Matt Kloskowski of NAPP and the infamous Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips, has come out with a response to the Apples release of their Aperture 3. He has a blog post of 5 Reasons to Stay with Lightroon? posted Feb 15, 2010.
I will let you got to the link above to view the entire post. But, here are my quick thoughts on the Lightroom vs. Aperture. First, any program that makes my life easier is a good program. When I first got my MacBook Pro, I was given a trial version of Apples Aperture 1. It was a step up from iPhoto, because it offered more post processing control over the current version of iPhoto at the time. I knew I wanted to go the Adobe Lightroom way, because of the workflow is designed to work better with other Adobe products i.e. Photoshop. Another reason I chose Lightroom over Aperture, is the fact that most plug-ins a free, and more user presets.
Aperture has one major benefit that I looked into to help me make a decision to go with Apple Aperture. In the early days I really used the iLife programs especially iWeb and iMovie/iDVD. Aperture works seamless with these programs. However, as my needs grew beyond what these programs offered, my interest in Aperture diminished. I nolonger use iWeb for my web publishing, I use Adobe Dreamweaver CS4.
In conclusion, any program that makes photo post processing easier for anyone whether it is Lightroom, Aperture, iPhoto, Adobe Bridge or one of the other web 2.o programs available, I think you should use the best one for your needs.
Post your comment, thoughts or ideas in the comment section below or take the survey.
Matt’s Final Thoughts:
Final Thoughts If you’re a current Lightroom user, you’re among the group of the most used photo management/processing software in the world. There’s a reason why when you do a search for buzz, news, tutorials, presets, etc… on Lightroom vs. the same for Aperture, you find much more about Lightroom. It’s an awesome program and like anything out there, will just get better with time. Be happy with it. If your curiosity just has to get the best of you then by all means, download the free trial of Aperture and give it a try yourself. Maybe you’ll switch. If that’s the right thing for you then go for it. Just don’t do it because it’s new and different. As always, leave a comment. I welcome your thoughts on the topic (just be nice)
Sometimes photographers would use Selenium (Se) while developing.
Photography
Selenium is used in the toning of photographic prints, and it is sold as a toner by numerous photographic manufacturers including Kodak and Fotospeed. Its use intensifies and extends the tonal range of black and white photographic images as well as improving the permanence of prints.
Early photographic light meters used selenium but this application is now obsolete.
Adobe today released Lightroom 2.6, Camera Raw and DNG Converter 5.6. According to Adobe this willl be the final update to Lightroom 2.0. Next stop Adobe Lightroom 3.0.
In the new release from Adobe Lightroom 2.6, Adobe fixed previous issues that came to be in release 2.5. They also added new support from new camras that came to market since the last update.
Known Issues
• Burning exported images to disc is not available for the Lightroom 64-bit Windows application.
• Upgrading a Lightroom 1 catalog during a catalog import can create multiple temporary copies of the catalog while upgrading
• Lightroom performance can be impacted when the Window’s Recycle Bin contains thousands of files
• Lightroom may not automatically launch an import dialog when a memory card is attached to a Windows Vista computer. Please select the Import button in the Library and select the attached card reader to begin the import.
• Lightroom 2.6 will not automatically migrate plug-ins located in the following directory: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2\Modules\. Any plug-ins in this folder should be moved to: o XP: C:/Documents and Settings/{your_username}/Application Data/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/ o Vista: C:/Users/{your_username}/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/
Supported File Formats:
• JPEG
• TIFF (8 bit, 16 bit)
• PSD (8 bit, 16 bit)
• DNG
• Proprietary raw formats (Please visit http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html for a
full list of raw file support. File support for Lightroom 2.6 aligns with Camera Raw 5.6)
New Supported Cameras:
Support for the following cameras has been added in this update.
Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Mamiya M22
Canon EOS 7D Mamiya M31
Canon PowerShot G11 Nikon D3s
Canon PowerShot S90 Olympus E-P2
Leaf Aptus-II 5 Panasonic DMC-FZ38
Mamiya DM22 Pentax K-x
Mamiya DM28 Sigma DP1s
Mamiya DM33 Sony A500
Mamiya DM56 Sony A550
Mamiya M18 Sony A850
Important File Format Support Exceptions (Formats not supported):
• CMYK Files
• PSD files saved without a composite image. (Saved without “Maximize Compatibility” setting)
• Files with dimensions greater than 65,000 pixels per side (512 Megapixel Total)
• All video files, including those acquired by digital still cameras
New in Lightroom 2.6
The goal of this release is to address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom 2 and provide additional camera raw support. A comprehensive list of issues fixed in this release is included below:
Lightroom 2 Bugs – Fixed
• The crop tool would unlock a locked aspect ratio after a rotation adjustment
• For Mac OS X 10.6 customers, visual artifacts could appear when panning an image viewed at 1:1 in
the Develop module.
• For Mac OS X 10.6 customers, the 10.6.2 update included a correction that prevented Lightroom 2 from opening more than two files using the Edit-in-Photoshop functionality.
• Lightroom 2.6 provides a fix for an issue affecting PowerPC customers using the final Lightroom 2.5 update on the Mac. The issue, introduced in the demosaic change to address sensors with unequal green response, has the potential to create artifacts in highlight areas when processing raw files from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and various medium format digital camera backs.
• Lightroom 2.5 and earlier did not support the updated Panasonic DMC-LX3 aspect ratio modes added with the camera’s latest version 2.0 firmware.
Working with Lightroom 2 and Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw
Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw share the same image processing technology to ensure consistent and compatible results across applications that support raw processing. These applications include Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 7.0 and Premiere Elements 7.0.
Photoshop Camera Raw 5.6
Adobe applications must be updated with the Camera Raw 5.6 plug-in in order to ensure compatibility with Lightroom 2 develop module settings and Photoshop integration features. Photoshop CS4 users can update the Camera Raw plug-in automatically using the Update tool listed under the Help menu. The Camera Raw 5.6 plug-in can also be downloaded and installed manually by visiting the Adobe web site: www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html. Please follow the installation instructions carefully.
Sharing Lightroom Settings with Camera Raw 5.6
By default, Lightroom’s develop module settings are stored in Lightroom’s database. In order to ensure that Lightroom develop settings can be viewed by Camera Raw 5.6 the settings must be written to the XMP metadata block for that file. This metadata is stored in an XMP sidecar file (Imagename.xmp) in the current image directory of proprietary raw files or stored directly within DNG files. To update images with the latest develop settings, choose the library module and select the group of target images. Choose the shortcut Command(Ctrl) + S to save the settings to the XMP metadata block.
Viewing Lightroom settings in Camera Raw 5.6
Before working in conjunction with Lightroom and Camera Raw please set the Camera Raw preference to: Save image settings in: Sidecar “.xmp” files. By default Camera Raw will display the image adjustments exactly as performed in Lightroom’s develop module.
Viewing Camera Raw settings in Lightroom
Raw files edited by previous versions of Camera Raw will maintain their previous appearance when imported into Lightroom. Note: Those files must have been edited with the preference set to Save image settings in: Sidecar “.xmp” files in order for Lightroom to respect the previous edit. Files edited in Camera Raw after importation into Lightroom can be updated in Lightroom by choosing the “Read Metadata from Files ” from the Metadata file menu. Note: This menu option is only available in the Lightroom Library.
Additional Notes on Camera Raw and Lightroom
• Camera Raw will only read the current settings for the primary image in the Lightroom Library. Virtual Copy adjustments will not be displayed or available in Camera Raw 5.6
Adobe Labs has just released the the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta release. The Beta Release is a public beta. Here is the link to the Beta 3 Release.
Here are some of the new Features:
Some of the new features included for you to play with in the Lightroom 3 beta are:
Brand new performance architecture, building for the future of growing image libraries
State-of-the-art noise reduction to help you perfect your high ISO shots
Watermarking tool that helps you customize and protect your images with ease
Portable sharable slideshows with audio—designed to give you more flexibility and impact on how you choose to share your images, you can now save and export your slideshows as videos and include audio
Flexible customizable print package creation so your print package layouts are all your own
Film grain simulation tool for enhancing your images to look as gritty as you want
New import handling designed to make importing streamlined and easy
More flexible online publishing options so you can post your images online to certain online photo sharing sites directly from inside Lightroom 3 beta (may require third-party plug-ins)*
What are some features you would like to see added to the new Lightroom 3 final release? I would like to see Adobe add video adjustments. Since most of the DSLR’s that are being released now have some sort of video capability. Comment on what you would like to see added in the comments below.
Update: I ran across the NAPP National Association of Photoshop Professionals Lightroom 3 Learning center. The guys over at NAPP have put together some short video that explain the new features that Adobe has added to the Lightroom 3 Beta. If you have never seen these guys do video, Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski and R.C. Concepcion put together some great video tutorials. Click… here to check out the videos.
This image was taken at San Diego Wild Animal Park in 2006 pre Nikon DSLR. All I was using was an inexpensive Kodak point-in-shoot. The camera took nice colorful images, but lacked manual adjustments. Unfortunately the camera didn’t allow the ability to create (DoF). The entire image appears to be on the same focal plane. I adjusted colors and contrast in Adobe Lightroom 1.41.
This next image I adjusted in Adobe Lightroom 1.41 and Photoshop CS3. I created a Layers Mask and added Lens Blur. I didn’t think that the adjustment I made was blurry enough so I did it again.
Since I am using an adjustment mask in Layers I switched to the brush tool. Selected a soft edge brush. I made sure my primary color was black and painted over the entire sheep. The black allows the Mask to be removed in top layer to reveal the bottom clear layer, resulting in an “in-focus” sheep. This creates an artificial Bokeh and or Depth of Field.
Now I fudged a little. If I really wanted to create a true DoF look, I would have made everything within the focal plane of the sheep in focus. Instead I just made the sheep in focus, I felt this made the animal stand out a little more.
These shots are the results of a test from my dropped lens. In Monterey last weekend I was unloading the “Element” for a little shoot of my wife and me for our Christmas card. When I picked up my Photo Backpack I didn’t realize I left it unzipped. The result was that my Nikon NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR Micro came crashing to the ground.
Luckily it hit on the hood that was reversed in its storage position. A few scrapes and burses, but I think it survived.
On Tuesday night I ran it through some up close tight test. The middle and right image is soft due to my fault. I focused on the wrong spot. I will do more testing for a more definitive answer.
