Kia ora tatou:

Over the last few weeks, I have been getting to know Lightroom 2.0. As  I do so, I become more and more impressed. For those of you sitting on the fence, here are 10 reasons (in no particular order) to make the jump.

1. The graduated filter Let’s face it, adding a gradient to simulate a grad filter in CS3 is a chore and one which takes time. In LR it is a breeze. What is more, you can add multiple gradient masks to selectively grad the image. All non-destructive, of course.
2. The adjustment brush. You choose the size, specify the feathering and go to work. Dodge and burn? no problem. O, and did I mention you can adjust saturation, sharpening, contrast and a few other things as well, using this tool?
3. Multiple monitor support. If you have two monitors, you can have the grid open on one and a loupe version taking up the other at ful-screen. Use the latter on your calibrated monitor. It applies the effect in real-time. What’s not to like?
4. Catalogue arranged by drives. If you only have a few 000 images on a single drive, this will be of minimal interest. If you have your images across multiple drives, then finding images just got a lot easier.
5. Improved sharpening. The sharpening filter in LR2.0 is substantially stronger and more subtle. It’s almost as good as CS3, and it has a cool wee preview window where you can see the effect. Nice.
6. Support for plugins. It was always coming, but now LR uses a plugin manager to enable to add some very nifty aftermarket tools to add functionality, such as PTtools, Enthuse and Slideshow Pro. Pimp my Lightroom.
7. New Print Options. Now you can output sharpen for different media and there are new templates for multiple printing ( i.e 1 7×5 and 4 2.5 x 3.5 on the same sheet). In addition it is easy to download and install other people’s templates.
8. Native 64-bit support. If you have a 64-bit OS installed ( VIsta 64 or MacOS X), then it will install in 64-bit form, which give you more speed. Note: on a Mac, you’ll need to get info on the application and disable “Open in 32-bit Mode” to have it run as 64-bit.
9. Custom colour profiling for RAW. A bit of a mouthful to explain, but put simply, it uses you camera’s native colour profile rather than what it thinks you would like. Afer that you can go to work. It takes a bit of getting your head around, but once you have, it is simple to carry out and the results are well worth it.
10. Smart Collections. Want to create a collection based on your rating or labels? No problemo. Ooh, that is cool…

Need More information? Read here…

You may have your own thoughts. Please post your brickbats or bouquets in the comment section.