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

[mangurian]

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,

[AxelMatt]

...

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. 

[SeanMcCormack]

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

[richardplondon · Accepted solution]

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 · Accepted solution]

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.