Lightroom fans, LR4 Beta has been announced

[2WheelPhoto]

Lightroom 4 Public Beta: What's New: Digital Photography Review

New tools, modules and tons more!

The Lightroom 4 beta introduces quite a list of features, including a completely new book-creation module, expanded support for video, soft proofing capability, and geo-tagging of still and video images via a Google Maps-powered module. Image editing tools have also been significantly updated, with a new process version (PV2012) that includes a reworking of the Basic panel controls and new localized editing options.


Lightroom 4 introduces Process Version (PV) 2012. What's a process version and why should you care? Well, it's the image processing engine behind Lightroom (and Photoshop's Adobe Camera Raw plug-in). The Lightroom engineers make periodic tweaks to its components to provide better image rendering and/or enable new editing functionality. While the rendering performance sees some minor changes, PV2012 stands out by introducing a redesigned and recalibrated set of the Develop module's Basic panel tools, along with more localized editing options. Simply put, PV2012 is of huge consequence for every serious Lightroom user. Its changes are significant and will have a direct effect on your editing workflow.

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[Schwettylens]

What does Beta mean? Can you purchase it? If you can, I will probably buy it tonight!

[Rephargotohp]

The ability to Soft Proof is a huge addition

[Rephargotohp]

What does Beta mean? Can you purchase it? If you can, I will probably buy it tonight!

You can play with it until they get all the bugs out. Then they release it for sale

[Schwettylens]

Who can play with it? Anybody? Selected individuals? With time trial I suppose?

[jwbryson1]

The ability to Soft Proof is a huge addition

What is soft proofing and why does it matter?

[Schwettylens]

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 | photo management software beta - Adobe Labs

I guess I answered my own question. Anybody can download for free. It expires in March.

[Big Mike]

Yes, the 'beta' version is free to use...until they actually release the finalized product.

What is soft proofing and why does it matter?

Soft proofing is the process of trying to visualize what your print will look like, before you print the photo. So to do this, you need a profile of of the particular printer with the particular paper. It's still not a perfect system, because monitors are back lit and prints are front lit...but soft proofing is still very handy for checking to make sure that the colors in your image, are not out of gamut for the printer.

It was supposed to be included in LR3, but it got cut as they rushed to get it out. Photographers have been clamoring for it to be in LR for a while now...especially as many of them mainly use LR, and only use PS for soft proofing and a few other things.

Understanding Soft Proofing

[KmH]

Psst! - Some have been using it since July.

[Primoz]

Yes! Finally whitebalance brush! =D It's like they were reading my mind...

[o hey tyler]

Psst! - Some have been using it since July.

Insert feigned jealousy.

[Schwettylens]

OMG OMG! that would be sweet!

Yes! Finally whitebalance brush! =D It's like they were reading my mind...

[nmoody]

Thanks for posting, downloading it now =)

[GeorgieGirl]

Here's my list of likes in addition to the local adjustments and develop adjustments:

Video - Used to have to use alternate program for video out of the 7D

Soft Proofing

Photo Books - I've used Blurb and so like it(Have to see how they work out what were color profiles for print that blurb required as LR does not do this, so Im confused)

Monitor to paper characteristics

I like the direct email idea

[Big Mike]

I don't know about the official announcement, but the tweets from Adobe really seamed to be hyping the Geo-tagging aspect of LR4.
I can see a use for it, but is this really something that most photographers want? or is it something they've added...just because they can? I can think of more photographers who want to hide the location where the photos were taken, than those who might want to include that with the file.