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The Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition) from Adobe is a complete photo management and editing suite for Mac OS X and Windows. Ideal for enthusiasts and professionals alike, Lightroom takes a nondestructive approach to photo editing, leaving the original files unmolested. All your adjustments and edits are stored in a database and applied to an image on the fly, so that you'll always be able to go back to the original image. This enables you to execute as many post-processing adjustments on a photo as you'd like, without making permanent changes to the original image.
Lightroom also serves as a powerful organizational tool for your photographs. Organize photos to suit your needs via an intuitive folder-based data structure. Lightroom lets you store images on multiple storage devices, and it stores low-resolution previews of each image in its central database, allowing you to browse photos even when the original files are offline. You'll be able to search your images based on any number of criteria, accelerating the process of locating a specific image.
Lightroom's interface is divided into five major components: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web. Each screen serves its own purpose, and you can go back and forth between them easily. There is some overlap in functionality, but for the most part, the components are compartmentalized.
The Library screen is where you organize and browse your photos. Enjoy full access to all folders in your library from this screen, allowing you to reorganize as needed. Apply keywords, ratings, color labels, and metadata additions to images. You can make custom searches to create "Collections" based on any of these criteria. The "Smart Collections" function updates on the fly as additional images meet your criteria. For example, you can have an up-to-date collection of all images that you've given a 5-star rating. There is also a "Quick Develop" panel allowing you to make minor adjustments to an image, without having to venture into the Develop screen.
The Library also serves as the gateway to import and export images. Clicking "Import" brings up a redesigned screen: The Import window now expands to fill your entire display. Browse through your hard drive or a memory card to find images for import. You can leave the images in their original location, copy or move to a different folder, or copy and convert them to Adobe's DNG format. Apply Develop settings, add metadata, and add keywords during import, such as one for the camera used to capture the photos. Rename files and save a second copy to a backup drive during import.
When you've finished editing, use the Library screen to export your photos with ease. You can use the "Export" function, which brings up a window with numerous settings -- including image size, sharpening, file format, and the like -- that you can customize. There is a new "Publish Services" section, enabling you to send images to your hard drive or Flickr with ease. Create as many presets for Publish Services as you'd like, giving you one-click access to frequently used export operations. This section can be further expanded via third-party plug-ins, available from Adobe's Lightroom Exchange website.
The second major component of Lightroom is the Develop screen. This is where you'll do the vast majority of your photo editing and toning. Perform any adjustment imaginable here, including color temperature, exposure, black levels, contrast, sharpness, and brightness, to name just a few. You can make adjustments via sliders or tone curves, discretely modify color channels, and convert images to black and white. Numerous presets are available, allowing you to quickly apply a certain "look" to a photo, and you can create your own presets based on your favorite settings.
The Develop screen also features useful History and Snapshot functions. History lets you browse through all of the adjustments you've made to an image, in the order that they were made, so that you can revert back to any stage in the image process. At any time, create a Snapshot of an image, which saves all of the settings you've applied, allowing you to continue to experiment with a photo after you've found a look you like.
Remove dust spots and red eye from photos, thanks to Lightroom's spot editing tools. Create image masks to apply graduated filter adjustments to a photo, or use the brush tool to dodge, burn, and make other spot adjustments. You can add vignettes and simulated film grain to images, great for breathing analog life into digital photos.
With distortion correction, "defishing" of images captured via fisheye lenses can be done from within the program. Correct for both fisheye and rectilinear distortion, a capability highly useful for those shooting with extreme wide angle lenses. Numerous lens profiles are included with the software, and you can save your own presets for oft-used lenses.
Lens corrections can also eliminate the keystone effect that ensues when your camera is not straight-on a subject. Basic crop and rotation tools are also available for quick and easy adjustments. If there is anything that can't be handled by Lightroom, it's easy to export a photo to Photoshop CS4 or CS5 for editing; any changes you make to an image in Photoshop will be automatically reflected in Lightroom.
Lightroom's other three screens are all about sharing your images. The Slideshow screen gives you all the tools necessary to create digital slideshows of your images, complete with transitions and music. View these from within Lightroom or export them to a PDF or video file to share.
The Print screen allows you to print your images in any way imaginable. Adjustable for many standard paper sizes, it lets you visually lay out photos on them, allowing you to maximize the number of photos on a single page -- thus helping to reduce printing costs. Lightroom can automatically position photos so that space on a page will be used as efficiently as possible. Adjust prints for different paper types and color profiles, and add a signature plate if you wish.
The Web screen gives you numerous means of outputting photos to the web. Adobe includes a number of HTML and Flash galleries, allowing you to create a web gallery without any knowledge of programming. These can be customized to suit your needs, and third-party galleries are available via the Adobe Lightroom Exchange website.
Top new features in Lightroom 4 include: Highlight and shadow recovery, photo book creation, location-based photo organization, extended video support, white balance brush and additional editing brushes, video publishing, soft proofing, improved online sharing integration, emailing from Lightroom, and importing libraries from other software.
To be eligible to purchase this Student and Teacher edition, you must be a student, faculty member, or staff member of an accredited primary or secondary school, or public or private university or college.
Lightroom is sold as multiplatform software, which means it can be installed on either Mac OS X or Windows. It's compatible with Mac OS X v10.6.8, 10.7 or 10.8, as well as Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, and Windows 8.
The purchase of this software entitles you to free downloadable updates to Lightroom 4.1-4.4 and all subsequent versions of Lightroom 4.
| System Requirements |
Windows: Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 processor Microsoft Windows Vista with Service Pack 2, Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, or Windows 8 2.0 GB of RAM 1.0 GB of available hard-disk space 1024 x 768 display DVD-ROM drive Internet connection required for Internet-based services Mac OS: Multicore Intel processor with 64-bit support Mac OS X v10.6.8, 10.7, or 10.8 2.0 GB of RAM 1.0 GB of available hard-disk space 1024 x 768 display DVD-ROM drive Internet connection required for Internet-based services Adobe online services and other third-party online services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms and/or Adobe's online privacy policy. Online services are not available in all countries or languages, may require user registration and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice. Additional fees or subscription charges may apply |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Great addition to any photographer's bag
Either if your a consumer, amature or professional this software is for you. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 takes all the power of Photoshop and makes it super simple, easy, and fun to edit ...Read complete review
Either if your a consumer, amature or professional this software is for you. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 takes all the power of Photoshop and makes it super simple, easy, and fun to edit your photos! Free photo editing services and programs may be fine to start, but usually lack advanced features, fine tuning and overall ease of use. More advanced editors like Photoshop may be all too complicated and have more features than you will ever need or use.
Managing my photos and publishing them online was super easy and cut the time I was spending to do so IN HALF. I recommend this for everyone starting out with photography, you can get professional results without professional equipment. This product will eliminate most frustrations and put joy back into managing, editing and publishing your photos, so you can have more time photographing!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Should have stayed with earlier version
Adobe removed the Fill Light slider; my favorite feature about LR 3. They replaced the Fill Light slider with two new sliders: White and Shadows. I just cann NOT get the same quick ...Read complete review
Adobe removed the Fill Light slider; my favorite feature about LR 3. They replaced the Fill Light slider with two new sliders: White and Shadows. I just cann NOT get the same quick results with these two sliders as I did with the Fill Light. I did not research the "upgrades" for LR 4 prior to purchasing the newer software...my bad. I wish I would have stayed with LR 3! LR 4 does have a Soft Proof feature; which is nice, but I don't print that much. The photos I do intend to print, I always work on in Photoshop. PS has better sharpening tools, filters, and soft proofing.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 97 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This is a fabulous program. I have had software in the past that could do this and that but never really make a picture pop and turn heads but Lightroom 4 allows you to do that. I have Photoshop Elements 10 that I have used a lot but it doesnt compare to Lightroom.
Lightroom has made my pictures go from average to great. You can change everything when it comes to color and lighting, all the while makeing it easier to organize.
The biggest thing i like about Lightroom is the way you can edit without having to undo or restart when you make a mistake. Photoshop you have to create layers but with lightroom it does it all for you and anytime you want to go back, you just click the history at the point you want. AMAZING!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I've been trying to get it to work. The moment I hit "import" it crashes. I have more than the minimum requirements. Hopefully I can update to 5 stars when I can figure out why it's not working.
I'm also using View NX2 and Capture NX2 with no problems.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I found the software user friendly and easy to learn. I was able to quickly learn how to adjust RAW files and take my photos to the next level!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Came in early!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Pros: Great way to manage and adjust large quantities of photos - especially when shooting in RAW.
Nice workflow for event photographers - I go from camera, to pc, adjust color, crop, to website and printing orders all from LR4.
Cons: Needs beefy machine, LR4 appears slower than previous versions. New Book module is a great idea that has not yet come of age.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I have a friend(professional photographer) that uses Lightroom and states it is far better/easier than Photoshop.
From the reviews I have read in photographic literature Lightroom 4 seems to be the better product (rather than Photoshop).
Even though I am just learning the program I find it easy to move through and the tutorial program is great. I would recommend this to friends and colleagues.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
The Adobe Lightroom 4 is a must have software for anyone. It is easy to use and you can do many adjustment of your images.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Lightroom 4 has been a super affordable program for my teens to use to expand their love of digital photography.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I purchased the software for personal use. Does exactly what I need it to and has tremendously improved my work flow. B&H was hands down the best place to make the purchase: best price + included how to DVD
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I was looking for a program that would take my photo editing capability to the next level and this program is definitely worth it. Submission of the documentation was easy enough, however, I will say when I went to submit it told me it could take 2+ business days to process my request and I was submitting on a Saturday. It would have been nice to know that in advance, but in the end they still processed my request in less than 24 hours. The program has been fun to use so far, but I can see it will have its limitations. I am looking forward to watching the DVD that came with my order to learn how to use it to its fullest. The program is easy enough to start using for photo editing, but I can see more training will be helpful.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Fantastic for organizing and editing. Much better at organizing than Elements- Much easier to preview and analyze photos. Great for changes in exposure , color , vibrance, cropping, etc.Easy to use and learn.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I love using this product to edit my personal photography.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I'll admit it, I was so skeptical at first. I had LR3 and didn't think I woul need this latest version. I've had it just a few weeks, but it's grown on me! I love it and every image I take goes through it!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Bought this for my daughter in college, she needs photo editing software.
She loves it, very easy to use and has a lot of varied uses.
We also used the student price, which was an excellent price compared to many other websites.
As usual B&H offers an excellent price with free shipping.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I will never go back to Lightroom 3. I don't care if my old catalogs from LR3 are not compatible with LR4, this is way better than LR3. It handles highlights better, it has video editing, geotagging (which I don't use yet but may in the future), and much more. If you are on the fence, get off it and get this now! My only complaint is that it runs slow in the Develop module when you click on an image and it takes a bit to load even on a high-end system: Intel i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 2GB video card. Oh and another bad thing, you have to upgrade to Photoshop CS6 if you want the Edit in Photoshop to work just as it should. I get an error message because I have PS CS5 but it will let me edit it anyway. The problem is that the new Camera Raw is not compatible with CS5. Boo!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Very easy to use, excellent picture management/editing tool.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I use this product everyday for photo editing. It has everything I expect and leaves nothing out.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This is my first experience with Lightroom, and one week in I am loving it! I still have a lot to learn, but at this point it is saving a lot of time in my workflow. I really hated opening each individual image in Photoshop for only minor tweaks, or having to batch process everything identically. This program offers the best of all worlds, and it is easy to use PS when necessary for more substantial edits.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This software allows me to demonstrate basic photo manipulation and allow students to begin their introduction to PhotoShop.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I am using this editing software to edit photos for my photography business. I like that it is simple to use but offers a lot of options for editing. I am really glad that I bought it it is well worth it!
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Great addition to any photographer's bag
Either if your a consumer, amature or professional this software is for you. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 takes all the power of Photoshop and makes it super simple, easy, and fun to edit ...Read complete review
Either if your a consumer, amature or professional this software is for you. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 takes all the power of Photoshop and makes it super simple, easy, and fun to edit your photos! Free photo editing services and programs may be fine to start, but usually lack advanced features, fine tuning and overall ease of use. More advanced editors like Photoshop may be all too complicated and have more features than you will ever need or use.
Managing my photos and publishing them online was super easy and cut the time I was spending to do so IN HALF. I recommend this for everyone starting out with photography, you can get professional results without professional equipment. This product will eliminate most frustrations and put joy back into managing, editing and publishing your photos, so you can have more time photographing!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Should have stayed with earlier version
Adobe removed the Fill Light slider; my favorite feature about LR 3. They replaced the Fill Light slider with two new sliders: White and Shadows. I just cann NOT get the same quick ...Read complete review
Adobe removed the Fill Light slider; my favorite feature about LR 3. They replaced the Fill Light slider with two new sliders: White and Shadows. I just cann NOT get the same quick results with these two sliders as I did with the Fill Light. I did not research the "upgrades" for LR 4 prior to purchasing the newer software...my bad. I wish I would have stayed with LR 3! LR 4 does have a Soft Proof feature; which is nice, but I don't print that much. The photos I do intend to print, I always work on in Photoshop. PS has better sharpening tools, filters, and soft proofing.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 97 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This is a fabulous program. I have had software in the past that could do this and that but never really make a picture pop and turn heads but Lightroom 4 allows you to do that. I have Photoshop Elements 10 that I have used a lot but it doesnt compare to Lightroom.
Lightroom has made my pictures go from average to great. You can change everything when it comes to color and lighting, all the while makeing it easier to organize.
The biggest thing i like about Lightroom is the way you can edit without having to undo or restart when you make a mistake. Photoshop you have to create layers but with lightroom it does it all for you and anytime you want to go back, you just click the history at the point you want. AMAZING!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I've been trying to get it to work. The moment I hit "import" it crashes. I have more than the minimum requirements. Hopefully I can update to 5 stars when I can figure out why it's not working.
I'm also using View NX2 and Capture NX2 with no problems.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I found the software user friendly and easy to learn. I was able to quickly learn how to adjust RAW files and take my photos to the next level!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Came in early!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Pros: Great way to manage and adjust large quantities of photos - especially when shooting in RAW.
Nice workflow for event photographers - I go from camera, to pc, adjust color, crop, to website and printing orders all from LR4.
Cons: Needs beefy machine, LR4 appears slower than previous versions. New Book module is a great idea that has not yet come of age.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I have a friend(professional photographer) that uses Lightroom and states it is far better/easier than Photoshop.
From the reviews I have read in photographic literature Lightroom 4 seems to be the better product (rather than Photoshop).
Even though I am just learning the program I find it easy to move through and the tutorial program is great. I would recommend this to friends and colleagues.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
The Adobe Lightroom 4 is a must have software for anyone. It is easy to use and you can do many adjustment of your images.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Lightroom 4 has been a super affordable program for my teens to use to expand their love of digital photography.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I purchased the software for personal use. Does exactly what I need it to and has tremendously improved my work flow. B&H was hands down the best place to make the purchase: best price + included how to DVD
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I was looking for a program that would take my photo editing capability to the next level and this program is definitely worth it. Submission of the documentation was easy enough, however, I will say when I went to submit it told me it could take 2+ business days to process my request and I was submitting on a Saturday. It would have been nice to know that in advance, but in the end they still processed my request in less than 24 hours. The program has been fun to use so far, but I can see it will have its limitations. I am looking forward to watching the DVD that came with my order to learn how to use it to its fullest. The program is easy enough to start using for photo editing, but I can see more training will be helpful.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Fantastic for organizing and editing. Much better at organizing than Elements- Much easier to preview and analyze photos. Great for changes in exposure , color , vibrance, cropping, etc.Easy to use and learn.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I love using this product to edit my personal photography.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I'll admit it, I was so skeptical at first. I had LR3 and didn't think I woul need this latest version. I've had it just a few weeks, but it's grown on me! I love it and every image I take goes through it!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Bought this for my daughter in college, she needs photo editing software.
She loves it, very easy to use and has a lot of varied uses.
We also used the student price, which was an excellent price compared to many other websites.
As usual B&H offers an excellent price with free shipping.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I will never go back to Lightroom 3. I don't care if my old catalogs from LR3 are not compatible with LR4, this is way better than LR3. It handles highlights better, it has video editing, geotagging (which I don't use yet but may in the future), and much more. If you are on the fence, get off it and get this now! My only complaint is that it runs slow in the Develop module when you click on an image and it takes a bit to load even on a high-end system: Intel i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 2GB video card. Oh and another bad thing, you have to upgrade to Photoshop CS6 if you want the Edit in Photoshop to work just as it should. I get an error message because I have PS CS5 but it will let me edit it anyway. The problem is that the new Camera Raw is not compatible with CS5. Boo!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
Very easy to use, excellent picture management/editing tool.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I use this product everyday for photo editing. It has everything I expect and leaves nothing out.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This is my first experience with Lightroom, and one week in I am loving it! I still have a lot to learn, but at this point it is saving a lot of time in my workflow. I really hated opening each individual image in Photoshop for only minor tweaks, or having to batch process everything identically. This program offers the best of all worlds, and it is easy to use PS when necessary for more substantial edits.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
This software allows me to demonstrate basic photo manipulation and allow students to begin their introduction to PhotoShop.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Software For Mac And Windows (Boxed Full Version, Student And Teacher Edition):
I am using this editing software to edit photos for my photography business. I like that it is simple to use but offers a lot of options for editing. I am really glad that I bought it it is well worth it!