Best Photo Software
Lightroom 2 is the best photo organizer and quick editor I have ever used. I really like the organizer bar. And, I create web pages in minutes, crop pictures, adjust exposure and color temps, export my RAW images to JPG, touch-up red eye, and much much more. I haven't used CS3 in months.

Keep up the good work Adobe!
My search for the perfect photo management and editing program began earlier this year. While I'm not a professional photographer by any means, I am an enthusiasts like many of you who are considering Lightroom. The pros will all say that Photoshop is a must, but for amateur enthusiasts like us, it is way overkill as well as an expensive solution that screams out for a simpler solution.

On the other extreme are programs like iPhoto and Photoshop Elements 7 which are not sophisticated enough for anything but casual snapshot takers.

With Photoshop, iPhoto and Elements out of the running, I had to choose between two competing software: Lightroom or Aperture. If you have a PC and not a Mac, the choice is much simpler since you can't pick Aperture. Each had it's own strengths and weaknesses. Aperture, for those who have used both, is easier to use since the the layout and workflow was designed with simplicity in mind. It is also about $100 cheaper than Lightroom. However, I own a Sigma DP1 which used a proprietary RAW format (X3F) that precluded me from using Aperture. At the time, neither programs accepted the DP1 format. However, since Adobe is faster at releasing RAW updates, I figured that I had a much better chance of an update from Adobe than Apple in the near future. It turns out that I my assessment was correct as Adobe recently updated their RAW converter which now accepts the DP1 while Apple is still Sigma deficient.

I started using Lightroom 1.4 earlier in the year. Although I wasn't able to directly import photos directly from my Sigma, I was able to convert it in the Sigma software first before importing them into Lightroom. The program is broken into five separate modules which follows the workflow of someone who wishes to go from importing the photos off their camera to the finishing product whether it's for print, web or anything else. I will now describe the five modules and my impression of them:

Library:
This is the first module. It allows you to import, organize as well as quick adjust photos coming in from your camera or memory card. There are a few changes in 2.0 from the previous versions. Mainly, the left side of the module has been reduced to just three panels. You can now create collections so that all your vacation photos, for example, can be grouped together. That makes it simple to see grouped themes in your pictures. There is also a smart collection which functions much like the iTunes smart playlists which would key in on tags so that it automatically grows or shrinks as your photo collections change. People using Photoshop would welcome the better integration.

Develop:
This second module is probably where most people spend most of their time. It allows for the fine tuning of photos to just the way you want it. It's not as powerful as Photoshop, but it should be sufficient for anyone who doesn't wish to alter the photo so much so that it's no longer like the original. Unlike Photoshop, you can't create things that weren't there in the photos to begin with. It's everything you need to adjust the photo.

The new 2.0 version now has a graduated filter tool so that you can add that effect to your images. There's also a retouch brush which allows you to paint in exposure, brightness, clarity, and saturation. There's even a section to correct for vignettes if you have lens issues.

Slideshow:
I don't do slideshows so I don't spend too much time here but suffice it to say, it has everything you need to create just the right presentation.

Print:
The print module has all the printing settings and adjustments for printing that can make the print look great. It will also allow you to output to jpg so that you can print it somewhere else. The allowance for package makes batch printing easier.

New to 2.0 is the ability to support 16 bit print output for those printers that have it.

Web:
I also don't spend too much here but you can create html galleries for your web pages.

Adobe seems to still be in rapid upgrading mode for Lightroom. They have just released an update to 2.0 which further improves and program. I expect there to be additional tweaks to the program as time passes since they seem to be locked in a battle with Apple's Aperture for dominance.

All in all, Lightroom 2.0 is a very powerful tool that will allow any enthusiast to fully exploit whatever photos they have taken to its maximum potential.

64-bit systems supported: Priceless
Adobe knows how to make fine software applications, and Light Room II is perhaps my favorite of all time (I've used Photoshop through CS2, Lightroom, Acrobat, etc...) As simple or complex as the user needs, its full featured editing and organization are impossible to beat. While the true professional editor will miss things from the heavier hitting Photoshop, virtually all the tools a photographer could ask for are available. I find that I rarely if ever use CS2 unless I run into a particularly daunting problem that Lightroom cannot manage. However, I am a bit of a purist, and don't 'clone' out undesirable things from photos, or do large scale image merges. I use Lightroom II like a darkroom, not to perform digital wizardry to fix inherently flawed images or create art digital mashes of photographs.

The best feature of Lightroom II in my opinion isn't really a feature, but support for 64-bit systems. Not just compatibility, but a special 64-bit version, able to take advantage of the additional ram afforded by 64-bit processing, as well as the native speed increase from the processor. This is simply fantastic, and makes working with very large RAW files seamless and quick. Navigating larch batches of 16mb+ files is also very smooth with zero lag.

There are a few things that have been changed from the original Lightroom that annoy me (the much more complex process of selecting the crop tool for example, which has been moved from the lower left of the main screen to the tool bar under the 'develop' tab for example) but these are merely preferences, and things that I will eventually adjust to. Overall, the improvements far outweigh any negative changes. I especially like the ability to isolate part of an image for color adjustments. This makes fixing a minor coloration problem easy. I no longer have to load the image into CS2, make changes, and then re-open in Lightroom. This makes my work flow much simpler and I find myself using CS2 less and less.

A tool for anyone serious about digital photography with a enough muscle to edit almost any image, Lightroom II is a fantastic product and well worth the price. Rarely have I encountered a more stable, easy to use, and downright fun software. Now if only Microsoft would take some cues from Adobe...

Photoshop Beyond!
As a lifelong Apple user, old Art Director and Adobe fanboy, I was extremely happy with Lightroom 2. NOT Photoshop Lite but IS a darkroom guru! Superbly designed for pros to enhance the heck out of images to pro standards, period. My highest recommendation to Adobe for turning me on to Lightroom. Have Photoshop? you probably have the CS and thus can live without SOME of lightroom, but I love the way it helps me track my tons of stuff in an orderly way. KUDOS ADOBE!!!

Organizing! As a designer AND archivist of thousands of images and many more to come, I needed Lightroom's capability to keep them all sorted, properly imported and with the opportunity to go back and undo changes (very, very smart!).

Adding sepia and effects is much simpler than Photoshopping; photographers don't want more unnecessary junk, they (we) want to get to where we want to go and back up to the right one. Here ya go!

Filters and whizbang stuff are terrific. Ease of transforming for web or print and everything in between is great. More than I'd asked for!!!

Downside: Loads a bit slow on mine, but expected on older Macs. Time for an upgrade to compliment this fantastic new app!

Upside: Organize! Adjust! Clean up! Post and look totally brilliant with your photos! Even a novice can look pro here, and that's no exaggeration. Old "Photoshop tricks" are mastered here and wonderfully great to work with.

Take the time to study Lightroom
If you have the time to study Lightroom, learn its strengths and weaknesses, and fortify your knowledge with some third-party resources, this product is an excellent adjunct to Photoshop and a great tool on its own. It's hard to find a new twist or turn to add to the already thorough set of reviews here, so I'm going to step aside and return to reading those.