Is Lightroom Worth $100 to You? - DPChallenge Forums

01/21/2009 05:53:25 PM · #26

do you shoot in RAW ?

Artifacts

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

01/21/2009 07:40:03 PM · #27

Let me strongly add my voice to the chorus saying "Yes" to both products for the $300 student purchase.

CS4 Extended is the only higher ed student purchase offering so you will get it whether you use the 3D features or not.

Cost?:
I don't get the $384 price tag for the bundle you put up the link for. If you buy direct from Adobe you will get the same two products separately at the student discount price of $298 - $199 for CS4 Extended and $99 for LR2, I believe.

No Training:
Also, I would not recommend getting any bundle with training unless you are a complete novice to still image post processing. The training videos on the Adobe site are excellent and free. Also you can get a month's access to paid training for free as your gift for registering the software after you install it.

What is LR?:
LR is like a super slide sorter program on MAJOR steroids. It has been compared to developing a film negative to CS4 being used for printing the negatives. It has some incredible touch up tools you can easily mass apply to images and is amazingly intuitive for an Adobe program. I just installed it and have never used it before and find it easy to learn despite its level of power and complexity.

Both LR2 and CS4 are intimately interwoven and are a much better combination than Bridge and CS4 alone.

If you are serious about photography and take lots of pictures it is absolutely the way to go.

01/21/2009 09:36:41 PM · #28

yes i do shoot raw, why? i used to shoot both until i discovered bridge.

01/21/2009 09:44:58 PM · #29

ok i seriosuly cant find normal cs4. didnt anyone see it specifically?

01/21/2009 10:15:55 PM · #30

because it would be one thing i would consider before investing $$ in a piece of software that is made as a RAW converter is all...

that being said - it's worth $100

Originally posted by JDubsgirl:

yes i do shoot raw, why? i used to shoot both until i discovered bridge.

Nikon AF Nikkor -S DX 18-105 f3.5-5.6

01/21/2009 10:19:50 PM · #31

well crap, i really want to order tonight but i can find normal photoshop with lightroom. or even by itself

cmtc

Nikon D90

01/21/2009 10:25:58 PM · #32

anyone have anything to say that they dislike about LR? id really be interested in hearing some downs to it.

01/21/2009 10:28:37 PM · #33

check this thread.

overall - it's powerful - catalogs images wonderfully - searchable by tags you provide, lens used, camera used, date.. etc.

has a nice set of RAW editing tools that don't affect original image. probably the best RAW file tool i have come across

Message edited by author 2009-01-21 22:30:24.

Tez

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

01/22/2009 05:29:44 PM · #34

The only possibly beef I could level at it is that the brush tool is not the most precise thing I can think of in terms of spot editing. It works, just requires a bit of practice and skill.

Other than that i think its a very very attractive buy at $100, or you could just get it for free.

01/22/2009 05:32:23 PM · #35

Originally posted by Tez:

where could i get it for free?

01/22/2009 06:17:44 PM · #36

we're not supposed to tell you that... against T.O.S

but...

01/22/2009 06:18:59 PM · #37

...........

01/22/2009 06:20:39 PM · #38

the MP's are after me...

01/22/2009 06:34:05 PM · #39

throw popcorn at them!

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di for Nikon

01/22/2009 11:35:49 PM · #40

Ok for S n giggles I downloaded the LR2.0 demo, and just finished viewing the new Library enhancements video and just have to say OMG it fricken rocks for image management, Im so going to try to save for this!!!

Just view the whats new in the Library module the first 3/4 are kinda cool but the part on the collections and smart collections ROCKS, IMHO anyway :)

StOlafPhotographer

Nikon D200

01/22/2009 11:46:10 PM · #41

Easily, do it! You won't regret it. Your work flow will become much more streamlined! :)

Evan

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

01/22/2009 11:52:06 PM · #42

im acutally gonna have to wait a bit to get it. i was gonna get CS4, Lightroom 2, and InDesign all at the same time, but it was like $800 or something so i could only do CS4 for now. maybe in a few weeks i can get InDesign and LR 2

cdrice

Nikon D7000

01/23/2009 05:47:43 PM · #43

Originally posted by JDubsgirl:

You can download the full version and demo it ("trial," "demo," whatever they call it) for 30 days. You'll be hooked and be happy to spend the $$$ on it 30 days from now...

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

01/23/2009 07:25:52 PM · #44

Yea Im running the demo right now and LOVE it :)

Anyone know if you can share catalogs between puters?

cdrice

Nikon D7000

01/23/2009 09:32:08 PM · #45

Originally posted by dknourek:

Yea Im running the demo right now and LOVE it :)

Anyone know if you can share catalogs between puters?

Heh heh heh. Well, define "share". :P

(This has been discussed before). :D

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

01/23/2009 09:34:03 PM · #46

Originally posted by cdrice:

Originally posted by dknourek:
Yea Im running the demo right now and LOVE it :)

Anyone know if you can share catalogs between puters?

Heh heh heh. Well, define "share". :P

(This has been discussed before). :D

Im talking in that my laptop and desktop can use the same catalog, bear with me. Ive been using lightroom for only a couple hours so far...

cdrice

Nikon D7000

01/23/2009 09:51:13 PM · #47

Originally posted by dknourek:

Im talking in that my laptop and desktop can use the same catalog, bear with me. Ive been using lightroom for only a couple hours so far...

At the same time? Absolutely not. Which is dumb since the underlying catalog is an SQL database, but I digress...

Can you move the catalog back and forth between computers? Yes. That, in turn, can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it (and, importantly, can be affected by your use of sidecar files).

Let's seeeeeee..... Here's some details, here's some techie details... Here's the Martin Evening way, Here's the Matt Kloskowski way (video)... Do a little searching and I'm sure you'll find more.

One of the most important things here is that you're only going to be moving around photo data. If you want to keep your presets and such synchronized between 'puters, well, that's another story altogether. Here's a Matt K. tip on that.

If you're new to LR, and tying this back to

JDubsgirl, too, so this doesn't turn into a thread hi-jacking, ;) I'm a big proponent of Matt Kloskowski 's Lightroom Killer Tips site. Warning: You can spend days there. ;)

Message edited by author 2009-01-23 21:52:22.

01/23/2009 10:06:17 PM · #48

Originally posted by cdrice:

Originally posted by dknourek:

Im talking in that my laptop and desktop can use the same catalog, bear with me. Ive been using lightroom for only a couple hours so far...

At the same time? Absolutely not. Which is dumb since the underlying catalog is an SQL database, but I digress...

Can you move the catalog back and forth between computers? Yes. That, in turn, can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it (and, importantly, can be affected by your use of sidecar files).

Let's seeeeeee..... Here's some details, here's some techie details... Here's the Martin Evening way, Here's the Matt Kloskowski way (video)... Do a little searching and I'm sure you'll find more.

One of the most important things here is that you're only going to be moving around photo data. If you want to keep your presets and such synchronized between 'puters, well, that's another story altogether. Here's a Matt K. tip on that.

If you're new to LR, and tying this back to JDubsgirl, too, so this doesn't turn into a thread hi-jacking, ;) I'm a big proponent of Matt Kloskowski 's Lightroom Killer Tips site. Warning: You can spend days there. ;)

LOL thanks much for the info and links... :)

Sry for the hijack ;)

01/23/2009 10:06:51 PM · #49

Originally posted by dknourek:

Originally posted by cdrice:

Originally posted by dknourek:

Im talking in that my laptop and desktop can use the same catalog, bear with me. Ive been using lightroom for only a couple hours so far...

At the same time? Absolutely not. Which is dumb since the underlying catalog is an SQL database, but I digress...

Can you move the catalog back and forth between computers? Yes. That, in turn, can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it (and, importantly, can be affected by your use of sidecar files).

Let's seeeeeee..... Here's some details, here's some techie details... Here's the Martin Evening way, Here's the Matt Kloskowski way (video)... Do a little searching and I'm sure you'll find more.

One of the most important things here is that you're only going to be moving around photo data. If you want to keep your presets and such synchronized between 'puters, well, that's another story altogether. Here's a Matt K. tip on that.

If you're new to LR, and tying this back to JDubsgirl, too, so this doesn't turn into a thread hi-jacking, ;) I'm a big proponent of Matt Kloskowski 's Lightroom Killer Tips site. Warning: You can spend days there. ;)

LOL thanks much for the info and links... :)

Sry for the hijack ;)

no you can jack it:) ive got what i need