The PG: Lightening the Load with LR3

I’ve always felt a like an outsider when people joked about Catholic guilt. What does that exactly mean? No one has ever really explained it to me. Lucky for me, I’ve stumbled upon a brand new flavor of guilt, Photographer’s Guilt (what I call The PG) which is equally elusive to those that have not yet fallen into the black hole of digital photography.

I’m not being competitive here, but I’m going to speculate that that, if tested, The PG could hold its own against Catholic version. And to be fair, I’ll give you a taste. The PG comes in two basic flavors, one of which can be found on a credit card statement, and another, much more sour flavor, comes from the intangible, those endless hours at the computer while children, husband, dogs and friends wait for you to finally complete your editing. Well, here’s a small secret – it never ends, so you can do one of two things: book yourself some therapy or get out that credit card again buy some faster software, for me that would be the new Lightroom3.

It was yesterday at the Boston Lightroom3 Live Tour where I spent the day with host and Photoshop guru, Matt Klowskowski, who guided us through all of the latest and greatest LR3 features. I felt like I already knew Matt from spending so many hours on Kelby Training with him, but seeing him in person was a big treat – he’s a fantastic teacher with a great sense of humor. You, too, can have Matt guide you through Lightroom from his portal Lightroom Killer Tips http://lightroomkillertips.com

So, back to The PG and how LR3 will help you spice things up and, more importantly, shake off some of that weight you are carrying around. Here’s what I heard that convinced me to upgrade:

1. In library mode you can view and move folders on every device, computer & drive all in one panel so you can avoid the can’t-find-your-files question mark.

2. Sharpening is much stronger than LR2

3. Noise reduction is more powerful which is key if you’re pushing your ISO over its limits

4. Watermarking is easy and intuitive (No more mogrifying or going into PS for me)

5. Lens correction tools are much more robust and automated with lens profiles

6. New templates for web and print modules so that you can export to your website, directly to flickr

7. Slideshows an now be exported as video files to share with clients and friends (yahoo)

8. Instantly import images as you shoot them into LR with tethered shooting (Matt’s specialty)

9. Film grain simulation sliders for all of us who miss the look of film

If you’re not using Lightroom yet and want to get started, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/ Also, before you make the purchase, consider becoming a member of NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Professionals) to receive discounts on software, dvds, books, Apple products and gear.

Thank you Matt for making the show so much fun – now I know why Scott has you as his right-hand man and thank you to George and Gail Lucozzi of ASA Photographic www.asaphotographic.com for being the ringleaders and motivating me to go.

That’s all for now. I have to pack for the beach or I may be facing The PG in a much bigger way when the people proclaim that I’m no fun anymore.