[Pixalo]

Press Release
We're pleased to announce that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta 4 is now ready for you to download and use. This is the first release to reveal the full name we are giving to the product, as Lightroom takes its place as the newest member of the Photoshop family of digital imaging and photography software.

Beta 4 is our biggest milestone to date, with several enhancements and additions,
Lightroom Beta 4 also features:

* Groundbreaking changes in the way tone curve adjustments are made and displayed, giving you the highest quality results in an interface that's easier to use than ever before.
* More streamlined and elegant user interface - We've made several changes to the look and feel based on your feedback in the earlier beta releases.
* Customizable interface - You can now display only the controls you want to be visible.
* Precision white balance selection tool
* Facility to easily rename and convert files to DNG after they've been imported to the Lightroom library
* Increased interaction between Lightroom library organizational structure and the underlying file system
* Filter and search presets to more quickly find the photographs you want
* Better performance and improved interface for the Web module features
* Develop control improvements based on community feedback, including comments from the Pixmantec user community (welcome!)

Adobe Lightroom Beta 4 is available to download from the Adobe Labs website here.:- Adobe Labs - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom

[Angela]

I've just downloaded this and I have to say, at first play anyway, it's very good! Not sure how it compares to CS2 or PSPx yet but for basic tinkering it does the business.

It's free until Feb 2007 btw!

[Dave]

Free is always good

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by Angela

It's free until Feb 2007 btw!

I think I'll wait utill then so they can get some of the bugs out of it.

[photojazz]

I am looking forward installing Beta 4 this evening. I installed Beat 3 and used it in my digital worklflow only resorting to PS CS2 when I had to print .

Perusing the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (The Official Name) forums indicate more favorable comments that B3.

PJ

[photojazz]

I rushed home, downloaded and installed. Been using Beta 3 Windows and was able to get aroud fairly quickly, but with the new B4updates, found myself lost. But that is good! Must spend some more time with it. Glad that the web module was added!

[Dabhand16]

I've just had a go with Lightroom. First time it is obviously unfamilier, but not too bad. It crashed four times during processing 10 images, though

RSE is going to take some beating.

I'll persevere with it a bit more.

[silkstone]

I've been playing with LR B4 for a few days, and with Bibble for a bit longer. Here's my 2p on Lightroom...

Lightroom is potentially very good but has some major limitations as it now stands. The Develop module is excellent IMO - at least as good as RSP and Bibble and in some ways better. However, if you look beyond this, a couple of the wheels are missing.

Firstly, there is no straightforward way to convert a RAW file to TIFF or JPG without using the Export function. In other words, you can't just hit a key and let it process in background, as with Rawshooter and Bibble. This is a serious omission IMO. Apparently the idea is that you don't actually need to convert - you can print from LR or export direct to Photoshop. Aha! A cunning ploy!

Of course, you do need to convert, and there are plenty of complaints about the absence of a simple method. So basically the 'develop' functions are very good, and I don't have an issue with speed, but it's not easy to use as it stands.

Secondly, and more crucially, there is another issue because of Lightroom's complex front end and database structure.

Basically it's OK as long as you don't move any files after you've processed them. If you do, LR can't find them and loses the associated processing data.

Think about that... What happens if you store your RAW files on an external drive, and that drive isn't always assigned the same drive letter because of other things that are plugged in? LR expects to find the files on K:\photos\ but now they're on L:\photos\. Oops! Broken links in the database.

Also, if you process files on a laptop and then want to move/copy them, together with the processing data, to a desktop PC, there doesn't seem to be a way of doing it which allows you to copy the files to a folder of your choice. In RSP and Bibble, you can simply import the sidecar files (.rws or .bib) along with the RAW files, and everything will be picked up. In LR, you can import them to a 'Managed Folder', but LR doesn't give you free choice. Also, you can't add or delete files to/from folders except through LR. If you manually add a file to a folder already in LR's database, it will duplicate every entry.

The upshot is that Lightroom is an excellent RAW converter. The 'Develop' module is superb, but IMO the bits at either end are badly flawed to the point where they may be difficult or impossible for many people to use. If they'd produce a version based on the Develop Module but reading simply from the folder structure, and with hot-key conversion to predefined file formats (as in RSP and Bibble), it would be great. I suspect they may do this, but it will be the next generation of ACR and therefore accessible only to Photoshop users.

[photojazz]

B4 is not happening for me. B3 worked almost like a charm, it was fast and I used it in my workflow. Installed B4 and all the bubbles went down the drain. It runs so slow that I have almost given up on it. I was at Photokina today and discussed it with one of the LR denonstrators. He told me I was the first to stay it was slower than B3. Not to rain on his parade as he was busy!

Will try to install on two other computers before I fnally give up.

Yes I am watching the Adobe LR forums.

[Dabhand16]

Although I've not used Lightroom to the extent that Silkstones has, I go along with much of what is said. The printing I did from LR was Ok, but not as good as I've had before. As I have very limited experience using RAW, I thought it was me not processing properly.

As I tried it 'back to back' with RSE and CS2, I had no need to save as a tiff or JPEG, so did not really consider the impact of the lack of a facility to 'save as'. I guess I'll have to look at some of the other apps.

Maybe there is a Bridge Over these Troubled Waters........

[photojazz]

I am dog tired after a long day at Photokina, but I checked the Adobe PS LR B4 forums and a user pointed out some issues with installing B4 and using the exisiting B3 relationships and suggested creating another user acct. I created another XP user, and did a clean import. This seems to work as things are working faster, a lot faster! Will do some more testing tommorow but PS LR B4 is working better! I spent 21 yrs in the US Army and love acroymns. :-)

Thanks for your comments!