Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta
Adobe has made a beta version of its new Lightroom software available. The download works on both Mac and Windows platforms with the Windows version approximately 135MB in size and the Mac download about 65MB. There is no requirement that any previous version be installed or that you have a license – Adobe is following a growing trend that is seeding future software to as large as possible an audience to gain a far wider range of feedback. For developers, this means a greater pool of feedback on features and bug reports, for end users it’s an opportunity to try out new software. The beta expires at the end of April 2010 and as always, you are advised not to rely on the software for day-to-day work, but rather to try it out and play around with it.
I installed Lightroom on Windows 7 and was rather impressed that the ZIP file includes both a 32-bit and a 64-bit version. I chose the 64-bit version, since G2S runs a 64-bit OS. Lightroom installs quickly and, upon startup, request images to be imported. The user interface is attractive, with chunky buttons and neat rows of thumbnails.
The screen area is roughly divided into a top panel holding oft-used functions, a left side panel with a preview of the current workspace and quick-access menus for services such as Flickr. The main workspace holds the current photo being edited or a preview of all the photos in the library. Finally, the right side panel contains manipulation tools and settings that may be applied to the picture in the workspace.
One of my favourite features is the ability to sort data with having to maintain filters – these work straight out of the box. So, for example, it is easy to filter by a specific camera and see only the photographs that were taken with it. An additional filter goes so far as to permit filtering by lens. Rather neat!
Editing tools are provided, as are many different effects filters and the ability to change almost any aspect of what the photograph will look like. A handy preview allows the result of applying a specific effect to be seen in greater detail.
I’m really impressed by Lightroom. It’s the first time I’ve played around with a copy of it, and I’m seriously considering getting the final version of the software once it becomes available after April next year. If you’re into photography, you should certainly check it out, even if you have no desire to purchase it in the long run – the fact that the software is available without charge for a couple of months without restrictions should be enough motivation to get some use out of it. My guess is that you’ll like. Give it a try!
