Adobe give up Version 1.1 ofPhotoshop Lightroomthis week , adding quite a few new features to the image - direction and -editing tool . While there are no huge structural changes to Lightroom — most of the new clobber supply or elucidate functionality in the existing modules — Adobe has been quite smart about what it ’s chosen to update . While I ’m still digging into it , here are a duet of key changes that I have find in the short time since the update was post . ( APhotoshop Lightroom 1.1 Read MePDF outlines all the improvements and change in the update , if you ’re interested . )
Catalogs
A novel Export as Catalog command allow you produce customize Lightroom databases , and you may switch between multiple catalogs fairly well . As is the case with Version 1.0 , Lightroom needs to be relaunched to use a young catalogue file , but it will relaunch automatically as part of the process ; thankfully , Lightroom launches very promptly on most G5 and Intel Macs . ( you could also double - snap on a catalog filing cabinet in the Finder to apply it in Lightroom without having to go through the relaunch process . )
Lightroom 1.1 ’s Import from Catalog command is very flexile , especially if you have been working on images on another calculator and wish to merge them back into your main database . For representative , you’re able to spell only those image that have been edit or update in some way — in this screenland jibe , the grey - out images have not been edited since their original exportation — and it can even produce virtual copy of those image , so you do n’t recede your original edits . ( Clickhere to view the cover shot at full size . )
The big welfare of the new catalogue social structure is that you could use a catalog to work on subsets of figure of speech , for a client or task , for example , and move it around from machine to car without have to transport the entire Lightroom database . To make it even easier , Lightroom 1.1 also include a sprucely designed Import from Catalog feature , which lets you import photos from another catalog . What ’s great about this feature is that you may have Lightroom import only those image that have been edited ; any files that exist in both catalogue with the same metadata and editing selective information will not get import .
Overall , Lightroom ’s organisational complex body part still is n’t as elegant as Aperture ’s project , although the Import Catalog feature is better than anything Aperture has aright now for updating projects . I still keep that the two syllabus be different — but still valid and firm — way of deal your images , and Lightroom ’s new approach to catalogs strengthens Adobe ’s approach . Being able-bodied to export a Lightroom collection from your desktop Mac and pop it on your MacBook to work with it on the route , and then bring it back with minimal effort is a really nice feature article .
Clarity and sharpening
The two big additions are the Clarity feature and Camera Raw ’s sharpening sweetening . Adobe’sJohn Nackdescribes Clarity by saying that it “ adds deepness to an range of a function by increasing local contrast , ” and it ’s a rather powerful tool . The two projection screen shot below show Clarity in action : in each , the simulacrum on the odd pane is a 1:1 view of the original , and the one on the right register the effigy with Clarity at 100 percent , to exaggerate the results of the force — normally , you would n’t use the instrument at that level . ( tap the images to watch them at 1440 by 900 pixel in a new window . )
As you may see in these examples , “ depth ” is a pretty good word to describe Clarity .
Lightroom ’s sharpen peter also get an upgrade in Version 1.1 . The sharpen section of the Detail control panel goes from a single control slider to four sliders : Amount , Radius , Detail and Masking . keen minds than Ihave described theart of sharpeningimages , but I can testify to the fact that a individual registration ascendancy for sharpening is by and large a bad thought . Lightroom 1.1 ’s improved sharpening tools are definitely welcome .
In increase to these lineament , Lightroom 1.1 piggybacks on Camera Raw 4.1 ’s meliorate racket reduction and lens correction feature , as well as add support for the tardy group of digital tv camera from Canon ( EOS-1D Mark III ) , Nikon ( D40x ) , Fuji , Olympus and others .
