Adobe Lightroom 3 software for photographers takes digital photos from the camera’s memory card, right through photo editing, to the final print or file for sharing.
Using Lightroom 3 photographers use its powerful image management capabilities to store, and quickly find their images in collections stored on their computer.
Photographers enjoy using Lightroom 3 because it manages digital photos in RAW file format, including keywords, copyright, contact details, titles and captions. These are not part of the RAW file, but Adobe Lightroom 3 saves this data in the catalog.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 overview
One of the aims of photo editing software for photographers is providing automated assistance to speed their work. Photographers do not lose control over their digital photos, they customise the software programs for the repetitive tasks, leaving them more time for the fine adjustments. The principle of the automation in Adobe Lightroom 3 is based on the photographer’s styles and settings stored in presets, it is not the end of the process, just a good starting point.
The Power of Presets
One of the keys to Lightroom’s power are presets. Photographers save settings from adjustments, or entries in a dialog boxes, into what Adobe call a preset. These presets are stored, and are then applied to other digital photos, either singly or in batches.
There is no scripting language or complex recording of a macro, simply saving the current settings as a unique preset. This saves the tedium of filling out the same information, or repeating the same basic adjustments. Another aspect of Lightroom presets is they can be combined with other operations to simplify the tasks for photographers. Presets allow photographers to choose when the preset pauses and waits for specific input for a set of digital photos.
Modular Interface
The Adobe Lightroom 3 user interface is constructed in a logical fashion so it only displays the controls that are needed. One aspect of this is the modular layout where the workflow is broken up into stages:
Library Develop Slideshow Print Web
The Library module
The digital file handling module is the heart of Lightroom 3. It starts when a memory card, or camera, is plugged into a computer. Lightroom analyses the memory card’s contents and then copies the selected digital photos into the file structure on the computer’s hard disk.
Part of this process is adding information in the Lightroom catalog about individual or sets of digital photos that is useful for finding and organising them.
The Library module is the initiator of just about every part of your workflow in Lightroom 3. Photographers select digital photos in the Library module and then call other modules for processing or applies actions to the selected photos. This can be adjusting a digital photo, or sending a processed copy to a file, printer, web gallery or slide show.
Adobe Lightroom 3 library photo selection by keywords and star rating
Once the digital photo is is in the library photographers select and rate their digital photos using Lightroom 3’s extensive search capabilities.
All though it is not officially a separate module, the export function is a comprehensive dialog box for producing new versions of the original digital photo based on the Develop module settings. The functions include choosing the file format, file size, quality and colour space of the new photo.
Develop Module
This is where photographers make the detail adjustments for colour balance, exposure, noise reduction, and sharpening to their digital photos in Lightroom 3. There are some minor editing tools for such things as cropping, levelling, removing dust spots and red eye.
Adobe Lightroom 3 develop module with basic adjustment panel open
Lightroom 3 does not alter the original image, instead the Develop module assembles a set of instructions on how to process the RAW file and previews this on the screen. When a digital photo is copied or printed Lightroom 3 applies the adjustments, and then only to the output copy. The original RAW image remains untouched.
Print Module
This module does more than send the digital photos to a local printer with facilities to choose paper size and numbers of copies.
The print module has features reminiscent of a Desk Top Publishing suite where photographers can specify the position and size of an image box and then place a digital photo inside the box. This allows multiple photos on one piece of paper with a small amount of text. Photographers can create contact sheets showing thumbnails of a session or sophisticated posters and pictures for framing.
Adobe Lightroom 3 page layout in the print module
Slide Show and Web Modules
Simple and basic slide shows and web galleries from photos selected in the Library module. These are ideal for quickly putting together a display of proofs for clients to view.
