LIGHTROOM 3 FAQ

What's the big deal? Tell me About the New Features!

One of the biggest things that was done with the Lightroom 3 was that it was redesigned from the ground up keeping two things in mind ñ performance and quality. The folks at Adobe wanted this version of Lightroom to be one that would easily expand with photographers as they acquire large amounts of collections and shoot with cameras with bigger megapixels. On top of all of this, there are some really cool standout features in the program that I think you'll like:

• Streamlined/Improved Import process: It's much easier to see what's going on during the import, and have a way to save an import workflow as a preset for later.
• Publish Straight to Flickr: More and more, people are using photo sharing sites like Flickr to host their pictures. Lightroom now has that built in, taking the pain out of the export process. Even better, the library in Lightroom 3 will be able to take advantage of things like commenting of images. Someone leaves a comment on a picture in Flickr? You'll be able to see that right in your own Lightroom library. The functionality for this was built in the same manner of Export Plugins, so developers can make their own connections to popular photo sites.
• Sharpening and Noise Reduction: The two biggest things people want to do with their images is make them as sharp as possible. Both of these will get a serious upgrade in Lightroom 3- and they're only -halfway- done with it! I can't begin to imagine how great the final version is going to be!
• Grain: Like grain in your images to simulate film? Now you can add it if you like with the Grain tool.
• Vignette: Post crop Vignette was one of those things that we loved and hated. We loved the fact that you can add a vignette ñafter- cropping the image, but hated the fact that Lightroom simply added black/white to the edges. In Lightroom 3, you can now have 2 vignette modes that mimic the natural vignette you would see in an image.
• Process Version: The process version specifies which version of certain Camera Raw image processing elements should be used when rendering and editing files.
• Slidewhow Export with Music: This one is music to my ears (sorry.. pun intended)! I loved the Slideshow module's ability to play the slideshow with music, but did not like the fact that exporting the slideshow did not include music. Now you can export your slideshow as an H264 movie complete with the music attached!
• Custom Print Package: Lightroom 3 adds a new custom layout option for photographers who need complete control over their print layouts. Add as many different images in whatever configuration you desire on a single or multiple pages.
• Watermarking: Lightroom 3's new watermarking function lets you embed your identity or other information in your images themselves. You can apply text or graphic watermarks to a photograph with adjustable size, position, and opacity. Available in the Print and Web modules as well as the Export dialog, your identity can now travel with all of your images.

LIGHTROOM 3 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Macintosh

• Intel® based processor
• Mac OS X v10.5 or 10.6
• 2GB of RAM
• 1GB of available hard-disk space
• 1,024x768 display
• CD-ROM drive

Windows

• Intel® Pentium® 4 processor or equivalent
• Microsoft® Windows® 7
• Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (certified for 32-bit and 64-bit editions), or Windows XP with Service Pack 3
• 2GB of RAM
• 1GB of available hard-disk space
• 1,024x768 display
• CD-ROM drive

10 TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• In the Print module (under the Page panel) you can now change your Page Background Color by clicking on the Color Picker.
• If you've been good about placing your photos into Collections, you can export that collection as a Lightroom catalog. Just right click on the collection name itself (in the Collections panel) and choose Export This Collection as a Catalog.
• This Slideshow module tip is for Mac users only. You no longer have to have your music tied to an iTunes playlist. Now you can pick your music directly from any folder on your computer.
• You no longer need to be zoomed into 100% to view sharpening effects on a photo.
• When you're using the Painter tool in the Library module (the little spray can), you now need to hold down the Option (PC: Alt) key to delete any settings you've applied with it.
• In Library, a photo in a collection now has a little collection badge icon on it so you can visually see that its in a collection. Just click on the badge icon to see the collections its in as well as jump directly to that collection.
• When you're using the Adjustment Brush or Graduated Filter, you can Option/Alt click and press the Reset button to reset all sliders to 0.
• In the Filmstrip you'll an address/shortcuts bar that shows where your photo is located. But that's not new or the tip. Instead, the tip is that when you click on that bar you'll see a bunch of recent folders and collections you've been in. If you're in a folder, and you want to always see that folder in the list just choose Add to Favorites and it'll stay there.
• In Library, click on a folder and choose Import Into This Folder to import any photos directly into that folder.
• Lightroom catalog backups are now performed when exiting Lightroom instead of when Lightroom starts. So now, when you launch Lightroom you can get to work and not have to wait for a backup first.