Lightroom seems friendly enough to "learn by doing", but this book taught me a number of techniques and explained details that I had missed. From the ins-and-outs of input and output sharpening, print color-management, and even efficient methods for working through the development sliders, I couldn't ask for more.

Evening's guide to LR2 is an excellent piece of work. It is well written and illustrated, clearly organized, comprehensive, and accessible to a wide range of readers. It will be valuable for all levels of LR users.

There are two aspects of Evening's book that I particularly like. First, he puts LR2 in a richer photographic context by including useful short discussions of topics like color management, capture and output sharpening, raw vs. jpg formats, and exposure. He goes beyond the recipe approach, enabling photographers to develop a more thorough appreciation of how to integrate LR2 into their workflows. There is lots of "why to" in Evening's book to go along with the "how to."

Second, Evening makes good use of his understanding of the way LR2 works. He points out, for examples, that the standard Saturation adjustment is linear, while the Vibrance adjustment is nonlinear; that the Clarity control works by sharpening midtone edges; and how algorithms underlying the Exposure/Recovery and Fill Light/Blacks tools are different. Information like this allows photographers to understand how to use LR2's tools individually and in combination to make both more efficient and more effective decisions in processing their images.

To test this, after finishing Evening's book, I made virtual copies of a dozen or so recent "keepers" I'd already processed and printed, then followed his recommended work flow, and compared the two sets of images. I found myself using some tools differently (e.g., Fill Light), some for the first time (e.g., adjusting Split Point sliders on the Tone Curve), and some tools less (e.g., Brightness/Contrast). Not only did I arrive at satisfactory results more quickly following Evening's recommendations, but in most images the tonal nuances are better defined.

This is the best of the several LR2 guides I've read. My recommendation: If you want to understand as well as use LR2, read Evening's book. If you just want to use LR2, read Kelby's. Both are good, but Evening's is richer and ultimately more rewarding photographically.

Adobe began shipping its new Lightroom 2.0 (LR2) software at the end of July. A week later this book was available. It made me think that Martin Evening is really a team of writers, each working on a chapter of this book, or even some smaller portion, and that the publisher, Peachpit, must have incurred huge overtime costs. (Actually, the software was available in beta form for a long time, and authors had final copies of the software before it was delivered to the public.) There are enough changes in version 2.0 that this early edition is welcome for people who want more details.

After an introduction to the software, Evening goes through each of the modules in LR2, explaining what the sliders, radio buttons and check boxes do, and occasionally discussing his preferences and techniques for using the software.

I suspect that with the large installed base of Lightroom, most of the people anxious for details will be using an upgrade, and might prefer a book equivalent to Ben Willmore's "Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed" which just dealt with the new elements in an image processing software upgrade. On the other hand, there are a lot of new features in LR2, and the software is so integrated that it may be useful for experienced users to review all of the capabilities.

Even though it's comprehensive, new users may be a bit overwhelmed by Evening's work, especially since it often is far more detailed than a beginner needs. The discussion of sharpening and noise reduction may seem like a foreign language to someone who has never used Unsharp Mask. While past performance is no indication of future performance, newbies might do better to wait for something that will probably be more accessible, like Scott Kelby's "The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)" which is presently scheduled for a September release.

The book shows the pressure of early release with some typos and repetitions. On the other hand, Evening describes many of the features in more detail than the tutorials that are available on line.

I found it difficult to view the screen captures of the LR2 menus. This is no doubt due to the fact that LR2's menus are in shades of gray that are highly visible on a monitor, but less so on a printed page. I for one would have no objections if publishers would increase the contrast so that seeing the menus would be easier.

This book is about the technical use of Lightroom. It doesn't talk much about how the features can be used for more impressive pictures. For that, one should look at a few of Rob Sheppard's books like "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)" or even better "Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 (Outdoor Photographers)" or (subject to the caveat about past performance) his upcoming "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)", presently scheduled for October release.

If you want to get your hands on a LR2 book right now, this is the only game in town. It's dense, but comprehensive, and for the experienced user, will require some sorting out, but all the information one may need about LR2's new features are included.

After being a digital enthusiast for years and eventually getting into professional photography while still doing a good bit of freelance I have grown accustomed to using programs like Photoshop for image manipulation and even such things as a batch of images needing a slight bit of "punch" to them. Lightroom does all this and more.

I have to admit after seeing it when it first came out I didnt give it a second look. But with the latest release (2.0) and this book I have really begun to realize what I was missing. I am about 2/3rd's of the way through the book and so far I have begun really taking control of my photo database (50k+) and using it to its full potential. I have learned more about metadata and catalogs through this book that have helped me save time (and $$) looking for precious photos.

Martin Evening is definately a guru when it comes to Lightroom and he takes you from the most basic of steps to much more advanced ways of looking at digital imaging. I can now import all my photos automatically off my card, give them a well needed boost (if applicable) and then drill down the editing (everything is non-desctructive) to exactly what I want. If I dont like it, delete the edits and start over.. its that simple.

Again, back to the point of this review: I believe this book is an essential part of any digital photographers tools. I still find myself in Photoshop for some more advanced editing, but Lightroom really holds it's own in most cases (plus it comes at a much cheaper price). Enjoy this book, you'll want to read it again and again, with each time taking more notes.

This book looks great, but guess what ?

Every stinking menu of screen shot is from a MAC !

Not one shot from a PC

And YES !

The MAC and PC versions DO NOT HAVE THE SAME SCREENS !!!

How stupid can people at Adobe be ?

If you are going to write a book like this, write it for the MAJORITY OF COMPUTERS OUT THERE !!!

Not the MINORITY !!

Very frustrating to follow understand due to this issue.

Makes the book useless for PC owners !.

I found this book to be very well written and quite thorough. I already know how to use lightroom but I wanted to know how to use the new features in depth. This book delivered.

Even with the upgraded material, it goes beyond what could have been added to the LR1 version. Excellent reading, easy to understand, perfect examples and photos.

As with his Photoshop books Martin Evening again wrote a book that is comprehensive and covers most everything for photographers from beginners to pro. Being on the consultation and testing staff for Lightroom 2 made Martin somebody who knows. And his background as a professional photographer makes all information really worthwhile.

I missed out on Martin's first book and waited for his second to cover Lightroom 2. Easy to understand. Steps through every process and covers all the basics as well as complex concepts. Will suit a novice or experienced Lightroom 1 user, who just wants to know about the new things in version 2. Highly recommended and a must if you want to utilise all the great things the program offers!

My concern going in was that this book had been rushed to market to beat Kelby and others to the punch. I thought that perhaps my concerns were warranted when I found a typo in the book's Forward and a 76 word (!) run on sentence to start the Introduction. However, the rest of the book does not appear rushed and is reasonably informative.

Like many of you who would read this review I was anxious to get some guidance after upgrading to LR 2.0. I bought the Luminous Landscape video (it looked like they were learning LR on the fly as they were taping the video even though I know Schewe was involved throughout). At the time I purchased this book Lynda.com had not released their LR 2.0 course so this book was the only game in town.

I have many of Kelby's books and I like his style both in print and in video so I am looking forward to getting it when it's available. For now, this book will tell you more than you already know and it's a serviceable primer if you're starving for info like I was.

I've been using Lightroom since 1.0 and I've been loving it since the first time I used it. However, it is still useful to have a book to use as reference material when you are trying to do something in particular and cannot figure out how to properly do it. This book provides a thorough in-depth look at Lightroom and I highly recommend it.

I've been using Lightroom since 1.0 and I've been loving it since the first time I used it. However, it is still useful to have a book to use as reference material when you are trying to do something in particular and cannot figure out how to properly do it. This book provides a thorough in-depth look at Lightroom and I highly recommend it.

in this Lightroom 2 book, Martin has obviously heeded critiques of his LR1 book and has given us a veritable gem...I have not and wont buy Kelby's attempt at Lightroom 2 because his LR1 book was very close to useless...so as yet I have nothing to compare with but probably i will only look at Beardsworth's if he does produce one, his LR1 was a terrific quick study and entree to the product. Martin's book is definitely not a quick study but is so full of great explanations and examples that i have actually read it from cover to cover and have re-read and taken notes on many subjects. Images that i had prevously thought were as good as i could get them in LR1/PS CS3 i have now re-edited in LR2 only, with amazing and very easily achieved results..The book also offers many useful tips about exposure considerations in the field...If you are really into digital photography but resent the time you are spending in the digital darkroom, this book is a MUST HAVE.

Martins update to his book for Lightroom 1 is a very thorough and comprehensive guide to the new features and capabilities of Lightroom 2. It is extremely well written, covers everything you need to learn as either someone new to the program or as someone upgrading from the previous version. There are many sidebars and anecdotal tidbits giving some insight into the process of how the program was developed.

I assumed that a 624-page book would go into great detail about the best new feature of Lightroom 2, the adjustment brush. There is one paragraph. Hardly a mention. Martin Evening is a famous fashion photographer. I guess his photos need a lot less editing than mine. Maybe this book is really for professional photographers with make-up artists and lighting crews. You'll learn a lot more about the new Lightroom features watching the excellent podcasts at 'Lightroom for Digital Photographers'...

I ordered this because it was the only Lightroom 2 book available at the time. I have read the Kelby books in the past and feel they are more solution oriented. This Adobe book is more about how to use the program and does a very good job.

This is the best book I've read so far on Lightroom. I haven't yet any other book on LR2, but many on LR1.
This book by Martin Evening has very clear and detailed explanations and covers not only how but also why to do something.
I read the book in one weekend and since then, I am constantly looking things up and trying it out.

I've rarely read such a good technical book. If you want to fully master LR2, then this is your book.

My review is going to be short and sweet, as the others here have written far more and better than I could. Having just received my book, and just gotten through part of it, I would say that it's well worth the price. I have one other book by Mr. Evening, ADOBE PHOTOSHOP FOR DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHERS, 7.0, and this book is just as detailed and helpful. I don't even have the software yet, but wanted to get a jump on Rev 2 of Lightroom, and the book appears to point out the new features of the new Lightroom, compared to the previous revision, a great help for those who have been using the older software. I'll update this review if I find anything to change my initial opinion, but it looks great so far. Highly recommended.

Adobe's Lightroom version 2 (LR2), designed for digital SLR photographers, offers non-destructive image management, a powerful photo finder panel, and freshly added localized tone/color/spot retouch brush tools much like Photoshop. Although LR2's Develop module can acommodate JPEG and other 8-bit color formats, its 'Adobe Camera Raw'-like processing engine shines with camera-native RAW formats (12-14 bits) or TIFF (16 bit) files. This is a formidable plus, as the high-end DSLR trend moves towards 16-bit data collected by a full-frame sensor -- besting 35 mm analog film at its own game.

Users new to LR ought to have a measure of comfort (readily mastered with Photoshop Elements) with RAW ['digital negative'] processing, as well as with Adobe's speedy keyboard shortcuts, before diving into this book. Although LR is quite intuitive, and its manual uncommonly instructive, this Adobe Press release may be tough sledding for tyros; my take would be to start with one of those hee-haw/dummy basic introductions--then add this book to fill in the many gaps. The Amazon price makes acquisition all the more irresistible.

Martin Evening, an early member of the Lightroom team (back to Shadowland days), long has provided from-the-trenches feedback, thus is uniquely positioned to comment on LR2's strengths and ideosyncrasies. Along that line, LR has an active user Forum whose critiques help Adobe fine-tune the product. The author's well-crafted words reflect that fruitful interaction ... this is far from a spruced-up remake of the original LR1 book, but rather a grand makeover, illustrated with live shoots; awesome in its breadth, depth and scope. Even advanced users will find this book a must-have purchase - if only to optimally implement LR2's numerous new features. [For instance: when to use 64-bit LR2, or when it might be overkill.] The text smoothly guides the reader through a studio workflow, introducing the sequence of modules from importing, tagging, and developing up to final presentation. Though illustrated with Mac screenshots, PC equivalents in menu layout are clearly spelled out, and keyboard shortcuts for either operating system are paired; Windows users need not feel the least bit slighted.

For the initiated, there is a dazzling melange of advanced topics: audio note-taking, catalog syncing, Mac and PC platform interchange, interactive camera tethering, GPS positioning to pinpoint a photo's location, and the wedding of LR's cataloging and bulk capture processing strengths to Photoshop's (or Elements') labor-intensive fine-tuning prowess. Even so, this is not a book to be read cover to cover over the weekend, but rather one to reference specific topics. Barely have the elements of the LR2 interface of panels and menus been covered, for instance, when (page 14) the Identity Plate is dissected in great detail; the 'Quickstart Guide' (page 22) - rather than a romp through the basics - plunges deep into well-honed workflow techniques of importing, organizing and developing images. Later chapters, fortunately, delve into these topics in superbly organized step-wise detail with lucid easily digested text and a refreshing touch of humor ... entertaining without being overbearing.

Niggles: readers might have welcomed a summary recap of a baker's dozen of should-know keyboard shortcuts for Win and Mac at the end of each module's chapter, to help recall those arcane key combinations sprinkled through the text. Also, the more esoteric technical topics might have fared even better had they been bundled into one final 'crown jewels' chapter, rather than strewn a bit choppily through preceding chapters.

This softcover book, though daunting in size, is highly recommended to LR users from intermediate to those climbing the peaks. The text is well rounded, with finely honed words printed on quality paper and, with an abundance of screenshots and striking color illustrations, makes for a splendid reference guide that will bring timid users up to speed, yet seamlessly transitions to the very limits of LR's rich repertoire ... including a treasure of industrial strength workflow tips for high-volume professionals. This truly is a modern Lightroom 2 "Bible" that serves equally well as advanced learning tool or as a comprehensive topical reference guide to LR2.

Lightroom 2.0 is going through the expected growing pains of a major revision; a version 2.1 update to remedy transition bugs may be expected shortly. It is comforting to know that, should major program changes/additions be introduced, the author will post a matching no-cost in-depth update to the book in record time; as he demonstrated when Adobe introduced the LR 1.1 package.

Basically, I highly recommend this book as *the* reference for Lightroom 2.

The author's writing style is quite clear, and is obviously based on access to inside sources within Adobe (it's published by Adobe Press!). It's no surprise that the book came out quickly after LR2's release, and that it is so well polished. This early access was also used to help the reader understand how/why various features were implemented as well as how the implementers envisioned the features would be used. This is quite useful, especially for advanced users.

As previously pointed out, this is not a prescriptive book. However, the "Develop" section does an excellent job stepping the reader through a recommended workflow through the basic settings, the tone curves, and then the spot/gradient tools. If you'd like a GREAT prescriptive book, check out Skin: The Complete Guide to Digitally Lighting, Photographing, and Retouching Faces and Bodies. Although it's written for Photoshop CS2, it does a great job walking the reader through the basics of camera calibration, lighting, and post-processing of pictures of skin. (Lee Varis has some DVDs that apply to CS3, but I haven't looked at them.)

What's not to like? The book is heavy and a bit cumbersome to read while using a computer. Seriously, I'd much rather have this book be the "Help" pages of LR2. Why programs as complicated as Lightroom (or heaven forfend, Photoshop) can't have reference books integrated as help files is beyond me.

It's also worth noting that the book went to press before the DNG profile editor (beta) was launched by Adobe. This tool allows the user to take a picture of a Gretag Macbeth color checker and then *quickly and easily* build a profile. LR2 can then be configured to automatically apply the profile to any image taken with the particular camera. So, the readers should completely ignore pages 310-311, and go to http://labs.adobe.com/wiki/index.php/DNG_Profiles%3AEditor to learn how to download and use the DNG profile editor.

Finally, I should say that I've been using Lightroom (on both PCs and Macs) since the beta. The quality and usefulness of the program have been increasing significantly since its early days. Aficionados are refered to http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/ for a great insider's look into Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom groups.

I have a common complaint about most Photoshop and Lightroom books: they all go over the same basic information. Information that I have already learned by myself simply by experimenting with the software. How many times can people write the same basic-to-intermediate information on how to organize files, set white balance, adjust contrast, etc.? I am already an intermediate Photoshop and Lightroom user, so most books I have found do not offer enough new knowledge to make them worth the investment.

But Martin's book is different. In this book, I have been able to find detailed and advanced information that I have been unable to find in many other books. Everything I can think of in Adobe Lightroom 2 is clearly and deeply explained in sufficient detail to obtain the knowledge necessary to use the application at an advanced level.

Along with having the knowledge, the book does an outstanding job of communicating the knowledge. All information is discussed in full detail, with complete explanations of what the feature does, and detailed explanations of every step in the process of using the feature. There is never a feeling that some small amount of information was left out between the steps. Nothing seems to be "glossed over" as the explanations move from one step to the next. Additionally, the examples are detailed with lots of photos, with many of the examples having a photo for every step in the process of using the tool.

This review might not be useful to some if I don't find at least one thing to be less-than-ecstatic about. I can say that if you know absolutely nothing about Lightroom, are lost with it, and are looking for a very easy and basic book to get you started, this may not be the book for you. Martin's book is nearly 600 pages of deep detail. It may be a bit overwhelming if one is looking for an easy to read book on the basics. But if that is the case, I would recommend buying this book along with a more easy and high-level book on the basics. That would be a great pairing for someone who is just starting Lightroom, but is planning on becoming an advanced user.

If you would like to see some examples on the author's writing technique, he has written numerous articles on the Internet. Simply search for his name in an Internet search engine, and you will find some of the articles he has written. This can be useful if you wish to see an author's writing style before making a purchase.

If becoming an advanced Lightroom user is your goal, you owe it to yourself to get this book.

Adobe began shipping its new Lightroom 2.0 (LR2) software at the end of July. A week later this book was available. It made me think that Martin Evening is really a team of writers, each working on a chapter of this book, or even some smaller portion, and that the publisher, Peachpit, must have incurred huge overtime costs. (Actually, the software was available in beta form for a long time, and authors had final copies of the software before it was delivered to the public.) There are enough changes in version 2.0 that this early edition is welcome for people who want more details.

After an introduction to the software, Evening goes through each of the modules in LR2, explaining what the sliders, radio buttons and check boxes do, and occasionally discussing his preferences and techniques for using the software.

I suspect that with the large installed base of Lightroom, most of the people anxious for details will be using an upgrade, and might prefer a book equivalent to Ben Willmore's "Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed" which just dealt with the new elements in an image processing software upgrade. On the other hand, there are a lot of new features in LR2, and the software is so integrated that it may be useful for experienced users to review all of the capabilities.

Even though it's comprehensive, new users may be a bit overwhelmed by Evening's work, especially since it often is far more detailed than a beginner needs. The discussion of sharpening and noise reduction may seem like a foreign language to someone who has never used Unsharp Mask. While past performance is no indication of future performance, newbies might do better to wait for something that will probably be more accessible, like Scott Kelby's "The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)" which is presently scheduled for a September release.

The book shows the pressure of early release with some typos and repetitions. On the other hand, Evening describes many of the features in more detail than the tutorials that are available on line.

I found it difficult to view the screen captures of the LR2 menus. This is no doubt due to the fact that LR2's menus are in shades of gray that are highly visible on a monitor, but less so on a printed page. I for one would have no objections if publishers would increase the contrast so that seeing the menus would be easier.

This book is about the technical use of Lightroom. It doesn't talk much about how the features can be used for more impressive pictures. For that, one should look at a few of Rob Sheppard's books like "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)" or even better "Outdoor Photographer Landscape and Nature Photography with Photoshop CS2 (Outdoor Photographers)" or (subject to the caveat about past performance) his upcoming "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 for Photographers Only", presently scheduled for October release.

If you want to get your hands on a LR2 book right now, this is the only game in town. It's dense, but comprehensive, and for the experienced user, will require some sorting out, but all the information one may need about LR2's new features are included.