In case you haven’t heard, (it seems Adobe released it very quietly Monday night) Lightroom 3 is finally out of beta, and has been released into the wild. So, what’s new? The new version is built for 64 bit OS’s, and is much faster than it’s predecessor. You’ll notice the speed increases just about everywhere. Importing, displaying thumbnails, raw processing, exporting, just about everything seems faster. Lightroom 3 now has support for video files, film grain simulation, image watermarking, flickr integration, slideshow videos with music, and more flexible print packages.
There are a ton of new or improved features, but these are the biggies:
A whole new noise reduction engine, that frankly, is the best I’ve seen. If you are eligible for upgrade or student pricing, Lightroom 3 is cheaper, and better, than almost all the other stand alone noise reduction programs out there.
The lens correction tool. Many lenses already have profiles (more will be coming) and you also have the ability to create and save your own profiles.
Perspective correction. Make straight lines straight!
Lightroom 3 also includes the ability to shoot tethered natively. Many cameras are supported, and more will be coming. Need more info, tutorials, greater in depth coverage, or to see what all the hype is about? Well, here are some links to get you started:
Adobe TV: Getting started with Lightroom 3 tutorials
Henniger Fotographik (a great site for Lightroom info, with Lightroom love every Tuesday)
And finally, Scott Kelby and his crew have posted several videos available to everyone over at Photoshop User, the home of NAPP.
So, have you used it? Were you using the beta version? What are your thoughts?
LINKS
A free 30 day trial is available for download right HERE. Retail price for the full version is $299, or only $99 to upgrade from either Lightroom 1 or 2.
