Lightroom 2.0 Beta 2: 5 months to test and improve
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Adobe just made public its Beta of Lightroom 2.0. Yes, a few days after the introduction of Aperture 2.1 with innovations strong resembling for some and a few weeks after launching then withdrawing the version 1.4 of Lightroom, a very imperfect version. This Beta version of Lightroom will allow to debug the application and to improve it as it had been the case with the very first version of Lightroom. The Beta version will expire on August 31, 2008. This time will be used by Adobe as a giant test of its software in order to have a fully functional tool when launched.
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Champagne! Lightroom 2.0 now offers dual screen mode.
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Among the new functionalities, let's start with the main ergonomic improvements and especially with the support of the dual screen display, finally! The monopoly of the dual screen function of Aperture now falls with Lightroom 2.0. This Beta is definitely a strong message towards the potential switchers which thought of choosing Aperture 2.0, a real encouragement to wait. The support of dual screen is managed in a smart way thank to a second window which would show, for example, the picked image in its large size when on the first screen, the interface remains with the library in grid mode. This mode can be even used with only one screen for the visualization of the photograph in another window, both windows would then remain on the same screen. 3 modes are available among which the mode "Locked" makes it possible to change the image in the grid without changing the image displayed on the secondary window. The very interesting "Live" mode makes it possible to change the image displayed on the on the secondary screen just by rolling over the film fix with the mouse. Fast, easy, efficient and powerful. We like it !
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New sort/search options of Lightroom 2.0
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On the top of the grid mode, the Adobe programmers placed columns in which you choose the sort or search criteria (aperture, date, key word, etc.) and they are added to end up with a very powerful sort and search formula. You can, for example, find all your images of May 2, 2007 to June 21, 2008 taken with your Canon EF 70-200mm F/2,8 IS USM lens and which have the key word "Olympics".
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Lightroom 2.0 keywords suggestion system
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Speaking about key words, Adobe introduces an innovation which should make the "keywording" easier to photographers. It is a very unpleasant editing stage. Adobe thought of all the lazy keywording with this function which appears too beautiful to be true. It consists of a proposal for keywords when you select your photograph. How Lightroom does that ? The software compares the photographs with others which look alike and suggest the same keywords.
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New brush tool working on the RAW file
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Lightroom 2.0 will offer a selective retouching tool, yes! For those who are familiar with the U-Point of Nikon Capture NX, it is the same idea. You select a brush, choose its shape and its size then the type of operation to be applied locally: to lighten up, darken, saturate, to act on clarity or the exposure. When you apply your tool, Lightroom analyzes the image to stop the application of the effect on the zones delimited by edges. You darken or saturate a too highlighted sky without retouching the ground for example. You can also pass by again on the zone treated to remove the effect or to visualize the zone on which you applied the effect. This Adobe style U-Point is completely non-destructive: this adjustment is in LR 2.0 database, in work on the RAW file, you may come back on it afterwards, to modulate effect (like when acting on the opacity of a layer in Photoshop).
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Sharpening in print module
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Lightroom 2.0 will propose determine the best sharpening setting for your image depending on what you want to do with it, the king of paper, of print technique and the resolution of the image. Sharpening is a science and many photographers will be consider as a relief to have Lightroom taking care of it.
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64 bits
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Let's go on with the list of Lightroom 2.0 innovations with the support 64 bits which should make the application a little faster for the heavy treatments like exports or the importation with creation of preview images.
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Lightroom 2.0 and Photoshop CS3: improved integration
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Lightroom will be, in its version 2.0, better interfaced with Photoshop and you will be able to launch an operation like Photomerge in Photoshop without having to export the photographs in Lightroom and save them on your disk. It will be easier. However, it will break the RAW workflow.
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This Beta of Lightroom 2.0 is already on available on Adobe Labs website. It will expire on August 31st. The users of a version 1 will be able to use it up to that point and to invite a friend to use it more than 30 days. 30 days is the limit of use of LR 2.0 Beta for everyone not having a Lightroom 1.0 license or being invited by someone already using it.
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