I think some people won't believe this after all of the discussion that's gone back and forth on this topic over the past few months, but I have a confession to make.
I've been using Photos for the past few days and.... I actually really really freaking like it!
It has "almost" everything you actually need in a photo editor, but most importantly the tools that it does have are buttery smooth and fast, and effective. For whatever reason LR's sliders don't have the same effect that Apple's do. In iPhoto and then Aperture I had always done a first pass with the Levels, followed by shadows, and highlights. There just isn't a real equivelant in LR - there is probably a much more complicated way with curves, but it's kind of like, why do I need to learn a more complex way to do something that I've done for years in a simpler way?
The effect of shadows and highlights sliders is simply amazing, and having a black level slider that does something is also fantastic. Overall, Photo's sliders feel powerful, which I don't feel with Lightroom. I think being away from Apple's editing tools for a few months has shown me how good their tools actually are.
I'm also kind of seeing the wisdom of Apple's smart sliders, especially the black and white one. You can start with them just to get it close to where you want the picture to be and then fine tune from there. The black and white smart slider is actually a triumph of design. It is honestly the best B&W implementation I've ever seen - try it out, you'll see what I mean. It takes the place of the red, orange, blue, etc b&w filters. It effectively lets you scrub through all the different looks to get the one you want - you dont' need to know what color you're filtering - you really shouldn't need to care.
I'm also in love with how the appliction looks. It fits right in in Yosemite and navigating around is smooth as glass. Everything is smooth, nothing is stuttery.
And integrated iCloud sharing! Oh how I've missed you! No more exporting just to share or use an edited photo!**
So ya, I basically take back everything I said in the great LR vs Photos debate of the Winter of 2015. I was wrong. I really need to take this as a lesson - don't open my mouth until I've tried something.
Don't get me wrong, I fully recognize this product is not finished and is missing some stuff, but honestly I think I can use the product as it is for now. There is nothing that's missing that is going to kill me. I can fill in the gaps with other applications until extensions arive. In the rare occasion I use my wide lens, I'll use PTLens, not ideal, but it's an edge case. I don't want to let edge cases coral me into a bad decision. I've hinted at this above, but LR just feels like too much. I don't want to have to think about file names, and where things live, and whether I should be tweaking one of 200 sliders, I just want to take photos and be able to easily edit and share them. That's it.
So I will probalby be cancelling my CC subscription in a few months (I want to at least wait until 6 is released just to be certain). With that I'll lose Photoshop, but I do have Pixelmator and plan to get Affinity (the beta looks good so far).
So ya, that's that. Seriously though, give Photos a look. Apple has kind of redefined photo editing and no one noticed. People may think I'm nuts on this, but it just feels right. It's not going to be for everyone, but if you're not a Pro Photographer or someone who has a need for excruciatingly detailed metadata, it may work for you.
