I Edited a Photo in Every Program.
TLDRThe video script discusses the prevalence of Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop in the photography industry and explores various alternative photo editing software options. The speaker shares personal experiences with different programs, including Capture One, Luminar Neo, Sony Imaging Edge, Darktable, Affinity Photo, and more, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. The emphasis is on the availability of powerful editing tools beyond Adobe's suite, the potential of AI in editing, and the encouragement for photographers to explore and try different software to find the best fit for their needs.
Takeaways
- 💰 The industry standard for photographers is Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop, costing $240 per year.
- 📸 Photographers often stick to Lightroom and Photoshop due to their ubiquity and the lack of exploration of alternative software.
- 🖌️ Lightroom is an all-in-one editing, organization, and cataloging software, while Photoshop is a raster-based editor with extensive layer-based editing capabilities.
- 🌐 Adobe's dominance in the software industry is such that it faces little competition compared to other sectors like camera and lens brands.
- 🔍 Capture One stands out as a popular alternative to Lightroom, offering a tailored raw engine for various cameras and sensors, and an impressive set of editing tools.
- 🎨 Affinity Photo is praised as the best Photoshop alternative, providing a familiar interface and powerful editing features, but lacks advanced removal tools.
- 🔵 Luminar Neo focuses heavily on AI for photo editing, offering beginner-friendly presets, but has limitations in certain areas like the removal feature.
- 🖤 Sony Imaging Edge's software is criticized for its clunky interface and lack of certain essential features like HSL adjustments.
- 📷 Darktable, a free and open-source alternative to Lightroom, is noted for its complex interface and terminology, which may not be user-friendly for all.
- 🍏 Apple Photos is a capable editor for raw photos, especially on iPhones, but is limited by iCloud storage requirements and lacks certain advanced editing features.
- 🔄 The script emphasizes the importance of exploring different photo editing software to find the best fit for individual needs and preferences.
Q & A
What is the primary reason photographers use Lightroom and Photoshop despite the annual cost?
-Photographers primarily use Lightroom and Photoshop because they are considered the industry standard. The widespread use and availability of tutorials, presets, and tips for these programs make them the go-to choice for many in the photography field.
What are some AI-based tools introduced in Lightroom to make photo editing quicker?
-Lightroom has introduced AI-based tools such as Auto Masking with subject detection and AI Denoiseing, which significantly save time during the editing process by automating certain tasks.
How does Capture One differ from Lightroom in terms of raw editing and color adjustments?
-Capture One is known for its tailored raw engine that adjusts to specific camera sensors, offering one of the best color modules with advanced HSL adjustments and a skin toning tool for selective color modifications, which is not present in Lightroom.
What is the main advantage of Capture One's perpetual license compared to subscription-based models?
-The main advantage of Capture One's perpetual license is that users can purchase it once and own it indefinitely, without the need for recurring subscription payments, providing long-term value and cost-effectiveness.
What is the primary criticism of Sony Imaging Edge in comparison to other editing software?
-The primary criticism of Sony Imaging Edge is the lack of an HSL adjustment module and a less intuitive user interface, which makes color adjustments more difficult compared to other software options.
How does the performance of Luminar Neo's AI presets compare to manual editing?
-Luminar Neo's AI presets are often criticized for producing overcooked and unappealing results, whereas manual editing allows for greater control and customization of the final image.
What is the main limitation of Darktable as an alternative to Lightroom?
-The main limitation of Darktable is its complex and programmer-oriented interface, which can be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with advanced photographic terminology and concepts.
What was the significant change Apple made regarding their pro photography software?
-Apple discontinued their pro photography software, Aperture, and replaced it with Apple Photos, which, while powerful and user-friendly, lacks some advanced features that professional photographers require.
What feature is notably missing in Affinity Photo compared to Photoshop?
-Affinity Photo lacks advanced removal tools similar to Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill and other AI-powered healing features, which might be a drawback for users who rely on these functionalities.
What is the main benefit of Photopea as an online alternative to Photoshop?
-Photopea offers a powerful and user-friendly online editing experience that closely resembles Photoshop, allowing users to access and perform complex editing tasks without the need for a desktop application.
Outlines
📷 Industry Standard Software: Lightroom and Photoshop
The paragraph discusses the widespread use of Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop among photographers due to their status as the industry standard. It highlights the high costs associated with these programs and the lack of exploration of alternative software options. The speaker expresses a desire to try every program they've downloaded, inspired by others in the graphic and game design fields, to provide a broader perspective on photo editing tools. The paragraph also delves into the specifics of Lightroom and Photoshop, noting Lightroom's capabilities as an all-in-one editing and organizing software, and Photoshop's extensive layer-based editing features, including its powerful removal suite.
🌟 Exploring Alternatives: Capture One and Luminar Neo
This paragraph compares Capture One and Luminar Neo to Lightroom and Photoshop. Capture One is praised for its tailored raw engine and comprehensive editing tools, including a superior color module and quick performance. However, it falls short in its healing tool and lack of AI features. Luminar Neo, with its heavy emphasis on AI, is criticized for its overcooked presets but commended for its responsive editing module and beginner-friendly features. The speaker advises against using the AI replacement features and reiterates the need for a more powerful software like Photoshop for certain tasks.
🖥️ Sony and Darktable: A Mixed Bag of Experiences
The speaker shares their experiences with Sony Imaging Edge and Darktable. Sony Imaging Edge is criticized for its cumbersome download and installation process and lack of a color module, making it unsuitable for advanced color adjustments. Darktable, a free and open-source alternative to Lightroom, is described as poorly designed for user experience, with complex terminology and a slow interface. Despite these issues, Darktable offers powerful features like the de Haze tool, but the speaker suggests it could be significantly improved with a more user-friendly redesign.
🍏 Apple Photos and Affinity Photo: Simplicity and Versatility
The paragraph discusses the simplicity and effectiveness of Apple Photos for basic editing needs, highlighting its similarities to iPhone editing and the limitations due to iCloud storage restrictions. Affinity Photo is praised as the best Photoshop alternative tried so far, with a familiar interface and comprehensive editing tools. However, it lacks advanced removal tools found in Photoshop, making it less suitable for tasks requiring smart removal features.
💻 Photometer, Raw Therapy, and Photopea: A Range of Options
Photometer is described as a highly potent Lightroom competitor with a smooth user interface and promising future updates. Raw Therapy is warned against due to its complexity and user-unfriendly design, despite being a free and open-source option. Photopea, a free online version of Photoshop, is surprisingly powerful and user-friendly, offering a full Photoshop experience in a browser with content-aware features and removal tools. The speaker expresses caution regarding privacy when using web-based editing platforms.
🔍 DXO Labs and On1: Quality and Feature-rich Options
DXO Labs' editing software is noted for its high-quality lens corrections and noise reduction features, though the speaker found it less exciting overall. On1 is recognized as a feature-rich program with an emphasis on AI, offering a range of editing tools and filters. However, the speaker found it less polished than Luminar and more challenging to navigate due to its layout and organization.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lightroom
💡Photoshop
💡Capture One
💡AI
💡Presets
💡Color Module
💡Performance
💡Removal Suite
💡HSL Adjustments
💡Open Source
💡Alternative Software
Highlights
The industry standard for photographers is Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop, with a yearly subscription cost of $240.
Photographers are often ingrained to use Lightroom and Photoshop due to their dominance in tutorials and industry discussions.
Lightroom is an all-in-one editing, organization, and cataloging software with AI-based tools for quicker editing.
Photoshop is a raster-based editor with a multitude of options for advanced image styling and editing.
Capture One stands out as a popular alternative to Lightroom, offering a tailored raw engine for each camera and sensor.
Capture One's color module is one of the best, with fine-tuning capabilities and a skin toning tool.
Luminar Neo emphasizes AI in its editing process, providing beginner-style presets and a range of editing modules.
Sony Imaging Edge is a software that comes with Sony Alpha cameras but has a clunky interface and lacks an HSL adjustment.
Darktable is a free and open-source alternative to Lightroom but has a steep learning curve and is not user-friendly for beginners.
Apple Photos, formerly known as Aperture, offers a streamlined editing experience similar to iPhone's raw photo editing.
Affinity Photo is an award-winning raster-based editor that closely resembles Photoshop in functionality and layout.
Photometer is an Apple-exclusive program with a one-to-one Lightroom experience and promises to add more organizational features in the future.
Raw Therapy is a free, open-source alternative to Lightroom designed for low-end machines but has a complex interface.
Photo PR is a free, ad-supported online version of Photoshop that offers a powerful and familiar editing experience in a browser.
DXO Labs offers an editing program with strong lens corrections and noise reduction features but lacks excitement and engagement.
On1 is an all-in-one editing program with a heavy emphasis on AI, offering a range of presets and weather effects.
Despite the variety of software options, skilled photographers can achieve good results with any program if they take the time to learn its features.
