Getting into photography or graphic design these days is pretty easy considering the availability of software and guides. Just by searching on Google, you could probably find hundreds of different guides and suggestions for free or paid software. However, if you are truly a beginner and you want to become a professional photographer, it is best to start out with quality and high-end software such as Lightroom. But, it is no secret that Lightroom is infinitely more complex than some other software that is cheaper or completely free.
If you can’t seem to decide which software you are using for the start of your photography career, you will need a little bit of help.
Right now, your options are to either use a free tool such as GIMP or Canva, but if you want the pro experience, you will either have to go for Photoshop or Lightroom.
But, the fact is that Lightroom is always the much better choice for photographers, but more difficult to learn. So, the question remains. Is Lightroom good for a beginner photographer?
Can’t go wrong with Adobe
Image source: unsplash.com
When it comes to editing any kind of digital media such as videos, images or gifs, Adobe is always the first pick for every professional.
Graphic designers rely on Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Others that are more diverse also use Adobe Anime which is a great tool for making animations, cartoons, etc.
Photographers tend to use either Photoshop or Lightroom, but they seem to stick with the latter.
While Photoshop is a great tool, it’s not what you should be looking for, especially as a beginner. Yes, you can basically make the same edits as with any other tool, but it is much more intricate. Only use this software if you are trying to make some very precise edits to an image.
Of course, Lightroom also provides you with a lot of control over the color and lighting in an image, but with it, you can easily operate on hundreds of photos at the same time. This will cut down your work time considerably.
Another huge advantage of using this kind of software for photographers is the feature to download or buy professionally preset for Lightroom.
Just by buying one collection, you will get access to hundreds or maybe even thousands of presets that you can use to quickly edit your images as suggested by Sleeklens.
For example, you have hundreds of images of a wedding night. Instead of going over every individual image by yourself, you can use those professional presets that have already been optimized for weddings or other similar events.
Learn this skill now and remember it forever
The truth is that this software is going to be very difficult to understand or learn as a beginner photographer. Even more so if you have no experience with Adobe at all or if you aren’t tech-savvy at all.
There are so many commands, shortcuts, and tools you will have to memorize, it is going to seem impossible at first. You may even want to completely quit.
However, you have to remember that once you master this skill, you will remember it forever. And, the reality is that the need for that kind of skill will exist forever. Adobe isn’t going anywhere for the next 20, 30, or even 50 years.
In other words, what you are going to learn today by using this software, you will have a skill that is going to be useful after half a decade.
You don’t need to have it mastered to make good photos
A good photo doesn’t come from processing software. The processing software can take a bad photo and turn it into a good one.
However, professional photographers can take their camera and create an image that is good or even great from the start. Even without any edits, it could look good.
What I am trying to say is that you don’t really need to fully understand Lightroom to get a satisfying product. At first, while you are still learning, you can use this tool to make the most basic edits. Or even just for file conversion. From RAW into JPEG, PNG, or whichever file type you prefer.
Where to start?
So, it’s pretty apparent that Lightroom is actually a great option for beginner photographers, but where should you start?
Well, I think it is best to start just by buying the best Lightroom presets you can buy. If you open up Sleeklens presets, you will obviously find dozens of collections of presets. Some are going to be more expensive, ranging from $100 and going up to $1000. That is a lot of money, especially for a beginner.
But, don’t worry. There really is no need for you to get those types of professional Lightroom presets if you can’t. You can buy one of the smaller collections for starters. You can find some that cost as low as $18. A worthy investment.
Once you make your first purchase, you can continue expanding your collection of presets.
If you have never worked with presets before and are now wondering how to get Lightroom for free, download a free trial or visit fixthephoto.com and apply these effects to your photos with a few clicks.
Keep in mind, these presets won’t magically fix your images for you. You will still have to do most of the work.
If you don’t know where to start and what to look for, it may be a good idea to open up a few guides on your browser. An in-depth video guide on the tools and shortcuts in this software is going to be very helpful.
Try out the alternatives
Naturally, if you don’t feel comfortable or if you can’t seem to understand Lightroom, you can always try some of the other alternatives and see what works best for you.
Don’t forget, you could also be saving time with Adobe Photoshop presets. Yes, there are presets even for Photoshop too.
As you have probably understood by now, Lightroom is a very complex and useful tool for editing images. But, studying its tools and purpose will be very useful even for the future too. So, whether you are a beginner or not, it is definitely worth it.
