This doesn’t mean you always need to be online, as you can also keep a local cached copy of some/all of the images for offline use. Your photos are stored in the Adobe cloud, which means they’re available on all of your devices. The Lightroom (cloud ecosystem) apps are designed for modern living, so you can capture photos on your phone or load them from your camera, sort through them on your tablet when you have a few minutes to spare, edit them on your desktop, and then share them on the web. For clarity, we’ll refer to these apps as Lightroom (cloud ecosystem), to differentiate from Lightroom Classic. Lightroom (formerly Lightroom CC) is a family of apps that started out as a simple mobile app, and has grown into a full ecosystem that runs on Windows, macOS, iPadOS, iOS, Android, ChromeOS, tvOS and the web. Some photographers were concerned that the launch of the cloud-based Lightroom might mean the end of road for Lightroom Classic, but it’s still being developed and improved. We’ve covered Lightroom Classic in detail in Adobe Lightroom Classic – The Missing FAQ. If you’re an advanced user, the power and control it offers is huge, but if you’re new to Lightroom, the learning curve may be a bit overwhelming. Since Lightroom Classic has been available for years, it has lots of features. This is ideal for photographers with TB’s of images, but requires reasonable computer literacy. You’re in charge of managing the files, the organization, the backups, etc.

It runs on Windows and macOS, and stores your photos in folders on your local hard drives.

Lightroom Classic is the traditional version of Lightroom that’s been around for years, hence the name Classic. Let’s start by identifying the current Lightroom versions, and their main differences.

So what’s the difference? Which one is right for you? Which will suit your lifestyle and photography workflow? Or can you use them together? Let’s find out… If you’re a little confused, you’re not alone. Whether you’ve used Lightroom for years, or you’re just getting started, you’ve likely come across the fact that there’s two completely different programs, both called Lightroom.

Lightroom classic v lightroom cc