Advice for post processing newbie pls

[Big John]

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Hi guys,

 

I get my first Leica this wk - an SL with 24-90.  With the move to full frame, I have decided to make more use of post processing. My previous kit was all Fuji so aside from some playing with Aperture, I used to adjust RAW files in-camera. 

 

Anyway, one question pls: as Leica now only gives out a 3 month trial of LR, should I use that or should I just buy a standalone perpetual version.  If I assume that I am not going to replace my camera anytime soon (!) then why would I need future updated version of software?

 

Thanks

John

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[Exodies]

The updates are not only to support new cameras (and such updates are usually free for both rented and bought versions of LR).

The updates provide new or improved functionality; for example the rented version can now do DNG stitching.

 

I'm addicted to updates of all varieties so for me, rental is the sensible path. Other people are happier to continue using the same old, even very old versions and no amount of new features will tempt them to upgrade; the bought version suits them.

[STB]

If I had just paid about US$12,000 for an SL and lens, I would consider $10/month for a subscription to Lightroom and Photoshop a no-brainer.

 

The advantage of a subscription is that you will always have the latest versions of these programs on your computer. The subscription version of Lightroom 6 already has useful features that are not in the standalone version.

 

The big issue is that Lightroom takes time and effort to learn. You might start with Julieanne Kost's excellent blog posts and videos: http://www.jkost.com. The most comprehensive book on Lightroom 6 is Martin Evening's: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Lightroom-Book-Photographers/dp/0133929191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462710247&sr=8-1&keywords=evening+lightroom+6

 

If you decide that Lightroom/Photoshop are not for you, you can always cancel your subscription.

 

Note that Lightroom is first and foremost a database for organizing your photographs and making it easy to find a given photo or photos, so it's worth spending time at the outset setting up how you want to do so. You might find it particularly useful to learn a bit about creating what is called a controlled vocabulary, known in Lightroom as a hierarchical Keyword List. A hierarchical Keyword List means that you don't have to write down, or remember, your keywords, and makes applying keywords highly efficient.

[Big John]

Many thanks for the help and advice guys. 

[jaapv]

The updates are not only to support new cameras (and such updates are usually free for both rented and bought versions of LR).

The updates provide new or improved functionality; for example the rented version can now do DNG stitching.

 

I'm addicted to updates of all varieties so for me, rental is the sensible path. Other people are happier to continue using the same old, even very old versions and no amount of new features will tempt them to upgrade; the bought version suits them.

However, the underlying algorithms are updated all the time as well, improving quality. It makes sense to keep more or less abreast.

[STB]

John,

 

One additional comment. If you are concerned about whether Lightroom's database is proprietary, resulting in you being locked into the application, don't be. Your camera writes its EXIF data directly to the file, and the data that you enter (where the photo was taken, keywords, etc.) is written as XMP.* Both are readily readable by other applications.

 

The exception is Lightroom Collections. If you create Collections, keep in mind that they will not be carried over if you abandon Lightroom for another application. For this very reason, Collections are not part of how I organize my photographs. I only use them for temporary purposes.

 

* NB: In Lightroom, go to Lightroom > Catalog Settings... > Metadata, and tick off the third box, which says "Automatically write changes into XMP".