Lightroom Classic CC or Lightroom CC – What’s the Difference?
And which one should you use?

Are you confused by the difference between Lightroom Classic CC and Lightroom CC? The class that I teach on this platform is the more advanced Lightroom Classic CC which gives you full editing ability and you are able to store your images on your own hard drive.

The cloud-based Lightroom CC is two years old now and has come a long way in its editing capabilities, but there are distinct differences between Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC. Lightroom CC is actually the same application as Lightroom mobile but is available on your desk top computer.

As a Lightroom Classic user, I prefer to use Lightroom CC as my mobile application, synced between my devices. I can upload images when I’m traveling and make adjustments to my favorite images. Because of the file sizes from my full frame camera, I choose not to upload all of my images to Lightroom mobile when I’m on the road as it would take up all my space in my iPad. I choose to use other methods for backup when traveling. You can of course purchase hard drives suitable for travel to back up your images.

Lightroom CC is designed to be a cloud-based system that syncs together across desktop, mobile, and web. Lightroom Classic CC is designed for desktop-based (file/folder) digital photography workflows. It’s a well-established workflow solution that is distinct and separate from the cloud-based Lightroom CC.

By separating the two products, Adobe is allowing Lightroom Classic CC to focus on the strengths of a file/folder based workflow, while Lightroom CC addresses the cloud/mobile-oriented workflow.

What is the difference and which one is best for you?

Lightroom CC
Lightroom CC is a cloud-based service with three device-based apps: desktop, mobile and web.
Lightroom CC is designed and built around 3 principles:

Simple use—Lightroom CC offers image editing on the go and offers a simple solution to image editing, but doesn’t offer the powerful editing that Lightroom Classic CC does
Syncing across all your devices—Lightroom CC will work the same across desktop, mobile, and web. Syncing will only work with wifi access, so keep that in mind if you are traveling in areas without internet service.

Cloud Based—Everything you do in Lightroom CC is synced to the cloud. This means that you can access and work with your photos from any device. All of your photos and all of the work that you do is instantly backed up. However, in order for this program to work correctly, Adobe requires you to purchase enough cloud storage to store your complete library of images stored on Lightroom CC.

Lightroom Classic CC – Lightroom Classic CC is the program we will be using in the BPSOP class.

When Lightroom Classic CC was introduced, Adobe added new tools to make precise color and tone-based selections for Local Adjustments. You have the option to use the adjustment brush, radial, or graduated filters to define a rough mask, then refine the selection via the new Range Masking options found at the bottom of each Local Adjustment panel.
With Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe has created a high performance application suitable for powerful processing systems and higher resolution monitors.

 Lightroom Classic CC uses local file storage on your computer with either an internal or external drive. It is file or folder based and is for those that prefer to edit from their desktop computer. You will need to understand how the catalog works in Lightroom (which we will go over in detail in the class). You will learn to manage your images and use the most comprehensive editing capabilities of the Lightroom choices.

Organization is based on the image files and their meta data and keywords. When you subscribe to Lightroom Classic CC on Adobe.com, you will need to choose the photographers plan which (at this writing) gives you access to Lightroom Classic CC, Lightroom CC and Photoshop. There will be options for photography storage to choose. If you are just starting out, the lower level of storage plans should be sufficient. You will be storing your images on your own internal or external drives. The storage plans are used if you upload images to store in the cloud on Lightroom CC.

Either way, you can only get these programs through the Adobe subscription program. You can find more details on the subscription at Adobe.com.

The Lightroom Quick Start class is meant as a fast way for you to get up to speed editing your images in Lightroom Classic CC. It takes some practice to really have an eye for photo editing, but that’s why we are there together in this class, to share photographs and get constructive feedback. I hope that you will enjoy being a part of this community.

Holly Higbee-Jansen is photographer, trainer, blogger, and workshop leader who enjoys teaching and the creative process. Her passions include teaching photography workshops in beautiful locations in California, Iceland, Costa Rica and the American West with her husband Mark. Holly also teaches online classes on Lightroom, Photoshop, and photographic technique. Get Holly’s Free E-Book on “Landscape Photography and the Light“ and find out about her newest workshops at Jansen Photo Expeditions.com.

Reach Holly by email at hhjphoto@gmail.com and read her blog at JansenPhotoExpeditions.com/Blog

Holly Teaches:

iPhone Photography

In this class, we will introduce you to the magic of iPhone photography using several shooting and editing apps that will give you the ability to make your pictures sing in a fun and easy way. You will learn how to crop, change saturation, brightness and affect the overall look of your pictures with HDR, drama and grunge filters and other techniques. You will be amazed at the simple and effective methods.

Lightroom Quickstart

Do you want to learn to create images that show the beauty of the scene you saw when you took the photograph? Do you want to learn the other essential side of digital photography, photo editing and get up to speed quickly?

This course is designed to get you up and running FAST in this incredibly powerful program. In this two week information packed class, you will learn how to import, organize and perform simple and effective editing processes that will let you produce beautiful adjustments to your pictures.

For a complete list of Holly’s current workshops go to:

Jansen Photo Expeditions – JansenPhotoExpeditions.com

Holly’s Portfolio: www.HollyJansenPhotography.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Jansenphotoexpeditions

Instagram – http://instagram.com/photographyexplorations

Find the beauty in what’s in front of you

Life is a series of moments. Most of those moments are mundane. Things like getting the kids out of bed for school, going to work, making dinner, and walking the dog. But what if you slowed time down to look at those “real” moments. Would you see their beauty?

Making “real” look artistic

The goal in lifestyle photography is not to show life as “perfect” but as “perfectly real”.

The intention is that you photograph throughout an event without thinking about what “story” will come out of it. The point is to relax into the moment and to just be present. Photograph without giving any thought to the bigger picture.

Notice moments as they unfold.
Photograph the scene as you see it.
Photograph people candidly while they work.
Include textural elements to help show the mood, too.

Capture images spontaneously

Any event can be shot to show the beauty. Even house chores!

Shoot individual moments as they unfold. Don’t worry about the “story” as you photograph.
You’re not trying to fit into some predetermined vision here, just accept what is and see the good in it.

Photograph scenes as they are

Find the beauty in the scene. Resist the urge to style or rearrange something to “look better” for your photo.
Work with what is in front of you. Photograph one specific thing.

The water marks, not the entire floor.
The toothbrush, not the chair.

Photograph people while they work

You will get “real” photos when you capture people working. This is a great way to photograph camera-shy people! When someone is unaware of the camera, it keeps them from posing. Include close-ups of hands or feet in action.

Find the right camera angle to show off your one specific thing — subject level, top-down, or bottom-up. Frame tightly.

Identify the building blocks

When you compare all of the images side by side, which ones are the most interesting?
The best ones are not necessarily stand-alone shots or an end-all-be-all image that we typically strive for as photographers.

Pick the highlights

In lifestyle photography images are selected to convey a mood or to tell a story.
You don’t need to literally show every step, even if you photographed it.
This is when the story emerges.

There is more than one story. Be aware that the images you choose might alter the story altogether..

Show the mood

Selecting images to show a mood requires omitting the minutiae and to just pick the highlights of what happened with perhaps some ambiance and textural shots to flesh out the story.

What you’re looking to do is to show how the experience felt.

“Real” life can look artistic

The goal in lifestyle photography is not to show life as “perfect” but as “perfectly real”.

Everything can be photographed to look beautiful. Yes, even house chores!

Learn lifestyle photography in Authentic Photo Stories taught by Brit Hammer

SIGN UP NOW FOR BRIT’S CLASSES 

Authentic Photo Stories

Finding Beauty

Amazing Travel Photos Made Easy

Celebrate Your Life in Beautiful Images

Photography Essentials

** No post processing skills necessary for any of Brit’s courses **

You can also work with Brit privately

Mentoring: Schedule a live session with Brit via Skype

Get a private image video review: Private Video Image Reviews

Find out about all of Brit’s courses, including Photographing Fine Art & Craft

Creating Depth

I conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops all over the planet. I also teach two online classes with the BPSOP, and it’s this school that I’m writing about today.

In my part I four week class, I show people how to incorporate the basic elements of Visual Design into their imagery. I call it my Artist Palette: Shape. Texture, Pattern, Form, Color, and the most important element…Line.

We also work on ways to generate Visual Tension, using negative space to define the positive space, and applying a Vanishing Point (linear perspective) as a way to show depth in a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world; as in a photograph.

Since the camera has one eye (a lens) it can only see in two-dimensions, height and width; we have two eyes so we see in all three dimensions which include depth. Having my students anchor an object in the foreground using a wide-angle lens creates the illusion of depth.

That’s in my part I class.

When you sign up for my part II class, you have mastered (hopefully) these elements of design and composition and now we work on silhouettes, and your best friend…the shadow. We also spend a great deal of time on Line, and how to use it to move the viewer around the frame; which is a good way to keep the viewer an active participant when looking at our photos.

So now that I’ve given you a brief description of my two classes, I wanted to share with you some of the images that a few of my fellow photographers have taken in several of my past part II classes. I hope you will not only see what they have gotten out of both classes but be as impressed as I am with the level of work.

One last note, in my classes students can’t crop their photos and absolutely no post-processing. I want to see what they can do before clicking the shutter. So, what you see is what they got!!

Enjoy the show!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

-BPSOP Instructor: Joe Baraban

Joe Teaches:

Stretching Your Frame of Mind I 

Stretching Your Frame of Mind II

Make your images come alive

Everyone knows you can photograph a wedding in a series of beautiful images. But you can also photograph everyday “real life” moments in a series — a story — that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. This is what the genre of lifestyle photography is all about!

Start thinking beyond just taking a snapshot of your day. Even the most mundane events can form the basis of a beautiful story — one worthy of photographing!

How to approach lifestyle photography

At its essence, lifestyle photography is about being in the moment.

What you’re looking for as you go about your day is to see moments unfolding. These are moments that are beautiful to you. Or perhaps these moments are filled with chaos and disorder but you’re seeking to find beauty hidden within them.

The intention is that you photograph throughout an event without thinking about what “story” will come out of it. It doesn’t matter what the event is. The point is to relax into the moment and to just be present. All you’re doing is photographing as you go without a thought to the bigger picture.

Capture real life in an artistic way

The process of lifestyle photography is not about trying to fit into some predetermined vision. It’s about accepting what “is” and seeing the good in it. Lifestyle photo stories are authentic in that they capture real life moments in an artistic way.

The storytelling happens after you’ve downloaded the images. There is more than one story that can be told.

Create authentic photo stories

The first step in creating a story is to find the best images taken. These are not necessarily images that can stand alone or those end-all-be-all images that we typically strive for as photographers. These images are the ones that speak to you.

Each photo serves as a building block. Different image combinations yield different stories.

The storytelling part of the process is one of review. It allows you to reflect on your images and to decide which moments you want to remember.

The better the components, the better the image series

Okay, so is lifestyle photography as simple as just holding up a camera and clicking away? If only it were!

Lifestyle photography is where the technical aspects of photography intersect with narration skills. The better the individual components, the better the end result. This means the same rules of good photography apply.

Photo stories rely on the quality of the individual images. Gear is not what is important here. What is important is that you can work freely…even if that means using your phone.

Learn how in Authentic Photo Stories taught by Brit Hammer

SIGN UP NOW FOR BRIT’S CLASSES 

Authentic Photo Stories

Amazing Travel Photos Made Easy

Celebrate Your Life in Beautiful Images

Photography Essentials

No post processing skills necessary for any of Brit’s courses.

You can also work with Brit privately

Mentoring: Schedule a live session with Brit via Skype

Get a private image video review: Private Video Image Reviews

Find out about all of Brit’s courses, including Photographing Fine Art & Craft