For Lightroom 4...

[ArmandN]

I've been a long time user of Lr, starting with the first beta and I mostly love it.

It was only recently I tried Aperture 3, I wrote an indepth review of Lr 3 vs Aperture 3 (and others) here:

http://www.twin-pixels.com/raw-processors-review-aperture-bibble-capture-one-dxo-lightroom/

1. One thing I really like in Aperture is how nicely integrated the browse/library mode is, compared with Lightroom.

In Aperture, you can edit a picture while in Browse mode (as opposed to Lightroom's Quick Develop, which is pretty much useless). I'd love being able to get into Compare/Survey and still have full control over processing. I also find it confusing that some options are available while in Library mode but not in Develop mode. Things have improved since V1 but I still find the separation between Library and Develop as too artificial and having seen Aperture, I'm sure Lightroom can do better.

2. Another thing from Aperture I'd love to see is how if you have several images selected and change the let's say the Exposure, all images are updated. I know we have Sync and Copy from Previous but again there's room for improvement.

3. The perspective correction is very powerful but sometimes hard to do, especially when you need to alter all three axes. Here I'd like to see a keystoning tool like in DxO.

4. The purple fringing correction is not very powerful, compared to other programs. Capture One and DxO work on high radii  and they seem to correct the luminance in the affected areas as well.

4. Speaking of tools, how about more brushes? Like a Noise brush or a WB brush. How great would it be to be able to make local adjustments to WB.

These are my most important suggestions and I made them not to bash Lightroom, but because I want it to be THE tool for processing Raws.

[john beardsworth]

Gaspyy wrote:

2. Another thing from Aperture I'd love to see is how if you have several images selected and change the let's say the Exposure, all images are updated. I know we have Sync and Copy from Previous but again there's room for improvement.

Since Lightroom 1 there has been AutoSync mode - far more efficient that anything in Aperture, you know. It's even more obvious now in LR3.

John

[TK2142]

Gaspyy wrote:

It was only recently I tried Aperture 3, I wrote an indepth review of Lr 3 vs Aperture 3 (and others) here:

http://www.twin-pixels.com/raw-processors-review-aperture-bibble-captu re-one-dxo-lightroom/

Thanks, that was an interesting read. It is really odd that Bibble 5 doesn't support DNGs. They support all DNGs generated by cameras (such as from the Pentax K-7) and therefore it should be very easy to extend that to generic DNG support. It almost seems they want to make a position statement against DNG (Adobe). I agree with you that their local adjustment support is awesome but the UI appears to be a bit crude compared to LR.

Gaspyy wrote:

1. One thing I really like in Aperture is how nicely integrated the browse/library mode is, compared with Lightroom.

+1

The first time I started LR I couldn't believe how "modal" the interface was. And this from a program that has strong roots in the Apple style for GUIs. If you are looking at a single image, the separation between "Libary" and "Develop" isn't that bad because with the "D" and "E" keys you basically just switch panels and I agree that not all panels should be visible all the time. However, first the switching should be quicker (sometimes it can take too long to be transparent to the user) and, second, this illusion of non-modality breaks down when you are working with other views, like "Compare", "Survey", "Grid" and "Import".

I too don't like how you are locked in to certain modes of operations. Less of a problem if switching between modes is really fast, but unfortunately it not always is.

Gaspyy wrote:

4. Speaking of tools, how about more brushes? Like a Noise brush or a WB brush. How great would it be to be able to make local adjustments to WB.

They really should go all the way and -- like Bibble -- support any global adjustment also in a local manner. I love how the brushes work but sometimes polygons would be useful.

I'm surprised that you didn't go into cloning/patching support. Aperture 3 and Bibble 5 have a lot more to offer than LR3 where you have to abuse the spot removal tool. Do you never need to remove unwanted objects from your images? Given the choice between lens correction and better cloning/patching support, I'd take the latter any day.

[ThomasH_on_the_web]

Great writeup, great examples!  Thanks for the insights.  I completely agree regarding the positive noise reduction assessment of LR3. Before that I exported images into Noise Ninja. Since I use LR3, I almost forgot that I have Noise Ninja.

Some aspects of what we can do with LR were not mentioned though, like speckle removal or the zonal color control, let alone all the DAM functionality. But considering the richness of the functionality, it is probably not possible to really compare every thinkable aspect.

[TK2142]

Anyone who would like to see better distraction removal support, e.g., Photoshop-like clone/healing/patching-content aware brushes in Lightroom can vote for this feature request here.

[IvarSt-kkB7vI]

TK2142 wrote:

Anyone who would like to see better distraction removal support, e.g., Photoshop-like clone/healing/patching-content aware brushes in Lightroom can vote for this feature request here.

Just a remark - content aware fill seems to require two types of area selection tools: 1) one for marking the area to be replaced 2) area to be excluded in content generation

[vicenac]

Hmmm Nobody is bringing up the networking - multi-user issue.

We are in badly need of that - Lightroom server? We are a husband and wife photographer team (other combos can work too) where one of us is realy good at sorting photos and the other at turning garbage into gold or developing. We shuttle libraries back and forth, or just give up and swap seats. One sorts and the other takes the seat and develops the picks. We both like to make alterations (sepia etc) PS composition or collages. These need to be synchronized. Never mind that we both need to work together in the same time on the same project.

Lock the photo that's being developed, but continuously update ratings and picks and virtual copies. I'll live with the delay!

PLEASE!

[TK2142]

Gaspyy wrote:

...

Have you noticed that all your suggestions are represented as feature requests over at the new "Photoshop Family" site?

For instance, you could vote for a "noise brush" -> here.

Elswhere people suggested a -> WB brush or -> brushes for cloning/healing/patching.

[hamish niven]

things change, for the better for the worse and forums and feature request sites change.

There are many suggestions on the new forum, many great ideas, and some that are unlikely to see the light of room

As with change, its often a little hard to follow and the fragmentation of the new user request forum takes a little getting used to.

Why not have a good look over there and post an update / synopsis of your excellent suggestions and see what following you get.

Good luck

[847628]

I could use an improvement in the export page. I always have to export at least 3 versions of my finished work, each with different sizes, resolution, sharpening, etc. It would be great if I could set up all the exports I need from a catalog, and then walk away (or sleep overnight) while the different versions are generated in sequence.

[vicenac]

I do that now in LR 3.

Once I start an export task for the selected photos I can start a second and a third. All tasks will run in parallel. That's an overnighter usually.

It will however be great to have multiple export parameters with different destinations folders or naming, in one window. Awesome!

[fotomate]

any idea when Lightroom 4 will be released?

[ssprengel]

Here is a timeline of the various Lightroom releases, so you can guess along with the rest of us:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Dn_lightroom_release_history.png

[fotomate]

Thanks so I guess another 6 to 12 months...

[Guest]

From what I have read it appears Adobe are moving to annual 2 part releases. ie CS 6 major release about late April 2012 CS 6.5 minor April 2013 CS7.0 2014 etc. as LR follows shortly after we are looking at LR 4.0 (major release) in approx. May/June 2012.

[hamish niven]

Awesome another 11 months of where we are....

Apples aperture and bibble will most definitely pick up stragglers and those who are fed up with the current issues

hamish NIVEN photography on the move

[Keith Reeder]

hamish niven wrote:

... bibble will most definitely pick up stragglers and those who are fed up with the current issues

Yeah?

Have a stroll over to the Bibble forum and see how happy we Bibble users are with the situation there - some Lr users are Lr users because of the mess Bibble is in...

[Todd Shaner]

And for us Lightroom users on Windows platforms, Aperture isn't even an option......

Pssst, don't let Adobe know about this or they might wait until 2013 to release LR 4.

[fotomate]

Adobe will release LR4 for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if it would be

around Christmas time, however Spring 2012 seems the most reasonable time

according to time line...

[fossiljim]

Lightroom has changed the way I process photos.

It's almost a one-stop tool, with only minor or more specific edits afterward in PS.

Since switching to RAW files a year ago however, my workflow has ground to a crawl.

Editing and exporting jpgs is a joy.

However edting my Nikon RAW files, especially following use of the brush tool, has been annoying.

It is impossible to export the images to 16bit TIF/Prophoto without closing and reopening the program due to memory issues.

This is definitely a memory leak associated with brush-editing Nikon Raw files (much less of an issue with Canon RAW but still there).

I would be happy if Lightroom 4 just fixed the memory issues which are filling blogs with no resolution.

Of course, the WB brush and negative selection areas are great ideas to add in too!

[Manex Efrem]

Gaspyy wrote:

I'd love being able to get into Compare/Survey and still have full control over processing.

I've always wanted to be able to edit a photo in the Develop module while keeping an eye on another photo I've worked on, as a reference and an aid to keep the feel of a body of work cohesive: in many cases, the original photos have slightly different qualities so that synchronizing the settings between photographs doesn't necessarily give you the result you want on all of the photos. Keeping an eye on another photo (or more than one, if a small lightbox panel can be viewed) would be a great help.

Another function that is needed, is the ability to apply develop presets and various settings with a compounding effect, as far as the limits would allow: again, many times, there have been times where various photos have been worked on in different ways to achieve a general balance and feel (some having cooler white balance applied, some warmed up, some darkened in one way, others darkened with more complex curves and some brightened, but all achieving a certain goal). When a preset is applied across the board, to achieve a desired body of work, all of the previous balancing acts will be lost, as the presets will reset certain settings to achieve their look - then the arduous task of going through all of the photos and re-working them all to match begins, negating any benefit the preset functionality ever gives us.

On an unrelated note: it is getting rather tedious, being out of sync between Lightroom's and Photoshop's Camera Raw versions, each time one or the other upgrades their product.

We shouldn't have to make an expensive (and sometimes un-necessary) upgrade of entire suite, such as the design suite I have just because I've made a relatively inexpensive and necessary upgrade to Lightroom.

I'm stuck with warnings telling me that the editing of the raw files, sent by Lightroom to Photoshop are mis-matched and the results could be inconsistent. Upgrading the Camera Raw in Photoshop isn't a workable option, but it should be: We should be allowed to synchronize our Camera Raw across the board without huge expense.

[Lee_Jay]

Manex Efrem wrote:

I've always wanted to be able to edit a photo in the Develop module while keeping an eye on another photo I've worked on, as a reference and an aid to keep the feel of a body of work cohesive: in many cases, the original photos have slightly different qualities so that synchronizing the settings between photographs doesn't necessarily give you the result you want on all of the photos. Keeping an eye on another photo (or more than one, if a small lightbox panel can be viewed) would be a great help.

You can already do that.  Use the second-monitor functionality (you don't need a second monitor if you don't have one - use a window instead) and set that one to locked loupe on the image of interest.

[Manex Efrem]

Lee Jay wrote:

You can already do that.  Use the second-monitor functionality (you don't need a second monitor if you don't have one - use a window instead) and set that one to locked loupe on the image of interest.

Thanks Lee, that's useful to know... but it would be nice if the function was built into the software to keep the woking format and layout rather than clever work-around solutions. It's just a little neater that way. I'll use your suggestion in the meantime though.

Cheers

[bennmonyo09]

if i may add... hope LR4 would have a simple LIQUIFY TOOL... c",)

[hamish niven]

eeish - a liquify, that is pixel descructive.

its also photo manipulation than touchup/edit IMHO anyway