Lightroom 2018 and the Cloud

I like being able to access files across multiple platforms. The suite of Lightroom CC Classic,Lightroom CC, and Lightroom Mobile provides that for me with my image files.Because of complaints posted online, I waited for some time before upgrading. The new versions caused some confusion because of the names of the applications. The old Lightroom CC became Lightroom CC Classic and in my opinion it remains a strong desktop tool. The new Lightroom CC is cloud-based and it compliments Lightroom CC Classic on the desktop as well as other handheld platforms. Lightroom CC provides the platform independence that I like. If you subscribe to Lightroom CC, you can access your images on handhelds using Lightroom Mobile. More about that in a moment.

People blanch at the cost of the Creative Cloud software since it is now sold as a monthly or annual subscription rather than as a license that you purchase once. As an amateur photographer, I have justified paying for the subscription since my software will never be out of date and I will not need to go through the upgrade machinations every so often. Software is constantly being upgraded to accommodate new hardware, to fix bugs, and to add new features. I want those things and would rather not be bothered with the timing and cost of license upgrades.

Once past the sticker shock, the new Lightroom suite has great potential. Lightroom CC Classic works pretty much like the old Lightroom CC. It has some updated editing features and presets that I like. When installed, it converts your catalog and moves it to a new directory to complete the installation.

Lightroom CC is a different story. It is cloud-based. It has a more streamlined appearance than Classic and less functionality. Lightroom CC allows you to share your images seamlessly among all of your devices from desktop to handheld to smart phone. You have access to your presets and to most editing features across all of the platforms. Many professionals are concerned that the cloud storage is too costly given the sizes of their libraries. I agree, but my approach is to manage the amount of cloud storage that I use.

Between Lightroom CC Classic and Lightroom CC, I use a different workflow. Classic is work station based, which is fine, especially when you are dealing with large libraries. My flow goes from memory card to Windows folder on a scratch drive for sorting and selection. Selected images go into another folder on a drive that is backed up and that folder gets imported into Lightroom CC Classic for processing. From there I do a final screening before digital or print.

Personally, Lightroom CC is not as suitable for that type of flow unless you want to commit to using the Adobe cloud. For me it is more suitable for another type of flow. Since it syncs with iOS Lightroom Mobile, many options are available for mobile photographers. Images can be synchronized among iPhone, iPad, and desktop computer and with Lightroom CC Classic. Images can be edited and shared with fewer steps.

As a street photographer, Lightroom Mobile is a motivation for shooting more using the phone. In a pinch, I like having that option, but I still prefer my cameras and lenses. In my trial run, I took some images at the local Independence Day parade using my iPhone. I did my initial image review on the iPhone and deleted my rejects. The second pass was cropping and edits that I would usually do on my desktop. In some cases, I use presets and my personal presets are available on my handheld devices as well as the desktop. I was happy with the results.

Once edited, Lightroom Mobile provided many options for sharing the images. Images can be shared with popular apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Images can be copied to cloud services such as Google Docs. Images can be printed on compatible WiFi printers.

One downside is that when I take pictures using my iPhone, they are automatically imported into Lightroom Mobile. That’s not helpful when I’m at the hardware store taking photos of flooring. I haven’t found a method for selectively importing. So, I delete the flooring photos from Lightroom.

On my desktop, most of my editing and library management is done using Lightroom CC Classic. If I want to share specific images, I set up collections that automatically syncs with Lightroom CC. Lightroom CC syncs with Lightroom CC Classic, so anything that I captured and edited using the mobile apps is not lost or relegated strictly to the cloud.

I manage my cloud storage because I do not want to commit to storing everything on the Creative Cloud. I love being able to sync and edit anywhere, but I still rely heavily on Lightroom CC Classic to manage my entire catalog. To accomplish this and avoid making a mess of my catalog, I use Lightroom CC to screen and delete unwanted images before I sync with Lightroom CC Classic. I have Lightroom CC Classic sync turned off until I’m ready to commit. If you enable sync all of the time you will get images that you do not necessarily want to keep.

I delete images from Lightroom CC and from the cloud on a regular basis to control the amount of cloud storage that I use. Those extra steps are the price to pay for mobility. Lightroom CC and Lightroom Mobile are probably not for everybody, although understanding the capabilities gives you options that can be useful.