Photography Thailand Forum

[Hawaiiman]

Ok, I just took the plunge and got a trial copy of ACDSEE , it's fun! So I immediately looked for perspective correction..not in this version. Anyone have thoughts on ACDSEE Pro 4 versus the LIGHTROOM ? I understand that the algorithm for architectural perspective correction works better in some software than others.....

[Gregg Spradling]

It's been probably 10 years since I used ACDSEE so I'm not going to be of much help. But, you can download Lightroom 3 and use it for 30 days if you want to compare.

[Hawaiiman]

Thanks Greg. I just discoverd a free download for trial of pro 4. So..what do you use?

[Gregg Spradling]

For most editing and post processing I typically use LR3, but there are times when I have to use Photoshop (CS4) to correct something. But I'm not near as good with PS as I am with LR.

[Hawaiiman]

I don't know enough to have a preference. In a way it's interesting to have skipped across the last 30 years of evolution of photography.

[Gregg Spradling]

Were you are going to see amazing things in LR3 is the non-destructive manipulation of images when you use RAW (I know you are a film guy, just throwing that out there). It's really just so easy to adjust almost any aspect of the image in LR including lens correction. The other thing is that LR is also a database. Some would argue that LR is 50% image manipulation and 50% database.

I would highly recommend looking at Scott Kelby's book on LR3.

I think David Salmanowitz is pretty much an expert in LR, so I'm sure he can explain things far better than I can. 

[Hawaiiman]

I'm a film guy by history and finance. Digital will get here eventually. In the mean time I want to start scanning from transparencies. Does that open up further possibilities?

[Michael Luthi]

So Hawaiiman, the digital bug is still biting you despite the film :)
i came to LR through Rawshooter one of the earlier RAW conversion softwares. RS was bought over by Adobe at the time so i had to switch to it as well... LR has become almost my exclusive file processing software. i like the database feature which lets me search quick for photographs (as long as i put keywort ds in) and the workflow is very intuitive.
i also like the possibility to use plugins in LR and that i can create custom RAW profiles through the DNG editor. it works also very well with colour calibration tools and software

but in the end you need to download the trials and see which one feels better.
Let me know if you have more questions about LR

[Khun Hans]

PS CS5 is not really expensive in Pantip Plaza in BKK

[Hawaiiman]

Thanks, yes I used to go there a lot when I lived in bkk. Now it's such a major trip. I can't imagine going there just for cheap software. If one comes up, though, that will definitely be on my shopping list.

[Michael Luthi]

maybe someone here can pick it up for you and mail it....

[Hawaiiman]

I would be reluctant to impose on anyone. Let me play with my trials first. I have 30 days on acdsee pro 4 and when it dies, I'll take 30 day trial of LR. I don't know if there is a trial of PS, but by thetime I get done with the 2 trials, I'll have all my older stuff fixed up and have a better idea what the next step should be.

[David Salmanowitz]

Gregg--Not sure I am an expert   but I do use Lightroom for my post processing and am amazed all it can do. As Gregg had pointed out editing in Lightroom is non destructive, as it does not destroy pixels but does its work via the metadata. One cool thing is one can open up Photoshop via Lightroom and do what they want, and have the image saved in Lightroom right next to the original image. You can have endless variations of an image in Lightroom (b/w, sepia, ...) w/o wasting lots of hard drive space, as it is only the metadata that has been tinkered with.
It is a wonderful database when you enter keywords. Lightroom is smart as it remembers keywords and suggests ones to use, and if you start to type one it will write the rest of it if it has been previously entered. I might use Photoshop for making the rare panorama or perhaps doing layers, but most all my post processing is in Lightroom.
The sharpening and noise reduction are real good as well as a slew of other features.
W/o ever altering my original RAW image it is easy as can be to make JPEG, TIFF, PSD, and DNG files. Using Lightroom will be a big timesaver in one's digital workflow.
I can recommend this book for a good grasp on Lightroom.  http://www.amazon.com/D65s-Lightroom-Workbook-Workflow-Workslow/dp/0615378447

[Gregg Spradling]

  hmm, I never knew I could open in PS via LR. Thanks David. Excellent tip  
That saves me some time and actually very nice to be able to edit the RAW image instead of exporting or editing the RAW image before LR.

[David Salmanowitz]

Gregg, Just go to Photo up in the toolbar, scroll down to Edit, move the cursor to the right and voila! The real eye opener is highlighting a keyword, clicking on it while pressing the control button, and being able to access a page from Wikipedia, ... with full description/details of keyword subject.   I do not know if this works on a Windows computer in the latest Lightroom version, as it used to work only on a Mac.