Lightroom CC or Lightroom Classic CC - Which Workflow is Best for You?

In the video above, Julieanne Kost, Principal Digital Imaging Evangelist for Adobe, explains the primary differences between the new Lightroom CC and the older Lightroom Classic CC (the program we're all familiar with), and which type of user may benefit from using each program.

In the video, we learn that the following features are not yet found in the new Lightroom CC:

Lightroom Classic CC Features Not Available In Lightroom CC

• Tone Curve and Split Tone Panels
• Camera profiles and soft proofing
• Snapshots or a History Panel
• Hierarchical keywords
• Extended metadata support
• PhotoMerge
• Smart Collections, custom sort orders
• Survey, compare, or reference view
• Robust batch processing
• Support for 3rd party plug-ins
• Print, Book, Slideshow and Map creations
• Color and Luminance Range Masking

If any of the above features are necessary for your workflow, the program formerly known as Lightroom CC – now called Lightroom Classic CC – is still there for you. And the really good news is that the newest iteration of the desktop-centric program has been upgraded for faster performance (in my limited tests so far, the difference was noticeable). If you need to have access to your full resolution files across multiple platforms (desktop/laptop, especially), then using the new Lightroom CC will make a lot of sense. And keep in mind, this is the first version of the cloud-centric Lightroom CC. The list of unavailable features will likely diminish over time as the new program is updated.

Thoughts on Repurposing the "Lightroom CC" Name

I've been a big proponent of Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription model since the early days of its existence because, from a consumer's standpoint, I think the Photography Plan (Photoshop + Lightroom) makes a lot of sense. It's easily the most productive $9.99 I spend each month.

But I must admit to being completely baffled by Adobe's decision to take the name of a well known program, give it to a new (very similar) program, and then rename the old program. It's very confusing (to put it mildly).

Let's say you want to start using the new Lightroom CC but its new interface seems a bit confusing for you, especially as you're used to the Lightroom Classic CC. Try typing in "Adobe Lightroom CC Tutorial" into YouTube and you will undoubtedly be presented with a hundred videos with similar titles. However, determining which of the instructional videos will be providing information relating to the "new" Lightroom CC will be, at best, challenging.

As Shakespeare penned, "That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." That may be true, but there are expectations that come with a well known name. If florists started calling carnations "roses" and roses "classic roses" tomorrow, we'd all be just as bewildered. [Sean]

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.