So, while I am in fact certified in Apple’s Aperture software, I have to admit, it’s not my personal cup of tea. But, it is a well-regarded and wildly popular raw development and library management app for those of you using OSX (iPhoto has some stripped down elements-style features from it), so, if vertical integration is your thing, it’s your beast. And, at least for today, it could be your beast for a whopping $120 off if you buy it through Apple’s shiny new App Store that launched today (Snow Leopard only, make sure to run your software updates). Might only be today, so, better do some quick maths and decide, yeah. Also, obviously we don’t stand to profit in anyway from pointing this out to you, so, just remember who was looking out for your wallet next time you need gear, deal?

The program is designed to be a value at $395 for 2 days -Roberts customers get a 15% discount when registering, photo students get a 25% discount- and Roberts has a free ticket to give away. Learn how you can enter after the break.

Comment on this post to be entered into the drawing. Your comments need to be on the robertsraw.com website and comments submitted after 5pm EST on Wednesday October 6th will not be entered. Winner will be announced in the morning on Thursday, October 7th. It’s not a raffle, so one comment has as good a chance as ten.

And you can check out the official poster here. Check the external link to read more about this great workshop.

Lightroom 3 will support tethered shooting for the following cameras:

Canon

• EOS 5D
• EOS 5D Mark II
• EOS 1D Mark II
• EOS 1Ds Mark II
• EOS 1D Mark III
• EOS 1Ds Mark III
• EOS 1D Mark IV
• EOS 7D
• EOS 500D (Rebel T1I(EOS /Kiss X3 Digital)
• EOS 450D (Rebel XSI/EOS Kiss X2)
• EOS 1000D (Rebel XS/EOS Kiss F)
• EOS 350D (Rebel XT/EOS Kiss Digital N)
• EOS 400D (Rebel XTi/EOS Kiss Digital X)
• EOS 20D
• EOS 30D
• EOS 40D
• EOS 50D

Nikon

• D3
• D3s
• D3x
• D90
• D200
• D300
• D300s
• D700
• D5000

(source: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/842/cpsid_84221.html)

And, the lens correction thinger will come with a handful of lenses, but, no fear! Should your favorite lenses not be included, you can use their free lens profiler program to print, shoot, and analyze some test charts and make your own lens profiles. Then, 1-click (well, probably more a few sliders, but the “easy” idea remains) will correct geometric distortion, chromatic aberration, etc…

You can download that profiler here.

The biggest thing is of course the new Adobe Camera Raw, the processing engine at the heart of Lightroom (and Photoshop’s raw development, too). The new ACR is basically just all around an awesome engine, it seems, and most notably its noise reduction seems to now be bordering on the godlike. The importance of this is difficult to stress quite enough, especially for those of us who aren’t shooting these newest gen pro bodies with their better high ISO performance. Lightroom looks to be breathing some new life into some of our aging bodies, and I can’t wait to try re-editing a few of my E-3′s high ISO shots with the new engine.

The other biggest feature, for me, is one that I always found a bit curiously lacking in LR2: perspective correction. Now I no longer have to drop out to Photoshop to correct keystones, I can do it completely non-destructively in raw. How isn’t that brilliant, I ask you?

What else is there? Well…

• Reportedly accelerated performance. Always good when software gets faster, yeah?
• Lens correction. Saved profiles for many lenses let you correct for distortion with a click. Still trying to find a list of supported lenes, I’ll report back.
• Movie file support. You can now manage your DSLR’s videos in the library alongside your stills. I think this is just library stuff, not development. Again, I’ll report back.
• Flickr integration, Publish to folder. Easier and easier to share your pictures, or keep a directory for syncing to your iPhone, iPad, or, in ym case, Zune HD.
• Tethered Shooting. Import photos directly from selected cameras to your library for instant review. Will find the list of which cameras Adobe supports.
• Film grain. I actually had a preset in LR2 that mucked with contrast and sharpness to enhance noise, for that old-timey look. Now adding grain is an easy slider. Novelty? Perhaps, but it’s something I’ve still been finding use for, so…
• More flexible print packages, improved import, more.

Basically, Lightroom 3 takes Lightroom’s already excellent library management and streamlined raw developer and just boost them all, adding even more ability to do all your image editing from one program, non-destructively. LR2 changed how I view digital photography, and LR3 could do it again.

Read more about LR3, or grab you a 30 day free trial by hitting the external link.

So, what’s new then? Other than easier and enhanced selection methods, improved HDR options, improved B&W conversion, improved workflow and workspace management, mini-Bridge, new auto lens correction, and new physical paint like brushes (as opposed to the light-blending physics we’ve all been so used to)?

Well, there’s also content aware fill and puppet warp, both of which are basically voodoo magic and I won’t even attempt to describe how awesome they are, leaving that to the videos below. If you can watch those videos and reconcile those features with Photoshop’s current offerings (included content aware scaling, vanishing points, liquify, class-leading everything else editing, interface, etc, etc) and still not believe this is worth $700 bucks for a new copy with upgrade pricing available, then I don’t know what to say. This Photoshop seems to readily and easily justify it’s price tag with the new time-sving features and performance enhancements easily.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0aEp1oDOI

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nAklIkMy4g

UFRaw is largely a Linux app from the old skool of Linux philosophy, which is to say it’s extremely robust, powerful, free, and has an interface about 6 years behind the curve. But, it’s insanely robust and FREE. And, it’s available for Windows and Mac, too. I used to use it before I got Lightroom, and we still use it sometimes in the office. It’s a good app, but it is daunting.

So, bravo to DPS for trying to help people with it. And, if you’ve just spent all your cash on equipment (and you know we prefer you do, nudge nudge wink wink) and can’t shell out for Lightroom or Aperture just yet, UFRaw is a wonderful tool to ave kicking around your virtual toolbag.

For you vets, apparently Adobe is talking up a much better image processing engine, with better sharpness and noise performance (two of the biggest critiques I’ve seen leveled at LR). It also has better vignetting controls, and introduces a way to add grain to your images, and something about light leaks. I haven’t got to bang around in it yet myself, so I’ll have to try those at home tonight.

Oh, and it’s supposed to just be faster too. Which for those of us with larger libraries will be very well received. I think it’s supposed to demand a pretty boss machine now, though, so check the hardware requirements out.

https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs_lightroom3

To get the update, make sure you have Master installed (it comes with all Olympus cameras), then make sure you’re connected to the internet, go to Help-> Update Software and follow the instructions.