Professional digital photography has been a reality for a while now but the big-name developers have been slow to catch up. With different software like iViewMedia Pro or Photo Mechanic filling in the missing pieces of file organizing and metadata editing workflow and different apps providing the ability to do quality RAW conversion, it's a relatively new thing to have one program that does it all and does it well.

With Apple's Aperture and now Adobe's Lightroom, it seems the big boys are finally ready to fight over who is going to be at the center of the digital creative arena. But Adobe isn't playing copycat here—and I think their release of a public beta was an attempt to send that message. It was pretty clear when the beta was released that this is not just a slapped-together product—Adobe's had this in the works for a while.

Either way, it's a great time to be a digital photographer as recent computer speeds make real-time feedback for high-res RAW image editing a reality, even for the 12- or 16-megapixel images of higher-end DSLRs. Adobe is hoping that one of the big draws of Lightroom is that it doesn't require computers that reach "ludicrous speed" to work comfortably.

The other review is from Rick LePage at MacWorld. From the intro:

Lightroom is built around five modules, each of which is set for a particular point in the photographic workflow process. Two of them, Library and Develop, are where you will spend most of your time, while the Slideshow, Print, and Web modules are designed for their appropriately named output functions. The program consists of a suite of categorization, organizational, and editing functions that help refine your workflow and perform a variety of editing tasks. Moving between the modules is simple: you click on the module name, or, in some instances, press a shortcut key that automatically takes you to a module. Pressing the D key, for example, always takes you to the Develop module, while the G key takes you to the Library module’s Grid view.

Lightroom’s contextual interface places images at the center of the screen and tools in panels around the edges. You can view your photos as a group in thumbnail form, as a small set of images in the Survey mode, or as a single image at various zoom levels. Panels that let you perform different module-based tasks are located on the left and right sides of the screen. At the bottom of the screen is the Filmstrip, which displays the current image set. Also at the bottom is the Toolbar, which lets you perform editing tasks and select images based on rating, color label, or Pick status. The Toolbar also displays information about the image. There’s a lot of information packed into Lightroom’s interface, and Adobe has mostly done a good job of letting you show or hide it when you want.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is available through the Adobe Store for a special introductory price of US $199.

For more on Lightroom, see our Lightroom Resource Center.
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Photoshop CS4 & Photoshop CS4 Extended - Best Deals From Adobe

Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended feature a newly refined, tab-based interface in a single, integrated window, with self-adjusting panels arranged in docked groups. Automatically keeping tools well organized and away from your work area means you get greater efficiency, less clutter, and better results, faster than before.

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Did You Know You Could Create An Entire Website In Photoshop?
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There often seems to be a strict division of labor within the world of web design and development. Creative professionals tend to stick to the Photoshop domain, while those well-versed in scripting are left to the task of implementing their work. Indeed, the two realms are quite different from each other, to which any of us even vaguely familiar with either can easily attest.

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By generating web pages directly from Photoshop, you'll be able to spend much more time on the creative end of the spectrum, since you'll know right off the bat how well particular designs will translate to the web. No more going back to the Photoshop drawing board after getting a phone call from your development team, telling you that what you had envisioned doesn't have a chance of being displayed on the web. You can immediately visually and interactively test your designs, which permits you to then make changes to either esthetics or functions while it's still relatively early on in the design process.

Pricing and Availability
Mac OS X and Windows versions of the SiteGrinder unlockable demo are available now via download. SiteGrinder can be ordered from Media Lab's online store.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Available At The Adobe Store

Adobe has announced the immediate availability of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 software, the photographer's essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities, Photoshop Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies photography from shoot to finish. Visit the Adobe site to download a free 30 day Photoshop Lightroom trial free download.

As Adobe’s first application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers with Intel processors and Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit operating systems, Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with large scale images. Find the latest Lightroom 2 tutorials on our Photoshop Lightroom 2 Tutorials page.

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Find more Photoshop CS4 tutorials on our Photoshop CS4 Tutorials Page.

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