Some of the new features and enhancements have been common knowledge
for a month or so now, but for those who haven't been following the
Lightroom forums here's a quick summary of what's New and
Improved in Lightroom Beta 3:
-
Enhanced User Interface Design
-
Enhanced Filters in Library module
-
Watched Folder
-
Crop and Rotate Tool in Library module
-
User specified Develop preset applied during import
-
Enhanced Zoom (Fill, Fit, 1:1 and 4:1) in Library and Develop
modules
-
Before and After Views in the Develop module
-
History of edits in the Develop Module (see Update
information on Page 3 of this review)
-
Enhanced Rotate (Straighten) Tool in Develop module
-
Improved interoperability with Photoshop CS2
-
Black Point Compensation added for improved print quality
-
Dedicated Web module for Flash and HTML output with native FTP
client
-
Specify output resolution added to export settings dialog
-
Enhanced print options including selective metadata and per-image
Identity Plate watermarks
The list of new features and enhancements highlighted above might
appear short, but appearances can often be deceptive. That said and
before discussing the new features, I think it's important to reiterate
some of the comments made by Adobe at the time Lightroom
was first announced. Firstly, and even though some pundits seem hell
bent of declaring the opposite, Lightroom is not a rushed
reaction to Aperture. OK, so Lightroom was announced
after Aperture with many core features missing, but that doesn't
make it a reaction to Aperture. Lightroom is still a
work-in-progress project. Missing features doesn't mean that they won't
be included in the final product, more likely that they aren't yet
ready for the public beta. Also, whilst modules such as Print
are virtually complete others are still very fluid. For example,
participants of the Lightroom forum will note that a module
named Describe, which was previewed at various Epson Print
Academy events over recent months is nowhere to be seen in the
public version of Beta 3. So, what's the Describe module and why
is it not included? The Describe module is dedicated to metadata
entry, but still requires a lot of work, so the Team have decided not
to include it with this beta release.
Library and Image Ingestion
Now we get back to what has been included in Beta 3. When you first
launch the Lightroom after installing Beta 3 you'll see an alert
dialog which indicates that your existing library is about to be
updated, and that this could take a few minutes. If you have many
thousands of images in your library the actual time can be quite
lengthy (10 minutes plus is not uncommon). Fortunately, the library
only needs to be updated once. When the library update is complete the
application will launch and you'll be greeted with an enhanced UI. The
more observant will notice that the panel headers have a more rounded
appearance and some new buttons added to the Status Bar. Other
buttons have been repositioned or removed altogether. The functions
associated with removed buttons are now accessed via the menus or
keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Export (Cmd+Shift+E) and Import
(Cmd+Shift+I)).
Enhanced UI in Library
Module
The screen modes such as Lights Dim, Lights
Out, Full Screen with Menu bar and Full Screen remain
virtually unchanged from the previous betas. Hitting the "L" key
cycles through Lights Dim and Lights Out, and hitting the "F"
key cycles through Full Screen with and without the Menubar.
Lights Out mode in Library
Module
I don't want to dwell too much on the obvious, so
you'll forgive me for moving onto more important features (i.e. those
requested by users during during Beta 1 and 2). For example, Watched
Folder support - one in the eye for those who said the
developers weren't listening! In the Import preferences, you can
set the Auto-Import to automatically import images into a
specified folder.
Import Module - defining the
"Watched Folder"
The Team have also provided fields for Naming
images, Keywords, appending Development Presets and
Metadata. No doubt a few users will find some aspect that doesn't
quite match with their specific workflow, but the functionality that
has been provided will far exceed the expectations of many more.
Configuring Auto-Import dialog
So, assuming your camera has the facility for
Tethered Shooting you're all set for automatic import from the
camera directly into Lightroom. I've tried the feature with my
Canon EOS 1DM2 and it works well, as does dragging and dropping of
existing image folders.
This next screenshot shows the modified module
selection and thumbnail preview panel as it appears when the Library
module is selected. The most obvious changes are the addition of a
dedicated Web module (more later), a 4:1 zoom ratio, and
repositioning of the EXIF data in the Quick Develop
panel. Hopefully, 2:1 zooming will be added some time in the near
future. Also, as mentioned above, Quick Develop now sports a
simplified version of the Crop and Rotate tool. Crop takes the
form of a popup menu with options for preset and user definable aspect
ratios. The Sync Crop Angle button enables the crop rotation
angle associated with the most selected image to be applied to
multiple selected images. The actual rotation angle is applied using
the Rotate tool found within the Develop module.
Module
selection bar now sports a Web Module
Another popular feature request dating back to Beta 1 was for the
inclusion of a Hierarchical keywording system. However, even
though it was included in Beta 2 many users still asked that it be
provided; with some going as far as to say it was a make-or-break
feature. Why they kept "banging the drum" for a feature that already
existed is a bit of a mystery, but they did. Anyway, hierarchical
keyword support is still included in Beta 3, but it now functions
differently to Beta 2. So, what's the difference? Well, Beta 3 uses the
concept of "explicit" keywords whereas Beta 2 (and most other
similar applications) use "implicit" keywording. I show an
example of hierarchical keyword system below.
Example keyword being entered
as a "Child"
Using above example: with "implicit" keywording
assigning "Bison" to an image would automatically assign "Wildlife",
whereas only "Bison" is assigned with "explicit" keywording. Something
tells me that this change (hopefully only temporary) is going to result
in some very negative feedback. The important thing here is that
keywording is not finished and the development team are still very much
open to user suggestions, which should be made via the Lightroom
forums. Fortunately, as the following screenshot shows, the
hierarchical structure is created, it's just not applied in the manner
most users are familiar with.
Keyword panel showing
hierarchical structure
Another sign that the development team has been paying
attention to user feedback is demonstrated in the way new Shoots
are created. If you select an existing Shoot then press the "add
(+)" button to create a new Shoot a small dialog is opened
and you're offered the opportunity to make the new Shoot a
Child of the selected Shoot. You're also able to move
any already selected images into the new Shoot.
Enhanced dialog for creating a
new Shoot
Many have asked for better Rating filters and the ability to
manually sort their images (i.e. shuffle mode). Both features have been
included in Beta 3, and will likely see further improvements in the
future. The Rating Filter now has options to filter out
images on the basis that they've been given a rating that is: Higher,
Lower or Only "n" number of stars. For now,
Manual Sorting is limited to simple drag and drop within the
selected Shoot (i.e. you must not have Entire Library
selected).
Improved Rating Filters
15
November 2006
Develop Module
At first glance little appears to have changed in the Develop module
but don't be fooled. OK, so the image editing tools haven't seen any
obvious changes, but other aspects of this module have been significantly
enhanced. Image adjustments will appear somewhat faster than in previous
betas, but there is still some further performance tuning to be
undertaken..
The Crop and Rotate tool was first introduced in Beta 2, but like many
Lightroom features it was only partially finished. With Beta 3 you now
have the ability to Straighten an image by drawing a straight line
between two points. Using the feature is
fairly easy - activate Crop Overlay, hold down the Cmd key,
click the start point for the line, then drag the mouse to define an
end point. If you're familiar with the Ruler tool and arbitrary rotation
in Photoshop you'll adapt to this automated version very quickly.
Enhanced Crop and Rotate Tools
I now come to the most interesting enhancements within
the Develop module. Folk participating in the Lightroom
forum made a strong case for Before and After views. These
views would allow them to compare an edited version of the image against
the original. The challenge wasn't so much how, but how many different
ways could this be done. Given there wasn't any real consensus on the
best way the development team have given us virtually every option they
could think of. The screenshot below shows the enhanced Status Bar
in the Develop module. With a new set of buttons you can now
select the original (Before view) by itself, the edited version (Loupe
view), a Left/Right comparison of Before and After,
plus a Top/Bottom equivalent.
Status Bar showing enhanced View
modes, Crop/Rotate tool and R-G-B readout
Although I haven't shown it on the status bar screenshot
there are additional buttons that further enhance this feature. The
following screenshot shows a standard 1:1 Before/After view of an
image in Left/Right view. A similar view is also available for
Top/Bottom views. Before/After views also support Live
(Real-time) comparison of image adjustments, etc. A quick method of
toggling the Before/After view is to use the "\" (i.e. backslash key).
Standard Before/After View
The second arrangement (shown below) allows the user to
compare an identical view of the image with and without edits. However,
using the Split Screen toggle it's possible to simply split the
image into two halves, thus providing even more options for comparing the
effects of image adjustments in real-time.
Split Screen Before/After Toggle
Also, on the Status Bar, and just to the left of
the split screen toggle are two buttons that allow you to copy the
settings from the Before image to the After image or vice
versa. It's an interesting option, but I think some users will take a
while to figure out a use for it.
Split Screen Before/After
View
When you switch to Before/After view the Hand
(Zoom and Pan) and White Balance tools will disappear. However,
both Pan and Zoom are still accessible by clicking the
image to Zoom or holding down the mouse button to Pan.
Pressing the Space Bar also acts as a Zoom toggle.
The Crop & Rotate button on the status bar can be used to
activate the Crop Overlay (keyboard shortcut is R for those who don't like
buttons), but it can't deactivate it, which is a pity. Also, notice that
an R-G-B readout is now available, although the values are quoted
in % terms rather than the more usual levels values. Avoiding levels
values gets round the problem that occurs when you're working with 16-bit
images where the normal 0 to 255 doesn't apply. However, my guess is that
there'll be ongoing requests for a conventional levels based R-G-B
readout.
The screenshot shown below shows the new History
feature nested within the Presets panel. I find this arrangement
a bit confusing, but consideration is being given to breaking it out
into its own panel. The History panel automatically records each
adjustment as you make it and is a much more useful (read powerful)
feature than I had expected.
Example of Image Adjustments
History
18 July 2006
As noted above, the History panel automatically
and independently keeps track of the changes applied to each image, so
selecting any line in the History panel will return the image to
the edited state at that point in time. By hitting the "Add (+)"
button at the top of the history panel a History Checkpoint is
created. This checkpoint actually collapses the current history states
into a single user history state (similar to Photoshop snapshot). The
checkpoints can then be used as "pseudo-Versions or
Renditions", meaning that a single RAW image can have multiple
"renditions" (i.e. one image with multiple sets of settings denoted by
the history date/time stamp in above screenshot). Double clicking the
date/time stamp checkpoint will allow you to edit the checkpoint so
that it has a more readily recognisable name. You can then hover
the mouse backwards and forwards over the checkpoints, whilst at the
same time watching the effect in the Navigator preview. Once you
see the version you're looking for simply click the relevant date/time
stamp or checkpoint name and the main preview will reflect the settings
that had been saved into the history checkpoint. The following
screenshot is an example of this technique being put to use. The
screenshot shows the original image along with 3 other "renditions",
each of which is based upon a sequence of edits involving amongst
others: Exposure, Brightness, Contrast, Split Tone effects, and
Cropping.
Using History Checkpoints as
Pseudo-versions or Renditions
Lightroom interoperability with Photoshop CS2
has also been improved, and a few bugs have also being fixed.
Lightroom creates a 16-bit Tiff copy of images before
launching Photoshop, and when the edits are being saved via
Photoshop the user can save the image back into the Lightroom
library. The main advantage of using this method of exporting images is
that it keeps the edited TIFF file within the library, which should
mean that you don't have to re-import it back into Lightroom when
you've finished editing it in Photoshop.
Editing Image in Photoshop
Another very welcome feature is that Lightroom
now provides the user to define the Size and Resolution
of images within the Export dialog. Although the screenshot
shows the output specified in pixels it's also possible to define it in
centimetres or inches. Obviously Lightroom will up/down sample
the image to match the size and resolution specified.
Enhanced Export dialog with
new Size and Resolution options
Print Module
The Print module also includes some very useful
enhancements. For example, followers of George Jardine's
Lightroom Podcasts will probably recall members of the Team
discussing the possibility of a One-button Print feature. Well,
it's included with Beta 3 and works extremely well. I have included a
screenshot showing the list of Print Templates that I've
configured for my Epson R2400 printer. The screenshot also shows the
new Photo Information options that can be printed with the
image.
Enhanced Print module showing
new One-button Print feature and Photo Information
One other thing of note regarding the Print
module - it now uses the Adobe Colour Engine (ACE) with the
Black Point Compensation for improved print quality. Again, I can't
go into details as to why this change was made, but the improvements I
see in some images are not insignificant. The earlier issue of broken
rendering intents has been fixed, so I expect that many of those who
had printing problems with Beta 1 and 2 will be a lot happier with Beta
3.
Web Module
The new kid on the block for Beta 3 is the Web
module. This module provides support for Flash and HTML
content, and provides a fair degree of flexibility in how the site
should appear. The screenshot shown below is an example based upon the
default Flash gallery. Using the Token system in Image
Settings panel it's possible to add Titles, Captions
plus information such as EXIF and IPTC data to each image
Sample Flash Gallery
The Web module also includes a native FTP
client as shown in the screenshot below. Whilst I haven't spent a
great deal of time testing this particular aspect of Lightroom I
did find that it worked reliably and was fairly easy to use.
Native FTP Support
Conclusion
If you've got this far and still feel disappointed
because a "must have" feature hasn't been included, then I suggest you
go back to the beginning and reread the initial few paragraphs -
Lightroom is still work-in-progress. Sure, we would like the
ability to rename images within the Library, have the ability to
move images from folder to folder like we can in Adobe Bridge,
synchronise libraries between laptop and desktop computers, provide
dual-screen support, clone and dust removal tools, etc, etc. However,
there are very good reasons why these features are still not available
- remember the phrase: "Rome wasn't built in a day".
