Through a series of modules, Lightroom helps photographers manage, develop, and present their photos. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom was developed to meet the needs of professional and serious amateur photographers, and Adobe has done very well in this regard. While Lightroom can offer a lot of benefits for more casual shooters, most of them would probably be better off sticking to a program like Photoshop Elements, or other "family photo" organizing software.
Lightroom Pros
- Provides powerful tools for managing large quantities of images and processing camera Raw files.
- All edits are applied non-destructively via instructions written into the metadata of the file.
- Presets allow you to work efficiently and experiment with many variations of settings.
- Macintosh and Windows versions are shipped on the same disc and share a license.
- Lightroom manages video clips since version 3 and version 4 adds playback, editing, and sharing of video.
- Lightroom 4 now can send photos by email directly.
- Native 64-bit on Windows and Mac.
Lightroom Cons
- The learning curve can be steep for new users. Takes time to learn the quirks.
- Some features only work in specific modules, which can be confusing at times.
- While it's improved significantly from version 2, performance can still be sluggish at times, particularly in the Develop module.
- Requires a separate photo editor if pixel-level editing is desired.
- 32-bit Macs and Macs running OS 10.6.7 and lower are no longer supported. Windows XP is no longer supported.
Lightroom Description
- Lightroom guides the photography workflow through a series of modules: Library, Develop, Map, Book, Slideshow, Print, and Web.
- The Library module is where photos are organized and managed via keywords, flags, collections, metadata, and search features.
- Photos can be reviewed in a number of layouts such as grid, loupe, survey, and compare. Flags, ratings, and labels help with sorting.
- The Develop module provides myriad ways of adjusting exposure, tone, color, lighting, vignettes, and more.
- The Map module allows you to add location information to photos (geo-tagging) and find or sort images by location.
- The Book module lets you design photo books with a variety of templates and upload them for printing.
- The Slideshow module helps you present your photos in a slick, professional presentation that will impress your clients.
- Slideshows can be exported as video files (including HD video), a series of slides in JPEG format, or as a PDF slideshow.
- The Print module provides complete flexibility in creating contact sheets and picture package layouts.
- Applies intelligent sharpening according to the output type and media selected, taking the guesswork out of sharpening.
- The Web module offers a variety of customizable templates for eye-catching Web galleries which can be uploaded directly to a Web site via FTP or exported as a package for a Web developer to post.
- Lightroom provides Publish Services for sending photos to Flickr, Facebook, SmugMug, and mobile devices. New Publish services can be added through plug-ins.
Guide Comments - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is broken down into a series of modules as described above. This module approach presents the photography workflow in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. Not coming from a photography background, I found this approach (and some of the terminology) a bit foreign. In the beginning, I struggled with several quirks and inconsistencies, but after referring to online tutorials, and working with the software over a few weeks, it all began to click.
I'm not saying the quirks went away, I just learned how to deal with them. For instance, when you want to apply settings to multiple photos, they must be selected in the grid view and not the filmstrip. Stacks only work in folder view and not collections. Flags applied in folder view don't stay with the photos when you put them in a collection. You don't save your edits, you export them.
Once I got beyond that initial learning curve, I had a number of "Aha" moments, and the power of Lightroom became clear to me. Probably the biggest benefit for Lightroom users is the non-destructive approach to editing photos in the Develop module. Every adjustment you make is applied as a series of instructions that can be tweaked as much as desired with no reduction in quality, nor the need for multiple file versions.
How I Process Photos in Adobe Lightroom
Although Lightroom does not offer pixel-level editing, it does offer region-specific editing with graduated filters, and the adjustment brush. These tools let you apply corrections to exposure, color, and lighting only in the areas where they are needed. I processed hundreds of vacation photos through Lightroom for this evaluation, and I found very few instances where I had to go to Photoshop for further editing.
Lightroom also allows photographers to present photos to clients as slideshows, web galleries, printed contact sheets, and/or picture packages. The flexibility provided in these modules is incredible. You can customize every detail right down to your identity plate. OLightroom's Publish Services feature allows you to post your photos (and subsequent edits) to popular online services such as Flickr, Facebook, and SmugMug. Additional services can be added through plugins. The Publish service also simplifies exporting to local and network locations for archiving or syncing with mobile devices.
Lightroom 4's improvements include highlight and shadow recovery, new adjustment brush options, a white balance brush, a photo book creation module, location-based photo organization (geo-tagging), soft proofing, improved online sharing, and extended video support, including video playback and editing--one of my wishlist features from version 3. While these are all welcome additions, I wish I could report improvements to Lightroom's performance. But sadly, Lightroom 4 still bogs down considerably after working a while in the Develop module, at least in my experience with the Windows version over several months.
Probably the best thing about this version of Lightroom is the significantly reduced price, slashed 50% from previous versions. For new customers, Lightroom now costs US$150 MSRP, and US$79 for upgraders. There is also a new student/teacher version for US$79 MSRP.
It's obvious that Adobe has gone to great lengths to meet the digital darkroom needs of photographers with Lightroom. Lightroom is best suited for serious amateurs and professional photographers who work with large numbers of images and who often work with raw camera files.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
Lightroom 4 Review: Digital Photography Review
Adobe Lightroom 4 adds a book Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 offers an impressive list Click here to continue reading our Lightroom 4 review Tags
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.5 Review & Rating | PCMag.com
Nothing makes working with digital photos smoother than Lightroom, Adobe's professional photo workflow software. It provides the import, organization
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 ...
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 [Download] [Old Version] at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from
Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Official Site
Photographers: Get Adobe Photoshop CC plus Lightroom for desktop and mobile for an unbelievable price of $9.99 per month. For the complete experience,
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4: Digital Photography Review
Manufacturer description: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 software provides a comprehensive set of digital photography tools, from powerfully simple one-click adjustments
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - Free download and software ...
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.4 Pros. Complete integrated Please submit your review for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. 1. Rate this product: 2.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 review | Image editing ...
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 review Organise and edit your photos with the latest version of Adobe's pro image cataloguing app
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 review - CNET
The Good Adobe's latest version of Photoshop Lightroom handles offline images a lot more gracefully than previous iterations and adds some tools that
Adobe Lightroom 4 review | Digital Camera World
Is Adobe Lightroom 4 the all-in-one image cataloguer and photo editing software that finally undercuts Photoshop? Find out in our Adobe Lightroom 4 review.
Travelling is my life
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon