Photo Editing: Adobe Lightroom 4

I am wanting to get a DSLR at some point, so knowing which software to use as a primary image editor is important. Arstechnica provides a full review of the new software by Adobe and concludes it to be a worthy upgrade from Lightroom3 and are especially happy with the new price of $149. At half the price, I'll be looking for a comparison against Aperture before making a decision.

Lightroom 4 doesn't make big strides on the quality front, but the new features are significant and well executed. Lightroom 3 users have little reason not to upgrade—the Maps, Books, and rejigged tonal adjustments should appeal to both professionals and hobbyists. If you're looking for the best option for video handling in a photo management app, this is definitely it. The evaluative chromatic aberration sounded promising but Lightroom's results aren't as good as the other RAW apps that have this feature. This is the only underwhelming part of version 4. Overall, this is a great update to a great application.