At last, Adobe have released Lightroom on Windows. First impressions are good in that it's very easy to select a group of raw files and apply global corrections and adjustments. But that's about it - it's a good raw processing tool with an easy workflow, but it's not much more. A lot of code optimisation remains outstanding - speed needs addressing and it eats a lot of system resources while building its thumbnails and grabbing previews.

Ian Lyons recommends “For your initial tests try keeping to only a few hundred images i.e don't be tempted to import your entire picture library.” Dead right - you'd be mad to import your entire library because its DAM (digital asset management) functionality is scarcely more advanced than Bridge. If you don't know where your file is, don't try finding it in Lightroom.

A lot will depend on your needs after the pressure of processing those few hundred pictures you've just taken. Some Lightroom users only need rapid evaluation, processing, and output - things like adjusting a shoot?s white balance, fixing red eye and dust spots, fine tuning black and white output, and generating proofs and final prints. For instance, wedding and event photographers often file their work by shoot and afterwards only ever search by the event's date, so Lightroom's lack of DAM features doesn't matter. But many freelancers and stock photographers have the same immediate raw workflow stress but also have and longer term needs to locate images for stock and print sales. Lightroom is shaping up as just a raw converter and isn't going to help with DAM beyond being one of a number of points of metadata entry. Bridge with a database?