Editorial Review:

Item Description:
Local adjustment brush : Enhanced organizational tools : Volume management : Extensible architecture : Revolutionary DSLR profiling : Multiple monitor support : Flexible print package functionality : Streamlined Photoshop CS3 and CS4 integration : Enhanced output sharpening : 64-bit support for Windows and Mac OS

Amazon.com:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software is essential for today's digital photography workflow. Now you can quickly import, process, manage, and showcase your images--from one shot to an entire shoot. Quickly batch process, convert, and apply metadata to your photos on import. Easily make selections with multiple viewing and comparison options. Adjust and enhance color, exposure, and tonal curves nondestructively on more than 190 camera raw file formats, as well as JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files. Every change you make to an image is automatically tracked, so you can return to any state with a single click. With Lightroom 2, you spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2, designed for photographers, features an elegant, uncluttered interface that puts just the tools you need at your fingertips.

Enjoy more flexible, accurate enhancements by targeting a specific area for dodging and burning.

Sort and filter large volumes of photos using powerful metadata filters to quickly find just the photo you want.

Enjoy robust support for more than 190 camera raw file formats, and experiment with confidence. Adjustments you make to images in Lightroom won't alter the original data, whether you're working on a JPEG, TIFF, DNG, or camera raw file.

Enjoy tight integration with Adobe Photoshop software for streamlined use of Smart Objects, panorama stitching, high dynamic range (HDR) functionality, multiple layer workflow, and more.

Work with a tool focused on photographers' needs
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is designed expressly for both amateur and professional photographers. From its elegant, uncluttered interface to its carefully tailored tools and features, Lightroom helps you process photographs faster, giving you more time to shoot. With the new and enhanced features in Lightroom 2, you canfind the photos you want faster, make more accurate adjustments, and easily present your work in more ways than ever before.

Accelerate your workflow
Lightroom is a nimble tool that moves you efficiently through every step of your workflow, from image capture to client presentation. Use flexible tools and features to manage the processing of large volumes of photographs. Customize a wide range of importing, renaming, and metadata stamping functions to suit your needs. Keep track of the changes you've made to images, including alternate versions, easily and automatically with the History panel. And when you're ready to present your work to clients, easily assemble and output high-quality printed contact sheets, online web galleries, and slide shows, or upload your photos to popular online photo-sharing sites.

Use it your way
Lightroom is adaptable and compatible with the way you work, most of the hardware you use, and open standards, so you're less likely to be limited by proprietary systems and formats. Lightroom runs on both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Work with more than 190 camera raw file formats, as well as JPEG, TIFF, and PSD files. Convert your images to the universal DNG format without loss of image quality. Store your photographs in the Lightroom Library--even if they're located on offline media. Using Lightroom for developing images, together with Adobe Photoshop for retouching, digital photographers now have the essential photography software toolkit. Take advantage of robust metadata support and advanced keywording capabilities help you tag and find the photographs you need quickly and easily. From developing images to presenting them, Lightroom together with Photoshop provides digital photographers with the essential photography software toolkit.

Who's It For?

Professional photographers
Photographers who shoot large volumes of images in every specialty, from fashion and fine art to portraiture and photojournalism.

Advanced amateur photographers
Photographers who don't earn a living from their images but have a deep passion for photography; take large numbers of photos, typically with a digital SLR camera; and value professional tools and results.

Educators
University and community college instructors who are shooters themselves and who teach the best tools and practices to the next generation of photographers.

The top reasons to buy Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

Enhance specific areas of a photo
Enjoy more flexible, accurate enhancements by targeting a specific area for dodging and burning.

Quickly find any photo
Sort and filter large volumes of photos using powerful metadata filters to quickly find just the photo you want.

Automatically import and process your way
Import and process large volumes of photos according to your customized settings. Rename files, organize them into folders, add metadata, and convert file formats for an entire shoot simultaneously.

Native 64-bit architecture
Utilize the advanced memory-handling capabilities on the latest Mac OS and Windows systems.

Work smoothly with Adobe Photoshop software (sold separately)
Enjoy tight integration with Adobe Photoshop software for streamlined use of Smart Objects, panorama stitching, high dynamic range (HDR) functionality, multiple layer workflow, and more. See your edits automatically updated in Lightroom.

Multiple monitor support
Add a second monitor and enjoy more room to work. Support for multiple monitors allows you to configure your workspace to manage image workflow and presentation more efficiently.

Be productive quickly
Ease your learning curve with task-oriented modules that speed you through typical workflow tasks by placing just the tools you need at your fingertips.

Edit nondestructively
Enjoy robust support for more than 190 camera raw file formats, and experiment with confidence. Adjustments you make to images in Lightroom won't alter the original data, whether you're working on a JPEG, TIFF, DNG, or camera raw file.

Easily show off your photos online
Create dynamic web galleries based on Adobe Flash technology without programming. In a few clicks, you can assemble and upload an interactive gallery to your website. Or easily upload your images to popular photo-sharing sites directly from Lightroom.









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Rating: - * Finally! A working version of Lightroom! ... I'm sure many advanced/experienced Photoshop CS3 users are wondering if they should purchase CS4 or switch to Lightroom 2.1 as their primary image processing application. Without making you read further, I'll state now that for me, Photoshop is and will continue to be absolutely necessary; Lightroom is what many will recognize as a "90% application" (meaning you can handle 90% of your processing needs) but it's not a complete PS replacement; or at least not yet. Answering the LR purchase question is best understood by knowing what you'll gain and what you'll lose with a LR only solution. In some cases, for advance users, the loss can be significant. Skilled CS3/CS4 ACR users will understand Lightroom's Develop module without trouble. The controls are all there, plus a few more. While LR offers a few new tools, its primary benefits are a unified interface and streamlined workflow, or way of working. It's not revolutionary, but more of a refinement of how photographers work with images. Remember, while LR gives some things to you, it also takes some things away. Here are a few things you'll GAIN by using LR either alone or in conjunction with PS CS3/CS4 1) Streamlined workflow. The LR interface is attractive, modern, clean, organized, and designed for photographers. As opposed to viewing in Bridge (and hoping it didn't crash), adjusting in ACR, and finally opening images in PS for final processing/saving, you'll work in one unified application and easily switch between modules (i.e., Library module to Develop module) with a key stroke or single click. It's very nice. 2) The "Adjustment brush". This new feature - which provides targeted/localized modifications to exposure, sharpening, etc. all without the use of visible masks and layers - is probably the most notable new tool in LR (N.B. it's also in PS CS4). The adjustment brush helps makes up for the loss of selections/layers. See "what you'll lose" below. 3) A great set of Creative preset "looks". Adobe allows you to easily convert your photos to new a look such as Cyanotype, Cold Tone, Sepia, Direct Positive, et. al. This can open new avenues for your work and it's quite fun. 4) A "preserved" history states panel. In PS, once you close an image the history states are gone. LR preserves them and this is a big step forward. It's almost like having a "smart object" in PS. 5) New ways of working with your printer, creating a slideshow, or putting your images on the web. You've been able to do all this in PS for years as well, but these were sometimes more difficult for new/intermediate users and may have required extra features such as AMG (Adobe Media Gallery). Here are a few things you'll LOSE with a LR only solution. 1) Layers. You'll lose layers; both real and adjustment layers. This can be a major loss to some experienced users. 2) Alternate color modes, such as LAB and CMYK. If you've become fluent in LAB and love all its associated power, you'll be disappointed to be without it. CMYK is also gone, but that's not going to affect many photographers today using RGB printers. 3) Selections of any kind and access to individual channels (e.g. no alpha channels). See LR's Adjustment brush above for a partial offset to this problem. 4) Fine tuning in curves. There's no ability to move the end points (think using levels) for quick curves adjustments. Obviously there is no levels adjustment either. 5) Perspective correction. Some of us use TSE or perspective correcting lenses, but sometimes you may need to correct something in an image if you're not aligned correctly. It can't be done in LR. 6) HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Photomerge (for panoramas) capabilities. Granted, there are stand alone applications that perform these functions and probably do it better than PS, but at an added expense. Conclusion - LR 1.0 was a destructive fiasco, and is the worst commercial application (bar none) I've ever used. On a Vista PC I experienced every disastrous error possible (took weeks to recover from the "importing" mess) and that experience left a bad taste in my mouth for LR and Adobe. I miss the changeable grid overlay capability from LR 1.0 (but nothing else). LR 2.0+ has changed everything. At this point, I'd suggest that anyone thinking about buying it, and willing to give up the advanced image control PS provides, should go ahead. Adobe has - finally - released an exemplary application (though still containing some bugs). It took them an extra 18 months from their LR 1.0 release, but this application is focused, competent, and fun to use. So why am I rating it 4 stars and not 5? The reason is that LR is not a PS replacement; it's a very capable front end (Bridge/ACR replacement) that can handle most of your image processing needs. If an image requires something extra though, it's still off to Photoshop for the heavy lifting. Other thoughts - If you also do print layouts requiring text, web development, minor 3D or time-lapse photography, you really don't have a choice and must continue using Photoshop. Remember, for image processing you can do everything in PS CS4 that you can do in LR. If cost is no object, definitely buy both. If you're interested in doing video work too (some of the new cameras have it) then you may be better served by PS/ACR/Bridge and the video application of your choice. It takes time to master applications, so focusing your efforts on those that allow you to do your work quickly and efficiently are wise choices. Warning - Lightroom may still have issues with sharing files with Photoshop. If you didn't save your previous PSD files with "Maximize Compatibility" (I turned this off long ago) LR 2.0 is not going to be happy. What this means is that LR falls short as an image manager. Bridge/ACR/PS can handle them all, but LR? Not so much..... Dec. 2008 CAVEAT - PS CS3/RAW file users hoping to buy a newly released DSLR will either have to purchase PS CS4 or Lightroom 2.0 (or 2.2 later this month) to get RAW file support. Adobe, in what can only be considered a slight to a large customer base, has dropped all PS CS3 ACR updates. CS3 customers must either convert their RAW files to DNG (adobe's Digital Negative format) to continue processing in CS3, or must buy CS4 or Lightroom to get new camera support.. Unsupported CS3 cameras include Canon's 5d Mark II and Nikon's just announced D3x. The number of cameras not supported will increase significantly in the next 3 months (by Q1 2009) and effectively abandons CS3 photographers. Upgrade or die.... Rating: - * The only image tool you will need ... I tried the previous version of Lightroom, but couldn't see much of an advantage over the free cataloging program that came with my Nikon cameras, so I uninstalled it. This version is a different animal. I don't know whether to call it an image cataloging program with powerful image editor or an amazing image processing program with an intuitive cataloging feature. Its library catalogs images across multiple drives with an enchantingly user-friendly interface. The enchanced previews allow you to sort the sharp from the not-quite-so-sharp at a glance. Keywording for a shoot can be accomplished in minutes thanks to the spray formatting feature. Enter or choose a group of words once, then apply them to multiple shots. The program recognizes multiple image formats, including 180 versions of RAW, and you can covert them with ease. The Develop mode is magical. You can adjust exposure, white balance, healing (for those pesky dust spots)and everything else Raw for Photoshop can do, plus gradients and a brush tool that applies adjustments to certain parts of the image. In fact, most users will not even need Photoshop. The Print and Web output features are amazing. You can easily put together picture packages for friends, or clients, or create a fantastic Web gallery with eye-catching templates. The sharpening tool for output has been improved. You will love it. In short, this is my new toy and I can't stop playing with it! When I finish cataloging my slides, prints, and digitals, I will finally have 25 years worth of pictures under control. Thank you, Adobe engineers!!! I would kiss your feet... nah Terrific product. Rating: - * Speedy, Efficient, Great Editing ... As an amateur photographer, Lightroom 2 was on my wish list for quick photo editing. Now that I have it and have used it, I am more than satisfied! The library and sorting system are user-friendly and customizable. Not only can you import your photos and keep them in the same basic folders that are used on your hard drive, you can create your own collections. Lightroom has it set up that you can save photos in folders you create and name, as well as in "Smart Collections" which sort your photos automatically based on how you rate your photos (1-5 stars, which, by the way, is another great feature more users should utilize, allowing you to easily mark your favorites), recently edited photos, photos from the past month, photos without keywords, and colored red photos (something I'm still figuring out). For photographers who take dozens, if not hundreds of photos each week and need a quick and easy way to sort, Lightroom 2 makes this possible. Another feature to the sorting and organizing is the keyword feature. Create your own, and based on how many times you use a certain keyword, or combination of keywords, Lightroom 2 automatically suggest keywords at the top of the list of all used keywords. What a convenient setting when tagging multiple photos from the same event! The next feature you'll find and love in Lightroom 2 is the Develop feature, where you can choose from several preset edits (among which are aged edits, grayscale, sharpening for landscape). In the Develop setting, you can preview what the edit will do on the photo by scrolling the mouse over each preset title and watching the thumbnail photo transform (on the left side of screen). Also, the program saves the photo file in original form, as well as a history of all actions taken to modify the photo. Again, you can scroll over the history to see the changes in the thumbnail, allowing you to quickly find the change you like best, without having to go back through layers and layers as in Photoshop. The Develop setting allows for quite a range of possible editing features, from basic white balance and sharpening and exposure, to tone curves, saturation, split toning, detail, vignettes, and camera calibration. While Lightroom 2 still doesn't allow for all the fine editing that can be accomplished with Photoshop, photographers will find that using the quick edits in Lightroom will save a great deal of time in Photoshop, and may even find that fewer photos need extra tweaking in Photoshop. You will find a neat feature in the Develop mode, which is the adjustment brush. This feature allows for masking in selective ares, adjusting exposure, brightness, contrast, sharpening, and more, without changing your entire photo. Next you'll find the slideshow mode, which allows for adding a stroke border, shadow, identity plate, and text overlays to a select group of photos for a slideshow. This is a mode that I personally don't use, as my work and interest is more in the organizing and editing. For photographers who desire to print, the Print mode quickly allows you to create contact sheets and picture packages with multiple photos and multiple sizes on a sheet. The program automatically rearranges photos to maximize the number printed on a sheet. Great feature here! Finally, the Web tab is a feature likely to be most used by those who want to create an easy way to put photos directly from Lightroom into their website. Here you can choose from several different templates which again automatically place the photos from your selected collections. Lightroom 2 is a must-have for photographers wanting to spend less time at the computer running edits, tagging, and organizing. Some casual users may find that Lightroom 2 is more than needed for their purposes. My only negative comment, and why my review is 4 stars instead of 5, is that Adobe neglected to include a user manual in the packaging or on the disk. Users may want visit Adobe, search the web, and visit forums for in-depth help and tips to get the most of Lightroom 2. Rating: - * It does what Camera RAW anbd Bridge does but better ... Where do I start. This is a great package. I used to open all my photos in Camera Raw and catalog them using bridge. Adobe Light Room 2 has many more features and is non destructive. I shoot almost exclusively in RAW and then convert them to DNG. LR2 allows for spot correction, graduated touch-up, and some masking features. The only drawback that I can find is that if you are new to the Adobe tools it is a bit overwhelming. I use Kelby training and have gone through many of the videos which have helped me catchup quickly. For $20 per month (less if you are a NAAP member) you can view all of their training as much as you want. Back to LR2 - I am still finding new ways to do things but I think this is a great program. One feature I especially like is the presets. They give the user the ability to do some basic editing on all your photos. Rating: - * A worthy Upgrade ... Well, to start with, I am a professional photographer and I have used version 1 of Lightroom for quite a while - pretty much since it came out. I really like Lightroom, and I recommend it to anyone, amateur or professional, who takes a lot of images. If you go on vacation somewhere wonderful and bring back 100 photos, Lightroom probably isn't for you, but if you routinely shoot a few hundred exposures or more on a weekend trip or a one day professional assignment, then you need it. It's that simple. So, in this review, I am going to talk mostly about what's new. There's quite a lot. The two "inside the engine" things that got me excited are support for 64 bit operating systems and multiple monitors. The 64 bit thing just makes it faster if you have a 64 bit operating system. The two monitors let you see the grid view on the second screen while you work in loupe mode or develop on the other one. Another new feature is an adjustment brush that is local, making it easier to dodge and burn when necessary, and, if you sell print packages, you will enjoy the new ability to arrange multiple photos on a page. I couldn't really find much in the way of negatives to say, so I won't try. If you like Lightroom 1.1, you will love this version, and if you take a lot of photos and haven't tried Lightroom yet, what are you waiting for