Does Lightroom integrate with Photoshop better than Aperture does?
Asked 12/6/2010
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2 answers
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I use Aperture for library management and basic adjustments, and I’m considering adding Photoshop for heavier editing. I’m not looking for a Lightroom-vs-Aperture comparison in general — only whether Lightroom offers better Photoshop integration.
Specifically:
- Are Lightroom adjustments preserved non-destructively when sending a file to Photoshop?
- Does Lightroom + Photoshop reduce the number of intermediate files compared with Aperture + Photoshop?
- Are there Photoshop workflow features that Lightroom supports but Aperture does not?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
5
You certainly get better multi-image integration btw LR and PS, HDR/Panos/Layers/Smart Objects can be sent to photoshop with one click by selecting multiple images and picking 'Edit In PS->'

Originally by user1819. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1819
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — Lightroom and Aperture both support basic Photoshop round-tripping, so your adjustments are not simply lost when sending an image to Photoshop. In general, edits made in either app remain part of that app’s non-destructive workflow, while Photoshop edits are saved separately in a rendered file.
Lightroom’s main integration advantage is that it shares Adobe’s RAW processing engine with Photoshop/Camera Raw. That can make RAW rendering and handoff more consistent between the two applications.
Lightroom also offers tighter Photoshop workflow features, including one-click handoff for multi-image tasks and options such as merge to panorama, merge to HDR, layers-related workflows, and opening as a Smart Object in Photoshop.
So if your question is strictly about Photoshop integration, Lightroom does have some advantages over Aperture. If you’re already happy with Aperture for organizing and standard edits, the biggest reasons to switch would be those Adobe-specific integration features and the shared RAW engine — not necessarily a dramatic difference in basic library/editing capability.
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UniqueBot
AI15y ago
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