At the moment, LR is now in version 1.3, with the latest update just recently released. Both versions 1.2 and 1.3 were not major updates and were released more to accommodate the camera raw formats of the newly released-digicams and to fix minor bugs in the software. Version 1.3 also makes LR compatible with Apple’s latest operating system Leopard. For the complete list of new camera raw support and the bugs they fixed, go to http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/.

Here are the top 10 features that came with version 1.1:

1. Open different Catalogs within Lightroom. First of all, what were called libraries in version 1.0 are now called appropriately catalogs in 1.1. They contain all the thumbnails and settings that you applied on each and every image. In 1.1, you can easily create new and different catalogs. This is an important development. If I had only one catalog for all my photos, I could end up with a bloated catalog. Now I can have a catalog for family pictures, another for clients, and yet another one for my travel photography, etc. There is no limit as to the number of catalogs you can create. You can easily move from one catalog to another within LR. Unfortunately, when you open another catalog within an existing catalog, LR will have to quit first. (Maybe in the future they will adopt what Apple has done in its operating system. In Apple, when you change user’s window, the desktop simply flips to the chosen window, making it easy to switch from user to user).

2. Combine Catalogs. In 1.1, you can now combine catalogs. In the first version, merging libraries was not possible which was a problem for people who work with multiple computers like I do. I usually download my photos on site into my laptop directly into LR, apply some keywords and maybe even do some quick edit. The main catalog of my travel photography, however, are kept in my iMac where I do most of my serious editing. In the previous version, I have to re-import the photos in the LR catalog of my iMac. Version 1.1 just made it easier for me to export the entire catalog from my laptop by choosing Export as Catalog from the File menu to my iMac. And then in my iMac, all I have to do is to go to File > Import from Catalog while my catalog on Travel Photography is open. The import dialog lets me move the new photos over, as well as synchronize any changes I made in my laptop’s LR.

Furthermore, I can now also split a catalog into several catalogs which I found very useful just recently. After importing all my travel photography into one main catalog, I found LR slowing down much to my dismay. I decided then to spin off photos taken in different areas to separate catalogs. For example, photos taken in Asia were moved to the Asia catalog, the European pictures into another catalog, and so on. To do this, I simply selected all the photos (using the keyword) taken in Asia and then chose Export as Catalog.

3. Editing in Photoshop CS3. While I do most of my global editing now in LR, I still need from time to time to edit an image in Photoshop CS3. As a rule, I prefer to export in Photoshop CS3 files in 16 bit and in Pro Photo color space to preserve the color details of the originals. I set up the options in the External Editing in the preferences dialog box of LR so I don’t have to do it every time I export a file into Photoshop CS3. From time to time, however, I want to edit the file in 8 bit with Adobe RGB color space. In the past, this means I first had to redo my preference settings before I export the file to Photoshop CS3. In 1.1, each time I choose Photo > Edit in Adobe Photoshop ..., a dialog box now pops up giving me the chance to change those settings if I want to.

4. Sharpened Sharpening. Like in the Camera Raw plug-in of Photoshop, LR’s sharpening control found in the Detail panel of the Develop module in version 1.0 was inadequate. I always ended up exporting my files into Photoshop for sharpening purposes, which is a mandatory step before printing. In 1.1, sharpening just became a serious business. You can now have a decent sharp image so you can print it directly from LR. I don’t have enough space here to discuss the different sliders of the sharpening control. All I can say at this point is, once you learn how to use this feature, you will find less excuse to go to Photoshop CS3.

5. Using the LR’s Native Resolution. Talking about printing, in version 1.0, you can change the print resolution but you cannot turn it off. If you simply want to use the native resolution of the file, you still have to specify it. In 1.1, the Print Resolution in the Print Job panel now has a checkbox next to it, allowing you to uncheck the box if you want to simply use the native resolution of the file. Not so big a deal but an improvement nevertheless.

6. Clarity Control. In the Basic panel, a new slider called Clarity was added. It was grouped with Vibrance and Saturation sliders in a panel called Presence. What Clarity does is better seen than explained. It is closer to Contrast than to Saturation and yet it is categorized as a way of increasing the saturation of the colors in your image. What it does is it boosts the contrast mainly in the middle portion of the image compared to the Contrast slider, which actually affects both the highlight and the shadow areas. To use Clarity, make sure that you are viewing the image at 100% magnification. In this view, you can easily detect the halos that are created on the edges of the images when you overdo the Clarity control. When the halos appear, simply move back the slider.

7. Noise Reduction. Like the Sharpening feature of LR, the Noise Reduction control also found in the Detail panel is the least used feature of LR 1.0 as far as I am concerned. Adobe addressed the weakness of this feature by improving the math and algorithms that go into the process of removing both the luminance noise (found in the shadow areas) and the chroma or color noise. With this improvement, I now use it from time to time. Otherwise, I still prefer using Photoshop’s Noise Reduction filter. (Frankly, ever since I switched to Canon 1D Mark III, I never had a reason to use this filter).

8. The Painter Tool. Version 1.0 had an icon of a rubber stamp that is used to stamp keywords to individual images without having to select them. In 1.1, the icon was changed to an image of a spray paint. Now called the Painter tool, it is still used like the Stamp tool but now you can spray not only keywords to individual or group of images but also labels, flags, ratings, metadata, and develop and rotation settings.

9. Synchronize Folders. This new feature allows you to add files that have been subsequently added to the folder but not imported into the catalog, removing files that have been deleted from the folder and scanning for metadata updates. The photo files in the folder and all subfolders (in that folder) can now be synchronized as well. This is really a boost to the photo management module of LR. To access the Synchronize Folders command, choose a folder in the Folder panel and choose the command in the Library menu.

10. Sharing Presets. Remember Actions in Photoshop? Well, LR has the Presets which work more or less like Actions. LR came with some presets that you can apply on your images in the Develop setting. But you can also create your own or download the presets that were created by other LR savvy users. What is frustrating in the earlier version, however, was when you want to store presets that you acquired, you had to go digging for the folder that contained the presets. In 1.1, the presets that came with LR are now found in one folder while presets, that you created or you acquired, are stored in another folder. To store presets that you acquired, all you have to do is Control+click (Windows: Right+click) on the folder and choose Import from the drop down menu. Do the same thing when you want to export presets that you created. This shortcut definitely encourages the sharing of presets among LR users.