As I type this, I’m downloading the beta version of Lightroom 3.

For the past year or so, Lightroom has been my primary workflow tool and I truly wonder how I’ve managed before it. If you own or use a DSLR in any capacity, Lightroom is a must-have. I would even argue that it’s a must-have for amateur photographers, because at least in my experience, it helped me think of my photographs globally as a complete collection of work. Managing my images before hand was a nightmare of sifting through files, naming and cataloging, and then importing into Photoshop and out.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive post about Lightroom, but here’s a few reasons why I’m totally in love:

1. great way to catalog and manage images
2. photo editing distilled into exactly what a photographer needs
3. work flow tool to grow on, and start thinking about images beyond amateur
4. seamless integration with Photoshop
5. non-destructive editing (i.e. changes are made only when you export – your RAW files always remain in-tact)
6. seemingly unlimited resources on learning how to use it better

.. and so on.

But here’s why I’m excited about the release I just read about:

1. integration with Flickr and other photo-sharing sites
2. new vignette options in develop module, smoother grain, and other goodies
3. advanced output options to create slideshows
4. ability to import videos

This release will be available until April 2010, once Adobe 3 is shipped. Installing it won’t import your catalogs and thus, it will work alongside your existing version. It also means you’ll have to re-install and purchase the new version once it becomes available. BUT, it looks like it’s really worth checking out Get yours here.

More to come.. once I fiddle around with my new toy.