{"id":38654,"date":"2021-04-26T00:15:53","date_gmt":"2021-04-26T00:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/?p=38654"},"modified":"2021-04-26T03:10:17","modified_gmt":"2021-04-26T03:10:17","slug":"why-you-still-need-photoshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.johnpaulcaponigro.com\/blog\/38654\/why-you-still-need-photoshop\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Why You Still Need Photoshop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Let\u2019s say you\u2019re not interested in compositing or adding FX or inserting text or painting on your photographs. <\/b>Do you still need Photoshop? Short answer \u2013\u00a0yes. If so, why?<\/p>\n

One Big Reason, Look No Further<\/b><\/p>\n

One reason alone ends the discussion for me. The single biggest reason is precise localized tone control or dodging and burning with Curves. Nothing but Curves offers as precise control. It can add a special glow into all areas of an image, any one area, and treat different areas differently. I can\u2019t think of anything more useful than that.<\/p>\n

But can\u2019t you do something similar in Lightroom (LR) or Adobe Camera Raw\u2019s (ACR) using the six Basics sliders (Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks), in combination with the Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, or Radial Filter, even in combination with Color, Luminance, or Depth Range Masks? If close is good enough, yes. If you want to make your images really shine, no.<\/p>\n

Is it hard to do in Photoshop? No. It\u2019s easy.<\/p>\n

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1\u00a0 Open your image in Photoshop.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0 Make a selection.<\/p>\n

3\u00a0 Make a Curves adjustment layer.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0 Double click on the layer mask and slide Feather to the right.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0 Repeat if you want to make a different adjustment to another area of an image.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0 Save your file, when you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

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If you only use Photoshop to do this one thing, most of your images will improve. I can\u2019t say I use this with every image I process, but it\u2019s close. I can say the number of images I don\u2019t want to do this for is very small. It\u2019s a simple thing really, and I look forward to the day we can do it in Lightroom and Camera Raw.<\/p>\n

Go Ahead, Look Further, And Find More Reasons<\/b><\/p>\n

Want to go a little further? Let\u2019s revisit the question, \u201cWhy do you need Photoshop?\u201d Every time Adobe\u2019s Raw processor(s) become more fully featured it is worth asking. Or, you might rephrase it as, \u201cWhat can Photoshop help me do that Lightroom \/ Camera Raw can\u2019t do as well?\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are five reasons.<\/p>\n

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1\u00a0 Fine Retouching<\/p>\n

2\u00a0 Precise Masking<\/p>\n

3\u00a0 \u00a0Advanced Color Adjustment<\/p>\n

4\u00a0 Creative Sharpening<\/p>\n

5\u00a0 Plug-Ins<\/p>\n

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Let me go into a little more detail for each one.<\/p>\n