Lightroom 3 Beta 2

As teased a few hours ago (Mon night – see previous post), Adobe has released a second beta of the forthcoming Lightroom 3.  Since there’s not much out there on it, I figured I’d give it a whirl to share a couple screenshots of what you can expect to see. Here’s the Beta 2, installed on the Mac:

LR3B2 (that’s my nickname for it), has added several features, and the ones I am most excited about include:

• The ability to manage your video files (short video demo):

• Addition of point curve control (like in Photoshop)

• Native tethered shooting ability for both Canon and Nikon cameras (a full set of gear was not immediately evident – this is just a first look)

I’ve not had a chance to test the tethered shooting yet, but based on some videos and other resources Adobe has put out, here is a list of the cameras that support native tethered shooting mode for LR3B2:

• Canon
  • 1D Mark III
  • 1Ds Mark III
  • 5D Mark II
  • 5D
  • 7D
  • Rebel T1i

• Nikon
  • D3X
  • D3S
  • D3
  • D700
  • D90

I am sure more will come, but I am not going to hold my breath for the Canon 40D as it’s no longer even in the Canon line-up (but I am betting that soon other models will become available, including the 50D…)

Last but not least, the added feature for Lightroom 3 that is so exciting (again, for me), is Luminance Noise Reduction. This is going to save untold time bouncing back and forth between Lightroom and Photoshop on those occasions where I need a little more granular control than previous versions of LR gave me.

More news is sure to come out as the big boys from places like NAPP and others were likely in the know from much earlier than I, and they will have a whole slew of videos, blog posts, and articles covering every nuance.   But, here’s a quick first look that I learned from watching the site for news, installing the beta 2, and giving it a quick whirl to show a few screen shots.  Hope you enjoyed it – let me know your thoughts on the new features!  Are these enough to make you think about upgrading?  What other features would you like to see in an upgrade?  Will you still use Photoshop for your photography work flow or do you see yourselves going solely to a Lightroom environment?  Sound off in the comments – I’llbe back tomorrow with more photo goodness!  Happy shooting!

P.S. Only four more days to enter the Flickr Giveaway for LDP – winner gets a Cheetah Quickstand!

P.P.S. I’d also like to thank everyone that has shown interest in and support of the latest mini e-book offering in the store:  49 Photo Tips which is still for sale in the CB eStore and I’ve kept the price down too, so it’s only $1.99 – that’s less than a nickel a tip!

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