photos. But not only is it faster, it is fun, you have much more flexibility in small adjustments. But it can turn a bad to mediocre photo to awesome in seconds flat!

It really is that good.

Nature and "artsy photos" I shoot in RAW and everyday photos normally in Jpeg - but I upload everything through LR.
Then I quickly go through and mark with the P (pick) or X (throw out) keys on my keyboard. I filter for the X and delete this from the HD. This way I immediately sort away all the useless photos and keep the best ones.
Then I go through the best photos and do adjustments with presets or manually. So much fun! Then I usually export the LR edited ones into a seperate folder and keep the originals.

[esther_a]

Yes, well, I've decided I NEED this. I can't bear looking at great LOs knowing I can't achieve the look because it all hinges on some amazing preset. Just gotta find some pocketmoney!

[artmidget]

I love, love, love lightroom. It can do miracles to photos. Well worth the $100 it costs. Plus, like some of the others have said, it is so fun!!

[KarenC]

OK girls! You've convinced me.

I'm sure my dh can't say no to being able to spend more time with me. Thanks, Katrina!

So what's the best resource for learning LR?

Thank you everyone!

[Debbyo]

Scott Kelby's book on LR is very well written and easy to follow. I recommend it!

[tylertooo]

Karen, I am glad you asked about LR. I guess after my speedlite, it is the next thing to buy. I can't wait.