What are most people using for processing RAW

[canon816]

I just want to drag a file from let's say a flash card, or an open folder to work quickly in it, and LR forces me to import the whole card or folder to deal with one picture.

I think that like any software Lightroom can take some getting used to.  One of the reasons I like lightroom so much is the database aspect of it.  I can easily find an image within seconds and the general editing features streamline my workflow. 

If I need to do more polishing then lightroom can allow I finish it off in PS CS5.

Also, if you would like to look at one image on a memory card you can easily select only the image or images you want to import.  When you open the import window just click the "uncheck all" all button and then check the boxes on the images you want. 

Lightroom does have its limitations but once you get used to the interface you find that it works for most editing.  I do wish that it had better selection tools and some simple layer masking for selective sharpening etc...

[symmar22]

Thanks 816 for the tip, I'll keep learning the software, I admit the possibilities seem endless, it's just that coming from the old film world, I find digital is sometimes distracting from photography itself, lots of time spent on learning software, even though I am introduced to digital since I bought my Coolscan 4000, 15 years ago. I'd like to keep it more simple, but it's the way it is, one must follow the progress....

[canon816]

Thanks 816 for the tip, I'll keep learning the software, I admit the possibilities seem endless, it's just that coming from the old film world, I find digital is sometimes distracting from photography itself, lots of time spent on learning software, even though I am introduced to digital since I bought my Coolscan 4000, 15 years ago. I'd like to keep it more simple, but it's the way it is, one must follow the progress....

No problem.  The art of Photography has definitely begun to put more and more emphasis on post processing and the software has really allowed us to create images that we never could have made with film.

That said, I enjoy the "taking the photos" more then the "editing the photos" so I embrace software that streamlines my workflow and gets the job done to my satisfaction in a quick and efficient manner.

Good luck with the software and happy shooting.

[friedmud]

Still on Lightroom 3 on Mac OSx Lion here.  Will have to get 4 once I get my D600 (apparently they are not upgrading 3 with D600 support).  Might move up to Mountain Lion at the same time...

I try to do very little to my photos, preferring to do more of the work in the field (with filters, etc).  Usually just saturation, contrast, sharpening, NR.

[Steb]

. The import / librairies system with LR is just a useless nightmare to me

i guess you do no keywording?
anyway.... it is obvious that you have NO CLUE AT ALL what a library is usefull for. 

sorting you images into folders will help you nothing if you have thousands of photos and need to search for a motive.... and this is only one example when a database approach comes in handy.

try to find all images with a "ball" on a "beach" and a "sunset" in a 100000 picture collection.
 
takes me 5 seconds to search all my images for these keywords.

His statement was it is a useless nightmare for him. Maybe you have no clue yourself if you think only your requirements are valid. A library does not give additional features. Everything is possible without, it just takes more time. I don't do keywording myself but it is possible. Of course a database is faster when searching 100000 pictures but that is your requirement, not that of everyone else. I have other use cases that just don't work with a library. Not uneducated or naive, just different.

[chasn]

Big thanks to the poster who mentioned Photo Ninja on this thread - I have been playing with it for the last two days on 'difficult' images and I am hugely impressed......