«The only image tool you will need»
I tried the previous version of Lightroom, but couldn't see much of an advantage over the free cataloging program that came with my Nikon cameras, so I uninstalled it.
This version is a different animal. I don't know whether to call it an image cataloging program with powerful image editor or an amazing image processing program with an intuitive cataloging feature.
Its library catalogs images across multiple drives with an enchantingly user-friendly interface. The enchanced previews allow you to sort the sharp from the not-quite-so-sharp at a glance. Keywording for a shoot can be accomplished in minutes thanks to the spray formatting feature. Enter or choose a group of words once, then apply them to multiple shots.
The program recognizes multiple image formats, including 180 versions of RAW, and you can covert them with ease. The Develop mode is magical. You can adjust exposure, white balance, healing (for those pesky dust spots)and everything else Raw for Photoshop can do, plus gradients and a brush tool that applies adjustments to certain parts of the image. In fact, most users will not even need Photoshop.
The Print and Web output features are amazing. You can easily put together picture packages for friends, or clients, or create a fantastic Web gallery with eye-catching templates. The sharpening tool for output has been improved. You will love it.
In short, this is my new toy and I can't stop playing with it! When I finish cataloging my slides, prints, and digitals, I will finally have 25 years worth of pictures under control.
Thank you, Adobe engineers!!! I would kiss your feet... nah
Terrific product.
[Monday, December 01, 2008]
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«Speedy, Efficient, Great Editing»
As an amateur photographer, Lightroom 2 was on my wish list for quick photo editing. Now that I have it and have used it, I am more than satisfied!
The library and sorting system are user-friendly and customizable. Not only can you import your photos and keep them in the same basic folders that are used on your hard drive, you can create your own collections. Lightroom has it set up that you can save photos in folders you create and name, as well as in "Smart Collections" which sort your photos automatically based on how you rate your photos (1-5 stars, which, by the way, is another great feature more users should utilize, allowing you to easily mark your favorites), recently edited photos, photos from the past month, photos without keywords, and colored red photos (something I'm still figuring out). For photographers who take dozens, if not hundreds of photos each week and need a quick and easy way to sort, Lightroom 2 makes this possible.
Another feature to the sorting and organizing is the keyword feature. Create your own, and based on how many times you use a certain keyword, or combination of keywords, Lightroom 2 automatically suggest keywords at the top of the list of all used keywords. What a convenient setting when tagging multiple photos from the same event!
The next feature you'll find and love in Lightroom 2 is the Develop feature, where you can choose from several preset edits (among which are aged edits, grayscale, sharpening for landscape). In the Develop setting, you can preview what the edit will do on the photo by scrolling the mouse over each preset title and watching the thumbnail photo transform (on the left side of screen). Also, the program saves the photo file in original form, as well as a history of all actions taken to modify the photo. Again, you can scroll over the history to see the changes in the thumbnail, allowing you to quickly find the change you like best, without having to go back through layers and layers as in Photoshop.
The Develop setting allows for quite a range of possible editing features, from basic white balance and sharpening and exposure, to tone curves, saturation, split toning, detail, vignettes, and camera calibration. While Lightroom 2 still doesn't allow for all the fine editing that can be accomplished with Photoshop, photographers will find that using the quick edits in Lightroom will save a great deal of time in Photoshop, and may even find that fewer photos need extra tweaking in Photoshop.
You will find a neat feature in the Develop mode, which is the adjustment brush. This feature allows for masking in selective ares, adjusting exposure, brightness, contrast, sharpening, and more, without changing your entire photo.
Next you'll find the slideshow mode, which allows for adding a stroke border, shadow, identity plate, and text overlays to a select group of photos for a slideshow. This is a mode that I personally don't use, as my work and interest is more in the organizing and editing.
For photographers who desire to print, the Print mode quickly allows you to create contact sheets and picture packages with multiple photos and multiple sizes on a sheet. The program automatically rearranges photos to maximize the number printed on a sheet. Great feature here!
Finally, the Web tab is a feature likely to be most used by those who want to create an easy way to put photos directly from Lightroom into their website. Here you can choose from several different templates which again automatically place the photos from your selected collections.
Lightroom 2 is a must-have for photographers wanting to spend less time at the computer running edits, tagging, and organizing. Some casual users may find that Lightroom 2 is more than needed for their purposes. My only negative comment, and why my review is 4 stars instead of 5, is that Adobe neglected to include a user manual in the packaging or on the disk. Users may want visit Adobe, search the web, and visit forums for in-depth help and tips to get the most of Lightroom 2.
[Saturday, November 29, 2008]
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