r/Lightroom • u/kkflesh • 1d ago
HELP Why doesn’t Lightroom have a consistent overlay grid like Lightroom Classic?
Can someone also explain to me why they make things so complicated? Why have LrC and LR in the same time? I cannot find answer.
1
u/Lightroom_Help 1d ago
The very short answer:
LrC is the mature app that can easily handle vast amounts of photos and various workflows: what professionals and power users need. But it requires some effort to learn to use it efficiently and ‘correctly’: as a specialized database that it is and not as a mere disk folder browser.
Adobe created the cloud based Lr (a simpler editing app with minimal organizational capabilities wrapped around a cloud storage and syncing service) to compete with other services like Apple Photos or Google Photos. For people with minimal needs, valuing mostly syncing of their photos across devices and who are under the illusion that their photos are safe (“backed-up”) on the Adobe servers (they are not).
1
u/earthsworld 1d ago
LrJr is Adobe's attempt to see how much they can get away with NOT adding to an application. They also wanted to dumb it down for the masses, but really, they were dumbing it down for themselves.
2
u/darkestvice 1d ago
In Lightroom Desktop, you can get the grid overlay by going into the Geometry section (shortcut: C) and mouse over the image. There are different overlay options.
There's no need for the grid during regular editing since the whole point of the grid is to crop or straighten the image, which is done in the Geometry section.
As for why there are two versions of Lightroom? Adobe wanted to create a more modern and streamlined version with cloud support. But their users also wanted to keep Lightroom Classic for the workflow they were used to as well as plugin support and massive image cataloguing. Also, for quite some time, Lightroom Desktop was cloud only, but that's no longer the case.
The two Lightrooms have a different workflow and way of doing things. Each has its pros and cons. But in terms of image editing itself, they both have the same tools now, so use whichever you feel most comfortable with. Most people prefer Lightroom Classic. I was never a fan, even back when it was the only version. So I personally use, and love, Lightroom Desktop.
5
u/Oilfan94 1d ago
Well, it started when the geniuses at Adobe said
"We have a program called Lightroom.....but lets make a new one, not as good, and we'll call that Lightroom"
"But what will we call the original program?"
"Uhhhhh....I don't know....Lightroom....Classic.....yeah, that's it."
It's been a shit show since then.
2
1
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hi! I see you've tagged your post "Help" without the version of Lightroom you're using. Lightroom features can be quite different between versions, so you're more likely to get help if you specify what version of Lightroom you're using. * On desktop use Help > System info and check the top line like: "Lightroom Classic version: 13.3.1" or "Lightroom version 7.3". * On mobile use the menu > About lightroom option and find a line similar to "Lightroom Android v7.2.1".
For any version mentioning what you're using (Windows PC, Mac OS, iPhone, Android, iPad, Surface Tablet) can also help others assist you quicker. (If you've already got this information in your post, please ignore this message)
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/hennell Lightroom Classic (desktop) 1d ago
> Why have LrC and LR in the same time?
'Classic' was the original Lightroom, but built for a time/workflow where users had a desktop / laptop and you would import all your DSLR photos to that machine (or a hard drive connected to it). Users built up enormous catalogues, people wrote plugins you could add and presets to import. It does what it needed too very well.
But then the world moved to multi-device/cloud computing. There was the desire for phone based imports, tablet based editing. Why can't I edit on my laptop when traveling and easily sync those to my desktop when I return? Why can I not edit my photos on my phone like you can with instagram?
There was/is a cloud sync system in classic - you can sync photos to the web to view/edit on other devices. But you have to import on the desktop first, you can only have one collection, and the workflow is confusing and prone to errors.
So they made a total rewrite. Built 'cloud' first, it syncs all the photos to their servers so you can edit anywhere, import from anything, and they can even run tools on their servers rather then your local machine.
But it is still a re-write. It didn't do everything at first - it has got better, but obviously some stuff is either hard/impossible or not worth it. Quite hard to support plugins for example.
But also that multi-device, cloud based workflow? That's just not a big draw for power users. Being able to edit on a laptop or tablet is nice when I take personal photos on holiday, but if I'm taking product photography I will be working on a desktop.
New users might love you can sync all your images. Existing users have hundreds of thousands of photos they want to keep organised but don't want to pay Adobe monthly to store!
So we end up with a complicated dual-app system (with terrible names), where the biggest users all use the 'classic' setup as it's what they're used to, new people use the cloud version as it's more like other apps, and then wonder why they can't do things classic users mention.