Lightroom 2 is Here!
Last night Adobe went public with the brand new version of Lightroom – Lightroom 2.0! If you recall, there was a public beta released back in April which caused quite a stir with it’s new targeted localized adjustment tool. Well now Lightroom 2 is officially shipping and not only does it have all the cool features you remember from the beta, but its got some brand new stuff as well.
Over the course of the coming weeks I’ll have lots of videos, news, and tips on taking advantage of Lightroom 2. To keep you busy today though, I figured I’d share some links I’ve come across as well as some of the videos that we’ve been working on:
Tom Hogarty (Lightroom’s Product Manager) has the inside track, so his blog is always a good place to start when a new version is released.
Scott Kelby, RC, and I created the NAPP sponsored Lightroom 2 Learning Center. Of course you’ll find out about all the new features there, but there’s a few videos that Scott and I did that are worth some extra attention – even if you’ve seen all the new features. Once you go to the page, look at the list on the right and you’ll see we did a Lightroom vs. Bridge (and Photoshop and ACR) comparison video. We get asked this all the time so we finally made a video to cover it.
While you’re on that NAPP Learning Center check out the “Other improvements and changes” video at the bottom of the list. We cover some of the smaller (but still really cool) stuff in there that may sneak by some people.
Terry White shows that Lightroom 2 can be used for retouching too.
Scott Kelby talks Lightroom 2 on his blog and announces that his Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers is available for pre-order. This will be THE Lightroom book of the year so get on the pre-order list now.
I’ve created a 3-part training series at Kelby Training on Lightroom 2 called Lightroom 2 In Depth. Part 1 is all about importing and sorting your photos and where to store them. Part 2 is about developing and editing. Part 3 is about showing off your work and printing. Check it out here at Kelby Training’s website.
I’ve also created the Lightroom 2 Power Session. This one just dives into the new features of Lightroom 2 so if you’ve already used Lightroom before (and know it pretty well), and you just want the scoop on the new stuff, then it may be better for you.
Finally, I’d like to ask 2 favors from you:
1. Leave a comment here and share your thoughts about the new release.
2. Also, I’ve got a question for you. Are you upgrading? Why or why not? What’s the big selling point(s) or what’s holding you back?
Well folks, that’s about it from here on launch day. I’ll have lots more good stuff to come though so stay tuned to the website. Have fun!
Does Photoshop support the Lumix DMC-LX7? Can’t seem to find this information. I have an older version of PS and it doesn’t support it.
What’s up to all, the contents existing at this site are actually remarkable for people knowledge, well, keep up the good work fellows.
I am a fan of LR2 but I have problems printing with roll banner. I have an Epson 4800. Whatever I do the image prints on half the paper and is in itself halved. I have tried every possible combination of settings.
Thank you in anticipation
Robyn
Not sure it it’s my computer or something I’m doing (computer is new though) but it seems to be freezing up on me a lot…? Anyone else?
Hi Matt,
I have a question about Lightroom v2. One of the things I had missed in v1.x was to adjust the perspective of a foto (especially important, e.g. when the fotos contains buildings that should have horizontal / vertical lines instead of a wrong “visual perspective”).
I was surprise to see that this feature hasn’t been added into v2.
Do you think I’m the only one missing this feature? It seems to be straightforward to implement…(?)
Thank you for your opinion about this,
Christian
Thanks for all the help guys – well done,great support to have around especially all the new little tricks . Keep up the good work !!
Cheers
When I use LR2 new brush say adjusting the exposure it will lock up on me or will work very slowly. Is this common or am I having a memory problem. I have 3 g of ram? Help love the program but just can’t seem to use the edit tools which is the most important to me.
I just upgraded and have found my first bug. It is a really strange one. First let me say I am on a Mac with 3 printers always connected. This has never been a problem in the past, but since I have apgraded to LR 2, in the Print module, even though all my settings are set to print to my Epson 4800, the first time I try to print anything, it starts to print to my HP Laserjet. If I cancel the print job and do it over, then it correctly prints to my 4800. This is starting to get a little annoying since I do all my own printing. Anyone else had this problem?
I love Lightroom but will definitely be not donating to Adobe’s scheme to get even richer even quicker by ripping-off its non-US customers. Nor will I be purchasing any other Adobe product as long as their current policy continues. At best, however excellent, their products have always been overpriced but this latest cynical exploitation of their dominant position in the market is just too much to stomach.
LR2 is completely worth it. While retouching is fantastic, seems to slow things down a little. My only other gripe at this point is that with picture package you cannot place more than one image (ie. 2 or more different files) on a page; a major bummer for me. Hats off to Adobe
There is an issue with the edit in photoshop option. You do have to sync the folder afterwards. It seems as if LR2 is built for Vista x64 on a quad core system because I have had a improvement in performance compared to LR1.4. Despite what others have said.
On a 64bit quad system with only 2GB of DDR3 I’m running much faster. I have my catalog with over 20,000 DNG photos in it. From time to time I’ve noticed when browsing through all the photos in grid view it can lag from time to time but thats just do to the large files. Launching LR2 is much faster, LR1.4 always took a few min for me and LR2 is pretty instant.
Between the 64bit support and Dual Monitor support the upgrade was worth it. The masking brush and gradient tools are nice touches but not the key features. I’m still waiting for internal HDR and Pano Stitching support.
I have yet to test if I can now load gigapixel photos into lightroom. Previously in LR1.4 there was a resolution limit. Will see if thats the case in LR2
Steve,
The markup for the overseas market is substantial. I can’t help but wonder why. I’m sure Adobe has its reasons.
David,
Sorry to hear you are dragging on speed. I run on PC’s. I wish I felt I was in a position to be of senior advice.
Till later,
John
I am sorry, but from where I am standing Adobe screwed up big.
In the first place, LR 2 is very slow on my MACPRO with 4 gigs, as slow as Aperture 1.5 was and was what made me switch from Aperture to Lightroom.
In the second place, PS roundtrip is not working right. LR2 sends the image to PS when I select edit in, but after I finish with the file in PS and close and save, the new file does not show up in LR 2. It is in the folder but not in the catalog. I either have to re-import the image or sync the folder. On either case, it is not stacked with the original.
What’s up??
Is there a setting or something? or just a big screw up from Adobe? Why isn’t Adobe addressing this issues in public?
John,
When we click on the “buy now” button next to “from $99” for the upgrade, we are redirected to our local Adobe shop site displaying the price we have to pay. This seems to vary from about x1.5 to x2 for the US price, even allowing for local taxes.
My upgrades are done. I don’t want to be left in the dust on this one. Some of the new features are life savers for me, such as the slide show.
I see many people are not happy with the overseas pricing. What is everyone seeing?
I’m living in Australia and the international pricing sucks so I won’t be buying it. I had my card out for the download and when I was redirected to the Australian shop and saw the price I put it away.
Shame on you adobe.
Anyone know if Lightroom v2 allows you to see the focus points on the photo? I was hoping that would make it into v2.
Hi Matt,
I have spent most of the weekend going through all of the video tutorials that you, Scott and others have done on LR2. I was really pleased to see that there are even more features than the Beta version, which I have tried since its launch. Printing to jpeg for lab processing is a great help to me. The adjustment brush, with extra features, is even more promising now. It seems that there may still be speed restrictions, but I could live with that. The camera profiles and editor look as though they are going to get over the Canon users problem with orange mush (me included).
So all that I have got to do now is come to terms with the international price. It’s not the price itself, it’s just the total inequality of it. I will hold off for now.
Shame on Adobe.
Thanks for the great work on PhotoshopUser TV, etc.
Steve
I’ve actually completed the upgrade and am happily enjoying the new features. To answer your question, the big selling points for me was improved filtering, improved handling of unmounted volumes and improved editing tools.
For most of my work, Photoshop isn’t necessary any more! Overall, I think the upgrade is worth it!
Mark
Lightroom 2 looks great but while Adobe insist on ripping off their UK customers there’s no way I’ll upgrade and I’ll do everything I can to persuade others to do likewise.
Ted
The new features look good but before I can upgrade I am going to have to work out how to use it without the Keyword Tags browser in the library, that is my primary way of finding images, as everything is tagged and with nested sets of tags to make things easy. The new find just seems so much slower
Also the price difference in the UK is hardly an incentive!
I will wait a month before upgrading. Nothing against Adobe, but I perfer to let someone else find imedate problems. With Microsoft I usualy wait 6-9 month before I upgrade. So as things go that a short waiting period.
The other thing is I am going to relook at the new features. Am a bit fearful of getting my catalogs for each month getting trash. But sometimes you just have to have faith. Also curious as to what the cost is going from 1 to 2 is. I know that is not your area, but it does factor into the decsion.
Upgraded and editing a 700 image wedding. Seems to load 1:1 previews faster. Can’t seem to get the white balance dropper to work. price is right for a 1.0 upgrade.
Question
Since I have dozens of 1.0+ catalogs, should I move them all to one external hard drive? Will if help me find them? Will if upgrade 1.0 catalogs to 2.0?
Seems great so far, except for the white balance dropper. I’m sure it will fix itself as soon as I try and show someone else what it is doing. 😉
Upgraded yesterday, did a photo shoot today, went right from compact flash card to Lightroom to web. Great product.
We have a series of videos about Lightroom 2.0 available and more coming this week. You can see these at http://cameradojo.com.
Matt: I would have emailed you but cant find an email address for you anywhere.
Matt, I have reviewed Adobe, NAPP and many other sites’ reviews of new LR 2.0 features but do not see any real improvements in the two I needed most:
1. customize options for size, opacity, placement, font/gif of watermarks for galleries, print, export of files
2. ability to caption both individual proofs (file name, keyword, iptc) and the proof sheet (as in a footnote/caption for the entire page – say the location, date, subject/session name, etc. my contact info, etc.)
Can you tell me if any of this has been addressed in LR 2.0 and maybe I’ve just missed the announcement of the improvements? I’m leaning towards believing Adobe hasn’t done much on any of this. While I like the looks of the many of the new features very much, without vital basics like these, LR cannot replace the software I am already using for delivery to clients. Yes, it’s a “cool tool” but just adds one more program to use rather than condense the process. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t have much faith these problems have been adequately addressed in v 2.0.
Kent,
I think you are a wise man. I am yet to be able to use LR2 as my computer keeps freezing etc. I think I will just revert back to 1.4 and wait for the upgrade. It isn’t worth the headache…..
I’m a photographer, not a computer guy, and being an early adopter has rarely served me well (1.4.3 would be an example). I’m waiting for 2.0.1; I’m working on too much stuff (already shot and about to be shot) to take any chances.
Is anyone else finding it very slow and a resource hog? When using the selection brush creating a layer mask it pretty much slowed and crashed my computer.
Do I now have to spend more money to ypgrade my computer aswell?
If this sped up I would definitely be uninstalling NX off my computer.
I upgraded yesterday, very smooth to transfer my old catalog with 20,000 pictures…took just a few mins. I have to be honest the number one reason I upgraded was to be able to open images as Smart Objects in PS CS3. I loved the interface of Lightroom 1 but switching to Photoshop was very clunky. So for work that was required in Photoshop I would often switch to ACR instead of developing in Lightroom.
Upgraded smoothly and enjoying the new features, especially the local adjustment tool. Thanks for the “Power Session” video – great overview of the new features.
Stopped by to say that I upgraded yesterday. LR2 answers a question I had previously posted on this blog – the ability to print to .JPG . I can now use LR2 to create spiffy print layouts and have them saved to JPG to be sent off to the lab – awesome!
Guys,
do you know if 2.0 can shre it’s library (collections) with Front Row and iTunes (and then with Apple TV)? This is the only thing which forces me to use Aperture 2 still.
Could I also request reader who agree with having uniform pricing to write a comment on my blog as well and pass the message on to others and surely dont forget to write a comment on John Nacks blog.
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2008/07/lightroom_2_is_here.html
This scheming pricing thing is really annoying me.
I was too quick before I made the money calculation…. I did buy the upgrade and it rocks BUT this is absolutely not on with Adobe. They should bring the price on parity with the rest of the world. And hopefully for people who have gone out and bought it like myself they should consider reimbursing the extra money back. I realised that I forked out AU$59.00 extra for no good reason!!!
Truly this is robbery!!! Shame on you Adobe.
I have written about it on my blog too.
http://karmakars.com/articles/adobe-lightroom-20.php
Reply to Patrick DS
Privilege or not, that still does not make it right to have such large differences from country to country.
Motti
Sorry to be the only critic here.
I work with 1.4 and never really tried the v.2 demo so I was looking forward to work with the new adjustment brush tool. I downloaded the trial version yesterday and played around with it all evening.
I find that the brush is jumpy and not precise. It seems to takes a lot juice from the computer. I run core2 AMD with 2 GIG of ram.
Does anyone else finds the brush to be jumpy and not precise?
Also:
If the brush creates a mask, is there a way to “paint off” parts of it like with Photoshop?
Motti
L.S.,
1. Important question (already raised by a previous poster): how does the upgrade / installation of LR2 deal with the two separate catalogues (and photo folder structure) when both LR1 and LR2 beta (Silvertone) are installed on your system? Does it merge them automatically into a new catalogue or does the user have to import them separately?
2. I second the opinion of the previous poster (Marcus): perspective correction and lens correction should have been included in the new features.
3. The difference in prices across the globe is, alas, not only an Adobe privilege. Just look at and compare prices of camera bodies and lenses across the globe. We are all economical hostages of big international organizations toying around with exchange rates and speculating with oil, banks, holdings, the European Union, governments restricting imports and taxing goods at ridiculous rates, etc. It has now become even illegal to sell certain goods under a minimum price in the EU… Big Brother is not only watching us, he’s ruling us!
Kind wishes,
Patrick DS
I have been working with LR2 since yesterday’s release and I am very impressed with the interface changes and enhanced retouch capabilities! I am nearly able to do all retouching in LR now. The only feature I am missing at the moment is that it isn’t possible to do perspective corrections whilst cropping. That would be a great add on!
Here in Denmark the UPGRADE is US$ 200,-!!!! I would gladly pay US$99 but not 200 for a few new features.
Adobe – great products, but awful, unfair pricing.
Adobe – at least Dick Turpin wore a mask, you guys are just plain robbers.
Hi Matt,
Forgot to say … the two biggest things for me that have made me upgrade immediately are 1.The Adjustment Brush and 2. The ability to save jpegs of your print layouts.
£87 for the upgrade here in the UK which I’m more than happy with.
Regards,
Glyn
The one thing that’s keeping me from immediately upgrading is the cost. I know I’ll upgrade eventually, maybe in 30 days … but seriously, after paying for 1.x, having to pay for the 2.0 upgrade hurts. I realize its inevitable and justified (I work in the software industry so I “get it”) but still, $99 bucks, ouch. I’ll use the 15% NAPP discount when I do upgrade, gotta love NAPP!
Hi Matt.
First, thank you very much for your awesome tips and presets.
I have upgraded to LR 2.0 without a hitch. I just want to share with you and your audience, that I also used the “Soften Skin” brush to selectively blur the background, and because I used a tripod for that series of shots, I am able to synchronized and save some time.
More power to you!
I purchased upgrade (with NAPP discount) and downloaded right away this morning and have been giggling ever since. Local adjustment rocks! Worth the price all by itself. Except for some very special needs and panos will not need to go to Photoshop very often, but really appreciate the improved integration. Have loved all the output modules since V1 and am looking forward to V2 improvements. I switched my entire workflow to LR soon after V1 came out and I am patting myself on the back again!
Great upgrade! I have been using the beta version and love the adjustments filter. Definite potential for future plug-ins and as a photographer the majority of my work is now done in Lightroom with short trips to Photoshop if needed.
I upgraded today and used the NAPP discount to get 15% off of $99.
No layers yet but there has to be a place for Photoshop.
Thanks for the great training videos!!!
I love Lightroom and use it almost every day. I started using Lightroom 1.0 when it was just into Beta and I’ve been using the 2.0 Beta since it came out.
I’m going out now to upgrade!
Going to download the upgrade now.
NAPP members don’t forget your 15% off code.
If you’re not a NAPP member (why not?) Amazon has the boxed upgrade for $94.99 at the moment.
hey Matt,
Just tried out the new Folder Panel where you mentioned in your video how you can link up external drives and Lr remembers the drive name. Pretty cool.
It also works with RW DVDs. So if for some reason you wanted to store specific files on DVD, you can give the DVD a label name and then import images into Lr leaving the location as the DVD and Lightroom will remember the DVD name. You can also drop and drag from DVD to a hard drive folder and also the other way.
Matt,
Downloaded LR2 last night, played with it this morning. Totally awesome enhancement features…the Adjustment Brush features are just Outstanding…all I can say is WOW!
I think anyone uses lr 1 should upgrade.Lightroom is an awsome piece of software.If only had better color rendition…I love lightroom but there is no mach to capture one,in terms of colour rendition.
Ordered the Upgrade as soon as I read about it on Scott’s blog this morning. I like having the disk, so I have to wait for snail mail but…
I think all of the enhancements sound really good, but I am looking forward to Localized Corrections, the Gradient Tool, and if all things Smart Collections. As I am in the process of converting my older collection to LR right now, I figured I might as well go with the latest and greatest.
Matt,
Just upgraded as soon as I got home and saw the notice on Scott’s blog. Also just went through your Power Session at Kelby training. Very nice. I’ll be going through some of the In Depth sessions also.
Love Lightroom 2. Some of the Interface layout changes are much better. The Adjustment Brush is definitely worth the upgrade alone. Also the smoother integration with Photoshop is better. Printing enhancements are another appreciated improvement.
Thanks for all the tips and training. Check your site daily along with Scott and Dave. You guys are the best.
Tom
Hi Matt,
Totally loving LR2 … absolutely awesome enhancements 🙂
Great job by all of you guys too for putting together a really comprehensive learning package.
All the best to you and yours,
Glyn
Matt,
Been working my way thru your LR2 training videos and they’re great; thanks for the super effort pulling them together in time for the product release. I do have one question about the DNG format though: I’ve never understood the logic for using it and I still don’t. Here’s why…
I’m importing NEF files. Since Nikon has maintained backward compatibility with their lens mount from the beginning of time, why would we think they’d ever abandon the NEF support? It just doesn’t make sense. And even if they did, we could do the DNG conversion when they made the change (IF they made the change) on an as-needed basis. The odds are that by the time that would ever happen, our photo files are going to be archival only and we won’t need to be processing them any longer; we’ll be on to shooting new photos (with whatever format that MIGHT replace NEF). ALSO…
It also seems a bit presumptuous of Adobe to presume they’re going to be around to support DNG longer than Nikon’s going to be around to support NEF. I’m guessing they’re both in for the long haul, and I’m guessing Nikon will continue their policy of supporting their faithful customers.
Maybe I’m missing something (sure wouldn’t be the first time) so if I am, could you pass along the missing piece?
Thanks again for the great effort on the videos. Much appreciated!
rc
As a UK user and one who’s very satisfied with Adobe products I think I have to add my comments to those already made here about the appalling pricing policy for loyal non-US customers. Why are we being treated with such contempt or disdain? Or for laying out all that extra cash do I get a super sized update with the help files written in English spelling? Like a few previous writers here I’d like to hear an explanation for the rip-off. Until then, LR1 works ok . . . . Adobe – you just lost a sale.
Thanks for the excellent news and great videos on Kelbytraining. Can’t wait to try it out on my photos. One question though: do the presets we’ve been using of yours fro LR1 work in LR2 and how do we get them over there? Thanks.
Hi Matt,
I’m not jumping in right now to upgrade. Some reasons are:
1. It is much slower to react to the sliders movement than LR 1.4, causing me to constantly readjust. Drives me crazy.
2. On my computer, the new dodge and burn doesn’t seem to work correctly. Constantly redoing. Again, drives me crazy.
3. Also, the print module doesn’t give me the results I get with LR 1.4. All settings being equal.
I’m just going to wait and see how it works out. Don’t want to duplicate 1.4.3 problem.
Thanks
Dennis
Yup, just upgraded. Like Stephen here above, the new camera profiles are the most important to me. New tools look great – new graduated filter and localized editing. A few requests remain though: a full screen image view with editing HUD (like Aperture) and a levels function. Oh, while asking: levels and curves for different RGB channels would be nice too.
Now I’ll stop and go back and enjoy a great release!
Yes, I did upgrade, on day one. Number one reason is, the new camera profiling (beta). From the little I’ve seen, I like it. Also the new tools are impressive. And, I expect some improvements in all tools in the Develop Module.
Thanks for all your help with Lr1, Matt. Looking forward to your assistance on Lr2.
I’ve been using the v2 beta since it was made available — now I have to buy the real thing!
Anyone know what discount NAPP members get off the full package price please?
1. Will all my LR1 data/photos transfer to LR2 with all my adjustments? Will there be a more inclusive Help section. Like how do you thus and so?
2. I will upgrade around November to let it settle in a little. Plus I’m going to be on the road Sept. & Oct. and don’t want to start a new software now. When I tried the beta it messed up my LR1 so I removed it. Due to lack of explaination I couldn’t figure out how to use the new features.
I will still not pay asking price for Lightroom as it’s still missing a key feature: Soft Proofing. I also haven’t seen anything to do with colour management but I’ve not installed a trial yet to check. Bot of these features are critical in a colour managed workflow.
Also I hate Adobe’s pricing scheme for Europe. Most companies will charge dollars for any where in the world yet Adobe insist on using a inflated price no matter where you are.
Finally I hope it plays better with Bridge than V1 did.
Overall it looks a stronger release than V1 and whilst none of the features are really groundbreaking I’ll probably trial the app at some point in the future.
Thanks Matt.
I upgraded this morning and as a NAPP member I got 14 bucks off. I used the beta a bit but now that 2.0 is golden I am really going to delve in. I guess Adobe likes us Canucks because the price is fair to me.
I have upgraded and shelled out the inflated price foisted upon those of us living on what Big Business calls “Treasure Island”, namely, the United Kingdom. LR is just too good to be without; plus I am on holiday and have time to learn it inside out supported by you and your colleagues, Matt. BTW, though I am a NAPP member, I did not get a discount because, once again, benefits seem to stop at the U.S. coast. Without any doubt this is the last time I buy Adobe software until their international pricing is put on a par with Stateside customers.
That said, let’s get using those cool new features!
Balliolman 🙂
England.
…just to clarify my above point….LR2 doesn’t appear to automatically re-import photos edited in CS3. I am sure it should (yep, I have turned the option to stack off). I am a fairly long term user of LR2, but there does seem to be an issue with this.
Of course I would spell my own darn name wrong…. lol.
I know it has been said many times before, but maybe if there are enough people complaining about Adobe’s pricing outside of the US, they may either give us a good reason (which I doubt) or drop the price to the same level. Lightroom 2 US price: 299 dollars, Uk price 408 dollars!!!!
I think one of the best news tidbits of the week relate to the new “Camera Profile Editor” and the camera specific profiles that Adobe are now creating. Downloading the new profiles and applying the Vivid profile to a new shoot I did just last night in LR 2 made a huge difference over the standard ACR 4.4 profile. Now my D300 images look incredible and the colors are way more accurate & less orange looking then they were before. Even the contrast is way more punchy.
So Don’t forget about that news. Those profiles are BIG deal and a potential mega time saver. Looking at my shots from last night, I might not even need to edit them at all! ( at least many of them.) Previously, I always had to tweak the color correction every single time. Even with Studio lighting.
To me this was more exciting then the actual LR2 release. Not that the software isn’t impressive. But the selective edits were old news. and much of the rest of the software was evolution changes. not really “All new” features.
Major props for Adobe addressing the Camera Specific profile issue and not letting the lack of camera manufacturers’ cooperation in that area become an excuse to simply do nothing at all. Looks like they came up with a great workaround.
Well dang I just picked up the first Lightroom book a couple weeks ago. Hopefully I’ll be able to return it and get the new one when it comes out.
I just hope I can save up the $100 upgrade in 30 days!
Not wanting to sound too negative, i don’t think this is a major improvement. The adjustment brush is nothing that amazing, masks would be enough, along with some brushes. No need to re-invent the wheel.
I still can’t use LR for my work because it screws my D3’s colors!! How about a decent raw converter?
Sorry for going against the mob… that’s the way i see it.
I upgraded. Works pretty well, but just a few notes. On a quad core machine with lots of memory, LR2 goes slow, much much slower than v1.4. Secondly, unless I am wrong (and that may be the case!) it appears the movement of files between LR2 and CS3 is a bit buggy. e.g. on LR1 I ‘picked a file’, then edited in CS3, once complete it was saved and magically appeared back in LR1. In LR2, this doesn’t happen (or rather sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t!!) – to find the file I have just edited I need to synchronize the folder…a pain.
Similarly, after working on a file in CS3, it saves my file as a JPEG – despite the settings in LR2 being set for a TIFF.
I have a vague feeling I should have waited for performance issues and bugs to be ironed out.
Is it worth it? For a working pro photographer – no, not yet. Although I am sure it will be by the time v2.1 is available.
Upgraded this morning….The localized adjustment tool was all that i needed to see to make the decision, and with the NAPP discount for Adobe it made the decision just that much easier!!!
I’m not upgrading right away for several reasons.
1. I just put out the money for LR.
2. I just upgraded my CS to CS3 (more money).
3. While there are a lot of great presets for LR, there are still many, many more for CS3 still.
All the money I have put out for LR, CS3 and training, I am not going to upgrade again soon. 🙂
Yes, I am upgrading, and thanks to you and Scott, we have outstanding resources to learn all the great features in Lightroom 2.
I’m so excited. I held off on buying 1.0 for about 3 months while I used 1.0 and 2.0’s trial versions. 2.0 definitely has some nice features that I’ll need to learn more about very soon. Thanks for the links to the training!
60% mark up for international users is daylight robbery. I won’t be upgrading until Adobe make the cost fairer for the rest of the world.
I have upgraded in a snap! The new local retouching features – and the brand new gradient filter! – are just too good to pass on…
Now just waiting for someone to release a simple but useful perspective correction plug-in, or even better a lens correction tool (PTLens?).
Of course, seeing that $99 equals to euro 99 excluding local VAT makes you wonder who at Adobe tracks currency exchange rates? Net Belgian price exceeds double the US list…
Still, it’s going to be worth every cent of it!
Hi
Just wondered if anyone could explain why on UK upgrade page (haven’t tried others), the download version is at 21% Vat and boxed at 17%.
Matt, sure I will upgrade… love Lightroom and now the infatuation starts all over again. One quick question… I was watching PHotoshop User TV yesterday and you mentioned that “2” will not save all the PSD files that you didnt know were being saved and when you went to “2” you saved maybe 4 gigs on your hard drive. First where do I find all these files on a PC so I can delete them.. or will “2” delete them for me automatically. Thanks…
PS will someone please step up and lead a photowalk in Atlanta.
Hallo Matt,
Just upgraded, because i like the program very mutch.
What i dont like is the Adoba pricing, in Euro’s we pay about 157 dollar (excl. VAT)
Thats about 60% more then the USA users!!
Hey Matt,
Just upgraded and everything appears to function as planned. Did a quick try of your presets and they seem to function as designed. Mine appear to function also.
The gradient feature is a killer.
As for pricing – ATTENTION NAPP members, dont forget your discount code for Adobe Products !!
Sorry to say it Matt, but I am yet another unhappy European user that like it as much as I do will not be paying the ridiculous Adobe asking price. To me there is absolutely no conceivable justification for an almost double asking price as it is here in Germany.
As a side issue, Adobe should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves regarding their lack of consideration towards an environmental policy. Charging more for a download than a boxed version is totally beyond belief and is something that those responsible for pricing at Adobe should be hanging their heads in shame over.
I’ll definitely be upgrading, especially since I’ll be getting Scott’s Lightroom 2 book! I have downloaded the free trial and hope to upgrade after that is over.
Thanks for all of your hard work with the educational materials!
Upgraded immediately. Very sluggish today (makes sense, lots of concurrent downloaders). It might be worth waiting a day or two.
Also: if you go the download route, print the page with the license key and leave it on screen, too. If you choose install after the download ends, you can copy/paste from the screen. Getting it back later takes a few clicks.
I’m going to watch the tutorials before installing/upgrading, then watch them again as I go thru the process. I’ve learned from experience that planning an upgrade workflow is worthwhile, too.
I join to the ones who complain about US price and European one. I don’t know if Adoble is trying to pull my leg. Adobe, PLEASE, think it over and low the price for Europe.
Thanks Matt for your gorgeous tips, videos and so on
I have 1.4 & beta….. will 2.0 update both?I have files missing in both versions(in red)I know where they are(curently hard drive unavailable)Will 2.0 show missing files?
Has anyone got some info or have compared files?
Thanks
David
Matt,
I’m very jazzed about 2.0!! I’ve been using the beta and am excited about the upgrade… so, yes, I’m buying it right now!
Cheers,
Pete
Hey Matt,
As you can see, a lot of people from non US countries (like me) are paying a lot more then US customers. This makes no sense!
What’s the story Adobe? looks like they don’t like non-US customers.
Before I send my money to Adobe, first use the trail and check how the NEF conversion works in 2.0.
Thanks for all the brilliant tips you give us and please continue!
Kind regards,
Joost
Hey Matt,
As soon as I saw the Adobe email about the release I purchased the upgrade immediately. Beta 2 already sliced a couple of hours sifting/adjusting through 1300 odd images at one time for weddings…I can see the full release is going to shave even more time off that…LOVE IT!!!
Less time in Photoshop with the adjustment brushes (and gradient … too cool) gets me off my damn computer and back behind the camera.
Well done Adobe for listening to photographers.Upgrade price no issue here!
I’ll probably be upgrading but I need to wait a few weeks for school to start back & my teaching salary to start rolling in.
The upgrade is most welcome, but the prices outside US are insane!
In US, it costs 99USD, here in Norway, I have to pay 200 USD for the upgrade, just becouse I’m registered with Norway on my profile.
This needs an explanation!
Looks great – looking forward in seeing LR2
I will upgrade but I’ll do anything possible to avoid Adobe’s ridiculous non-US pricing. I understand they have to add VAT to international prices but that still leaves a 50%+ markup for a download! Wake up Adobe!
Definitely going to upgrade- the only question for me is download or get the box? Any recommendations there??
Hi Matt and all,
USA academic LR 1 user; recently came back to Europe where the pricing is not as good… So holding back cuz of the price and because I recently switched from PC to Mac… Too bad – have to buy the full version and the French pricing really sucks 🙁
Does anybody know whether Adobe would switch my USA PC license # to a French Mac’s so that I could do the LR 1 -> 2 upgrade?
Thanks a bunch in advance!
Best – Florent.
Would Love to get the upgrade but not at the $179 they are asking for it here in Australia, just another case of exploitation and commercial rip-of when it should cost no more to download it from a US site or Australian site, its no wonder software piracy is riff, and this sort of thing only encourages it.
But it wont stop me checking your site every week for the tips and videos on it even if I only have 1.3
cheers
Just downloaded the upgrade! I’ve been itching to use 2.0 for months, but kept getting frightened away from all the warnings on the Beta page. I’m so happy it’s official!
Also, as has already been mentioned by another commenter, the Terry White link is invalid. A little searching around and I found the correct link:
http://creativesuitepodcast.com/index.php?post_id=362691
In Matt’s post, the “…index.php2post…” should be “…index.php?post…”
Thanks for info Matt. I have just bought a new machine with Vista 64bit and still have a notebook with XP (32 bit). Do you know if I can install LR2 (64) on both machines? I shudder at the thought of having to buy two versions… and then there’s the whole issue of me being in New Zealand and having the pricing disparity (who can explain that?!).
Many thanks,
Alastair
Another unhappy user about the prices of Lightroom outside of the US.
I’m undecided on the upgrade due to Adobe ripping off the UK again. It’s £81 pounds here. Including UK tax (17.5%) this is still £20 ($40) more than the US version!!! I buy all my software legitimately, but this ripping me off really annoys me. I want to get the electronic copy (the same price as the box copy, why?) so there really is no excuses Adobe!
I’m lucky as I’m off to New York soon, I think I’ll end up buying the upgrade version then.
BTW keep up the good tips Matt!
The Terry White link isn’t working.
Just upgraded with less difficulty than the original Lightroom beta to release version. (Had a couple of kinks due to the way I have my security setup in Firefox.) Upgraded because the features I saw and used in the beta make 2.0 that much better as a front end tool to PS CS3. Plus, as a standalone tool it is pretty spectacular on its own. Besides without it, getting Scott’s new book when its releases would be meaningless. Probably will need to get a 8-5 job to afford the upgrade to CS4 come the day. Thanks to Scott, Matt, Dave, and all the others that make this a joy (started in a darkroom with the chemicals 4 hours a day). $99 is a bargain for the upgrade. Thanks Adobe for an affordable pricepoint.
Great news. But why is the upgrade not available from the education store? The full version of Lightroom 2 from the edu store is cheaper then the upgrade without student discount. To me it does not make sense…
Hopefully Adobe will think about it soon – I’ll be graduating in a month 😉
Until then I won’t buy it – it would jeopardize my graduation 😉
cheers!
It seems a bit silly that it costs more to download the upgrade than it does to have a box shipped to you (in the UK, at least). Doubtless I’ll still be upgrading, but I’m also a bit disappointed that there is no academic pricing for the upgrade, only the full version. Still, it’s not going to stop me, however much I grumble!
Australian upgrade is $179.00 plus freight, seems like way too much with the AU$ at approx. 97cents. Think I will sit this one out for a while, the old version is working just fine. Can Adobe AU justify this price? Looks like this pricing policy outside the US is exploitation…again.
all the best Matt.
Robin in Tropical Australia.
Can you purchase from the US store if you are not in the US?
Hi,
according to the features i will upgrade.
I use LR since it’s initial beta.
But when i look at the german prices, i am hesitant about it…
The upgrade is 99 Euro plus tax. That’s 118 Euro, in USD: 188 USD.
For this price i can almost buy the US version.
I think Adobe needs to rethink it’s policy, this is way too much compared
to the US!
Happy LRing,
Marc
I’m definitely upgrading, but the international pricing is a sore point. With the strength of the euro against the dollar it seems insane that the upgrade price is $99 or 99 (in both cases tax or VAT is added on).
At least in my case I will definitely be considering a purchase from the States. I’ll happily pay for software but I won’t start paying insane markups that defy logic.
James, check out the adobe store for the pricing of the full software. A$539 vs US$299
Thats BOLLOCKS!
Okay awesome upgrade matt, but…
And I already ranted on scotts blog,
The cost in the us for an upgrade is $99, the cost in australia is $179.
The exchange rate is $0.95.
How do I get it at the american price (like all my lenses) and register it in australia?
Just downloaded the upgrade. Although I’m just an amateur photographer, I use Lightroom so much, getting the latest is a no-brainer. Especially for a $99 upgrade price? That’s one of the cheapest Adobe upgrades ever!
You are gonna make me $100 poorer, but the adjustment brush is too cool for word and by itself is worth the price. I’m definitely updating.
I think I’m going to wait for a couple of weeks to make sure that there’re no major issues with this release before trying it out.
The new features sound very appetizing so I wonder if I can wait this long before downloading it 🙂
Great news!
But will the new LR2 work with catalogs made by LR1.1, LR1.2 etc?
Already ordered my upgrade and can’t wait to check out the new training videos at Kelby Training.
Why you ask? I have been using the beta since it’s release and there is no going back. I just gotta have my brush and looking forward to the new gradient tools as well.
Thanks for all the great information, presets and training. I have no idea how you keep up with it all but I am sure glad it is all there when I have the time to learn.
What’s VERY COOL is that I’ve just uploaded and upgraded my lightroom 2 beta catalog to LR2. Done with the new LR2 without a hitch. Very surprised.
excellent news!!!!!
I’ll defiantly be getting V2, not only for my studio, but because I develop preset workflow over at Seim Effects and want to take advantage of the new features.
I’ve been using my presets for some time in V2 so while I know they work, I’m excited. I find that the Auto corrections in V2 are a bit better and I can use part Auto, and some manual editing to refine the Auto presets as well.
Going to check out the vids and see what you guys have to say.
Gavin
SeimEffects.com
ProPhotoShow.net
I am definitely upgrading! I’m so excited with the new version of Lightroom!!! Yehey!
On my way to upgrade!!!! 🙂
Great! Awesome!! Have they adjusted the price to compete with Aperture 2 though?