Adobe LIGHTROOM: CameraRAW done right.
Written: Feb 27 '07 (Updated Mar 06 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Intuitive interface, render speed, color correction, print options, web gallery, approve/reject flags
Cons: Limited geometry correction, cumbersome picture import, no wizards (for automated adjustment)
The Bottom Line: A serious offering by the graphics leader but with room for improvement.
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| theuerkorn's Full Review: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1 |
For a long time, Adobe reduced its efforts in supporting photographers to the typical touch-up functionality and a good but also limited RAW converter (CameraRAW). Photoshop Lightroom has been in Beta for several years and is now finally available. Adobe is trying to lure more customers to the new product by offering it for $199 until April 2007 (and expects to raise the price to $299 after that). So is it time to pounce? Maybe.
Photoshop Lightroom represents Adobe's attempt to compete with the numerous purpose-built RAW editors like Apple's Aperture, PhaseOne's CaptureOne, DxO's Optics Pro, Canon's Digital Photo Professional, LightCraft's Lightzone and so on and so forth. The large Photoshop user base and Adobe's heritage are reason enough to expect a great product.
PHOTOSHOP?
Adobe is capitalizing its venerable Photoshop name and to simply add it to Lightroom may not be the best choice. It's at least confusing, as Lightroom does not provide any Photoshop functionality other than red eye and dust removal and printing. Beyond that it's a lot like an advanced CameraRAW (the Photoshop plugin to convert RAW files). Lightroom does not require Photoshop, and interacts like any other RAW editor with the graphics behemoth via menu pick to transfer the converted RGB picture. (Which then is saved back into the same folder and cataloged.)
Despite the similarity in name, lawful owners of a pricey Photoshop license don't receive any further discount for Lightroom either. Nevertheless, Adobe recommends to: "use Lightroom to import, manage, adjust, and present large volumes of digital photographs, and use Photoshop to more thoroughly refine individual images." (if needed)
In essence, Lightroom merges functionality of AdobeBridge and CameraRAW in one program and functions as a photo organizer and processor to be used with (optional) Photoshop. However, it does not replace them as CS3 is going to have updated versions of both Bridge and CameraRAW. The latter borrows a few features from Lightroom though.
LIGHT INTO DARKNESS
The interface is clean and inviting. It's slated to be a workflow tool and similarities to DxO's Optics Pro are apparent. However, there is a major difference. DxO focuses on automating as much as possible by having camera lens combinations analyzed and proper settings applied. Lightroom provides similar functionality but without the automated part and more user interactions. The lack of analyzing signs partially responsible for the much greater rendering speed and overall responsiveness.
Functionally, Lightroom excels in mainly color and exposure correction. The all too important tone curve is the best implementation I came across in any program so far. While it works the same as others, the range is divided into four zones and the affect of changes to the curve on the respective zone is expressed by an overlaid range which symbolizes the affected portion of the curve. This is very handy to judge the effect of curve changes on highlights, shadows and mid-tones, but mostly relevant for those who need a little reminder. Overall, color rendering is one of the best in any program and preserves some softness (unlike the somewhat harsh algorithms in DxO). Sharpening is rather traditional and while of good quality the typical halos are still quite visible when overdone. Localized contrast adjustment is not available, which sometimes helps to sharpen a picture without halos.
Lens correction is good for chromatic aberration (color fringes), but geometry is not affected by Lightroom. Neither distortion nor horizon correction is available. This may be Adobe's way to shoehorn the "need" for Photoshop into Lightroom, but for the workflow it's certainly disruptive. You will need a different editor or the mighty Photoshop for those corrections while some other RAW editors include more or less complete functionality. Best in class would have to be DxO with its lens correction based on measurements with the Company's venerable Analyzer, a respected tool industry to profile lenses.
A rare feature for a RAW editor is the direct print feature. This allows to print pretty much anything from the final picture to an index sheet and anything in between. Setup is very easy and easily the most intuitive solution so far in any RAW editor and even graphics software for that matter (with exception of the missing free positioning as seen in CorelDraw X).
Another novelty is the integrated web editor which allows to very easily generate a gallery from the current library. This can save a lot of work if you need to get your pictures online quickly and with proven designs. Those can be customized but typically don't replace a full editor like Dreamweaver to maintain a site's looks and overall feel (nor is it driven via database). Lightroom creates either a HTML or Flash photo album.
Automation in photo adjustments is relatively scarce and doesn't reach further than assigning presets and certain settings to multiple picture including applying settings from one picture to others. This may sound like a major disadvantage, and DxO certainly gets good results quicker (including a nearly perfect automatic correction for chromatic aberration), but most perfectionists will insist to tinker with each picture anyway and the top shots deserve that kind of extra attention.
DETAILS
Installation: [*****] - The downloaded file is 45 MByte small and overall Lightroom makes an equally little footprint on your hard drive. The requirement is 1 GByte, but most of that is dedicated to storage of temporary files. One GByte of memory is recommended, and doubling that may be a good idea. The installer is straight forward (without any options) and quick. I installed it under both WindowsXP and Windows Vista and both worked fine. Of course, the Macintosh is supported as well. Without a code, the download allows usage for 30 days as fully functional demo. To make your copy permanent, simply purchase an activation code and activate via Internet. Adobe's Photo Downloader is installed and mounted automatically, even if you don't want it. Generally used to detect memory cards and automatically import photos into Lightroom, it's against the grain when there are other applications that you prefer for the import. (The Downloader can be deactivated but not prevented from loading.)
Interface: [****-] - Divided into four sections--Module Picker, Control Panels, Filmstrip, and Preview--the interface is very clean and easy to navigate. Preview too small? Simply minimize any of the other panels. Commands and modules are placed in logical order and once the library is loaded, the flow is fairly smooth. Hints are displayed elegantly where needed and the whole design is very polished. Nevertheless, to export a JPEG or convert a whole folder (project) is not as intuitive and a little against the flow.
Performance: [****-] - Importing pictures and displaying previews is very fast. While that's mostly due to limited automated processes in the background, it get's you started quickly. The adjustment of each parameter is directly applied to the picture and especially sliders occasionally are a bit lagging since the changes are applied in real time. Of course that depends heavily on the used computer. Lightroom appears to utilize multiple cpu (cores) -- even for single commands. Conversion is a computing power intense process and while this converter can't do magic either, it's still one of the fastest on the market. Yet, part of the fame may stem from the reduced corrections when comparing to DxO.
Functionality: [****-] - The typical histogram sports RGB channels and indicators for blown-out highlights or underexposed shadows. Basic adjustments for exposure, highlight recovery, and fill lights directly adjust the respective section in the histogram. In addition to saturation, vibrance adds another level of detail to make sure pictures can shine and still remain their natural look. The tone curve is well known and kudos to Adobe for finding ways to make the adjustment easier to comprehend for occasional users. Another great feature is the B/W conversion and individual adjustment of 8 color channels (red, orange, yellow, green, aqua, blue, purple, magenta) for greater control and better contrast of different colors with similar Grey values. Beyond color control, the adjustment is limited to sharpening, noise reduction, chromatic aberration and vignetting. Neither offers an Auto button to analyze and guess the correct setting, and that costs a lot of time when fighting color fringes. Lightroom doesn't offer any geometry correction, but red eye and spot removal are fortunately available. Zone editing (as seen in Lightzone and somewhat CaptureNX) is currently not available in Lightroom.
Quality: [****-] - Given the vast array of color adjustment, Lightroom offers excellent quality when tone, balance and contrast have to be right. The output is a function of the user's ability to set the numerous controls just right. Most advantage from RAW files is realized and maximum quality is achieved with the available functionality. For geometry changes you might have to deploy Photoshop if you want to keep the workflow, or any other editor like Corel's PhotoPaint with minor implications on the interactive relationship back to Lightroom. Generally speaking, Lightroom is able to generate the best possible result, but sometimes that requires patience and perseverance in adjusting each parameter by hand. Especially wide-angle lenses will/may require additional software to correct distortions which can be very significant in portraits.
Workflow: [****-] - Though generally excellent, the beginning of a project presents the biggest hurdle in Lightroom. Importing pictures into the Library is done via the standard file browser and a large number of folders and files becomes hard to manage. Especially if you have doubles and need to evaluate which one to pick, which is virtually impossible relying on tiny thumbnails only. Once you crossed the bridge though, the path is a lot smoother. The Develop step offers all functions to optimize your pictures and have them ready for conversion. The Slideshow is an easy way to present your collection and even export it for use on another computer. Alternatively one can go directly to the Print step. Selecting layout (i.e. multiples per page) and print option directly from within Lightroom is an easy way to get prints (to which one even can automatically add a logo). Another alternative is to publish your collection to the web. It's just as easy as the print layout and using customizable templates makes publishing your pictures a snap. Both Print and Web are unique to Lightroom when comparing it to other RAW editors.
Web: [****-] - Publishing pictures to your website is very easy and templates are the only way to arrange your gallery. That's often all you would need, though a little more flexibility would be nice. For instance, the thumbnail image size cannot be adjusted and is relatively small. Further, captions are possible but relatively useless since they are global and the same for every picture. (Huh?) Other than that it's "never" been easier to publish hundreds of pictures to the web. Use the provided link for an example ...
www.designpreference.com/photography/nz/
Cost: [***--] - At $200 introductory price and $300 final retail price, Photoshop Lightroom isn't cheap and the offered feature set is in line with similarly priced RAW editors. To expect Adobe to release a cheap product, however, would be illusionary and realistically the name stands for consistency and you also pay for the certainty that it will be supported (in one way or another) for years to come. When using Lightroom only as a RAW editor, I feel that DxO has a very competitive offering with Optics Pro Standard ($149) or Elite ($299). Nevertheless, considering the unique Print and Web publishing, Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom essentially offers 2 or 3 programs in one and the price suddenly looks more agreeable (unless you already own more powerful alternatives like Dreamweaver).
© 2007, theuerkorn
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Recommended:
Yes
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