I have been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Adobe Creative Cloud

If you’ve been thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan but aren’t sure if it’s for you, read on to check out my thoughts to help you decide!

You know I have an insane addiction to photo apps, right? I’m talking like four pages worth in my “photography” app folder on my iPad and a whole huge section dedicated to them on my PC. Most of the apps are related to typography and “Pinterest prepping.” You know, adding little elements, pretty text, etc. Up until now, I’ve had a really hard time finding a single photo editing app that lets me enhance and beautify my overall picture. While I don’t mind jumping between apps for adding text or just messing around with design elements, it’s kind of a pain to do it when I’m just trying to fix a lighting issue, boost clarity or finagle hues a bit.

Adobe Lightroom: My Favorite Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan

Adobe Lightroom is THE app I’ve been looking for all my life. Trust me, I don’t say that lightly! It takes a lot for me to fall in love with a photo editing app. I have high standards and very little patience. I want something with plenty of features that are easy to use right out of the “box,” doesn’t bog down my PC or iPad and really makes a difference in my pictures. Like REALLY makes a difference, not just makes them a little brighter, darker, greener or redder.

Lightroom meets all of my standards and then some. It would take pages for me to detail all the ins and outs of this great photo editing program, so let’s talk highlights.

So far, I haven’t read a single help file or tutorial on using Lightroom, and I’ve been doing just fine. The basic necessities are in highly intuitive places. You’ll find options for importing and exporting photos right where you’d expect, under “File.” Everything across the top, from “Edit” to “Library” is pretty self-explanatory. With a little exploration. you’ll be on your way to editing your first photo in seconds.

Thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan  but aren't sure if it's for you? Check out my favorite features and see how it can transform your photography!

When you do start that editing process, again, everything you need is right at the tip of your fingers. Import your pictures and choose one to work with. Start with the basic controls on the right side of the screen to manipulate the white balance, tone, exposure and clarity of your photo. Need even more control? Head over to “Develop” and control all of the above and then some with finer detail.

Lightroom Before and After Pictures

I put together a few before and after pictures to show you how Lightroom can enhance your photography. The first one is a very old black and white photo of my grandparent’s wedding. No major edits here, I just wanted to play with the color a bit. Make it more sepia than B&W.

Thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan  but aren't sure if it's for you? Check out my favorite features and see how it can transform your photography!

Next, I grabbed a picture of Cooper. I like the original, but I wanted to see what I could do with it anyway. Before is on top. I think the “after” picture just seems more three-dimensional. His black and white coloring stands out better, it looks more like real life Cooper.

Thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan  but aren't sure if it's for you? Check out my favorite features and see how it can transform your photography from good to stellar!

Since I did a dog, I have to show off a cat! How about Prue? I always liked this picture of her, but it was lacking something.

Thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan  but aren't sure if it's for you? Check out my favorite features and see how it can transform your photography!

Just to be fair, I finished up with one of the guinea pigs, Krystal!

Thinking about getting the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan  but aren't sure if it's for you? Check out my favorite features and see how it can transform your photography!

I use Lightroom at least once a day now to edit pictures for Pretty Opinionated, so you’ve already seen examples of it in action over the last month.

What Else Can You Do With Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan?

Lightroom is, by far, my favorite feature of the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan, but it’s not the only one by a long shot! You’ll also get Photoshop CC for the desktop, plus a ton of mobile apps. These include popular apps like Adobe Slate, Adobe Photoshop Fix and Adobe Voice, plus more. The plan’s motto is “Take your best shot and make it even better with the Creative Cloud Photography plan,” and the definitely give all the tools you need to do that.

With Creative Cloud and all these great features, you can organize, edit and share your images from anywhere at anytime. Sync your desktop imports to the Cloud, then pick up your work on your iPad, thanks to Adobe CreativeSync technology. When you’re done creating a masterpiece, use Adobe Slate to create something beautiful to share with the world! You can even narrate it with Adobe Voice!

The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan retails for a suggested price of $199.99 for a 1-year subscription. I think it’s worth every penny! This makes a great gift for the holidays for your favorite photo enthusiast too! Pick up a gift card at Best Buy, wrap it up and you’re good to go!