I Hate Lightroom

Yes LR strong feature is DAM.  If your going to use Photoshop and Open RAW files into to Photoshop as a Smart Object layer update it and make independan aditional Smart Object layers when you open either smart object layer's embedded raw file will open in ACR not LR. LR is not yet a Photoshop Plugin.  So who need or wants two different user interfaces to Adobe's RAW conversion engine.  My organization is KAOS so LR to me is a waste of money for ME.

Pretty images.

I'm no LR fan either.

I've always felt that the use of a complex (and potentially problem-prone) database system isn't warranted, when the file system on my computer is perfectly usable for the task.  I may not shoot the volume of photos other people do, but I've been using a file folder organization structure that's stood the test of time (my photo library goes back solidly to 1997, when I got my first digital camera, and spottily before that with scans).  It's been continuously available since I started it, and not only to Adobe software.

Year\Month\Occasion folder organization allows me to get immediately to any photos I want to see, Explorer shows me the thumbnails, and dragging them to Photoshop (sometimes multiples at a time) allows me to develop them in Camera Raw as needed.  I prefer to become adept with one raw converter interface, not have to switch gears between two that are almost the same.

NTFS never loses my data, and beyond Explorer it's directly supported by backup tools, search tools, 3rd party image manipulation software, etc.

I'm just not seeing where LightRoom improves on that. 

-Noel

Well with a database you can query for an image type or keywords or whatever you set up return thumbnails if the image is online spinning around or gathering dust on a CD or DVD someplace.  Noel I sure you know that.  Is that not worth all the work and maintenance and backup of a huge database?

How does LR5's DAM compare to Bridge?

Gene

Noel Carboni wrote:

 

I'm just not seeing where LightRoom improves on that.

It actually builds on that...LR can do more things with it's database than the finder and search tools can do. And while Bridge can create collections, it's very difficult to manage a large collection of images using Bridge or the finder. Being able to point to the entire database and filter and sort by all the metadata that is contained in the images is LR's primary strength. Being able to combine metadata criteria allows the creation of smart collections that greatly amplify the organizational capabilities compared to the finder.

There are also some usability improvements (and weaknesses as well) when comparing LR to ACR.

Bridge accesses and recognises the contents your files from exactly where you choose to store them (and has no need to "Import" anything into a proprietary "Library");

Lightroom can only read the info from and process files (and from only a very limited number of formats too) which you have imported into its own proprietary "Library" which no other application can open.

I have NEVER understood why anyone who has access to Photoshop has any need whatsoever for Lr.

I am in total accordance with  the title of this thread!

Me too, but I feel guilty for it. I bought LR (4 I think) with it's DAM features in mind and then just got frustrated with the whole UI (as compared to PS CS5) and then when I was tasked with using Camera Raw @work (like big time use on 90K images) the friendly folks on the Bridge forums helped me to get really productive using that basically similar code base as LR and PS when needed. Never looked @LR again.

I will someday get around to my personal image database, but for that I'm leaning toward open source like Razuna or the app that came with my Synology NAS...

Thanks CameraAnn

I'm just finishing the Bridge section of Julienne Kost's Lynda.com tutorials and for images it's great. Sometimes I wish filters would stay put when I exit (for instance I don't want PDFs, Folders, or other file types) in the Content pane. But otherwise, adding keywords, other metadata,batch rename, review, and collections are good features. Bridge CC is a freebie,no activation necessary,

JJMack wrote:

 

Is that not worth all the work and maintenance and backup of a huge database?

So far I just keep getting more terabytes of faster and faster storage and everything just stays online at millisecond access (note the 875 GB free indications in my screen grabs above).  I mentioned I don't shoot the sheer volume of photos some others do.  I'm kind of more about quality than quantity.  My backups don't take me any thought or time at all.  They take care of themselves every day at 1am.

I also don't do much with ratings or metadata or such things.  Maybe one day if my memory begins to dim I'll miss that, but as it is, I can find any of my image(s) I want immediately and do with it/them what I need.

If I had problems I was struggling with I might look for a tool to solve them. 

-Noel

Bridge seems to be slipping into the abyss.  I thought the 64 bit version would be faster, but it seems slower.  They need to do some major work on how the cache is built.  Each version seems to come out with a new stlye, but no great improvement or solving bugs.  It just takes too long to build thumbnails.  But as many have commented, Bridge seems to be treated like a 3rd rate program.

I only use the bridge as a metadata editor. For DAM I use FastPictureViewer,  FastPictureViewer Codec Package,  Windows File explorer and Photoshop. FastPictureViewer I use least however FastPictureViewer Codec Package is a god send.

Not a Lightroom fan either. 

Bottom line - My workflow:

1) Shoot RAW+JPG. RAW to Card 1 JPG to Card 2.  I can always hand off the JPG card to anyone for them to use immediately if necessary.

2) IMPORT : Photo Mechanic

3) EDIT :  Capture One Pro 8

Use Sessions so that I can edit in original directories and not have a huge catalog. Also, if I really need to use Photoshop or another plugin because I have a solution that I have used in the past I can.

4) SEND Proofs: Smugmug

5) PRINT: Imageprint

to my Epson 3880.

Check out my quick and dirty workflow for large shoots and weddings here:

You can take a look at http://vigorotaku.blogspot.com/2014/09/workflow-for-weddings.html.

<a href="http://vigorotaku.blogspot.com/2014/09/workflow-for-weddings.html">Workflow for Weddings at Vigorotaku.com</a>

I hope that you find this helpful.

Dan at Vigorotaku.com