Lightroom is available in two flavors which Adobe calls “Lightroom” and “Lightroom Classic”. Before we get to the differences between them, even the naming makes it confusing to know which version of Lightroom someone is talking about. For clarity I’m going to refer to the two versions as Lightroom Cloud and Lightroom Classic.
This article will give you an overview of the fundamental similarities and differences between Lightroom Cloud and Lightroom Classic. The two versions of Lightroom are not designed to be used interchangeably. You’ll want to pick one version and stick with it. There are ways to move your photos and their edits between them, but it’s not a simple process, and not how the applications are designed to be used.
Lightroom Cloud (“Cloud”) and Lightroom Classic (“Classic”) have the same core function: organize and edit your photos. So you’re not choosing between them based on their primary purpose. The biggest difference to be aware of is that Cloud offers you the option to access your photos on multiple devices (laptop, desktop, smartphone, tablet).
Organization summary
Both Cloud and Classic have the ability to store your photos on your computer. Cloud offers the additional option of storing photos in the cloud which makes them accessible on multiple devices.
Lightroom Cloud organization
Where can you store your photos? Two options: in the cloud or on your device
- Cloud storage: When you add your photos to the Cloud then those photos (and their edits) will be accessible on any of your devices on which you have Lightroom Cloud installed.
- Local storage: Your photos will only be on your device (ex: laptop) and not accessible from other devices. To access local storage, you are browsing the folders on your computer through Lightroom. You can mark folders as Favorites for faster access to them.
You do not have to choose only cloud, or only local storage. You can do both! Maybe you don’t need access to all your photos on other devices. Perhaps you put your favorite photos in the cloud and leave the rest of your photos local. Or put everything in the cloud! It’s up to you.
Be aware that photos stored in the cloud count towards the cloud storage capacity that comes with your Adobe account. Check your account information to see how much this is. It could be anywhere from 20GB to 1TB depending on your subscription plan.
For photos stored in the cloud there is a feature called Albums which you can use to organize your cloud photos.
- By default, your cloud photos have no organization, they’re simply in a chronological list.
- You can use Albums to arrange them into smaller groups.
- A photo can be added to multiple albums, giving you flexibility with your organizing.
- You can also share albums with other people.
Lightroom Classic organization
In Classic you begin by importing selected photos, or folders of photos into Lightroom. Those are the only photos or folders you see in Classic - the ones you’ve chosen to import.
- In addition to folders, Classic has Collections which serve the same purpose as Albums in Lightroom Cloud. Your photos will always stay in their folders, but you can also add them to Collections for an additional level of organization.
- A photo can be added to multiple Collections, giving you flexibility with your organizing.
Ranking and rating photos
Cloud and Classic have similar tools for ranking or rating photos.
- They both have a star system where you can assign a photo one to five stars.
- They both also have a flagging system where you can mark photos as a Pick or as Rejected.
- Classic offers the ability to assign color labels to photos, giving it one more labeling option than Cloud.
You can use these systems to identify your favorite photos and/or create a tiered system indicating the quality of the photo.
Keywords and copyright information
Cloud and Classic allow you to add keywords to your photos, and to have your copyright information added to each photo. You can search for keywords you’ve added, making it easier to find specific photos. Beyond basic keywording there are some differences between Cloud and Classic.
Lightroom Cloud search
For photos stored in the cloud you can use AI search which means you don’t need to enter keywords for individual photos. You simply type in a word, such as “waterfall” or “lion”, and it will show all your matching photos. It’s pretty convenient and saves you from keywording many types of subjects.
Lightroom Classic keywords
Classic has features that go beyond the basics of keywords. For instance, it will suggest keywords to use. You can also save groups of keywords that you use regularly so you have easy access to them. Finally, there’s a list of all the keywords you’ve used and how many photos are assigned to each keyword.
Editing summary
The photo editing features are pretty much the same in Cloud and Classic, there are no major differences in the features/tools. Therefore, instead of describing differences I’ll give you a summary of the types of adjustments you can make so you know what Lightroom is capable of.
- Tone adjustments (exposure, shadows, highlights, contrast)
- Color adjustments (saturation, vibrance, targeting individual colors for adjustment)
- Enhancing or softening details (clarity, texture)
- Sharpening
- Noise reduction
- Removing chromatic aberrations and distortion
- Simulate a shallow depth of field by blurring foreground and/or background elements
- Convert to black and white
- Cropping and straightening
- Retouching (light to moderate complexity)
- Masking to selectively adjust areas of your photo
- Send a photo to Photoshop for editing
Presets
An editing preset is a saved set of adjustments making it faster to apply one or more adjustments with a single click. Cloud and Classic both include pre-installed editing presets. You can also create your own presets, or add ones you have received from other people. One difference is that Cloud also gives you access to presets from the Lightroom Community which lets you use presets other people have created.
Exporting
Exporting is saving a copy of your photo outside of Lightroom. This is done when you need to use your photos for something that doesn’t involve Lightroom, such as email, website or social media. Cloud and Classic have the Export feature and include similar settings (image size, quality, etc). One notable difference is that Classic has the ability to create your own Export presets. If you are exporting for the same purpose frequently, an Export preset can be a time saver. Cloud includes a few default presets, but you cannot create your own.
Slideshow
Cloud and Classic both offer the ability to play a slideshow of select photos, but the features are vastly different. The Cloud slideshow is very basic: you choose the photos then start the slideshow. The only options are how long each photo is shown and whether the slideshow loops. Classic on the other hand has extensive settings from choosing colors and layout, to adding music and fine tuning the playback experience.
Web Gallery
Cloud and Classic both include the ability to create a Web Gallery as a way to share your photos. For Cloud this is done using the Adobe Portfolio feature which is part of your Adobe subscription. You can choose from different layouts and themes, as well as have information shown on the screen with the photo. You can then send a link for others to view the gallery. In Classic you have similar design choices, but in order to post the gallery online it has to be uploaded to an existing website that you control. It is not as user friendly unless you already have your own website/domain.
Classic Only Features
Finally, there are a few additional features that are only available in Lightroom Classic. These are not editing or organizing features, so they may or may not be important to you.
Book: Layout and order a book through the Blurb book printing service.
Print: Print your photos directly from Lightroom to your printer. Choose from various layout styles and design options.
Map: Photos that have GPS info (geotagged) will be displayed on a map.
Which is best for you?
If you’re not currently a Lightroom user, consider which version best meets your needs. If it’s important to access your photos on multiple devices then Lightroom Cloud is a good match for you. On the other hand, maybe it’s the Classic-only features of book layout, maps, and printing that are a “must have” for you.
However, if you don’t need the Classic-only features I think Cloud is the one to go with. It covers your organizing and editing needs, plus you can store your photos in the cloud and/or on your computer.
Are you already using Classic? You probably don’t need to consider switching to Cloud. Unless accessing your photos on multiple devices is very important to you. If you are thinking about a switch you will want to look into the steps required to move your photos + their edits from Classic to Cloud.
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2/23 Lightroom In A Day Get started with Lightroom and learn how to work in the Library and Develop Modules
3/2 Lightroom - Beyond the Basics Learn more advanced editing tools & advanced settings.
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