Hi
Branding issues aside, (Classic should have been called PRO, since calling something "classic" doesn't inspire confidence for future support), Adobe also added complexity to the subscription price scheme, and they killed perpetual license versions. i.e., Lightroom 6 is now a dead end versions with no future support.
I want to expand on that today and give you some additional insight about two of those choices: Luminar and Media Pro. Warning, this email is a little bit long, simply because I feel this is important info to share. You can always bookmark and read it later.
LUMINAR 2018 for Mac & Windows |
I've been using Luminar for just about one year now, and I've found it to be an extremely easy, powerful and fun
program. With a great collection of presets and a host of effective editing tools it contains, Luminar offers everything you need for your photo editing needs in a simple, concise package, and it's added a welcome and efficient component to my workflow.
Luminar has a RAW processor that supports just about every camera format, even Fuji
X-Trans files, a huge selection of professional quality filters and image editing tools and some really fun presets. It also offers pro features like layers, masks and blending modes, which allow you to take your photography creativity in whatever direction you want.
Although Luminar is new, the developers are working hard to improve
it, and today, they just announced LUMINAR 2018 for both Mac and Windows. The new version contains a streamlined user interface, number of noticeable performance improvements, some great new filters and expanded workspaces that let you customize and
create an image editing workflow that matches your style.
Also, coming next year, Luminar will include a full digital asset management system. After Adobe's recent announcement, this is welcome news indeed, and I'm extremely exited about this feature. If it's as good as they promise, then Luminar could give you all the tools you need as a photographer to finally switch from Adobe. Even without the DAM, it still functions as a powerful and efficient image editing solution.
I actually met with a number of the people behind Luminar at PhotoPlus last week, including the CEO and the Head of Product Development. Both of them were very receptive to my suggestions and answered a number of questions I had about the program.
Regarding Fuji and X-Trans RAW processing, the lead product developer assured me that they're committed to supporting the Fujifilm cameras. In fact, he's a Fuji X-T2 user himself and loves the system! And, they support every other major camera system out there.
Regarding their forthcoming assent management system, I gave him my input about what I feel a good catalog program should contain and how it should compare to existing programs. He told me that they're using Photo Mechanic as a benchmark for speed, and considering that Photo Mechanic is the fastest browser around, that's a pretty good benchmark to try and attain.
Having used the pre-release version for about a week, I can verify that LUMINAR 2018 is indeed faster and snappier, and it contains some great new UI tweaks, as well
as some fun new filters. It has an updated RAW processing engine, speed is improved with a number of features and new algorithms that let you get better colors more quickly.
New filters include SUN RAYS, which offer some incredible fun creative options, from realistic enhancement to over-the-top, image-popping visual candy. A MATTE FILTER
allows you dial back and get a subdued, vintage look and LUT MAPPING allows for professional quality color grading.
If you're an existing Luminar user, you'll definitely want this upgrade, and you'll get a special pre-order price of only $39. If you're new to the program, the one-time, no subscription price will only be $59. Both of those prices offer $10 savings over the full price, which will be in effect after Nov. 16.
If you were a Windows beta tester, you'll save an additional $10.
Also, if you pre-order LUMINAR 2018, you'll get a pack of presets from Nicole S. Young, an exclusive pack of LUT color grading files and more.
The Pre-order goes through Nov. 15, so you'll have plenty of time to try it out, and
still get the special price if you think it will work for you.
Media Pro Asset Management System |
When I first went digital back in 2005, I used Media Pro software as my main catalog and image archive system. Developed by iView, Media Pro was an incredible, full featured and powerful management system, probably the best one out there at the time.
Eventually, the program was sold to Microsoft, who, sadly, pretty much let it die. However, a few years ago, PhaseONE bought the program and resurrected as the catalog system inside CaptureOne Pro.
Media Pro SE is also available as a standalone version, and after playing around with the demo this week, I can attest that it's still the best asset management system around. And although it's not as fast as Photo Mechanic for
culling and initial editing, it is built to handle that task with a high degree of speed and efficiency, certainly faster than Lightroom.
With extremely fast drag-and-drop ready import, support for all types of image files, as well as PDFs, auto files, video, and many other types of documents, and full metadata/search solutions, Media Pro will give you
full organization of your entire photography life.
To give you an example of how fast and powerful it is, I uploaded my entire 100,000+ image catalog, folder by folder, in just a couple hours. And those were all images stored on my Synology network hard drive. (That's WAY faster than
you can do it inside CaptureOne Pro's own Media Pro-based catalog system!)
Then I transferred a copy of the catalog to my second computer, (you get 3 license versions), loaded the catalog and did various search and browse functions. I was amazed at how fast it let me scroll through thousands of photos and find specific photos and groups
of photos using keywords, events, dates, etc...
In addition, hitting the "find file" button at the top of the screen instantly showed me the actual image inside the folder, and again, even though it was stored on my NAS system and not on the computer itself.
Using Capture One's image rending engine, rich management features and a wide variety of export options and templates for sending and sharing your work with your clients and social media audience, Media Pro is a very impressive program.
Even if that ends up being the case, I'll still use Luminar for the majority my processing needs. This is easily
accomplished, because you can simply drag or open the photo in Luminar, right from Media Pro, process, then save the edited file back to your folder and import/synchronize Media Pro to add your processed version to the main catalog.
After struggling with my own workflow for a couple years now, I'm excited and feeling motivated to finally get back on track in 2018. I
may very well be on track to say goodby to Adobe and not renew my subscription. My hope is that you can get your workflow refined in 2018 as well.
I've also being trying out Affinity Photo as a potential Photoshop replacement, but I'll write about that in an upcoming email. Stay tuned.
I hope this info was helpful. Please feel free to email me if you have specific questions about these two programs and I'll do my best to respond.
If you live in the PNW, please consider heading to the Kenmore Camera Digital Photo Expo in Portland Oregon this coming weekend, as my good friend and fellow Fujifilm X-Photographer Karen Hutton will be speaking and giving presentations about creativity and image making techniques.
Karen is a great photographer and a
wonderful person, and she has some very unique insight to share about putting yourself into the creative space and producing satisfying work. I love her approach, so if you can make it, I highly recommend that you try and catch her talk. You can tell her I sent you. :) Check out Karen's website here.
And of course, the Kenmore Expo always features tons of awesome camera deals. (I bought my Gitzo tripod there last year.) It's worth a visit to the show if you live near Portland.
Ok, that's all for now. Best of luck with your photography and have a great rest of your week!
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Sincerely,
Dan Bailey
dan@danbaileyphoto.com
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