Lightroom is a one-stop solution for digital photography. While the first release was a great start, there's always room for improvement. Adobe clearly listened to photographers when compiling the new feature list for Lightroom 2.
You have already read my review on Lightroom- I in this blog so I am going only to discuss here the major modifications.
As a photo organizer and an impressive photo editor in one, Photoshop Lightroom 2 adds new editing tools while keeping things simple.
The most obvious change is an increased ability to make localized changes. This include a gradient tool that allows alterations to be applied selectively across an image. Adobe Camera Raw has also been updated
Lightroom's new editing features permit photographers to make quick touch-ups and exposure adjustments and apply them to a single image or across multiple pictures. As a result, you can now make certain fixes that you want to apply prior to presentation-such as cropping, graduated filtration, and adjustments to selected parts of an image-part of your initial workflow before doing the final retouching in Photoshop.
Ground-Breaking Innovation in Raw Technology:
New raw technology gives photographers access to flexible camera profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer. To minimise surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing from their favourite camera, while also providing the ability to create highly customised profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are available for immediate download on Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com) for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.
The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.
Lightroom 2 now supports dual monitors and images can be sent to Photoshop CS2 or later as Smart Objects and Layers, as well as much larger images making panoramas a real option now.
If you're on a Mac with OS X 10.5, you can run Lightroom 2 in 64 bit mode, giving you access to all the memory in your system for better performance.
Library Module:
The Library module has received the most visible changes to the user interface . Some of this is a re-arranging of panels to make working with features easier, while others are major enhancements to existing tools.
Collections have added Smart Collections. These special collections are automatically filled with images based on criteria you select. There are several included, and you can add your own.
Develop Module:
The big news here is the addition of localized correction tools. It's now less likely that you'll need to make a trip to Photoshop for many of your edits, and you have the advantage of doing all of these adjustments non-destructively, just like the other tools in Lightroom 2.
Just below the histogram, you'll see the new Edit toolbar. Crop, Spot Removal, and Red-eye Correction have moved from below the main Preview panel to this new toolbar.
The Spot Removal (Clone)/Healing tool now has an Opacity adjustment to make blending more natural. The major change though is the addition of a Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush.
The Adjustment Brush has all of the same controls but adds Size, Feather, and Flow control. The Auto Mask option is a very useful tool to control where your adjustments are applied, and the Density control changes how strong the mask is.
Finally, you can set multiple brushes as well as an Erase brush. With both Graduated Filter and Adjustment Brush you can create as many adjustments as you like, each with different settings. As an added bonus, if you have a set of adjustments you like, you can save them as a preset for future use.
An excellent graduated filter tool lets you compensate for an overexposed sky or a dim foreground in landscape photos. All you have to do is select the horizon line and manipulate sliders for exposure--even saturation if you like. Lightroom 2 adds masking to its array of editing tools as well. In much the same way as in Photoshop, you can change the size, flow, and feathering of your brush to apply a mask, and then edit only the parts of the photo that need targeting.
Because so many photographers enjoyed using the lens correction feature to create vignettes, Lightroom now includes a setting designed specifically for that purpose. The program's new Post-Crop lens correction will work on a picture that you've already cropped, using its new dimensions and ignoring the edges of the original image. This way, you get an authentic, symmetrical vignetting effect. Lens correction settings can be manipulated to lighten or darken the edges of your photo, fading to white or black at its most dramatic extremes, to produce interesting effects.
Slideshow Module:
The Slideshow module has received modest changes. The Titles panel has options to add Intro Screen and Ending Screen slides with a checkbox to include an Identity Plate. In the Playback panel, you can now select which screen to use for playback and whether to blank the other screens, as well as add a Soundtrack to the show .
Print Module:
There are some very useful additions to the Print module. First is the addition of Picture Packages. Like you'd expect, a Picture Package gives you multiple copies of the same image on a page. You can print different sizes on the same page, and because it uses templates like the standard print options, you can save your layouts for future use.
Web Module:
The Web module gains the output sharpening options seen in the Print module and adds a new Preview in place rather than having to build a temporary version of the website and launching a browser to preview.
CONCLUSION:
Lightroom 2 is a solid upgrade to this popular workflow program. The addition of localized adjustments in particular will keep many people from needing to make a trip to Photoshop. Other enhancements are more subtle, however the combination of all the changes make Lightroom 2 worth the upgrade
No comments:
Post a Comment