LR3 vs. CS5

TheCheesehead · November 29, 2011

Hi, as a student, I have the opportunity to purchase CS5 Extended. I have used LR3 and like that as well. My question: can CS5 do everything LR3 can? I know LR3 is supposedly faster RAW processing, but can CS5 do all of the functions that LR3 does equally or better? My LR3 disk broke, and I have a new computer, so I need to get another LR3, or for about the same price, buy CS5.
Thanks!

DavidTO · November 29, 2011

Well, if you licensed LR3 legally, then you can just reinstall it and use your serial number. A broken disk wouldn't matter.

And the answer is mixed. No, CS5 can't make virtual changes to your files like LR can and it's not a database to manage your images. But yes, the end result that you can achieve with LR is achievable in CS5, it just works a bit differently.

NeilL · November 30, 2011

Lr can do nowhere near as much as CS5. Question is would you ever use all CS5's potential? Most people only scrape the surface. Lr can do that much and a little more, and do it in many cases with a more user friendly interface and with less risk to the image. If you never got close to the limits of Lr it's unlikely you will miss CS5.

Neil

Richard · November 30, 2011

DavidTO wrote: »

And the answer is mixed. No, CS5 can't make virtual changes to your files like LR can and it's not a database to manage your images. But yes, the end result that you can achieve with LR is achievable in CS5, it just works a bit differently.

Well, sort of. CS5 uses the same engine for raw processing as LR and the changes it makes in the raw processing stage are virtual as well, that is, they do not change the data in the raw file. If the only processing you do is during raw conversion, the results are identical in CS5 and LR. However, CS5 can perform many editing tasks beyond the raw conversion stage that LR does not do. These do not affect the raw file, but do affect the output jpg or tiff files. LR does not handle images that are created from more than one frame, such as HDR, panoramas and composites, though there are some third party plugins to address some of these. LR is more convenient for batch processing, but if you learn to use Bridge (the file browser that comes with CS5) properly, you can do many of the same things, and if you become proficient with actions, droplets and batch processing in PS, you can do much, much more. OTOH, LR offers print management and powerful catalog management modules that are absent in PS/Bridge. So the answer really depends on what's important to you.

One other thing: you might be able to save yourself some money by purchasing the standard edition of CS5 rather than the extended version. Other than some 3D functions, there's little advantage to photographers in the extended version and it is quite a bit more expensive. As mentioned above, CS5 standard has many functions that most of us never touch.

TheCheesehead · November 30, 2011

@David I did license it, so I should be able to download the trial version and then enter my serial number?

Also, regarding extended vs. standard, for whatever reason, extended is the least expensive at $169. LR comes in at $83.

Thanks for your help, maybe I'll get both. Right now I do editing in PSE9.

Zerodog · November 30, 2011

I would say cs5 can not do what LR does. LR is a powerful way to organize your photos and do mass editing. All of the tools are geared toward photography. Yes ACR does this too. But it is not as streamlined and is not as good for editing big batches. LR let's me shoot an event with 10,000 photos and be able to quickly sync settings, meta data, add key words. The list goes on. To do that in ACR or bridge would be very time consuming.

So in the end it might come down to how you shoot and how you edit.

DavidTO · November 30, 2011

Richard wrote: »

Well, sort of. CS5 uses the same engine for raw processing as LR and the changes it makes in the raw processing stage are virtual as well, that is, they do not change the data in the raw file.

Well, sort of.

In the end with CS5 you have to save out a file to retain your changes and there's no history available. It's not really virtual in the same way, it's more interim.

Richard · November 30, 2011

DavidTO wrote: »

Well, sort of.

In the end with CS5 you have to save out a file to retain your changes and there's no history available. It's not really virtual in the same way, it's more interim.

Well, sort of.

Raw adjustments made in ACR are saved to the XMP file, just as in LR, and they are persistent. All you do is click "Done" in ACR. You lose the history in PS once you save a PSD file, but all the layers, settings, paths and masks are intact and persistent. If you are really compulsive (I am

) you can enable full logging, which gives you a text file detailing every step you have done, including those you have undone. I don't rework my images very often once I am happy with them, so I rarely consult the log.

Internos · November 30, 2011

If you haven't figured it out by now, LR3 and PS CS5 are similar, but have quite a number of significant differences that really set them apart from each other. If I were only working on a few images a day, CS5 would be perfect, but when your library of photos stretches over a decade and many thousands of photos for each year, a product like LR3 can be essential. I used to be a hardcore Bridge/PS guy but I've since changed to do 90% of my workflow in LR3 and only drop into PS for the more hardcore edits that LR will probably never be capable of. I haven't opened Bridge in a long time. However, if I had to pick one or the other, I'd get PS CS5.

With that said, since you have a legit license for LR3, I'll echo the others and say just download the latest version from the Adobe website and use your license with that. And since you can get PS CS5, I'd recommend picking that up as well so you have all your bases covered. There are times that I consider enrolling into a course and its no coincidence they are timed with Adobe's release cycle.

P.S. - Here is a great resource to show some valuable differences between Lightroom and Bridge http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom

TheCheesehead · November 30, 2011

Thanks Internos! Yes, I'm more of a few images a day guy. Hobbiest, family pics, occasional experimental attempts at creativity. No weddings or anything like that.

jww · November 30, 2011

TheCheesehead wrote: »

@David I did license it, so I should be able to download the trial version and then enter my serial number?

I would think that "should work", but if not Adobe online support is STELLAR at helping you reclaim software that is legally yours. I once had too many installations of PS due to me swapping computers as well as swapping a hard drive due to almost crashing. They were able to help get it all sorted out via their online chat. I was dumbfounded how great they are at customer service.

TheCheesehead · December 5, 2011

Hey, I was able to use my existing LR3 serial number on a trial version and it worked, thanks! I also have CS5 now as well. Is the most efficient workflow importing from the card using LR3, then using CS5 for anything LR3 can't handle? I started messing around with Bridge and MiniBridge, but I am more used to the library module in LR3. Thanks!

jww · December 5, 2011

TheCheesehead wrote: »

Hey, I was able to use my existing LR3 serial number on a trial version and it worked, thanks! I also have CS5 now as well. Is the most efficient workflow importing from the card using LR3, then using CS5 for anything LR3 can't handle? I started messing around with Bridge and MiniBridge, but I am more used to the library module in LR3. Thanks!

Cool news!

Yup.. basically what I do as well. Though I usually copy from the card directly on to my system as sometimes I am sometimes also copying from an external hard drive if I am gone awhile. Then I import all that stuff in one shot using the Add - Don't move option.

LR3 vs. CS5

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