Adobe LightRoom Public Beta 3 for Windows

[Max@Home]

...can be downloaded after registration:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/

First Impression:

Good Interface! Looks and feels good!

Is it really 'photographer' oriënted??

...that would need some more time hands-on to give a second impression...

...discussion appreciated...

Kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Mr. Pickles]

yeah, download the one WITH content. 113mb instead of 7mb

[Mr. Pickles]

I played with it really quickly, and found it to be pretty nice. Got to play more obviously, but if you think ACR needs a couple more available options, WELCOME to Lightroom.

It has more bells and whistles than you need, you'd think. Being a RSP lover, I can see a lot of it in Lightroom. Some of the additional options are straight out of RSP, as are other stuff. It even has ratings, which is something RS people liked. It looks to be a pretty neat program. Pretty easy to use, but maybe that has something to do with being an RS user too?

Adobe ought to sell it for about $100. All the others would croak.....

[Max@Home]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pickles

yeah, download the one WITH content. 113mb instead of 7mb

Hi Mr. Pickles,

) I was at work and downloaded the 7mb set.

is the 113Mb really worth it? what's inside?

Thanks in advance, kindest regards,

Max@Home

[Mr. Pickles]

Oh, I didn't download the one with content. I thought it was nice that they supposedly added some pictures and stuff and took it from 7 to 113mb.

Maybe Paul can download the whopper and tell us what is in it...

[Max@Home]

Mr. Pickles,

...the curiosity tickles )

In the 'content' are a shoot and an event, with 13 Nikon NEF RAW files to play with.
(shots of tulips, quite nice, especially considering it's done with a ñikoñ )

If this Beta3 is exemplary to the speed of operating of the full version, I am quite impressed, nice, fluent workflow, some waiting, but never annoying, nice balance!

I also reckognised the 'RAWShooter Premium' controls, nice to see them back )

...for the other curious cats, *my* €0.02 worth,

kindest regards,

Max@Home

[TonyK]

I grabbed the content and non-content versions.

The content version is nice as it gives you something to play with and not modify your own images. The images appear to be Nikon NEF images.

There are things I like in LightRoom though I will have to see what it costs to determine if I like it THAT much.

Its pretty nice to work with. Most of what I do though is batch my RAW through Bibble and then make final adjustments in PSCS.

[Mr. Pickles]

Some are complaining that LR doesn't do batch well, but I found it to do it as well as RS did. You fix one image in the Develop module, and then CTRL-click other images that need the same treatment (you can do that in Develop using the filmstrip on the bottom, or switch to Library and use the grid view). Once all images are "selected", hit the Syncronize button in Library (under Quick Develop), or in the Develop module, the Sync button that stays in the lower right pane.

In Library, Quick Develop, there is the copy settings and paste settings buttons to. Both ways you can pick what "things (hue, sat, wb, etc.) you want changed too. All is pretty similar to RS in that respect.

Also, for Studio shooters I guess, you could modify or tweak an image to make it right, and then in the Library, on the left side where the Presets are, you can click the plus sign along the header, and save your own. When you need it, it is there. Ctrl-click multiple images, and click the preset. Bam. Also, the presets are in the Quick Develop area too, accessed via a drop down along the top side.

Not too shabby on speed. I have heard others hate the "slowness", but I don't think it is much slower than RS was. Like others have said, a not too bad balance. If you complain about the speed of the software that is fixing your images, you ought to spend time to get them right in the camera

[Mr. Pickles]

And if you haven't, you ought to mess around in the Print module too. Contact Sheets are in there. You can adjust just about anything on the contact sheet, including the margins, the space in between, you can zoom in to fill the contact area, you can have it rotate for best fit, etc.

And, you can add EXIF data, filename and stuff like that. And, you can have a "logo" of your "studio", and add it to the each contact sheet. If does print with Color Profiles, or you can have the printer color match it (printer driver dependant), or print in draft mode, which is pretty decent and faster.

[Paul Shields]

Well I tried Lightroom for my latest collection of pics, and in summary - it stinks! I know a lot of that will be to do with it's early beta status, but god it was slow, and also crashed a couple of times. This is with an Athlon X2, 4GB RAM, RAID 5 box that makes even Photoshop CS2 fly. I'm also not keen on the UI, particularly the buttons/sliders etc - too fiddly, and a world away from the ergonomic (if less 'sexy looking') UI of PS, Silkypix etc. It currently seems very un-Adobe like in interface and design. I suspect more and more that this was thrown out quickly to try and halt any flow of users to Apple's Aperture (which itself seems to be having a rough time). I'll stick to Silkypix for now, and ignore Lightroom until it's officially released.