January, 2012

Lightroom 4 Beta

Adobe has just announced that a Beta version of Lightroom 4 is available.

Lightroom has been the center of my workflow ever since Version 1. My favorite thing about it is that I can get down to rating, keywording, and editing without having to deal with individual files, since Lightroom handles the individual files for me. I can import the pictures, make adjustments, and move on to the next photo without having to open, save as, rename, adjust, save, copy, etc. It’s also easy to go back to previous photo without having to browse for it and open it, which can get really hairy if you’ve made a duplicate version of the photo so as to keep the original in its unaltered state.

Lightroom adjustments are also 100% non-destructive, as it doesn’t actually alter your original photo; it loads a preview and makes adjustments to the preview (all behind the scenes without you having to save different versions). Such a huge time saver.

For any photographer wondering which picture editing software they should invest in first, I can say without reservation that it should be Lightroom 4. Apple’s Aperture is also a similar option, but I’ve personally never used it.

You can download the Beta version of Lightroom 4 here:

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom4/

NAPP’s Lightroom 4 Launch Center can be found at the link below:

http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom4

NAPP’s training and information is the most relevant and definitive, in my experience.

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