Apple Photos/Pixelmator vs Lightroom/Photoshop

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Level 4

2,545 points

Apple Photos/Pixelmator vs Lightroom/Photoshop

I am not a professional photographer but enjoying photography very enthusiastically for over 50 years now. (And yes I do remember film - mind not that far gone yet.) I recently retired and we moved to a community that has a photography club and there are several others nearby that I wish to get active in. All these clubs have meetings where photos are submitted and a local photographer is brought in as a judge. One also takes part in statewide (NJ Federation of Camera Clubs) and national (Photographic Society of America) competitions. (Whew - thanks for reading a little of my background.)

When I moved from Windows/Lightroom to a Mac I loved Aperture. Unfortunately Apple stopped supporting it and moved lots of people to Photos (which I happen to love and it has gotten much better at post processing over the years - especially with additional programs working as extensions) because of it's integration with all the Apple products. And my wife loves the way I can pretty easily share parts of my photo library with her and her iPhone/iPad - so I would not want to give all that up.

But am I missing a lot of capabilities using Apple Photos and Pixelmator Pro as an additional editor through Extensions in Photos. I also am trying out RAW Power again - an extension for Photos that was developed by people who originally worked on Aperture - to work more with my RAW files. But something in my mind (the part still working at almost 70) keeps saying "But you are missing so much by not moving back to Lightroom and Photoshop!". I have more time to work on my "digital darkroom" and would even consider taking some classes on LR/PS to re-introduce myself to the products and learn everything I never bothered to learn before moving to a Mac and Aperture years ago.

Thanks for reading this and any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

iMac 24″, macOS 12.2

Posted on Mar 11, 2022 9:45 AM

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Answer 1

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Yer_Man

Level 10

162,420 points

Mar 12, 2022 12:56 AM in response to swandy

Well the simple answer is, based on an analysis of raw features, that LR/PS is more powerful than Photos/Pixelmator. But the question is do you need the extras? I note that you say you enjoy the Photos?Pixelmator combination and that's 99% of it really. How do you feel about the results you're getting on your shots? LR/PS won't get you better photographs, but it might help you save more marginal ones than your current combo.

LR Classic is a more powerful organiser, But you lose the integration with your wife's devices. The Cloud version of LR has that, and some folks pay more to get both, but even at that it's a complicated workflow. I find myself processing my Raws in LR and then exporting and uploading to the Cloud version of LR for devices. I don't mind the extra work, but it is more work and more complex. Photoshop is an immense tool. But as the old line goes, no ne uses more than 1/3 of what it does, just everyone uses a different 1/3. Photoshop Elements is a reduced version geared to the home (and largely photographic) user. That might be worth exploring.

If you're getting into Raw processing seriously, then DxO Photolab might be worth checking out. Not an organiser but a very good processor. On the other hand, if you want to go beyond just processing but experiment with more radical changes to your photos and the look of them, then check out things like the NIK collection or Exposure x7

Isn't there a month's free trial or similar with the LR/PS combo? Why not download that. import 1k shots and see what you can do, and that way make your judgement - yes this is of value to me, or not, which is the ultimate test.

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Answer 2

swandy Author

Level 4

2,545 points

Mar 12, 2022 8:56 AM in response to Yer_Man

Thanks for taking the time to respond and your insight. I understand that no program will actually improve the photos (took me many years of cameras and then digital programs for that to really sink in) but I know most of the people I have had the pleasure of meeting through these clubs - well the ones who are really involved with their digital post processing - use the PS/LR combo. Do I know that I will have the patience to really learn the ins and outs of PS/LR to make a significant difference in my workflow - honestly not really - but thought I would pose the question. Thanks again for taking the time to give me your thoughts.

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Apple Photos/Pixelmator vs Lightroom/Photoshop

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