I know there are some out there who played with Lightzone. In this thread I like to report my findings so far, and in the same time ask you to share yours.
Lightzone (http://www.lightcrafts.com) is a new RAW converter and photo editor for Mac, Windows and Linux (yes, even Linux). I'm using the latest version for Linux, which is 2.1.1.
Here a short summary of what I like and what I don't like.
One the positive side:
1. Once you get the idea, it's very intuitive.
2. I've never processed RAW files as fast as with Lightzone - in 95% I get the result I want in nearly no time.
3. You can create and safe multiple templates and apply them to your pictures. If a template doesn't fit you can later tweak each and every adjustment individually with great ease.
4. You can select regions (using Bezier and/or other selection tools) and apply adjustments to only part of the image.
5. Each adjustment works like a layer in photoshop and is independent of other adjustments. Adjustments you make can be edited or deleted at any stage. All adjustments are accessible in a window, similar to layers in PS. You can enable/disable individual adjustments.
6. Lightzone safes the adjustments in a file that uses only a few kbyte. The RAW files are untouched. There is no need to create TIF, jpeg, psd or other files. It's similar to ACR.
7. You can apply the same tool or setting multiple times.
8. Most tools have a blending feature like in PS. There are many blending modes.
On the downside:
1. Version 2.1.1 for Linux has some problems with batch processing.
2. It's a bit slow on my PC, but NC or NX is even worse.
3. Needs at least 1 GB RAM (doesn't start with less), and more is better.
4. Highlight recovery missing.
5. Lack of image management features to create, select, and sort pictures for albums.
Conclusion: I am really impressed by this software. It gets the job done in much less time and with greater ease. And while I'm not the last authority :wink: in picture editing and RAW conversion, Lightzone got a nice review at Outbackphoto:
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_26/essay.html
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_30/essay.html
Hope it's usefull. Any other comments / reviews are appreciated.
Lightzone (http://www.lightcrafts.com) is a new RAW converter and photo editor for Mac, Windows and Linux (yes, even Linux). I'm using the latest version for Linux, which is 2.1.1.
Here a short summary of what I like and what I don't like.
One the positive side:
1. Once you get the idea, it's very intuitive.
2. I've never processed RAW files as fast as with Lightzone - in 95% I get the result I want in nearly no time.
3. You can create and safe multiple templates and apply them to your pictures. If a template doesn't fit you can later tweak each and every adjustment individually with great ease.
4. You can select regions (using Bezier and/or other selection tools) and apply adjustments to only part of the image.
5. Each adjustment works like a layer in photoshop and is independent of other adjustments. Adjustments you make can be edited or deleted at any stage. All adjustments are accessible in a window, similar to layers in PS. You can enable/disable individual adjustments.
6. Lightzone safes the adjustments in a file that uses only a few kbyte. The RAW files are untouched. There is no need to create TIF, jpeg, psd or other files. It's similar to ACR.
7. You can apply the same tool or setting multiple times.
8. Most tools have a blending feature like in PS. There are many blending modes.
On the downside:
1. Version 2.1.1 for Linux has some problems with batch processing.
2. It's a bit slow on my PC, but NC or NX is even worse.
3. Needs at least 1 GB RAM (doesn't start with less), and more is better.
4. Highlight recovery missing.
5. Lack of image management features to create, select, and sort pictures for albums.
Conclusion: I am really impressed by this software. It gets the job done in much less time and with greater ease. And while I'm not the last authority :wink: in picture editing and RAW conversion, Lightzone got a nice review at Outbackphoto:
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_26/essay.html
http://www.outbackphoto.com/artofraw/raw_30/essay.html
Hope it's usefull. Any other comments / reviews are appreciated.
