An excellent photo workflow program
With the Android version of Lightroom, Adobe primarily targets an enthusiastic photography audience. The slick and feature-heavy interface offers nearly all photo-editing tools available with the desktop version. Though it lacks certain workflow features, plug-in capability, and printing, Lightroom is still a pretty good choice.
A comprehensive photo editing and organizing tool
Edit, organize and share raw files with ease.
Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Android), editors can do their job quickly, and easily. Advanced features like gesture control and sync control make Lightroom a better choice than RawTherapee, LightZone, IrfanView, and other competitors.
A range of advanced features
When you run Lightroom, you’ll notice a grid of synced images with expandable toolbars. While Lightroom works perfectly fine on an Android phone, you may want to consider simplifying the interface on a tablet. Thankfully, gesture control gives you the power to easily declutter the screen.
For editing raw camera images, you can use Adobe Lightroom ‘Profiles’. It’s a major improvement on the limited options for raw file conversion from the previous version. Additionally, you can check out some artistic profiles resembling Instagram filters.
Lightroom offers a ‘Curves’ tool, which makes tone adjustment a breeze. With the Android version, you get most of the adjustments for color and lighting. There’s also a ‘Crop’ tool for presetting aspect ratios and auto-straightening. You can use the touch-input mode, and leverage advanced features like the healing brush, local adjustment brush, and gradient and linear adjustments.
Unlike its competitors, the AI-powered object search allows you to you find almost anything you want. You can import images from a folder or a memory card, but not VSCO images. Lightroom is not just a photo-editing tool. It also lets you organize everything by keyword tags and albums. Only LightZone has paid more attention to organizing files within the app.
Lightroom pretty much beats every other competitor with face recognition. It’s the perfect way to organize your photos. Once you’re done with editing or organizing, easily share the final output to Adobe’s online galleries or a disk.
Gesture control is probably the most amazing feature of the lot. It makes everything on the app easier and faster to maneuver. Additionally, you get certain areas and sliders to click, which can be double-tapped to view new displays with metadata.
Using Lightroom, you can do basic enhancements, while leveraging advanced features for complex workflows. Apart from this, you can crop images. On the downside, it is not possible to sync all the adjustments from a single image to an entire batch. It is an area where apps like RawTherapee win over Lightroom.
Having said that, Lightroom (Android) is backed by Adobe, which has always been the go-to brand for creative apps. Like other software and apps available, this one is popular worldwide, thereby providing you with an opportunity to learn from experts around the world.
With Lightroom (Android), you get access to tutorials from experienced photographers and influencers. In a world that’s connected on every social media platform, it gives the much-needed exposure to your creativity.
Application in the real-world
While experienced professionals and businesses will still prefer Adobe Lightroom’s desktop version, the Android app has been increasingly popular among individuals and freelancers. Portrait photographers, wedding photographers, creative designers and Instagram influencers not only need an editing tool but a comprehensive organizer.
Offering the best of both worlds, this is where Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beats the competition. Moreover, the ability to sync files in Adobe’s galleries, and the possibility to use the entire Creative Cloud suite make Lightroom (Android) an excellent choice.
You can edit and adjust your images with ease on your phone without having to access your computer. The updated version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (Android) brings the app closer to the powerful desktop version.
Where can you run this program?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is available for Android, Windows and iOS, which lets you sync photos cross-platform with ease.
Is there a better alternative?
Although Adobe Lightroom is available for free, you still need a Creative Cloud account. The limited free storage space might also be a deterrent. If you’re looking for a few alternatives, here are some good options.
One of the most popular alternatives to Lightroom, RawTherapee offers advanced features for editing photos. Yet, it primarily wins over Lightroom with amazing batch processing speed. An open-source platform, it’s an excellent choice for dealing with compressed images and raw files.
IrfanView combines excellent organization features with an amazing editing system. While using Lightroom, you might be troubled by the lack of cataloging options. There is no way to edit metadata. IrfanView offers these features, and more! Overall, it is a great alternative to Adobe’s Lightroom.
If you’re only interested in organizing photos, LightZone is a great choice. It lets you organize and stack filters according to your preferences. Though it is a simple editing tool, it has some exceptional raw file processing features. There is just one catch!
Our take
A fast, powerful and clean photo-editing and organizing tool, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a quicker platform than the desktop version. While it’s an excellent tool to have in your kitty, Adobe’s cloud storage is expensive, and transition for existing users could be tricky.
Should you download it?
Yes, definitely! Though Lightroom has always been considered a powerful platform, the Android version feels like a breath of fresh air. With a cleaner interface, simpler options, and comprehensive online storage, editing or organizing your photos will be easier, faster, and more efficient. While you do lose a few features, you get a lot more in return.
