Review: Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta

Lightroom is a digital darkroom for post-camera tweaking of images.

Every darkroom control is replicated here and some controls we never enjoyed in the dark are added. As well as white balance, exposure and tonal controls that can be applied globally, a set of brush-based tools can apply changes locally.

For instance, the Skin Softening brush smooths skin and hides blemishes without softening important detail of eyes and hair. There is new and better noise reduction.

Controlled conversions from colour to black and white include variable grain effects. Adobe Flash slide shows are a doddle to create. Conversion from RAW is done automatically when the image file is imported. The Develop module of the program has every control available in Photoshop. The only things that can't be done are the graphic design functions that turn a photograph into an illustration of some sort.

Like: With this offer you get to try the best image-manipulation software, which usually costs about $500, free.

Dislike: There is a catch. This version expires on April 30, 2010. Still, that's nearly five months to decide if it is worth the money to buy the release version.

Verdict: The release of Lightroom 3 beta is part of a trend by software companies to offer fully functioning versions of upcoming programs for public testing. Bibble has just put up a new version of its RAW converter under the same terms.

The suffix "beta" worries some people and these programs come with the warning that if something goes wrong, don't call us. But we have been using Lightroom 3 for a month without nasty shocks.

- © Fairfax NZ News