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Just wondering what workflow people use when using LR 5 and PS cc. ?
Right now I am doing my general adjustments ( Crop,WB, Contrast, Bp, Wp, Shadows, Highlights) if or as needed. Clarity , Vibrance and Sat if or as needed. Sharpening to 0, NR accordingly, Lens Corrections. then Edit > PS. Resize , Shadows Highlights, Brightness/Contrast, Curves, Sharpen, Flatten, Save back to LR.?
Any suggestions would be appreciated, while I know every photo varies, is this a practical workflow. ??
That's the "routing" I use, but adjustments, as you say, vary. Do everything you can -- everything -- in LR's Develop module (same as ACR) where you have all the tonal overhead the camera captured. You can increase Sat/Contrast in PS but can't decrease it. Same with detail in lights and darks. What comes into PS needs to be on the conservative side, for all the factors that make up "contrast."
I leave LR sharpening at the default 25 and do NR in PS.
BUT A CAUTION:
I only do the most basic cropping in LR -- I can crop later on a virtual copy of teh PS file that came back into LR, for export, so I have the most flexibiliy with my master file (the one I did in PS). DO NOT resize the master file resize in PS -- leave it at the resolution the camera captured. When you need a small JPEG, use the Export function of LR to create it to a folder on your desktop of wherever, leaving the master file untouched. NEVER flatten your master file. That's burning bridges. Work with adjustment layers, not adjustments ON layer copies.
When you export from LR it will do all the necessary resizing, flattening, changing to sRGB, etc as you specify in the dialog, without changing the master file. (And you can save presets for BPN or whatever.) Occasionally you might want to bring the JPEG back into PS for very slight additional sharpening. But an exported JPEG doesn't normally need to go back into LR. Just re-export from the master file as needed again.
Thx Diane, it was a great help. I actually missed a step in my original post, I always export a Virtual copy of my edited LR file in PS. Are you saying I should begin my work flow by taking a virtual copy of my imported file from the camera, thus keeping my original capture untouched.? Somewhere in this process I need to find a filing system in LR to separate it all, the capture from Virtual copy, etc. right now I export my LR /PS completed file to Preview but its a PITA looking back thru them. You say your doing your NR is PS is that via a Background Copy >Filter> Noise ..? Thx a lot, Diane, as always its very much appreciated. Ive been using LR for just over a year, but PS cc Ive begun using ( I'm not sharpest knife in drawer) since Christmas.
No need to always export a virtual copy -- exporting doesn't touch the file itself. Just makes a derivative file from your master file, and it should generally go into another folder not cataloged in LR -- I have a "LR Exports" folder on my desktop. From there I'll post that one to BPN or whatever.
Exporting from a virtual copy is OK, though if you want to have a custom crop or the like, that is a tighter crop of your master file -- always a good idea not to crop the master too tight.
You could work with a virtual copy of your original raw file, but it's generally not necessary. The adjustments in LR are non-destructive -- you can't change the original raw file. There is a History panel on the left and you can go back in it, or reset the sliders.
I leave the raws and all virtual copies (which are mostly just different crops, but can be different interpretation) and PS files in the same folder. I can sort the order in the filmstrip in the area just below the picture window, or filter it in many ways with View > Show Filter Bar (slash key shortcut).
You don't export to Preview -- it's just a quick viewer. The PS completed (master) file should go back in the same folder, to my way of thinking. No PITA there!
NR -- in PS I use Nik's Dfine, which is excellent. It will make a copy of the layer, which you can mask but it's almost never necessary. It it's too strong you can reduce the opacity slightly, but again I never need to do that. Neat Image also works well but I find Nik easier. Don't use PS's noise filter or Surface Blur -- very primitive compared to Dfine or Neat Image.
Welcome to the world of PS! -- it's just such an amazing tool, and interfaces so beautifully with LR for organization and workflow. Keywording in LR is very easy and Collections are wonderful.
I will set up a couple of smart collections, maybe one for the .tif files, which would effectively put my edited PS files all together, maybe I shouldn't size my images until until I export from LR. Thx.
That would work! Definitely don't resize or flatten the master file -- that burns bridges. Not necessary.
ok, thanks. When I go back from PS to LR right now I just go to the top left corner and click the red button and Im asked if I want to save and I say yes and the PS tif opens back in LR is this the proper way to o it or is there a better way..?
That will do it, as long as you don't inadvertently click Don't Save instead of Save. I usually do a Save then quit. I spend a lot of time trying to outsmart myself.
