Photofocus

Adobe released the beta version of Lightroom 4. Here are just some of the killer new features:

1. MUCH better video integration
2. Soft proofing
3. Better geotagging
4. New shadow/highlight controls
5. Photo books via Blurb – (Will this be the end of Aperture for Scott Kelby who primarily liked Aperture’s photo books feature:))
6. Improvements to the clarity tool
7. Improved DNG format
8. Burn to disk archiving
9. New toolbars in all menus
10. Better search filters
11. Better white balance tool

There are a few things you should know. This is a real Beta. It’s pretty solid but there are still issues and I don’t recommend using this version for any professional or serious work just yet. You also can’t import LR3 catalogs into LR4 as a precautionary measure. You will need to convert your LR3 catalogs at some point if you want to use the retail version of LR4 when it ships. This is similar to the change Aperture went through not too long ago. People who upgraded to the latest version had to upgrade their libraries as well. It’s not a big deal but you need to know about it.

I am and probably will be, an Aperture man until I die. But I recognize the community seems to prefer LR so I try to stay current on it. I am far from an expert, when it comes to Lightroom, but my pals at Kelby Media Group ARE experts and I suggest you visit their new dedicated LR4 website if you are interested in this latest version of Lightroom.

Oh and P.S. – Welcome Lightroom – at roughly three times the money you’ve now got features Aperture has had for five years :) (Sorry I couldn’t help myself – really – I’m getting counseling :))

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