Lightroom 2
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A few important distinctions come out with Lightroom 2 that helps to understand more about the program, saving is for your work in Lightroom as you are working with all the images and the attached information that is on them. When you want to finally print or send to a file location an image you would use the export function.
You can use what they call filters or plug-ins to not only change all the pictures you are editing but ones you are exporting and printing. You can use premade plug-ins and filters to setup pictures easily and quickly, one example is using the Print Module and Picture Packages.
You probably have seen those school pictures or wedding pictures that has a contact sheet of one picture in several different sizes for easy use. You have a single picture and then want to setup pages of that picture in different sizes; Lightroom 2 does this quickly and easily and you can even save the template and use the same setup as a package deal for customers to choose from.
The main improvement for Lightroom 2 are the image editing features of Developer like editing regions of an image without affecting nearby areas. You can pick a circle of an image like I have on the bright area of my dog’s snout and change the exposure, brightness or just about anything just like in Photoshop CS3.
This selective image editing in your Lightroom Devloper allows for creative improvements without leaving the workflow program so you quickly adjust and edit images to keep moving in your work. That’s what Lightroom and Lightroom 2 is all about, being able to edit and work with your images and create your own workflow that works best for you and your situation.
It also has smooth integration of other Adobe programs like Photoshop CS3 and Elements for quick and easy transfer to those programs for better image editing. You can simply go to the Edit In menu item of developer and choose which type of editing you want to perform; on a copy, on the original or edit a copy with Lightroom adjustments. Once finished with the editing in another program you simply Save the file and it will be changed in Lightroom 2.
Lightroom 2 has some great improvements to a working program that was developed for photographers and professionals to help them work on their images. The improvements are not ones the company thought needed adding but ones that users clamored for whether it was things they wanted or just wanted fixing.
Lightroom 2 is a great workflow program that does a lot with images and how you handle them from importing to the Lightroom program to handing them out to customers or the next step in the process. That next step could be emailing, printing, showing a slideshow for presentations or just giving customers an idea of what they could get form you as a business professional.
A couple of features that are new to Lightroom 2 that are not actual image editing or organizing are the dual monitor support and the integration with other programs like Photoshop CS3. The dual monitor support is an actual new window that opens with a choice of options like a close up of your current image while working on it or the group you’re currently in.
Lightroom 2 is definitely a business tool and a professional software suite but can also be used for the amateur who will be using his images on a regular basis. The image editing on a smaller scale than Photoshop CS3 is a great way to manipulate images in ways to enhance and make them the best without going into massive changes.
The library and various exporting features using filters and plug-ins makes for a simple and productive workflow to keep your pace while dealing with all those pictures. Lightroom 2 is a great program and well worth looking into for an amateur but a must have for the professional photographer.
I highly recommend Lightroom 2 for the professional and even amateur photographers may want to check this out.