Ps elements vs lightroom
Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom | 2023 Comparison
Adobe Photoshop Elements is very different from Photoshop Lr Classic, but if you’re new to the world of photo editing which should you choose?
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Lightroom Classic
Intelligent searching, cloud syncing, updated tools and faster performance make it much better than PS Elements.
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Both programs allow for great image editing, but each was designed for a specific audience and purpose.
Let’s take a closer look at what these two programs offer and who should use them.
Table of Contents
Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom Classic: At a Glance
Here’s a quick look at the differences between the two programs:
Adobe Photoshop Elements – Created for beginners in both photography and graphic arts.
It’s dubbed as a lighter version of Photoshop and offers a picture organizer with artificial intelligence, a photo editor, layers, special effects, and print tools. If you’ve never used editing software before, it’s a fantastic place to start.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – Lightroom was designed for professional photographers and serious amateurs.
It provides advanced non-destructive editing, streamlined workflow management, and many tools for batch processing and publishing. It’s the professional photographer’s editing program of choice.
Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Adobe Photoshop Elements
As the name suggests, the program takes the main elements in Photoshop and Lightroom and combines them into a quick, easy-to-learn program.
It does just about everything a casual photographer needs, from photo organization and basic edits to object removal, layers, and even skin smoothing.
Adobe Photoshop Elements also happens to be extremely user friendly. In fact, it’s designed especially for beginners and by far the easiest to learn of all of Adobe’s photo editing software.
The home screen allows you to choose between the photo organizer and photo editor, as well as offering Guided Edit options for inspiration.
It also offers a number of slideshows and collages automatically curated by Adobe’s Sensei AI. Sensei also tags and sorts your photos for you (though it helps if you do at least some of the tagging yourself).
The photo editor provides three editing modes: Quick Edit, Guided Edits, and Expert. Quick Edit and Guided Edits do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
Expert level, on the other hand, offers a lot of the manual control you can find in Photoshop, like layers, healing brushes, and paintbrushes. You can’t, however, perform more complex editing tasks such as frequency separation… but this won’t affect the average photographer.
One thing of note is that Photoshop Elements doesn’t have any iCloud or Photos integration, nor is it part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud ecosystem. So while it makes slide shows and other photo-montages easy to share on social media, you’ll be missing out on Adobe’s broader connectivity.
Adobe Lightroom ClassicAdobe Lr Classic has long been the photo editor of choice for professional photographers.
It’s designed to streamline a photographer’s workflow from start to finish, and provides industry-leading tools for photo organization, post-processing, exporting, and printing.
One of Lightroom’s key features is non-destructive editing – any changes you make are kept separate from the original photo.
Not only can you save many different iterations of the same image, but you can also go back as many steps as you like at any point in the editing process.
Lightroom also provides advanced Raw file conversion and makes it easy to post-process hundreds of shots with just a few clicks. It’s also been around a while and has a number of stellar presets and plugins available both free and commercially.
(It’s worth noting that Photoshop also has a selection of plugins too.)
Many professional photographers use Lightroom exclusively. Those that don’t tend to subscribe to Adobe’s Photography Plan, which allows them to use Photoshop whenever they need to do a deep dive into an image.
Also, Lr belongs to Adobe’s Creative Cloud ecosystem and a subscription comes with cloud storage, a mobile app, Adobe Portfolio, and many other perks.
Adobe Lightroom vs Photoshop Elements | Key Points
While both programs can turn out some excellent photos, there are some key differences between them. Here’s how they stack up against each other in some key points.
1. Ease of UseRecently Adobe has focused on making Elements as easy to use as possible. It comes with interactive step-by-step Guided Edits, a number of tutorials available within the interface, and plenty of online documentation.
You honestly don’t need to know anything about photo editing to get started. Simply open up the program and start with the AI-driven automatic edits, or work step-by-step through the Guided Edits.
If you want more control, there’s an Expert mode that brings many of Photoshop’s tools to your fingertips, including editing with layers and masks, object removal, color correction, text, and healing brushes.
Lightroom, on the other hand, is considerably more complex. There’s a lot under the hood and while the tools are fairly straightforward, there’s a lot to learn.
If you’re a professional photographer or a serious amateur who takes a lot, then the workflow will matter to you, and learning Lr will be well worth your time.
But if you’re just a casual shooter who just wants to make their images look cool, Elements is definitely a better choice.
WINNER: Photoshop Elements
2. Raw Photo ConversionWhile both programs are capable of Raw conversion, Photoshop Elements goes through Camera Raw.
Not only does this create an extra step in one’s workflow, but Camera Raw’s range of controls is somewhat more limited than Lightroom’s.
Lightroom, on the other hand, is designed for Raw conversion. Not only is the image quality of Raw conversions much better than that of Photoshop Elements, but Lr also offers much more nuanced controls, including local adjustments.
WINNER: Lightroom Classic
3. Photo Organizingif you’re a casual shooter with lots of photos and just need basic photo organization, Photoshop Elements should meet all of your needs admirably. Sensei AI does a fantastic job of recognizing faces and other details in your photos.
If you take the time to add names or keyword tags to your images, the image search becomes especially fast.
All this being said, Photoshop Elements isn’t designed for professional use. If you regularly have hundreds of photos from each photoshoot, you’ll probably need the more in-depth photo management that Lr offers.
Lightroom’s important metadata options allow for an extraordinary level of information input. The search capacities are also much more in-depth. You can search by any part of an image’s metadata, including by which camera and/or lens you used.
If you want AI face-recognition capacities, though, you’ll need to use Lightroom CC, as Classic doesn’t yet have that.
WINNER: Lightroom Classic
4. Editing ToolsOne key difference between the two programs is that Photoshop Elements tends to resemble Photoshop more than it does Lr. This is great for those interested in graphic design or looking to create unique image collages.
The program comes with layers and layer masks, a smart healing brush, text options, a powerful refine-edge tool, and many other photoshop staples. It even includes actions for creating a specific editing sequence.
The Sensei AI’s automatic selection and photo colorization both work surprisingly well. It’s now remarkably easy to cut a subject out from its background and vice versa.
Lightroom, on the other hand, was created with photography in mind. While powerful, the adjustments limit themselves to features to those photographers to bring out the best in their images, like tone, sharpness, noise, and lens corrections.
WINNER: Tie: It really depends on what kind of editing you do.
If you’re a lover of special effects and one-click editing options, Photoshop Elements comes pretty well loaded. Its Sensei AI helps with colorizing photos, skin smoothing, quick background replacement, and a whole host of other adjustments.
Creating double exposures ( a photo within a photo), adding text, and incorporating border overlays are all easily available.
Elements also automatically creates slideshows and collages of your best photos via Sensei AI and makes them easy to share.
Lightroom, on the other hand, is more focused on photo editing.
There are plenty of presets available for different effects and it has superior black and white conversion, but it’s not really catering to those looking for special effects per se. It’s really much more about manual editing.
If Instagram-like special effects are what you’re looking for, Elements is the clear winner.
WINNER: Photoshop Elements
6.
Cloud IntegrationOne huge difference between the two programs is Cloud connectivity.
Cloud storage is included with any Lr subscription. You can choose less or more or just to keep images on your desktop, but some is always available. If you choose to keep your images in the Cloud, they’re automatically backed up by Adobe.
If you buy Photoshop Elements, you’ll need to store your images on a local device and back them up yourself. But this doesn’t mean you’re free from Adobe’s system.
Any time you shut off your computer and then restart, you’ll need to log in via your Adobe ID to access the program. (Lr has its own inconveniences in this vein if you’re not in an internet-rich area – you have to log on at least once every 99 days to keep it working.)
Still, if cloud storage is important to you, Lightroom is the clear winner.
WINNER: Lightroom Classic
7. PriceAt a one-time fee of less than $100, Photoshop Elements is a great deal.
Pair it with its sibling video editing software, Premiere Elements ($149.99), and you’re really getting a steal – if it does everything you need.
The two Lr Classic options are both relatively affordable, but require subscriptions. Here’s the breakdown:
- Creative Cloud Photography Plan – $119.88/yr includes Lr Classic, Lr CC (for mobile users), Photoshop, and 20 GB of cloud storage. It’s the best deal if you’re storing your images on a local drive or don’t tend to have a lot of images.
- Photography Plan – $239.88/yr includes Lr Classic, Lr CC (for mobile users), Photoshop, and 1 TB of cloud storage.
There’s also a Lightroom CC option available (without Lr Classic or Photoshop). It’s $119.88/yr with 1TB of storage.
Lightroom pricing in general can be a bit confusing, which is why we put together this article to help you.
Just know that Lightroom CC is a bit different than Classic and you’ll want to make sure that CC will meet all of your needs before choosing that plan – check out this guide which explains this in more detail.
In the end, it really depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re a casual photographer and Elements meets all your editing needs, it’s a fantastic deal – especially as there’s no subscription.
Its image editing abilities are quite powerful and Sensei performs admirably.
WINNER: Photoshop Elements
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Lightroom work with Photoshop Elements?
No, Lightroom and Photoshop Elements are completely different programs and aren’t linked together in any way. You’ll need to choose one or the other.
Is Photoshop Elements the same as Photoshop?
No, it contains many components of Photoshop but lacks many of the more advanced features.
What is the difference between Photoshop Elements and Lightroom?
Elements was designed for novice and casual photographers. It comes with many one-click edits, lots of guidance, and special effects. It also includes a number of graphic design components that Lightroom doesn’t have.
Lightroom was designed for professional photographers and assumes that you will be manually editing your photos. When combined with Photoshop in the Photography plan, Lightroom users gain complete control over every aspect of their photos.
Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom Classic | Final Words
If you’re still wondering which program is right for you, consider it this way: If you’re wanting a program that is both easy to use and contains tools for making fundamental changes to your images (like cutting out the background or removing large objects), then Photoshop Elements is likely for you.
It’s also a great choice if you’re wanting a program that is more like Photoshop, but you’re not really wanting to pay the Photoshop subscription.
Elements is also a great choice if you’re looking to effortlessly create collages and slideshows or spiff up your family photos with neat little backgrounds or special effects.
On the other hand, if you shoot in Raw, want complete control over the editing of your images, don’t mind the Adobe subscription model, and/or aspire to become a pro, Lr Classic is clearly the better choice.
It’s also better for those who prefer to store their images in the cloud.
If you’re thinking in terms of Lightroom vs Photoshop, Adobe’s Photography Plan is also a great choice for those who want to have to choose between the two. It’s really a great price, especially considering that it includes all updates.
There’s definitely something to be said for having both the excellent Raw conversion, photo organization, and workflow options of Lightroom while being able to use Photoshop for deep surgery/graphic design on your images when the situation calls for it.
In the end, if you’re a serious photographer or looking to become one, Lightroom really is the way to go.
Photoshop Elements has a number of nice beginner-friendly features and graphic design options, but Lightroom is where it’s at in terms of getting the most out of your images.
Still not sure? You can play around with a free trial of Lightroom here.
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Lightroom Classic
Intelligent searching, cloud syncing, updated tools and faster performance make it much better than PS Elements.
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Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom - Which is Best in 2023?
Photoshop Elements and Lightroom are two photo editing programs developed by Adobe. They represent different ways of approaching post-processing and attract different types of photographers.
In this article, we will pit Adobe Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom Classic. We will talk about the differences and similarities in the software.
In the end, you decide which program is better for your photo editing needs.
Adobe’s Photo Editing Programs: Photoshop Elements Vs Lightroom
Both Lightroom and Elements are Photoshop spin-offs. Photoshop was not designed as an image editing program at first. Others find the program difficult to learn and unwieldy for daily image editing.
Adobe produced two editing programs to address the needs of photographers. In 2001, it released Photoshop Elements. In 2007, they released Lightroom.
Adobe Photoshop Elements targets hobbyist photographers who tend to edit personal photos. Adobe Lightroom is for professional and amateur photographers editing large sets of images.
In this article, we look at Elements 2021 and Lightroom Classic CC version 10.2, released in March 2021.
What is the Adobe Lightroom Workspace?
With Lightroom, Adobe completely rethought the photo editing process. Photo editing happens in the Develop module. Instead of using adjustment layers, all changes happen through sliders. Most sliders will start at the mid-point. Move them right or left for more or less of the effect.
The program comes with Presets that change the look of your image. These are in the left-hand column. You can add presets found online or create your own. A film strip at the bottom of the workspace shows image thumbnails. This makes it easy to switch from one image to another and copy edits to a set of photos.
Lightroom Classic editing workspace showing Basic panel adjustmentsWhat are the Photoshop Elements Workspaces?
Instead of one photo editing workspace, Elements has three.
Each caters to a different level of photographer. Which you choose depends on the amount of control you want when editing photos. You can work in the Quick, Guided, or Expert edit workspace.
Quick Edit
To use the Quick workspace, you do not need to know a lot about editing. Click on the choices given until you find one you like. You can select from built-in Effects, textures, and frames.
The Quick editing workspace gives you a small set of tools in the left-hand column. Users of Photoshop will recognise tools like text, spot removal, and cropping. Selecting a tool opens more options in the bottom panel.
The settings in the right-hand column look like Lightroom. Click on a panel to reveal choices. The choice with the arrow icon is the original setting. Those on either side give you more or less of the effect. Sliders on top of the grids look like Lightroom, but they are limited to the choices in the grid.
Effects, Textures, and Frames come with the program.
Effects work like Presets in Lightroom. There does not appear to be an easy way to add more or create your own.
Guided Edit
The Guided editing workspace helps you make changes to your image. Click on the change you want to make, and the program helps you do it. Guided adjustments are grouped into tabs across the top. There is a user-friendly description and a before and after picture. This gives you a sense of what the change does to your image. Selecting an edit opens a step-by-step guide making each simple to use.
Many of the adjustments are basic: exposure, contrast, cropping, and color enhancement. Many have sliders like those in Lightroom. Others let you do advanced edits on your photos. You can remove objects, replace backgrounds, create double exposures and reflections.
Elements Guided workspace special effects optionsExpert Edit
The Expert edit workspace is a simpler version of Photoshop. The tools on the left include healing brushes, shapes, text, and content-aware move.
Each comes with user-friendly presets and simple instructions.
On the right is a layers panel. This works like layers in Photoshop. You can even add layer masks.
Filters and styles available in Photoshop are also in Elements. Elements adds graphics and frames popular with consumer photographers on social media. Clicking the More icon in the bottom right corner adds many other Photoshop features.
Elements Expert edit workspacePhotoshop Elements Vs Lightroom Classic CC. Which is Better?
We know that Elements helps the casual photographer edit, organize, and share photos.
Lightroom brings out the best in your photos.
But which is the better program?
Cataloguing & Organizing
You can open many types of image files in both programs. This includes raw files. Both programs have a catalog system. In Lightroom Classic, this is the Library module. The Photoshop Elements Organiser opens separately from the editing program.
Elements uses AI to organize photos.
It groups them by people, places, and events. There is an auto curate function that groups like images together. You can also create albums.
You can add tags or keywords or rate images. Clicking the information tab shows you metadata. The place function in Elements interacts with a map to show where you shot your images.
Elements Organizer workspace showing albums and keyword panelsLightroom’s cataloguing options are more flexible than Elements. You can star, flag, and color code images. The program also includes more keywording options. You can add more metadata to the image.
The Map module in Lightroom shows where you took the images. The program also lets you organize your images into folders and collections. Collections sync with Lightroom mobile for easy sharing.
Lightroom Classic Library workspace showing collections, keywording, and metadataEase-of-Use
Lightroom and Photoshop Elements are very different programs. This makes it hard to choose one as the easiest to use.
Quick edit in Elements is the easiest to use. But this comes at the cost of flexibility. Expert editing in Elements gives you more flexibility. The workspace is more inviting than Photoshop. But both Bridge and Lightroom are easier to use when making basic image adjustments.
The Lightroom workspace is set up for quick access to settings. The sliders in Lightroom give you a lot of flexibility.
The creation of advanced effects is simpler in Photoshop Elements. For instance, adding textures and shape overlays. These effects are not possible in Lightroom. They are possible in Photoshop but are much easier in Elements.
Painterly effect in Photoshop Element’s Guided edit workspaceImage Quality
Both programs can create images of similar quality. The edits are basic in Element’s Quick workspace. They are more refined in the Expert or Guided workspaces. But you need more post-processing experience to use the Expert workspace. It is like working in Photoshop. Many of the Guided edits have Lightroom-like sliders.
But it is more difficult to make basic adjustments as each edit is in its own silo.
Compare the difference. The image on the left was edited in Lightroom. The image on the right was edited in Elements.
Export & Project Creation
Both programs have many ways to share images. Lightroom Classic lets you print and create books. You can also make slideshows and websites. Plug-ins allow you to post to social media sites like Flickr.
Photoshop Elements Organizer workspace showing create options and keyword featurePhotoshop Elements has more creation options. Included are templates for books, slideshows, collages, and calendars. Video options are also available. These are easy, one-click, options but they have limited customisability. Elements also includes easy-to-use export options for the casual photographer. Photos post to popular social media sites like Flickr and YouTube.
Pricing
Lightroom is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud. To use the program, you must renew your subscription each year.
Adobe’s Photography Plan includes Photoshop CC, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom CC. It also includes 20GB of storage and access to immediate software upgrades.
Adobe Photoshop Elements is a stand-alone program. Owners of previous versions can pay for an upgrade to the latest software. Premier Effects is the companion video editing software.
Photoshop Elements is the less expensive option.
Adobe allows you to try both programs free for 30 days.
Conclusion
So, how do you choose between Photoshop Elements vs Lightroom Classic?
Adobe Lightroom is the choice of professional and serious amateur photographers. This photographer uses photo editing software to create digital art for social media.
Lightroom wins for ease of use and cataloguing options. But Photoshop Elements has a few surprises. Some powerful Photoshop-like qualities make this program attractive. For photographers who want Photoshop without a monthly subscription, Elements is a solution.
Where Photoshop Elements shines is in the Guided Edits. These edits walk you through step-by-step some very complex pixel manipulations. Some of these edits take only a few steps.
If you use Lightroom for post-processing, there is no need to switch to Elements. But if you are struggling to learn Photoshop, Elements may be a good place to learn the basics.
Try out our Effortless Editing course to master all the secrets of professional editing in Lightroom.
Lightroom vs. Elements vs. Photoshop: side-by-side comparison?
Eric B 517
Eric B / September 27, 2010
I'm a little overwhelmed by the options available for Adobe's top three photo editing apps.
Does anyone know of an article or site listing Lightroom, PS Elements and PS features side by side? I know that Lightroom revolves around editing and workflow, and that PS is a big image editing cahauna.
Where do the elements correspond to this understanding? nine0005
- Lightroom
- software
- photoshop
- photoshop elements
26 votes
jrista / September 28, 2010
The three tools roughly correspond to the three main levels of functionality and capability. Photoshop Elements is an entry level image editing package. It provides image editing and some library management capabilities. It has some rich features and supports all common editing features of Photoshop. Adjustment layers allow for non-destructive editing to some extent, however there are fewer adjustments in Elements than in Photoshop. It is limited and if you take a lot of pictures you will be will eventually run into many of the limitations of Elements.
Photoshop Lightroom is a professional package for image editing. It is specifically designed for the digital photographer with an advanced workflow, support for RAW images, and rich library management options. It is designed to provide access to key tools important for digital photo editing, such as histogram, white balance and tone settings, color adjustments, detail settings (such as noise reduction and sharpening), as well as some advanced features such as camera profiles. and lens, for correct distortion and vignetting. Lightroom also offers several rich tools that go beyond basic on-screen editing, including printing and creating books, creating slideshows, and publishing websites. New publishing modules in Lightroom 3 allow you to directly upload your images and metadata to sites like Flickr and Facebook. nine0005
Photoshop CS is the best image editing program. It's a low-level tool that gives you direct and complete control over just about any editing you can think of. Its capabilities go far beyond photo editing and support the creation and editing of artistic images of a wide variety of types. For the photographer, Photoshop offers HDR generation and editing, panoramic stitching, and a range of additional tools not available in Lightroom.
However, Photoshop lacks some of the things that Lightroom provides, notably its ease of use and clean workflow, designed specifically to streamline photographers' image management, editing, and sharing. The most common and useful operations that need to be done on digital photos can be done in much less time with Lightroom. Photoshop itself lacks any real library management outside of Bridge. nine0005
If you're taking a very light photo with only the most basic edits, use Photoshop Elements.
If you want more control and/or have a large catalog of images (more than a few thousand), or want to use Photoshop-level RAW tools, Lightroom is highly recommended. It can act as a central tool for managing, editing and publishing your photographic work. It has an ideal price, which makes it easy to purchase. nine0005
Photoshop CS is a great tool to cover cases where Lightroom is lacking, like editing at the pixel level or modifying your image. Previous versions of Lightroom lacked soft proofing (simulate printed output on screen) and support for ICM color profiles for various output devices, but this is no longer the case.
3 votes
Richard Belcastro / October 31, 2012
I found the answers above interesting as I am fairly familiar with PSE (all versions except 11) and can do almost all of the LR and CS editing functions mentioned above I can do in PSE (some may take a few more clicks) . Note that I mentioned "editing functions" and not organizer functions, where LR wins and obviously CS wins for batch processing. PSE now has layer masking, selection edge optimization, a ton of layer blend modes, etc. The big negative for some (not me) is that PSE uses "Levels" instead of "Curves" which can be purchased with PSE+ for $12 and the bundle is limited to 8 bits (which doesn't seem to make me lose business), which is basically all I care about. nine0005
2 votes
ProDesignTools / April 25, 2013
> "Does anyone know of an article or site listing Lightroom, PS Elements and PS features side by side?"
Yes, ours is pretty comprehensive:
What's the difference between Adobe Photoshop CS and Lightroom vs Elements?
Hope this helps with some of the key details and adds to the conversation.
2 votes
vulkanino / September 28, 2010
I see it this way: if you're a photographer (or serious hobbyist), go with Lightroom. I think LR is a very, very good tool for a photographer.
If you need to change not only how an image looks, but also want to give your images a completely different aspect (more of a designer/artist/artist job), then go for Elements. This means you don't mind building a library, storing metadata, directly exporting HTML pages for the web, etc.0005
If you fall into the previous example and you are rich :) then go with Photoshop. It's huge, it's expensive. Content-Aware Fill is driving me crazy.
You can even buy Lightroom and Photoshop, the tools integrate well.
/ my opinions, of course.
1 vote
chills42 / September 27, 2010
This is not a true side-by-side comparison and does not cover all features, but you can take a look at the photo editing software comparison on Adobe.
com. nine0005
0 votes
Daniel Walter Scott / November 24, 2014
If you want to change pixels in a non-destructive way (as many times as you like), then Lightroom is your game. If you want to move pixels (more than you can imagine) then this is Photoshop for you.
Check this out for a complete explanation of
0 votes
Damian Powell / May 31, 2012
I think @jrista understands this very well, but I thought I'd add my opinion too. nine0005
I use Lightroom 4 90% of the time and it works great for all reasons @jrista said. With CS6, I started to subscribe to Photoshop. I've used Elements a bit and didn't like it (it was less "medium shot" and more "doesn't do anything at all" for me), but paying for a full Photoshop in one go was never realistic. Now though, during those 10% of the time, I can use Photoshop in good conscience. LR and PS complement each other very well really well. nine0005
0 votes
Francesco/ March 21, 2012
This is a rather minor point, but Elements directly supports getting an image from a scanner, while Lightroom, apparently due to its special focus on photography, does not allow this (for sure, until version 3.
6, and I think 4 still does not implement it yet).
Lightroom 4 vs 6 | FIU
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Adobe Lightroom is a high-quality post-processing and image organization software that you can use to improve the management and quality of your real estate photos. An in-depth look at the features of Lightroom 4 and 6 will help you determine which version best suits your computer's specifications and photography needs. nine0142
Adobe Lightroom is a versatile imaging application that has changed a lot since it was first released in 2007. Regardless of the version, Lightroom has become one of the best photo editing apps for managing and processing large photo collections across devices.
Lightroom 4 Overview
The official name of Lightroom 4 is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4.0, released in 2012. Typically, Lightroom 4 is an improvement on the previous version of Lightroom 3.0. Some of the improvements in Lightroom 4 include photobook creation using templates and local editing controls for noise reduction.
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It also includes shadow and highlight restoration to bring out details in bright highlights and dark shadows. However, unlike previous versions, Lightroom version 4.0 does not support the Windows XP operating system.
Lightroom 6 Review (CC)
The popular name for Lightroom 6 is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC 2015, released in 2015. Keep in mind that some people refer to Lightroom 6 as Lightroom CC. Typically, Lightroom CC refers to the Creative Cloud edition, while Lightroom 6 refers to the standalone application. nine0005
While the Creative Cloud version may have some additional features, the two versions are almost the same. Lightroom 6 and Lightroom CC are enhancements to the previous version of Lightroom 5.0. In addition, Lightroom version 6.0 is the first release that does not support 32-bit operating systems.
Lightroom 4 vs. Lightroom CC
Given that Lightroom 4 and 6 are different versions of the same photo-editing application, they share some design, usability, and compatibility similarities.
On the other hand, version variations mean differences in features, pricing plans, and flexibility. nine0005
similarities
Although Lightroom 6 is a later version and has additional features and improvements, Lightroom 4 and 6 still have a lot in common in their features. image manipulation and photo organization functions.
- Although the pricing plan is different, Lightroom 4 and 6 are owned and sold by Adobe.
- Both Lightroom 4 and 6 are universal and compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.
- In both applications you can import, process and export RAW files
- While camera compatibility may vary, you can shoot tethered in both Lightroom 4 and 6.
- Both Lightroom 4 and 6 come with built-in perspective control and lens correction.
Differences
Although Lightroom 4 and 6 are versions of the same application, the following differences in their photo organization and processing features can significantly affect the quality of your real estate photos.
Speed
Although many photographers find that the speed of the Lightroom application depends on the specifications of the device, the features and coding of the software play an important role in its overall speed. Even if Lightroom 6 is a newer version and it has code improvements, the extra features make it slower.
For example, importing and previewing images in Lightroom 4 takes less time than in Lightroom 6. Typically, the slower speed can be due to additional Lightroom 6 catalog structure features that can increase load times and lag during operations. nine0005
On the other hand, Lightroom 6 has better image export speed than Lightroom 4. Keep in mind that you can increase the export speed by running multiple export jobs at the same time.
Memory usage
Computer RAM is temporary memory that Lightroom can store data for quick and easy access while you work. While RAM usage primarily depends on the task you're doing, the extra features in Lightroom 6 make you use more RAM than Lightroom 4 for the same job.
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Panorama Fusion
Panorama Fusion is a special photography technique that involves combining multiple images from the same camera into one wide image. Typically, a panoramic image will be wide horizontally or vertically.
Lightroom 6 lets you combine standard exposure photos into a panorama. You will have the option to use either perspective, cylindrical, or spherical fusion modes. It automatically compares the exposure of different photos, crops them and forms a panorama. nine0005
On the other hand, Lightroom 4 does not support merging panoramas. While you can record a panorama as a video if you're using Lightroom 4, this means you can't print the panorama image.
Compatible with cameras
Lightroom offerings tethered shooting, allowing you to import and view photos as you shoot. Tethered shooting is a great feature for real estate photographers who would like to view photos on a large screen while shooting. nine0005
However, tethered shooting depends on whether the Lightroom version supports the camera you are using.
Typically, recent versions, such as Lightroom 6, can support newer camera models than older versions, such as Lightroom 4.
For example, if your camera model release is newer than the June 9, 2013 release of Lightroom version 5.0, the camera is not compatible with Lightroom 4. On the other hand, if your camera model release is after November 2017, Lightroom 6 standalone cannot support it. nine0005
Face Recognition
Face Recognition is an advanced algorithm in Lightroom 6 that helps you identify a photo with a face, analyze a face, and sort photos based on faces.
It allows you to assign names to different persons. It automatically sorts the entire directory and arranges people based on those faces, even if they appear in multiple photos.
Lightroom 4, on the other hand, lacks facial recognition and tag features. Typically, this makes it difficult to work with a large collection of photos, such as wedding photos with multiple images of the same faces.
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HDR Merging
HDR is an abbreviation for High Dynamic Range, which refers to the difference between the darkest and brightest light you can capture in an image. If the subject you are shooting is outside this range, the dark areas will turn into large black spots and the bright areas will turn white.
HDR can help bring out the brightest highlights and deepest shadows in your real estate interior photos. While it can be difficult to capture an image that captures both ends of that spectrum, Lightroom 6 comes with an HDR fusion feature that can help you stitch multiple photos together. nine0005
Lightroom 4, on the other hand, does not have an HDR fusion feature. If you're using Lightroom 4, it's recommended that you take photos using medium exposure since you can't combine different exposures in post-processing.
System Requirements
Although Lightroom 4 and 6 are versatile and highly compatible photo editing applications, feature and technology differences in their respective years of release result in different system requirements.
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Windows
If your computer is running Windows, it must meet the following system requirements to run Lightroom 4:
- The system must be running a 64-bit AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium processor.
- PC must be running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows Vista Service Pack 2.
- Monitor must be calibrated with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.0013 The system must have at least 1 GB of free space on the SSD or hard drive.
- You must have at least 2 GB of RAM installed.
- The system must be connected to the Internet during installation for online services such as software activation and other online services.
On the other hand, your Windows PC must meet the following system requirements to run Lightroom 6:
- The system must have at least 2 GB of free space on the SSD or hard drive. nine0014
- You must have at least 4 GB of RAM installed.
- The monitor must be calibrated with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.
- The computer must be running an AMD or Intel 64-bit processor.
- PC must be running Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1, Windows 8.1 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit from build 1511 or later.
- During installation, the system must have a stable Internet connection for software registration, activation, subscription, and other online services. nine0014
Mac OS
If your computer is running Mac OS, it must meet the following system requirements to run Lightroom 4.
- At least 1 GB of free space on your SSD or hard drive
- Monitor must be calibrated for screen resolution 1024 x 768.
- The computer must be running Mac OS X version 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or version 10.7 (Lion).
- The system must be running a 64-bit multi-core Intel processor. nine0014
- At least 2 GB of RAM installed
- Internet connection for activation or other online services during installation
On the other hand, your computer must meet the following system requirements to run Lightroom 6:
- Monitor must be calibrated with a screen resolution of 1024 x 768.
- At least 4 GB of RAM installed
- It must run on Mac OS X version 10.11, MacOS version 10.12, or MacOS version 10.13. nine0014
- The system must be running a 64-bit multi-core Intel processor.
- At least 2 GB of free space on SSD or hard drive
- Internet connection for online services such as activation
Main differentiating factor
Adobe support is the main differentiating factor between Lightroom 4 and 6. Lightroom 4 is no longer supported by Adobe, and there are no public download links for Lightroom 4 installations or updates. However, you can sign in to your account and download Lightroom 4 if you purchased it directly from Adobe via download. nine0005
On the other hand, there is full support for the Lightroom 6 Creative Cloud version. However, you can only buy it as a subscription plan. It will cost you $9.99/month to subscribe to the 1TB Lightroom plan, $9.99/month to subscribe to the 20GB Photos plan, and $19.
99/month to subscribe to the 1TB Photos plan.
Be aware that Lightroom 6 standalone costs $149. However, Adobe no longer supports it, and it's getting harder to find download links. nine0005
When to use Lightroom 4
Although Lightroom 4 is an older version than Lightroom 6, you may need to use it in the following situations:
- When using an older computer that may not meet the system requirements to run Lightroom 6. If you don't want to be bound by a monthly subscription to Lightroom 6 CC, a standalone version of Lightroom 4 is the way to go.
- Given that Lightroom 4 is lighter, it's the best speed option for a slower computer. nine0014
When to use Lightroom 6
Considering Lightroom 6 is a newer version, additional features and pricing plans make it suitable for use under the following circumstances: you need to buy the full version.
