Lightroom - how does it work now?

[thefsb]

I used LR versions 2 thru 4. It was OK.

More recently I used Capture One Pro for Sony 8 thru 10. When I got my first Alpha camera, C1-Sony was $50, great value. It produces excellent results but I'm not in love with the UI. Didn't upgrade to 11 because the advertised improvements didn't interest me. Considering 12 now.

I want to compare it with the current LR. But I don't understand the product now. Hoping someone can help.

Adobe advertises 3 plans, one at $53 per month so forget that, and two at $10 per month. Let's look at those.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

I'm not going to use Photoshop or a portfolio website from Adobe and 1 TB cloud storage is much more useful than 20 GB. So "Lightroom CC plan" is interesting.

So how does their cloud work?

That sounds great but do you really mean all?

That's not going to happen, for various reasons. So how does this cloud work?

That's just crazy talk. My computer has about 8 TB storage, properly backed up to three different locations. There's no reason to sync all the photos and good reasons not to.

I've resisted the free trial of "Lightroom CC plan" for this exact reason. I'm not going install a software that scans my computer for photos and exfiltrates every one of them.

All the same, LR on phone and tablet would be great, so what about the "Photography plan"? It says, "The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan includes the Lightroom CC photo service so you can easily edit, organize, store, and share your photos from anywhere" but this must require syncing everything, right? The FAQ says you cannot select the photos you want to sync. So I'll have to upgrade from 20 G cloud storage to about 2 TB for it to work.

And then this

That's just baffling. It seems to say that the only way to use Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC together is to sync them. But that makes no sense.

It doesn't seem plausible that my understanding, given Adobe's marketing and support material, could be correct. How does it really work?

Edited March 7, 2019 by thefsb

[LiveShots]

I don’t understand this stuff either... I also don’t get how some people can just willingly put tons of their personal stuff into some nebulous cloud.

I use C1, did not upgrade to the latest version as there is nothing that I needed with that release. I like the fact that I can customize the workspace so I only see the tools I use most frequently.

If I need to do quick edits on my iPad then I can connect an SD reader and just use the Photos app without it uploading everything to the cloud.

[tinplater]

I just keep on with Lightroom 6.14 despite the fact that it can't be updated for new cameras and lenses.  I didn't like the concept of paying the monthly fee which will undoubtedly increase down the road.  For now, my needs have been very nicely met with the old desktop stand alone program.

[thefsb]

I've no problem with the cloud features per se or with the monthly fee. I like to show off my photos on mobile devices and cloud sync is by far the easiest way to manage the photos across those devices.

I want to understand how it works. Clearly I don't yet.

- I cannot sync all the photos on my computer. Is there really no way to designate the directories that will sync?

- Does running Lightroom CC automatically scan all the files on all my storage devices and sync all that are images?

- In what way cannot Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC be used together?

- If Lightroom CC automatically takes control of all my photos and using Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC together is not recommended, how do I use Lightroom Classic CC at all? Do I use a different computer? a different user account on the same computer?

I don't get it.

Is there someone with experience using these products that can set me straight?

Edited March 8, 2019 by thefsb

[ronaldwrightdallas]

LR classic cc is the normal, keep everything on your computer (mine are on a raid attached to computer). the online version does not have all of the features of the classic version, but it probably will soon. 

I find LR a very extensive editing and cataloging tool. i have used it since beta version so am a believer. i do use photoshop for a few features so am glad it is included it the package i have.

[thefsb]

I tried asking these questions on Adobe's community support forum and I got the key information I was missing. It's pretty interesting.

https://forums.adobe.com/message/10971864

If you use Adobe's cloud storage, be sure to keep copies of anything you value elsewhere and to back those copies up independently of Adobe's cloud.

[Nicholas Jefferson]

On 3/11/2019 at 4:43 PM, thefsb said:

If you use Adobe's cloud storage, be sure to keep copies of anything you value elsewhere and to back those copies up independently of Adobe's cloud.

Thank you. This is a fantastic answer from Adobe