After years of searching and evaluating different photo organization software, I've finally found an application worth buying:
Adobe Lightroom.
I tested the beta and saw that it had potential, but I was frustrated about some early design decisions and a few bugs as well. I uninstalled the beta near expiration. I considered purchasing at launch, but decided against it, as I really wanted to test the retail version before buying it -- they didn't have a demo available at release. So I checked Adobe's site last weekend and lo and behold, they had a demo.
I downloaded the demo and created a new database. I imported a few folders. I immediately liked it; they fixed a number of my major concerns. I needed to learn more about it, so I watched a number of tutorial videos, read some examples, and played. I fell in love, but I wanted to be certain.
I found that my favorite camera shop,
Keeble and Shuchat, had a free two-hour class presented by the Adobe Pro Photo Evangelist scheduled last night, and had a few seats available. I attended, learned a bunch, and had my questions answered. They had a nice discount available to attendees, so I bought it.
I got it home, installed the retail version, and created a new database. I then imported my complete catalog of digital photos.
I'm so happy; it's working wonderfully. I'm going through now, tagging photos for easier retrieval. I've only got about 2700 pictures, so it shouldn't take too long.
I'm now set up so I can complete my next project: building a portfolio of my best work. After that, I'll determine what's missing, and start working on those photos. What do I think is least represented? Portraits.
Let me know if you'd like me to write a review of Lightroom, and I'll do it.
