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Adobe Lightroom Beta 3 - How do I feel about the new features
Article
59 of 100
I
keep forgetting which one is before and which one is after.
I
don't really feel that I have investigated the new features
in Adobe Lightroom Beta 3 to their fullest capabilities yet,
but the one thing that stands out the most for me is the new
Before and After Previews in the
Develop Module and the accompanying History panel.
Being
able to see both where you have been (with a step by step
history) and where you are going at the same time, is magical.
This feature alone is worth whatever Adobe is planning to
charge for Lightroom.
The
new Import features (especially
being able to apply Metadata and Develop settings to large
groups of images) are also very useful, but I probably won't
start using them until Version 1 hits the shelves. For right
now I am limiting myself to small groups and individual images
for testing purposes only.
The
Export dialog now supports specific
resolutions but I still keep hoping that some of the File
Save As capabilities of Adobe Photoshop will be added to Adobe
Lightroom. Specifically I would like to see the entire Save
for Web process from Photoshop implemented in Lightroom.
The
Web Module is nice and I will
use it but it doesn't make me want to do back flips (not yet
anyway). The ability to access metadata in a slide show does
make me want to do a handstand though.
The
Print Module Presets capabilities
regarding Page Setup and Printer Setup are astounding but
I need to run some thorough tests on a range of printers before
I can say very much about them.
All
in all the Adobe Lightroom application has gained quite a
few usefully capabilities in Beta 3 and I am enjoying the
process of getting to know this image handling package from
Adobe.
Some
of the emails I am getting are from very active amateur and
professional photographers who are asking me whether Adobe
Lightroom can effectively handle their image libraries which
in same cases number in the tens of thousands. And more specifically
if they should toss out their old image cataloging software
and switch to using Adobe Lightroom.
My
answer is the same for both questions - Adobe Lightroom Beta
3 is a beta application, not even Adobe is expecting you to
make this decision yet. Please wait until Adobe Lightroom
is shipping as an official product with a real version number,
a box and a price tag. It has been a great experience testing
the Adobe Lightroom Beta software and I expect to be working
with the officially released software fairly soon, but I for
one am not entrusting my entire image library to a beta software
package.
P.S.
Please do not get upset if your personal experience and views
are different from my own. These opinions are mine exclusively
and do not reflect the views or policies of any of the manufacturers
mentioned in these articles ...... George
Mann |
