Inspiring

Answered

I don't want a catalog - Can that be done?

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
December 8, 2022
3 replies
530 views

I am a newbie to Lightroom. My usual workflow will be:

- optical corrections (and sometimes another preset) in DXO Photolab
- Preliminary edits in Lightroom Classic

- Export and edit in Photoshop CC

When I exit LR Classic, I don't want anything left behind. Can LR be set up to have no catalog or must I delete the catalog every time I exit LR Classic ?

Thanks,

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer richardplondon

Just to amplify that: Lightroom was developed for people who specifically wanted a Catalog - to escape from the sort of file based working you describe.

Those who were perfectly happy with file based working, which had been the only game in town before - at least from Adobe - have continued to be free to work in that way instead. ACR parametric editing is no different so far as what you can do - but how you work in doing that, is very different.

So, the Photographer's bundle offers you the choice of two radically different workflows:

literal management of images on disk via Bridge, via ACR for parametric edits, into Photoshop for other editing and output
importing to Lightroom (Classic or cloud based) for virtual management, subcontracting some editing tasks out to Photoshop, and with both output and parametric editing able to happen on-the-fly.

Either of these can connect to mobile apps and (to some extent) talk with the other workflow, via the common linking resources of Creative Cloud.

TheDigitalDog

Inspiring

Again, no. If you want the functionality of just Develop module (minus all the good functionality the DAM provides like Virtual Copies), use Adobe Camera Raw. No DAM/Catalog.

Author “Color Management for Photographers" & "Photoshop CC Color Management/pluralsight"

Sean McCormack

Community Expert

You want Bridge and Camera Raw. You clearly don't understand the nature of Lightroom.

Sean McCormack. Author of 'Essential Development 3'. Magazine Writer. Former Official Fuji X-Photographer.

R

richardplondon

Correct answer

Community Expert

Just to amplify that: Lightroom was developed for people who specifically wanted a Catalog - to escape from the sort of file based working you describe.

Those who were perfectly happy with file based working, which had been the only game in town before - at least from Adobe - have continued to be free to work in that way instead. ACR parametric editing is no different so far as what you can do - but how you work in doing that, is very different.

So, the Photographer's bundle offers you the choice of two radically different workflows:

literal management of images on disk via Bridge, via ACR for parametric edits, into Photoshop for other editing and output
importing to Lightroom (Classic or cloud based) for virtual management, subcontracting some editing tasks out to Photoshop, and with both output and parametric editing able to happen on-the-fly.

Either of these can connect to mobile apps and (to some extent) talk with the other workflow, via the common linking resources of Creative Cloud.

AxelMatt

Community Expert

...

When I exit LR Classic, I don't want anything left behind. Can LR be set up to have no catalog ...

By @mangurian

No. LR works only with an catalog.

I already think your workflow is way too complicated. Why to will used Lightroom when you're using DxO Photolab? All what you done in Lightroom can be done in PhotoLab.

My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 5 - Topaz Photo

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