Where would Lightroom fit in?

[Mike Guilbault]

What I would like to know is exactly where does Lightroom fit into the DAM model?  (don't you just love that acronym!)  Is it in lieu of iView and ACR?  Is it another application that fits somewhere between?  From  what I've seen of it so far, I can work faster simply in Bridge and ACR.

[peterkrogh]

If you really want to geek out, you can listen to the Lightroom Podcast#8 and hear Thomas Knoll, Bruce Fraser, George Jardine and Mark Hamburg discuss the product.  It might give you some insight.

I expect that Lightroom will take the place of Bridge for me, once it is finished.  The tasks I expect to do are to adjust images, at minimum.  I also hope that I can use it for all the steps up to that process (like I generally do with Bridge) :rename, bulk Metadata, rate.  At the moment, there are real roadblocks for me with all of these processes.

Lightroom does not aspire to be a full-feature DAM application, at least in version one. There are too many missing features to list.  If you listen to the podcast, you can hear Mark Hamburg (Lightroom's daddy) say that the Library Module is really only a front end to the Develop Module.  So it's a manager for up to the time of adjustment, and then for bringing the images to a proofing output, like web gallery, slideshow or proof print.

I hope we will see some other features  added that will make LR be the adjustment tool I need: better speed, multiple conversions, local controls, multiple embedded previews, batch renaming, better use of metadata templates, full DNG compliance, interchange with Bridge/ACR, etc.  They are a small but responsive team over there, and I know they expect to add more to the product before it hits v.1

Peter

[johnbeardy]

The more I hear and read about Lightroom, the more I feel they're lowering their sights and making Lightroom just a raw processor, replacing Bridge and to some extent Photoshop, but not helping you find or manage the images. If anything, podcast 8 made me think they're more interested in selection-based edits.

As a fellow O'Reilly author I'm very jealous of your Iceland trip Peter - hope it's a freebie! I've been there twice and plan to go again before long.

John

[peterkrogh]

John,
I think you are right on about what Lightroom will be.  It's not going too be a DAM solution, just a better RAW processor.  This is not a bad thing, although I wish it was a DAM app.

If they get the RAW file processing right, it will be a very welcome addition to the workflow.
Peter

[johnbeardy]

I agree a welcome addition, Peter, but just one raw processor among many and without the compelling advantage that a DAMP (DAM+Processing) program might offer. I do hope you'll bring up the topic in Iceland. Still, maybe it's no bad thing that mixed "best of breed" solutions will survive, rather than locking us into unequal marriages of DAM and processing (there you go again, Beardy). Or alternatively a DAM program might sprout raw processing features -  I wonder if we'll soon see a Microsoft Capture One....

John

[pvonk]

I find quite a number of posters in the LR forum say they are not interested in a DAM component built into LR, at least not a full-featured one.  The wedding photogs, for example, contend their only organizational needs are in the folder structure, not a database manager.  But with good metadata support, you'd think LR would eventually support good file management.

- Pierre

[johnbeardy]

Yes, I read that too, and you could see where those wedding and event photographers were coming from - in the old days I bet they trashed their negs once they were paid. Yet there were others with similar processing volumes who clearly need to find their pictures again. The "eventually" argument is essentially what Bruce Fraser says in that podcast - sell "creatives" the pretty raw processor, give them the dowdy DAM later. Sounds as solid a commitment as "domani" or "manana"....

John

[thomas]

if lightRoom stays somewhat like it is in V1  then i will use it for converssions instead of ACR , beta4 has giving me my best color/tone conversions than any other raw processor to date., i consider it a major breakthrough in conversion of raws as far as color and tones are concerned, ive been hearing pete talk about it for some time but never tried it out until several days ago, im glad i did, ive had an ear to ear smile on my face since i seen that first conversion, eh pete i tried your suggestion on pulling the blue luminance slider over on an image with blue sky/white puffy clouds, that is just great

[andymiller]

There seem to be just as many people complaining that LightRoom isn't as good as IVMP.

The development of Lightroom shows clearly where Adobe's strengths lie - in image processing and they are playing to those strengths.  I'll definitely be buying Lightroom when it comes out and using it as an RAW processor first and foremost with IVMP for keywording etc. Top of my wish list would be better noise reduction and sharpening rather than DAM. As for the one program for my whole workflow, well, like the paperless office it's agreat idea in theory but I'll believe it when I see it.