If we are lovers of photography, surely we will need a professional program with which to edit and process our images. In this section we find two Adobe programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom that are possibly the best known and the ones that stand out the most with respect to their competition. However, both programs are different and although there are jobs that can be done with one or the other, the truth is that each one has a different purpose and task.
Before deciding to buy one or the other, it is important to know what are the strengths where each one stands out, their main differences. That is why the most important thing is not which of the two programs is better but which one we may be more interested in using depending on the use we want to give it.
Photoshop, a professional photo editing and retouching tool
We are talking about a very complete specialized software in photographic editing and retouching that has become a benchmark within the sector. It is used especially for photo and graphics retouching , being able to modify any photo from our computer, making any type of change that we need to make. With it we can correct imperfections, join several shots in one, make photomontages with several photos or paint directly from a blank canvas.
It also has a wide variety of selection and editing tools, as well as the possibility of adding any brush we need. Its advantages and tools are so many that this also becomes its main drawback for less experienced users. In order to use it, we must pay 24.19 euros per month, being able to download it from the Adobe website .
Lightroom, a lighter touch-up version for beginners
This application is also developed by Adobe. It is designed to cover all the work that any photographer needs to carry out in order to process images from the moment they leave the camera until they are developed in RAW. It is a very versatile tool that will allow us to speed up our workflow. We can store and organize the images stored in one place. It also has a wide variety of tools for retouching photos, such as color and lighting adjustments, cropping and noise reduction functions, and even the ability to change the focus of a photo.
In addition, it has a function to add additional information , which makes it easier to classify it, something that Photoshop lacks. It is a simpler and more intuitive tool than Photoshop since it does not reach the level of detail and its exhaustive retouching capacity. In order to use it, we must pay a subscription of 12.09 euros per month, and can also download a 7-day trial version .
When should I use each one?
Depending on the work that we are going to develop, we must opt for the use of one application or another. For photographers and graphic designers who require to carry out any type of advanced technique in the treatment of images and photomontages, as well as the use of layers, masks, add filters or exhaustively retouch different areas of an image, they should opt for Photoshop .
On the other hand, if we are more inexperienced users who like to experiment and learn, Photoshop is not the best option. If our use is based on making some retouching of images and then sharing them directly to our social networks, applying a simple development in RAW, as well as making collages, album layouts or video projections, the option of using Lightroom gains strength . And it is that being a simpler tool and without functions as deep as Photoshop, we will not require as much time to learn to master it.