There are many photography apps on the market these days, so it can be a hard choice when choosing one to use. Do you need to pay for an app to get the best option? Do you just need something to do quick edits? Do you also need to be able to store and organise your photos?
As someone just starting out in photography you probably don’t even know the answers to these questions. You are likely to waste a lot of time (and money) trying to find the perfect app. So this blog is designed to save you that time and get you using the best app for photography straight away.
So here are 10 reasons why Lightroom is the app for you.
1. The price
Ok so let’s start with the most important thing. The basic version of Lightroom is completely free. So you can get started at no cost. However if you do want to access some of the more advanced editing techniques which are mentioned in this article you will have to pay.
Adobe has a variety of subscription options starting from $9.99 per month. This then gives you access to lightroom on both your phone and laptop, cloud storage and syncing and more advanced editing options. So if you are taking photos for your business it is more than worth the investment.
2. Cloud Syncing
I find this feature extremely useful as I am often switching from my phone to laptop. I often take photos on my phone, but I prefer to do the editing on a bigger screen. With automatic syncing between devices I don’t have to think about transferring or moving the files, I can access them any time I need.
Cloud sync also provides an automatic back up of all your photos, so if you lose your phone, you don’t lose your photos.
3. RAW Support
Most apps on your phone will only support JPEG files types. RAW files are a much higher quality image file which allow for greater editing of your images. Not only will Lightroom support these file types but it also allows you to shoot in RAW format. There are very few apps on the market which do this.
4. The amount of editing options
Within the edit mode of the app there are 15 tabs at the bottom. Each of these tabs has different editing options. You can do overall edits, (where you change the whole image) or selective edits, (where you can edit only part of the image). You can crop, transform, and straighten wonky photos. You can change the lighting, the colour, and the details. All of your basic editing needs to enhance your photos are covered.
5. Batch Editing
Not only is Lightroom great for the amount of editing, but you can also copy and paste your editing settings from one photo to another or a series of images. This not only speeds up your editing but also ensures that all your photos have a cohesive look. Another option is Lightroom presets. You can buy these or make them yourself. A preset is a saved version of your editing settings which means you can edit the photo with just one click.
6. The camera
Lightroom is not just for editing and storing photos, it also allows you to take photos. The camera part of the lightroom app is actually much better than the normal camera app on your phone, as it allows for the use of manual settings. This gives you a lot more control over the images which you are taking and allows for some more interesting effects.
7. Organising
I have already mentioned this a few times but I am yet to find a photo library system that rivals Lightroom. You can organise your photos into albums, add ratings and keywords. There are then many ways to sort your files, using the different view options and the search bar.
8. Unlimited undos
Have you edited a photo and then looked at it and decided you didn’t like that edit. With Lightroom that is ok as you can undo your actions as many times as you would like. This allows for you to try out different editing techniques and make small changes until you are happy
9. Add a watermark
Ever wonder how to add a watermark to your images before sharing on social media? Well Lightroom makes it easy for you to do this when you export the file out of the app, with just the turning on of the setting. Lightroom also has a detailed customisation tool for the watermark so you can easily make it look how you want.
10. Slideshow
Having photos on your phone makes it so easy to show them off on the go. Lightroom makes it very easy to just start a slideshow of your photos with one tap. This means you can just hand your phone to the viewer and all they have to do is watch, no swiping or accidentally hitting the wrong thing.
So there we have it, 10 reasons why the Lightroom app is the best on the market. If you want to learn more about Lightroom and how to use it please check out my new Lightroom books.
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