Adobe Lightroom has long been considered the best post-processing software available. Out of the best photo editing programs, it remains a top contender. In recent years, Adobe has split its main program into two versions – Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC.
Lightroom Classic is the traditional version that is only available on desktop computers. Furthermore, images are stored locally. In contrast, Lightroom CC is the cloud version – it is available for mobile and web usage, and utilizes automatic file sync and cloud storage.
If you want a detailed, high-quality post-processing app that allows you to quickly edit photos and share them with friends and family whilst on-the-go, Lightroom CC is a great choice as you will see in this review.
Main Features
Lightroom CC has all the editing features of Lightroom Classic. Users still have full RAW editing capabilities, transformation tools, and exporting options. The layout is completely different, but the basic Lightroom principals and core quality still apply. We have listed some of the basic features below:
- Full RAW editing
- Advanced photo management using automatic tagging
- Advanced editing features
- Basic transformation tools
- Batch processing
- Ability to share files with others
- Healing brush to remove imperfections
If you are worried that by using Lightroom CC you have less editing functionality, there is no need. It is still a comprehensive program that allows you to edit your RAW photos in glorious detail.
Layout
The layout of Lightroom CC is clean – you can immediately tell that it has been developed for mobile use. Where Lightroom Classic has a traditional layout that suitable for use with a mouse and keyboard, Lightroom CC has a layout that is more suited for touchscreen usage.
The layout is broken into several sections that are quick to access. Firstly, the left-hand side has basic photo management options like adding photos and sharing. The center view, where the image preview is shown, can be customized to show thumbnails at the bottom as well as before and after comparisons.
Finally, the right-hand pane features the editing controls. These are broken down into separate toolbars for ease of use.
Performance
On a desktop computer, Lightroom CC performs perfectly. As it is primarily meant for mobile usage, you do not need a particularly powerful computer to run it.
Alternatively, it still has excellent performance on smartphones and tablets. You must, of course, watch your battery life as Lightroom CC will drain it. That being said, it works fine, and you can easily edit, share, and upload your images without delay.
The touchscreen functionality is excellent. This is where the intuitive, smart layout really comes into play. The different menus and image layouts work brilliantly on smartphones and tablets.
Obviously, to make the most of Lightroom CC, you should have a WiFi connection or 4G. However, you can fully use this app offline without a connection. Although your photos and changes will not be updated in real-time, your Lightroom CC app will simply sync with your Lightroom cloud account at the next possible point.
This means that you can still make edits whenever and wherever you want, even if you have a poor signal or lack of WiFi.
Usability
How does Lightroom CC perform in terms of editing? Exceptionally! It essentially has all of the tools available in Lightroom Classic – just in a condensed, easy-to-use format that is suitable for mobile devices.
All of the included features are easy to use. The RAW editing is done using sliders – you can quickly change things like contrast, clarity, temperature, exposure, and hue. Furthermore, it has a full set of transformation tools including crop, rotate, and flip.
We love the advanced localized editing tools too. These are present in Lightroom Classic and allow you to make fine adjustments to single areas of a photo. The tools work surprisingly well on mobile devices when we expected them to be sluggish and slow.
All other features such as image sharing work exceptionally. The sharing feature allows you to share individual photos or even full folders of images with anyone. You can specify who can see what, and what each user can do with the shared images.
Lightroom CC vs. Snapseed
So how does this editing program compare to other post-processing software specifically for mobile devices? One of the main competitors to Lightroom CC is Snapseed. This is a mobile app released by Google. It is a fully-fledged photo editor that certainly challenges Lightroom CC. We have listed a basic comparison table below:
| Lightroom CC | Snapseed | |
| Photo Management | Yes | Yes |
| Full RAW Editing | Yes | Yes |
| Cameras Support | Yes | Yes |
| Social Media Sharing | Yes | Yes |
As you can see from the table, the basic features are virtually the same. The main difference is the layout, quality, and functionality. Snapseed does have a great set of editing features like image healing, white balance, crop, and brushes. Furthermore, it has a great choice of presets and effects.
We feel that Lightroom has the edge, however, in terms of professionalism. Lightroom CC is hard to beat – it outstrips Snapseed in terms of overall quality and RAW processing.
Snapseed is a worthwhile app, but we would consider this better for hobbyists or if you just want to edit some of your smartphone photos for social media.
Should You Purchase Lightroom CC?
Certainly! This is a highly rated editing program and it is the perfect companion for travel photographers or those who like to edit their photos on the go. You can use this program/app in-conjunction with a travel camera with WiFi to edit photos as soon as you have captured them.
Aside from the functionality and portability Lightroom CC provides, it still allows users to created detailed, high-quality edits. It has a full range of RAW editing tools and you can process your images in great detail. Don’t think that Lightroom CC is not as powerful as its desktop counterpart – it’s just as good.
