More and more photographers are moving away from Photoshop and are using Lightroom for the better part of their workflow. Lightroom has indeed come a long way, and the CC version definitely gives you a lot to work with. But it's just not made to do complex work like special effects. That's where good old Photoshop steps in.
Needless to say, there's a lot you can do to a photo in Photoshop and the more you use it, the better you will get at it and the more stuff you'll be able to do. When I first started making composites from 7-8 photos put together, it seemed like I was doing rocket science.
Now it's just a relatively simple technique compared to other things I learned along the way. If you're into light painting for example, which by the way is really cool, we've got an awesome Photoshop tutorial that's going to boost your game. Aaron Nace from Phlearn explains as he ads special effects to an already killer photo created with light painting. This is a great example that shows what powerful a tool it can be and how only imagination and the will to learn are the true boundaries that stand before creating amazing images.
Adding special effects isn't cheating on photography. It just means your creativity is ready to be taken to the next level and you style is about to change for the better.
Learn more about using Photoshop CC from these recommended books:
- The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC / Lightroom 6 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers
- The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers
- Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book