So, this is a battle of the true titans of the photo editing world. Each of them has a lot of advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Users will have specific needs, such as touching up a photo, making bigger changes, or they may need an effective image resizer. Which one should you choose? We can’t answer this question because the choice will depend 100% on your needs. However, we will try to tell you as much as possible about each tool to make it easier for you to choose.
By the way, if you want to learn about the best Lightroom plugins, we recommend visiting Skylum’s blog. There is quite a bit of information there about Photoshop as well, so you can definitely make the right decision for yourself. Skylum has its own photo editor called Luminar Neo. It can be considered an alternative to the aforementioned applications because it is suitable for both beginners and professionals. Now let’s look at the main differences between Lightroom and Photoshop so you can make the best decision!
Field of Use
The intended usage is the primary differentiating factor:
- Although Photoshop originally focused on raster graphics editing, it has evolved to become an industry standard for all types of graphics editing and design. Beyond just manipulating existing images, it offers robust capabilities for creating images from scratch. With a wide range of tools, this app is primarily intended for graphic design and editing purposes.
- In contrast to the main competitor, Lightroom is a specialized photo editing application designed for photographers who want to enhance their images. It supports editing of both JPEG and RAW files, although the second option provides more editing options. It also allows for the organization and manipulation of photographs, but unlike Photoshop, it does not offer design tools. Overall, it is geared towards photo editing, while the competitor is a more versatile graphics editing and design tool. With the help of the best Lightroom plugins its potential is significantly increased.
Unique Features of Lightroom
Some users believe that it loses out to its competitor because it is too simplistic. However, this is definitely not true, because Lightroom has features that Photoshop simply does not provide, not to mention the best Lightroom plugins that increase its set of features. Let’s take a closer look at them:
- Batch editing. Lightroom is the go-to tool for efficiently making the same edits to a large batch of images. With its batch editing capabilities, you can save a significant amount of time by applying changes to multiple files at once. Furthermore, it offers the ability to apply saved presets to your images, which can be downloaded from external sources. By utilizing these features, you can streamline your workflow and make quick work of large editing projects.
- Non-Destructive Editing. This app offers a feature called “non-destructive editing,” which is especially beneficial for individuals who tend to make frequent changes to their edited images. With this tool, it creates a backup every time an edit is made, allowing users to revert to a previous stage and recover the original file at any time, regardless of how many changes were made.
- Lightroom is equipped to work directly with RAW files, which means that if you capture your photos in this format, you can begin editing them without the need for any additional tools or software.
Add to that the best Lightroom plugins for photographers and you realize that this is a great app that will be easier for newcomers to get to grips with.
Unique Features of Photoshop
While Lightroom is great for those who are just getting acquainted with photo editing, Photoshop is more suitable for those who already know quite a bit about it. Here are its main distinguishing features:
- The expansive tool set. Photoshop has long been known as the industry standard for graphics editing and design. With its wide range of tools, it can be intimidating for novice users to navigate, but it is these same tools that give it a significant advantage over competitors. This app can edit any type of image and can be used to add text or other graphics to an image. In fact, its capabilities extend to creating entirely new images from scratch. So, while Lightroom is a great choice for photographers looking to enhance their photos, Photoshop offers a much broader range of possibilities for image manipulation and design.
- Layer editing. It provides you with tools to add shapes and text to an image. When you add these elements, they become new layers, and each layer can be independently edited and manipulated. You can also control the placement of each of them, whether it’s in front of or behind other layers. This gives you more flexibility and creativity in designing an image.
- Compositing. One of the standout features of Photoshop is its compositing tools. They allow you to take snippets from other areas of your image and place them over any unwanted blemishes that detract from the overall quality of your photo. But that’s not all – you can even extract elements from completely separate images and use them for compositing purposes. This level of versatility is one of the reasons why this app is widely regarded as the go-to tool for image editing and design.
Conclusion
So, we found that both apps are doing a great job. So which one is better? We may disappoint you, but we could not find a single answer to this question. The fact is that both photo editors are excellent at performing the tasks assigned to them. So why not combine their advantages and use both at the same time? For example, you can do basic post-processing in Lightroom and then use Photoshop to pay attention to details. Explore their capabilities, experiment, and practice. We are sure you will succeed!
