So what's new and improved?
For this latest version Adobe went back to the drawing
board and revisited aspects of the application that photographers have
highlighted as areas in need of most attention, namely performance and
image quality. The objective was to make Lightroom the "best in class"
application for digital photographers whether they be a professional
photographer with a growing collection of high mega pixel images or an
amateur with a relatively small photo catalog.
In comparison to the
public beta for Lightroom 2, the beta for Lightroom 3 doesn't contain
many new features. Nonetheless, those that are present should make for
significant workflow improvements, especially when the many minor
changes and enhancements are also factored in. The following
table lists some of the new and enhanced features found in Lightroom
3 public beta.
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Workflow & Library: |
Faster thumbnail scrolling and Module switching |
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Completely redesigned Import module |
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Publish Collections |
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Backup on exit |
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Enhanced sorting (i.e. sort by aspect ratio) |
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Enhanced collection and smart collection functionality |
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Import CMYK files |
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New thumbnail badge to show when photo is in a Collection |
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Optimise catalog command included in File menu |
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Develop: |
Improved raw conversion |
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Improved sharpening |
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Improved colour noise reduction |
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New Grain filter |
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Fill Light applied when Auto Tone button is pressed
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Improved Post-crop vignette |
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Collections panel |
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Simplified local adjustment brush and graduated filter panel |
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Output: |
Enhanced Slideshow export, which includes HD video |
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Music selection on Mac simplified and decoupled from iTunes |
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Sync slideshow length to duration of selected music track |
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Custom Print Package allowing free-form layout of multiple photos on
a page |
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Enhanced Watermarking |
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The list of new features may not be as extensive as
some might have wished for, but it is worth reminding ourselves that
this beta is still pretty early in the cycle. Even so, some of the most
requested features identified in previous versions have been included,
which goes to show that submitting a feature request does pay
dividends. You should refer to the Lightroom 3 beta Release Notes for
details on other new features and enhancements along with information
on Known Issues. The release notes also highlight changes to the
minimum system requirements. In particular, the ram requirement has
increased to 2GB. Mac users should also note that the beta and
eventually the shipping version will not run on PowerPC or G5
processors.
31
October 2009
I have posted a PDF copy of the keyboard shortcuts
for the Mac version of Lightroom 3 beta. A Windows versions will be
available shortly.
Lr3 beta Keyboard
Shortcuts (Mac)
Pre-flight Information
The Lightroom 3 beta will not overwrite or interfere
with existing version 1.x or 2.x catalogs nor will it allow you
to upgrade a catalog from an earlier version. It should also be safe to
work alongside your existing catalogs. Nevertheless, it 's important to
mention a few important caveats to using the Lightroom 3 beta. I have
already mentioned the first, namely that it is not yet possible to
upgrade an existing Lightroom 1 or 2 catalog, so you will be forced
into creating a new version 3 catalog. The second is that, as with all
beta software, bugs do exist and it is therefore important that you
work on copy images, especially if you decide to save develop settings
back into the image. The third is that develop settings applied to
images in the public beta are not guaranteed to transfer correctly to
the final shipping version. In other words, the Lightroom 3 Beta is
intended for testing purposes and to provide users with an opportunity
to provide feedback to the development team.
As mentioned above, the main areas of focus for the
development team were to improve both interactive performance and raw
processing quality. In doing so, the first and most obvious problem for
the engineers was to find the right balance between performance and
quality, and it is here that Adobe would like you to focus most
attention.
In terms of performance, users should find that
scrolling thumbnails in the Grid and module switching are much faster
and smoother than in earlier versions. This type of performance
improvement is referred to as interactive performance. However,
the very substantial improvements in image quality have come at the
cost of reduced non-interactive performance. In particular,
preview rendering is noticeably slower than it is in Lightroom 2. No
doubt the engineers will work to improve the rendering speed, but it's
unlikely that it will match, let alone beat the performance of
Lightroom 2.
I have already mentioned that the raw processing and
noise reduction algorithms have been significantly reworked. However,
the extent to which they have been changed is such that for the first
time since the Camera Raw Plug-in was released, it has been
necessary to introduce the concept of Process Versions. By
default, images that contain develop adjustments from previous versions
of Lightroom will continue to use the original process version, but
newly imported images will use the new process version. It's when a
catalog contains both process versions that users will compare and
clearly see the
difference between the two, both in terms of image quality and
increased preview rendering times. In my opinion, the improvements in
image quality, particularly high ISO colour noise, are so great that
the increased time required to render the previews is worth it, but
others might not be so happy.
At present luminance noise is not applied to any images
and the slider control in the Develop module Detail panel has
been disabled when images have been converted to the new process
version. This is by design and reflects the fact that Adobe are still
working on the luminance noise algorithms. This lack of luminance noise
should not be a problem for low ISO images, but there may be a
graininess to higher ISO images. That being said, the improvements in
colour noise and noise patterning are so great that the graininess
actually looks quite natural.
Library Module and Workflow
Enhancements
There hasn't been much in the way of UI changes, so the
overall appearance of the Library module should be familiar to anyone
who already uses Lightroom 2. The Library continues to be at the heart
of Lightroom in so far as it's the module that provides most of the
tools for managing your photographic assets. Imported images can be
viewed in the Library in various modes or views. These include the now
familiar Grid view (G), Loupe view (E), Compare
view (C) and Survey view (N). Each of these views is
intended for a specific purpose in the your workflow, but you may find
one view more useful than others. For example, Grid view allows
you see large numbers of images as thumbnails whilst at the same time
providing a workspace for applying metadata, labels, ratings, keywords,
flags and even quick development adjustments to images in bulk. As with
previous versions of Lightroom Loupe view restricts these actions to a
single image. Compare and Survey views are designed to make the tasks
of rating and flagging easier, although some users will be irked to
find that they still can't preview at 1:1 in Survey view.
Figure 1 - Library module Grid view
Other minor enhancements within the Library module
include:
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Collections can be created directly within a collection
set by right-clicking on the collection set mages can be sorted by
aspect ratio
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The name of a collection is displayed when an image is
added to a target collection
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Stack badges can now be toggled on or off independently
in the filmstrip via an interface preference
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Erasing with the spray paint tool now requires the use
of the Alt key
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Select a folder in the Library module and choose a new
option Import to here to launch the import dialog with that
folder preselected as the destination
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The import dialog provides source folder and
destination volume capacity information
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The option to include items from subfolders has been
included in the primary Folder panel drop down menu
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Choose Library -> Show Missing Images to locate
offline or missing files
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An icon has been added to grid thumbnails to indicate
that an image is part of a collection. Click on that icon to view
and/or visit the collection
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Favourite sources can be added to the filmstrip source
pop-up menu for quick access to specific collections or folders
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Flash state is now included as part of the smart
collection filter criteria
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When the ëspray caní is used to add an image to a
collection, the collection name is now displayed upon application
Import
For Lightroom 3 Adobe has completely rewritten the
Import module. Not only does it now look as if it belonged in
Lightroom, but the functionality provided goes way beyond addressing
many of the criticisms levelled at earlier versions. By default, the
Import module will open into the expanded mode (figure 2 below). This
view makes it much easier to visualise the whole process of importing
your images. The Source devices and volumes are listed on the
left side track and Destination on the right side track. It's
important to note that both source and destinations panels give
Lightroom access to all folders and subfolders on any connected hard
disk, not just those containing images.
The thumbnails view of the images are located in
between the two panel tracks. From here, individual images can be
included or excluded by clicking on the checkmark. However, it's also
possible to use keyboard shortcuts whilst scrolling through the
thumbnails (e.g. P = Pick, U = Unpick, X = Unpick).
Holding down the Shift key whilst applying a shortcut will auto advance
to next image. Applying develop presets, keywords, metadata, etc is all
done on dedicated panels within the destination panel track. Likewise
renaming images on import and defining the initial preview size.
Figure 2 - Expanded view of Lightroom 3
Import module
In addition to the expanded mode Adobe have also
included a compact mode (figure 3 below). This mode removes most of the
complexity associated with the source and destination panels. The
underlying idea is that Import Presets will already have been
configured by the user.
Figure 3 - Import module Compact mode
The Import module also allows you to browse supported
images on any connected hard disk in much the same way as a
conventional File Browser (e.g. like Adobe Bridge). It's even
possible to switch between Grid view (G) and Loupe view (E).
There is even a zoom tool (Spacebar) that allows scaling from
1:4 through 11:1
Figure 4 - Import module in File Browser
Loupe mode
Lightroom 3 beta will import the following file
formats:
In addition to RGB, Lightroom 3 beta will also allow
the import of CMYK*, LAB and Greyscale images.
* Any output, with the exception of export original,
or develop adjustments to these images will take place in an RGB color
space.
Publish Collections
Publish Collections is new to Lightroom 3 and is
intended to allow you to easily publish your images to your favourite
file sharing site directly from within the Lightroom Library module.
The Lightroom 3 beta ships with a plug-in that gives you direct access
to the Flickr photo sharing site. Obviously, you will need a
Flickr account before the feature can be used. To set up the connection
within Lightroom 3 beta is fairly straightforward in as much as all you
need to do is click on the Flickr Set Up button within the
Publish Collections panel. Pressing the button will open the Lightroom
Publishing Manager window as shown in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5 - Lightroom Publishing Manager (Click for larger view)
The name you use within the Publishing Manager must be
the same name as you use when connecting to Flickr via a web browser.
The account must also be activated from within Lightroom before your
Flickr Photostream will become available within the Publish
Collection panel. Once the account has been activated publishing your
images to Flickr is a simple matter of dragging your photos on to the
Photostream collection then pressing the Publish button.
Lightroom 3 beta will automatically begin the process of uploading the
images to Flickr. Figure 6 below shows how Lightroom 3 beta shows the
progress of the upload.
Figure 6 - Display of Photo
Publishing in progress
Viewing the images after they have been published to
Flickr is relatively straightforward - right click on the Photostream
to open the context menu then choose Go to Published Collection.
Assuming you have an active internet connection will launch your
default web browser at the Flickr page containing your images.
Figure 7 - View Published images at Flickr
Clicking on the Publish button any time after the
images have been published to Flickr will import any comments, ratings,
etc that viewer may have posted to your Photostream. These will be
displayed in the dedicated Comments panel located on the right
side panel track, just below the Metadata panel (see figure 8 below).
Flickr Pro Account holders can subsequently modify their images and
republish them to Flickr using the same procedure as described above.
Figure 8 - Photostream Comments
Library Filter Bar
The Library Filer Bar was first added in
Lightroom 2. At the time many were critical of the amount of screen
area that it took up, but were even more vociferous in their criticism
of the developers decision to make the metadata filter operate at local
level. Even worse was the decision to make the filter sticky.
Thankfully, the latter two criticisms have been addressed in Lightroom
3 beta. By toggling the padlock button on the top right corner
open/close you can dictate whether Lightroom will apply the selected
filter to an individual folders/collections (local) or to all
folders/collections (global).
Figure 9 - Library Filter Bar
Apart from the padlock enhancement little has changed
in the Library Filter Bar. Nevertheless, and for the benefit of new
users, it's worth repeating some of the description I provided in my
review of Lightroom 2.
There are four sections to the Filter Bar:
Text,
Attributes, Metadata and None. The first three are
used for a filtered search of the contents of your catalog and the last
(i.e. None) is used to switch the Filter Bar off. The Filter Bar is
activated from the
Library>View menu or by pressing on the '\' key. By default,
it contains four columns, but is easily configured to display between 1
and 8 columns (i.e. via menu on the top right corner of each column).
The actual column layout can be saved as a custom preset by clicking on
the Custom Filter pop-up located on the top right corner of the
Filter Bar. Figure 8 above shows an example of the Filter Bar in use.
One of the most useful aspects of the Filter Bar
is filtering by keyword. The Filter Bar uses 'AND' between the
columns and filtering within a column is an 'OR' function (i.e.
hold down Ctrl/Cmd key then make appropriate selections within
column). Using multiple keyword columns it is therefore possible for
both 'AND' and 'OR' keyword filtering.
As mentioned above, the Filter Bar is also the location
in which text based searches and attribute based filtering is carried
out. The rule set for text based searches has changed little since
Lightroom 1.x and they remain relatively self explanatory. However,
it's worth mentioning a few of the less obvious filtering rules that
come in handy for fine-tuned searches within the text entry field. For
example, placing a '+' at the beginning of a word is the same as
Starts With, placing a '+' at the the end of a word is the
same as Ends With, and placing a '!' at the beginning of
a word is the same as Doesn't Contain. Also, worth noting that
the Attribute bar now contains White and Gray label chips for Custom
Label and No Label respectively. Finally, multiple filters
are activated by shift clicking the respective filter name (e.g. click
Text then Shift+click Attribute followed by Shift+click
Metadata).
Watermark Editor
It's been a
long time coming, but at last Lightroom has a Watermark Editor.
With this new editor you can apply a text or graphical watermark
directly to a photograph. It's also possible adjust the size,
orientation, location and opacity of the watermark. Saved watermarks
can be applied from within the Slideshow, Print, Web and
Export modules. In figure 11 I show a sample watermark applied
to an image in the Print module.
Figure 10 - Watermark Editor
Figure 11 - Watermarking a
photo in Print module
Develop Module
As discussed above, the main changes within the Develop
module are associated with the raw image processing algorithms,
sharpening and noise reduction. Nevertheless, there are a few other new
features within Develop that many Lightroom users will no doubt find
useful. Figure 12 below shows a Before and After comparison of the new
raw conversion and colour noise algorithms in use. The images was shot
on a Canon EOS5 Mk11 at 3200 ISO in quite poor lighting conditions. The
color noise and sharpening are at default settings. Even allowing for
JPG compression associated with the screenshot it should be pretty
obvious that color noise in Lightroom is much better than Lightroom
2.5.
Figure 12 - Comparison between Colour Noise in
Lightroom 2.5 and Lightroom 3 Beta
The inclusion of the Collections panel on the left panel
track and the Effects panel on the right side are probably the
most obvious. Figure 13 below shows both bounded in red.
Figure 13 - New Effects
and Collections Panels
Local Adjustments
The Local Adjustment tools have been modified
slightly with the removal of the button sets from the Adjustment
Brush and Graduate Filter panels. The adjustment brush and
graduated filter sliders can be reset by holding down Option/Alt and
clicking on Amount. Another enhancement to these tools is the
provision of an 'X' overlay when no colour is selected.
|
 |
 |
Adjustment Brush
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Graduate Filter
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The Gradient Tool and Adjustment Brushes
have their own set of keyboard shortcuts, with the following being the most important:
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Open Adjustment Brush - K
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Open Gradient Tool - M
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Show/hide Pin - H
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Increase/decrease brush size - ] / [
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Increase/decrease feather - Shift+] / Shift+[
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Commit a brush stroke or gradient and/or start new - Enter
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Delete selected pin - Delete
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Holding down - Alt/Option key activates erase
mode
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Toggle Auto Mask On/Off - A
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Pressing 'O' toggles on/off the overlay
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Shift+O cycles through alternative
colours for overlay
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Constrain gradient to vertical - hold down Shift
plus drag
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Invert gradient - '
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Scale from centre - Alt/Option plus drag
Grain and Post-crop Vignetting
What do the sliders in Grain mean? Roughness affects
the consistency of the grain. If we consider a smooth, flat area of an
image (e.g. sky). Adding Grain with the Roughness slider
at the left, the nature of the grain will appear relatively consistent
across that area as you visually scan over it with your eyes. If you
move the Roughness slider to the right, the grain becomes less even.
Increasing the Size slider amount tends to soften the image
(rove detail), so be careful not to push it too far to the right. The
actual grain effect is designed to be close to visually uniform across
the tonal range, unlike digital sensor noise. The high-level goal is to
transform the visually unappealing characteristics of digital sensor
noise into the more visually pleasing characteristics of traditional
film grain that photographers are used to seeing. Figure 14 below shows
an example were grain has been added for effect rather than to disguise
a problem.
Figure 14 - Grain Effect at 3:1 zoom level
Post-crop vignetting was introduced in Lightroom
2, but many users complained that the manner in which it was
implemented did not properly reflect the desired effect. In particular,
photographers wanted a tool that increased/decreased
exposure/brightness rather than simply paining black or white into the
image corners. This time round we get two options, i.e. Highlight
Priority (default) and Colour Priority. Figures 15 and 16
show the two options with the same settings applied. Again, like other
new features you re encouraged to provide feedback on which you prefer
and why.
Figure 15 - Highlight Priority Post-crop Vignette
Figure 16 - Color Priority Post-crop Vignette
Other Develop module enhancements include:
-
Crop presets choices have been edited for clarity
-
A checkbox has been added to the toolbar to turn on/off
overlay visibility
-
The targeted adjustment tool is deactivated when
switching to a new Develop panel
Slideshow Module
Adobe has added the ability to export your slideshows
from Lightroom 3 beta as HD video. In addition, the link to
iTunes has been broken which means that incorporating your music tracks
is much easier than it was in the past. Lastly, for the slideshow
mostly, is the facility whereby double clicking on the music track
duration will automatically adjust the slide change time so that the
slideshow duration matches the music.
Figure 17 - Export slideshow as HD video
Print Module
The last new feature I want to discuss is Custom
Print Package. Like the Watermark Editor mentioned earlier the
custom print package has been high up the request list from very early
days. Laying out a page is relatively easy in so far as you can add
Cells of various sizes using the button set located within the Cells
panel. Once the cells are in place you can drag the images into them.
Alternatively, you can create a free-form layout by dragging the images
directly to a blank page then resizing them to taste. Figure 18 below
shows fairly simple free-form layout containing 3 images of slightly
differing size.
Figure 18 - Custom Print Package
Other minor, but
nonetheless important enhancements to the Print module include:
-
Black or a custom color can be selected for a print
layout background
-
The Identity Plate can be moved in small increments by
selecting it and using the arrow keys
-
Match photo aspect ratio is now a persistent option in
the Cell panel
Links to other useful material
on Lightroom 3 beta
Lightroom 3 Beta can be
downloaded from:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/
Michael Reichmann at
Luminous Landscape -
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/software/lr-3-beta.shtml
Remember Rule 5 -
Enjoy!
