- All edits are applied non-destructively via instructions written into the metadata of the file.
- Macintosh and Windows versions are shipped on the same disc and share a license.
- Lightroom 2 utilizes dual monitors much better than previous versions.
- Lightroom 2 provides localized (masked) adjustment capabilities not available in previous versions.
- Native 64-bit on Windows.
- Poor performance and crashes plague the 2.0 release. (See note about Lightroom 2.1 below.)
- Can't send photos by email directly (they must be exported and attached to each email).
- Requires a separate photo editor if pixel-level editing is desired.
- Lightroom can't manage digital camera video clips.
- Lightroom guides the photography workflow through a series of 5 modules: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web.
- The Library module is where photos are organized and managed via keywords, collections, metadata, and search features.
- Photos can be reviewed in a number of layouts such as grid, loupe, survey and compare. Flags, rating, and labels help here.
- The Develop module provides myriad ways of adjusting exposure, tone, color, lighting, vignettes, and more.
- The Slideshow module helps you present your photos in a slick, professional presentation that will impress your clients.
- Slideshows can also be exported as 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 templates for eye-catching Web galleries which can be customized in every way imaginable.
- Web galleries can be uploaded directly to a Web site via FTP or exported as a package for a Web developer to post.
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.
Post-crop vignetting is one example where this has been further enhanced in Lightroom 2. You can apply a vignette to an image, then decide later you need to crop the photo, and the vignette is automatically updated to correspond with the new crop dimensions. For those who prefer not to spend time tweaking, you can save presets, or copy and paste develop settings to many images at once.
Another big step forward in Lightroom 2 is the addition of the adjustment brush for making local corrections to exposure, color, and lighting. When you use the adjustment brush, edge areas of the photo are detected automatically and a mask is created.
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.
It's obvious that Adobe has gone to great lengths to meet the needs of serious photographers with Lightroom. There are some performance issues in the 2.0 release, but Adobe has recently released a Lightroom 2.1 release candidate which may resolve these issues.
