Adobe Lightroom 4

[Thomas]

I'm just downloading LR4 in preparation fo rmy new D800 body. With the capability of doing videos I#d just like to have an easy way to do the basic editing in the same tool as I do my basic photo editing.
But whoa: That software became a monster of over 700MB size - still downloading...
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Would be nice to hear your comments and experiences using the latest (and hopefully greatest) version of Lightroom!

[Plymer]

LR4 is amazing, full-stop. The new develop module allows you to produce a much greater dynamic range in a single image, and the colours are awesome. It'll take a bit of learning to get up to speed with the new sliders vs the old, but I can guarantee that you will be more than happy with it! The video support is a bit limited (it's no FinalCut or Premiere) but you can do some basic edits to colour, contrast, exposure, etc.

Again, amazing. But 700MB? My download was ~400...

[MrCliff]

Here's a bit on what I've learned about Lr from the Adobe Press (edit) LR4 Class Room in a Book.
I bought LR4 (Camera Labs affiliate buy) a few months ago and recently installed the 4.1 update - Adobe lists it as a 750 Mb download - ended up at about 500 Mb on my disk, at no extra cost. 4.1 adds things like a Fuji x Pro 1 raw reader so I'm covered if I end up with the X Pro-1 (xP1?) in my bag . Also bought Adobe Press LR4 Classroom in a book (Camera Labs affiliate buy too). The database capabilities taught in the book are sinking in. The LR database is essentially a photo data management tool set- like the ones used in my day job. I'm gaining an understanding of and, appreciation for the whole work flow subject. So far, the book and application have motivated my move away from a tried and true 'event/folder' photo storage and retrieval method to the Lr system. You can do all your file and folder manipulation in Lr so no need to go the the OS for these things. Picts are still stored on my hdd in folders but organized by LR in a logical and highly responsive (read fast- like instantaneous) catalog\collection structure. Once set up in LR, switching from travel to event picts to other picts taken years apart takes one mouse click. There is a stack feature for bracket, panorama, high speed action, etc. picts. Stacks help by compacting the visual content in various parts of the work flow. LR provides the user with the opportunity to apply keywords and meta-data to each pict or group of picts. These tags become the fuel for the powerful LR search engine. Adding keyword and meta-data to the picts on my hdd - 10 years worth - has been some work. The prospect of being able to retrieve very specific picts from all we've ever taken with a digital camera is intriguing. The Library half of the book has definitely changed the way my pics are managed- no looking back now.

But none of this is why I bought LR. I was after the Lr photo editing tools in the Develop Module. These tools are astonishing to me. So far I've relied on the LR video set at Adobe's site to learn things. They provide a good overview of the Develop module and, the others too. The book appears to cover the Develop Module in detail and I'm looking forward to working my way through it. As my photographic seeing and editing proficiency improve through this study and other texts, the temptation to over cook things will in time be replaced with a tendency toward subtlety and aesthetic quality.

It is interesting (startling really) to me, what can be dragged out of the Nikon P90 data by LRr. More to come as I go through the rest of it.



LR4 screen grab showing before and after appearance of a P90 pict.

Edit 120711
Done with the Book!

I am really liking LR. For the money, I can't get over what it can do. Never had any contact with PS Elements but I can't imagine it is this useful. Below is a composite of snaps assembled in the Print Module. Thanks for looking!


LR4 Print Module

[jameswilby5]

Good work Cliff! I am going to purchase L4F as I think it will be a lot easier to do my normal post processing than with Photoshop. The RAW capabilities with LR4 look absolutely amazing and the detail you can gain is incredible. I think I will purchase the classroom book made by Adobe. Do you think it is all the material needed? There is also a book by Scott Kelby who I find to be a very good teacher.

Many thanks,

James

[MrCliff]

There is also a book by Scott Kelby who I find to be a very good teacher

I mulled which book to by for a while and went with one of (edits) Adobe's -Class Room in a Book. Also available from Adobe is a more definitive book - The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers. Generally I prefer the originator's documentation to second or third party efforts. I'm a little disappointed with the first half of the adobe book though. In the -page- about stacks for instance, they refer one to their web site for complete subject matter- probably covered in greater detail in the Complete Guide. To their credit, they do push the basic skills home by repeating frequently. After reading something for the forth or fifth time, I get enough context to grasp it, why it is important and, remember the point (appreciated by me, not needed so much by others). Scott Kelby's books seem to have a large and happy following so, I don't think you could go wrong with either. I don't find Adobe apps to be intuitive so a book is required. The amazon price was much less than Adobe's. Cheers!

[jameswilby5]

Thanks! I think I'll end up buying the Adobe book. Can't wait to get LR4 I think I'll use it a lot more than photoshop.

[AGC888]

Has any one heard if Adobe will be offering a firmware update (I'm sure they will) soon to take advantage of Apple's new Retina Display on the new MBP laptops? I'm assuming Apple will be putting out monitors with Retina Display tech soon too...