Why get lightroom if you have photoshop cs3?

From what I understand, Lightroom is more for the sorting and classifying of hundreds of images at a time. It allows you to do some limited editing (that may just be for RAW images, I’m not entirely sure), but it’s primary purpose is to deal with the hundreds or thousands of digital images that you can shoot on 2, 4 and 8 gig cards.

Well… somewhat true but… Lightroom offers a complete workflow solution for photographers compared to Photoshop that is only a image editing application. You can import/collect/rename/metatag your images like a photo album. then you move further to the next module where you have photoshop-like controls to edit your images. Version 2.0 of lightroom now even can do local adjustments. The next module lets you make slideshows of your images to show people. Lots of options including export. Next module offers amazing printing options and the last one offers gallery creation. All in one package.
Especially with the appearance of the new version three days ago, the need for Photoshop to edit diminishes even more. As a photographer I use Lightroom all the time. An amazing piece of software!

I have Lightroom and I just downloaded the trial version of Aperture. I like them both only after a few days of using them, but I can’t decide which one to use going forward.

PS: I have been using Photoshop since the early 90s and teaching it for 8 years now, and I am glad to have these other software choices as a photographer/graphic designer.

Lightroom and Aperture are like beefed up versions of Adobe’s Bridge app with dashes of Photoshop functionality built in.

I’m quite a fan of bridge (mainly because it doesn’t mean paying more for yet another program)

I’d agree with you damien except that Bridge is a huge RAM hog and freezes/crashes regularly. (And that’s on my 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac – It’s practically useless on my older Power PC Macs)

It’s been fine for me on my 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac (with 4gb RAM – maybe that’s why?). I don’t think I’ve had a single crash in Bridge – that I can remember, at least – and I use it quite a lot. Are you referring to Bridge CS2 or CS3? I remember the CS2 one was a pain in the bum.

I’m not saying Bridge is better – I’d use Aperture (over Lightroom) for photography if it were cheaper.

I’ve got 2GB of RAM on this iMac. But I had such a problem with the CS2 version, that when I upgraded to CS3, I had already given up on it.

I’ll give it another look. Thanks damien.

Lightroom is Adobe’s solution to all the photographers in the world that said, “OH DEAR GOD!?!?!? 800$ for Photoshop? Like hell I am spending that much on a program!” Thus, Lightroom was born… unfortunately it was born of a crack-whore and a drunk lunatic. If you like programs that are buggy, and consume your RAM like a virus consumes its host, you’ll love Lightroom.
Now, Lightroom does give you all the control of adjusting your photos, just like photoshop in one convenient area. However, in my experience using Lightroom, I would much rather us Photoshop, that way if I need to touch up a photo, or change something completely, I have that option… Easily. Not to mention I don’t have to worry about the whole, import>export thing. One other disadvantage to Lightroom is it’s horrible printing abilities… or lack there of. I know Photoshop has its problems printing, but frankly with Lightroom, every time you hit print, you are rolling dice… dice filler with rats, rats invested with the plague, a plague of incorrect color profiles and bleached out details.

So to answer your question: Why own Lightroom if you have photoshop? Because you can, if you have 50000+ gigs of RAM, display every one of your files on your massive working screen and sort through them that way… or you can buy a mac and use iPhoto or Finder to do that…. and only need 1 gig of RAM.

Lightroom is the crossing between photoshop and iphoto (picaza if you’re on windows)
personally i do the job pretty well with iphoto and photoshop. i have both lightroom and aperture, but i like iphoto the best.

The problem with iPhoto compared to Lightroom (a.o.) is the fact that is utilizes destructive edits to your files. Lightroom has the option of working non-destructive which is a huge benefit. I do agree that iPhoto has soem nice features like the photo calendar creator and such things that I think Lightroom lies a bit behind on…