The Adobe Creative Cloud comprises all of Adobe’s desktop and mobile applications and optional cloud storage services. While Adobe's "Creative Cloud" or "CC" branding has seen countless changes over the years, the modern creative cloud boasts a full suite of editing and creative applications that cater to beginners and professionals alike with built-in tutorials, access to Adobe Stock resources, Creative Cloud libraries, social networking integration with Adobe’s Behance community, Adobe Portfolio, and more. From desktop to mobile and back again, the current Adobe workflow is more flexible than ever before.

This article focuses on the powerful image editing applications offered in Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan, which includes Lightroom Classic, Lightroom, Lightroom mobile, Photoshop, and Photoshop for iPad. Though many users prefer one form of software over the other, Photoshop and Lightroom were always meant to work together. And with the new Creative Cloud, this back-and-forth workflow is more evident, intuitive, and effortless than ever before. 

Save and Sync on the Cloud

For cloud subscribers, syncing is easier than ever. With Adobe's Creative Cloud Libraries, images, color palettes, and project files sync seamlessly between desktop, web and mobile devices. However, this function is fully contingent on being logged into the same Adobe ID across devices and having a paid Adobe subscription. Changes to libraries, albums, or edits are synced in real time.  

Save and Sync in Lightroom 

Amazingly, the Lightroom mobile app is a nearly exact match to the desktop-based, creative-cloud iteration of Lightroom (not to be confused with Lightroom Classic), allowing for a seamless experience between Adobe's desktop and mobile applications. To edit and sync across the Lightroom cloud applications, simplu import your photos into your Lightroom desktop or mobile library and they'll automatically sync to the Adobe Cloud at full resolution. Any edits or changes to metadata will also sync to the cloud and is accessible from any synced device. Photos captured using the Lightroom Mobile built-in camera will also auto-sync to the cloud.

Example in Action:

1. Add Image to album in Library on mobile

   

2. Open image in edit mode

3. Crop image

   

4. Launch desktop Lightroom to view photo there.

   

5. Apply local adjustments

   

6. Switch back to mobile/iPad

   

7. Apply presets

   

8. Save & Export or Send to Photoshop for further editing

   

The Combined Lightroom and Photoshop Workflow

Both desktop and iPad users have the added bonus of being able to seamlessly edit between Lightroom and Photoshop. This is ideal for users who want the quick workflow of Lightroom, but also require the power of Photoshop. With this combined workflow, you can now make detailed pixel-level edits, utilize layers and smart masks, or create brilliant composites with ease.

Example in Action:

1. Edit Image with Presets in Lightroom Mobile on iPad

   

2. Send to Photoshop

   

3. Apply overlay

   

4. Resize & Blend overlay

   

5. Isolate subject and adjust/erase overlay layer

   

6. Send back to Lightroom

   

7. Apply further adjustments/Presets & Export/Share

   

For mobile users, this sort of experience can be synthesized by editing in the Lightroom mobile app, and then creating composites in Photoshop Mix, which allows for the application and blending of layers.

The Photoshop Desktop and iPad Workflow

Unlike Lightroom and Lightroom mobile, Photoshop for iPad is a much more streamlined and lightweight app than its desktop iteration. And desktop-to-mobile sync and edit-between is just as simple. With Photoshop for iPad, work on the iPad is automatically saved and accessible from Cloud documents, and cloud-saved projects and CC libraries on desktop sync beautifully to the app. Creative Cloud libraries include graphics (such as photo overlays), layer styles, looks, character & paragraph styles, Colors, Brushes, Video, 3D, and Patterns.

Unfortunately, due to feature limitations of the Photoshop app for iPad at this time, actions do not sync and are not mobile-compatible. The current mobile app doesn't include many functions common to actions, and this prevents compatibility. Action compatibility is not currently slated for release within upcoming versions of the Photoshop iPad app.

Nonetheless, the Photoshop app and cross-compatibility with desktop continues to improve, showing impressive updates within recent releases. Notably, the current iteration boasts compact and intuitive layers (makes creating composite images and applying overlays a breeze) and AI-powered smart select features (makes subject-specific manipulation and correction a dream). 

Example in Action:

1. Open image in Photoshop 21

   

2. Edit with Actions

   

3. Add some assets to the CC Library via the Creative Cloud Application

   

4. Save to Cloud

   

5. Open on iPad

   

6. Apply overlays saved to the CC Library 

   

7. Export

   

With the introduction of so many new cloud and sync features, Adobe has opened up a new world of flexible, end-to-end, lossless editing solutions. These solutions allow creatives to move seamlessly from desktop workspaces to surprisingly powerful on-the-go mobile applications and back again. We invite you to explore these new flexible workflows using your favorite Luxe Lens presets and overlays and tag us on social with #theluxelens so we can join in the fun! 

Further Reading:

What is the difference between Lightroom Classic, Lightroom (CC), Lightroom mobile app, and Photoshop ACR?
Editing in the New Photoshop 21

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