For anyone getting started in lightroom 3 here is a really great video tutorial that Julieanne Kost put together. She covers a lot of basics on making global and local color and tonal corrections to your images and also the new noise reduction abilities of Lightroom 3 which is a pretty amazing tool compared to Lightroom 2. Check out our comparison of noise reduction from Lightroom 3 here: Lightroom 2 vs 3 noise reduction . Even for those Lightroom 3 pros out there there are some great little shortcuts and nuggets you can get from this video. I learned that you can actually drag right on the histogram to make changes, after using Lightroom for awhile I never knew that!

One of the most common things that I do in Lightroom is Tonal and Color Corrections. For me Lightroom is all about quickly doing some small adjustments to give my images just a little more pop and most of the time I am only doing some pretty basic adjustments in the Develop module to all of my photos. Here is a great look from NAPP going over doing Tonal and Color Corrections in lightroom.

This post is sponsored by Collages.net

June 8th, 2010

Adobe today announced the release of Photoshop Lightroom 3, the company’s professional photo management and manipulation application. Lightroom has been one of the most popular photo management tools out there and we have covered many of the features in Lightroom on this site. Adobes main competitor in this field is Apple’s Aperture 3. Here is a little more info from Adobe about his release:

First released as a public beta in October 2009, the final version of Lightroom 3 introduces a completely redesigned performance architecture that better handles growing image libraries and provides an unrivaled raw processing engine with noise reduction and sharpening tools to achieve the highest image quality. The 64-bit capable Lightroom 3 includes new features that optimize workflows and allow images to be shared in creative ways, including support for DSLR video files and tethered shooting on select cameras.

The first beta version of Lightroom 3 was released in late October, with a second beta following in late March.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 is available immediately and is priced at $299 for the full version and $99 for an upgrade version. You can get it on Amazon here: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Upgrade

You can view the full press release from Adobe here: Adobe releases Lightroom 3

Lightroom 3 beta 2 was released yesterday. We will be testing out this latest version shortly and will report back on any major items soon. A couple of new things with Lightroom 3 beta 2 are:

You can download the new beta version for free at Adobe’s Website here: Lightroom 3 beta 2

Also here is a comprehensive review by Julieanne Kost at Adobe:

Adobe yesterday released a Beta version of their upcoming Lightroom 3 software. This is available as a free download from adobe’s website and can be used until the full release version comes out next year. You can download the software here: Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta This new version includes an improved noise reduction, enhanced slideshows and a new way of importing your images. We will do a few full reviews over the next few days after we have some time to spend with the program.

The new Lightroom beta delivers faster performance, refined image processing and streamlined publishing

Here is Adobe’s official press release:

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Oct. 22, 2009 —Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 beta software for Macintosh and Windows®, a public preview of new and improved functionality to be delivered in the next major release. Lightroom is the essential digital photography workflow solution, helping serious amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase all their images from one application. Available as a free download on Adobe Labs, Lightroom 3 beta delivers a preview of new tools that will be in Lightroom 3, including more intuitive importing, unparalleled noise reduction and sharpening tools, enhanced slideshow capabilities and direct publishing to online photo sharing sites like Flickr®. Adobe encourages photographers to test this early selection of new features and provide the product team with their feedback.

“We are extremely fortunate that a strong community of photographers have rallied around Lightroom, helping to evolve the application and making it a meaningful part of their photographic workflows,” said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for Professional Digital Imaging at Adobe. “While we’re still hard at work on Lightroom 3, we recognize the value our customers bring to the development process and want their input so we can deliver the best final product possible.”

New in Lightroom 3 Beta
Lightroom 3 beta has been completely redesigned with under-the-hood efficiencies to better handle growing image libraries and improve responsiveness with a higher-quality processing engine. In the Library module, a rebuilt import system makes bringing photos into the software more intuitive. Users can easily specify the source and destination of their images, and save common processing, metadata or destination settings as easy-to-reuse presets.

The Library module also includes new capabilities to publish collections on popular photo-sharing sites. Flickr users now have direct access to their accounts from within Lightroom and can drag and drop images directly into their Photostreams. Flickr Pro account users can automatically synch their images and even view comments made on Flickr directly within the Library. This functionality can be extended to additional sites by adding them as new plug-ins once they become available.

In the Develop module, an overhauled processing engine allows users to create the highest quality images. Improved Capture Sharpening and Color Noise Reduction tools provide superior results while still preserving an image’s edge detail and contrast. A new Grain tool adds a film-style grain to images, and two new Vignette modes help photographers get a more natural look.

Lightroom 3 beta also offers advanced output options, including the ability to export slideshows as videos with audio and title screens that can be posted to video-sharing sites or optimized for mobile media. New watermarking capabilities enable photographers to embed text or graphic information directly on an image and then adjust the size, position and opacity. In addition, photographers can customize print layouts and save settings for future use, giving them refined control over their images.

Adobe Photoshop Family
Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended software are at the heart of the Photoshop family, joined by solutions for users at every level who want to bring out the best in their digital images. Photoshop Lightroom addresses the workflow needs of serious amateur and professional photographers, helping them manage, find, enhance and showcase images in impactful ways. Adobe Photoshop Elements software provides exciting tools and sharing options for photo enthusiasts. Lastly, snap shooters can access Photoshop.com for free to simply fix and enhance photos, and quickly share those images on Photoshop.com or on social-networking sites.

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta is available as a free download to anyone on both Macintosh and Windows platforms. Visit to learn more and download the beta. Feedback can be submitted on the Lightroom forums Users also can connect with Adobe at www.facebook.com/lightroom or www.twitter.com/AdobeLR, and can add the tag #AdobeLR3beta to tweets about the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta.