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02-05-2009, 06:30 AM   #1
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Lightroom 2

Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Adobe Lightroom 2 (functions, ease of use, flexiblity, etc).

02-05-2009, 07:08 AM   #2
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It's primarily a data base, not an image editor.
Having said that, probably 95% of what I do is now done in Lightroom.
I believe you can download a 30 day trial, which should be more than enough time to see if it's what you need.
02-05-2009, 07:18 AM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by Hey Elwood Quote
Hi everyone,

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Adobe Lightroom 2 (functions, ease of use, flexiblity, etc).
This subject has been covered a number of times. You can search for it.
In general you will find a lot of people using LR with enthusiasm.
I myself work with both LR and Picasa, the last primarily as a frontend to web-albums and its faster flat file browsing.

It is a great product. Though it misses a few options you can find in Bibble, like parallax and pincushion corrections. Also the noise reduction might have better controls.

- Bert
02-05-2009, 02:33 PM   #4
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I had/have been using LightZone as my primary post-procesing tool since April of last year. Running on Linux it is/was the only tool out there I liked. I had tried the trial of LR2 under an XP machine virtual and liked what I saw (it has some capabilities that LZ doesn't and vice-versa). But it runs like a pig in molases, when it doesn't just crash, under the virtual machine so I put it away.

About a week ago I got fed up with not having some tools readily available I want/need under Linux and set up dual boot on my PC. So now with XP running I have both Lightroom2 and LightZone3.6, and I use them together.

Lightroom provides me with end-to-end workflow from downloading to organization to digital darkroom to print. And LightZone is there to handle some of the heavy lifting that in AdobeLand requires PhotoShop CS3/4 like robust cloning tools and region edits, as well as zone mapping and a much stronger set of presets/filters than offered by Lightroom.
The nice thing is Lightroom allows easily using an external editor (CS3/4 built-in, others easy to specify) and LightZone "knows" when it is being handed a file from Lightroom. So it's practically just a click of the mouse and I can pass a photo from Lightroom to LightZone and back again.

Wheatfield is correct in that LR is not an "image editor" per se - it is not a full-blown graphics tool. Photoshop CS4 would be that animal. Lightroom2 is a digital darkroom and cataloging tool. Honestly, I don't need or want a full-blown graphics package clogging up my daily workflow. There are some features that I personally feel Adobe should include in Lightroom2 that aren't there like real clone, dodge and burn tools, but I also understand that they want to sell CS4 licenses so they've left them in out.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a tool made with photographers, not graphic arts professionals, in mind, and you're serious about your workflow, then Lightroom is a must-have. I'll also toss in that you'll be even happier adding LightZone alongside it (providing you have the budget for both, obviously).

02-06-2009, 12:55 PM   #5
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I haven't upgraded to 2.0 yet, but I've been using LR 1.x since shortly after it was released and quite like it. As others have said above, it can't do heavy lifting image editing, but for 99% of what I do, it works wonders. Basically, I only go into PS if I need to actually clean up the image (e.g., remove a stray tree branch that's sticking into the frame or such). But all of my color correction and such is done right in LR.

I believe Adobe has a free 30 day trial, so I would recommend downloading it and giving it a try. My guess is you will find yourself hooked by the time the trial ends.
02-06-2009, 06:35 PM   #6
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I use LR 2 for my importing, cataloguing and editing. LR 2 has added area edits, a great improvement over version 1.x. I also have Elements 6 for the very rare times when I want layers.

I run my RAW files through DxO first if they are taken with any of my DA lenses. This removes most of the lens based artifacts from the images. I then simply export them to Lightroom from DxO. I also have Pentax's software on my computer. I use it when I think I have a need to see the EXIF data in an easily viewable format.
02-07-2009, 04:16 AM   #7
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I used to do everything with The GIMP (freeware), which I still use if I need to do something with layers/masks. Last May a friend sent me an invitation to an extended trial of the LR2 beta. When it expired I whipped out my wallet and plunked down the scratch to purchase the program. Some of the best-spent money I have shelled out for my photographic hobby. Its database features provide an image management feature that you really don't realize you need until you try it. And it has enough quick-n-easy to use editing features that it suffices for very close to 100% of my editing needs. The speed and ease it added to my workflow greatly increased my output. I can now do in seconds what I used to spend quite a bit of time doing in The GIMP. And on a recent shoot with hundreds of photos I was able to apply batch corrections to dozens of images at a time (white balance adjustments, tagging, and the like) which saved me a great deal of time and hassle. I would highly recommend this software, or at the very least something which serves a similar function. I use it for both my digital photos and for images scanned in from my film cameras. It does an equally wonderful job on both.

02-07-2009, 05:30 AM   #8
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Lightroom 2 is pretty good. Yes, as others have said, its not a full-blown image editor, but it allows you to use an external image editor such as Photoshop or Elements (etc). Having said that, I primarily use LR to develop my RAW and with the new selective edits, gradients and so on, I never really leave LR much anymore.

There's a few features that they overlooked, such as cropping to pixel dimensions, but they have packed it with no many other great features that its a difficult program NOT to use.

- Andrew
02-07-2009, 07:08 AM   #9
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I am not a full-blown image editor. I much prefer taking photos. For me, LR2 is easy to use, gets good results with a minimum of time, and it what I use now.
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