Verdict: 4 stars Lightroom is Adobe’s bold vision of a cloud-based photo organizing and editing tool where all your images can be organised, edited and viewed anywhere on any device. For mobile users and content creators it’s a clever and effective proposition, but for regular photographers, while its editing tools now include AI masking, A lens Blur and the rest of Adobe’s latest Lightroom features, its restrictions, the closed nature of its editing ecosystem and its cost remain a major barrier.
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Adobe Lightroom updates since 2022
If you’re wondering whether to take the plunge with Lightroom, you’ve put it aside for a while or you’re just not convinced you’re getting your money’s worth, this catch-up with everything that’s new since 2022 might just convince you.
Adobe Lightroom Classic review 2023
Verdict: 4.5 stars Lightroom Classic is the traditional, desktop-based version of Lightroom. Its editing tools are powerful and versatile, aided by new and steadily improving AI masking tools. Lightroom Classic continues to be the professional cataloguing and editing tool by which all others are judged, though it’s not always the best.
Reviews
Capture One Pro review (Dec 23)
Verdict: 4.6 stars Capture One Pro is not cheap. It’s not designed for beginners, and it doesn’t have Adobe’s cloud-based ecosystem – yet. But it’s excellent for tethered shooting, it offers both session-based and catalog-based workflows and its editing tools and output are superb.
DxO Nik Collection 6 review
Verdict: 4.8 stars Nik Collection 6 is the latest version of one of the photographic world’s best-known and best-loved plug-in suites. The updates in this version are modest but useful, and that’s not really a criticism because it’s hard to see how the Nik Collection could be made much better.
How to articles
Can you use DxO PureRAW with Capture One? Yes, and here’s how
DxO PureRAW integrates really well with Lightroom. You can send a RAW file to PureRAW from within Lightroom for processing and it’s returned to your catalog ready to use. It will even have any edits you’ve previously applied in Lightroom. Capture One does not offer an equivalent workflow, but there is still a simple way to send raw files to PureRAW and get them returned to your catalog.
The new HSL local adjustments in DxO PhotoLab 7 explained
One of the new features in DxO PhotoLab 7 is the addition of HSL adjustments to the local adjustment tools. Now, when you create a mask with a control point, control line or other local adjustment tool, you can change the hue, saturation and lightness of specific colors within that masked area.
ON1 Photo RAW 2024 adds 100 new presets
Despite its new Brilliance AI tool, AI masking, enhanced cataloging and layers features, I still think the ON1 Photo RAW 2024 presets and effects are its best feature. Better still, ON1 Photo RAW 2024 has 100 new ones, so now’s a chance to look at some of these and also check out ON1 Photo RAW 2024’s new AI Style Advisor.
The new Capture One AI Remove Dust tool in action: it’s very good!
Sensor dust is an issue with most interchangeable lens cameras, and some more than others. My old Sony A6000 was particularly badly affected, as this landscape image shows. The closer you look at the sky in the top left region, the more spots you see. In fact they are everywhere, all across this image.
ON1 Photo RAW 2024 Brilliance AI: how it works, why I don’t like it (sorry)
Brilliance AI is one of the biggest new features in ON1 Photo RAW 2024. In ON1’s own words, “The all-new Brilliance AI is a game-changer! This tool intelligently enhances the color and tone in your unprocessed photos (and raw images) with the power of AI. You’ll get incredible-looking images in a single click.” Well, let’s see.