Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Review

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 3 now manages video clips (although it does not support playback).
• Native 64-bit on Windows and Mac.

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.
• 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 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, 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 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 3 provides Publish Services for sending photos to Flickr, Facebook, SmugMug, and mobile devices. New Publish services can be added through plug-ins.

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.

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. One of Lightroom 3's new features is called Publish Services which 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 3 offers improvements in noise reduction, import settings, and grain adjustment, as well as overall speed and performance. Other new features include two new styles for better post-crop vignettes, drag and drop freeform print layouts, flexible watermarking options, automatic lens correction based on lens profiles, video export for slideshows, slideshow background music, tethered capture, and video file import. I'd like to see playback for video files and the ability to add multiple music files to a slide show, but I think users of older versions will be pleased with what is offered in this upgrade.

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.