Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Review
Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "Digital Home Software" @ 08:00 AM
Adobe's Lightroom 4 has now matured quite a bit and, for me, the biggest piece of news is in finally getting Nikon NEFs right. The workflow is fast, and I can see why many photographers are enamoured of it. However I still am not fond of the sluggishness and stuttering present throughout the whole software, but especially in the Library module. Given that I encountered quite a few forum threads voicing similar complaints while doing my research into the performance of the software, I would like to see that the problem is fixed quickly. Already there is a 4.1 update in the works, so one can hope.
The other big news that has to be mentioned is the new price on Lightroom 4. At 50% off from the previous version, the US$149 price is hard to ignore. It offers a lot of features and power that can be easily accessed and for 80% of all photographers out there, this could well be the only software they ever need. It is quite the bargain in that respect.
Will I be using Lightroom 4 from now on? It is hard to say. The performance issues are annoying, but the smoothness and efficiency of the workflow is seductive. Right now, I would lean towards a possible yes. When Adobe fixes the performance issues, I think it will be an unqualified yes from me. Whether you are a professional or enthusiast photographer, you should take a look too, especially at the new lowered price.
Lee Yuan Sheng has been shooting for some years, way back when film was cheap, digital barely heard of, and computers were still using 14" CRT monitors. He is still waiting for the magic software that does everything for him.
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