Hi! This old dog wants to learn new tricks.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

What exactly is Adobe Lightroom? I have Photoshop 6. Do I need lightroom?

[Major Nikon]

1. You don't necessarily need any post processing software

Most digital cameras include processing software in the camera itself. Post processing software just gives you more versatility with things like changing white balance, making exposure adjustments, color adjustments, and fine tuning sharpening after the image is already in the can, so to speak.

If you think of it in terms of film photography, the camera itself gives you basic darkroom capability, while post processing software allows for much better customization of the image.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

2. so you edit (or process)

your photos while they are still in the camera?

[Major Nikon]

3. You can with some cameras

But generally you just select the settings you want and the camera implements them just prior to saving as a jpg, so it's most often done on the fly.

[ManiacJoe]

4. Lightroom is a Digital Asset Management system

with a built-in image editor. It basically replaces Bridge for organization and Photoshop for basic edits.

Lightroom's catalog (SQL database) contains references to your image files, where they are located, and what edits you have done to your images. The organizing can be done with file folders, keywords, and collections.

The original image files are never changed by Lightroom. Your edits are stored in the catalog as instructions. When you want to see your edits in Lightroom, Lightroom makes a temporary copy of the original image and plays back the edit instructions to show you your changes. If you want to see the edits outside of Lightroom, you need to "export" your edits as new images. Recording the edits to the catalog is how Lightroom does its non-destructive edits.

The Lightroom editor is just a big wrapper around the Adobe Camera Raw engine. It also has an adjustment brush, a spot remover, and some gradient filters.

Photoshop is the kind-daddy of pixel editors. Its edits are destructive in that there is no edit history that can be undone after you exit the app. Layers and masks are the big draws for Photoshop over Lightroom.

[Act_of_Reparation]

5. Depends on how you define need, I guess.

Lightroom is a media management system. It allows you to catalogue your shots, develop and touch up your raw files, and prepare images for whatever format you have in mind. Lightroom has some Photoshop functions, but only those most directly related to post-processing photographs.

You don't need it, per se. I rely on it because I'm too lazy to keep my shots organized myself.