When it comes to my editing workflow for stock photography, I am very resistant to change. My lifetime 92.5+% acceptance rate at iStock makes me very set in my ways. I have reminded myself numerous times of the stereotypical grumpy old man with responses like “Why should I use that newfangled Lightroom thing when what I do now works fine” when asked why I don’t use it.

Well that appears to be coming to a change.

Due to friendly encouragement from some of my photographer friends (Jarvie, Nicolesy, Sylvanworks, WelcomePhotoImages – you reading this?), I am now testing Lightroom in my commercial workflow. My previous system of editing images using Adobe Bridge/Camera Raw/Photoshop is being replaced with Lightroom/Photoshop. Since both Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Lightroom use the same engine for RAW conversion, the interface is the big change.

One thing I really like so far in my limited use of Lightroom is the Presets. While I don’t anticipate using them much in my stock work, I really like this option for working with my portrait and non-stock commercial work. Today’s image of Jane is a sample of using a couple quick presets to change an existing stock image. I can see Lightroom presets replacing several of my Photoshop Actions in my near future.

I plan on using Lightroom for at least a couple weeks in my workflow before making my final decision. But from what I’ve seen so far, I think I will like the switch. Stay tuned to see how this plays out…

Canon 5D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens – 1/320 second, f/4, ISO 200

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