Hi friends,
I’m thrilled to introduce Negative Lab Pro version 2.4. 
This is a FREE UPDATE for existing users (look out for an email link!)
And if you’re still trying out Negative Lab Pro, this new version will give you 12 fresh conversions to try it out. You can request a download here .
What’s New
Version 2.4 brings a number of enhancements, new features and fixes. Here are a few of the biggest improvements.
- Saturation Control
- Faster Conversions
- Border Buffer Preview
- New Installers for both Mac and Windows
- New PDF guides
- UI Improvements
- Support for additional cameras and scanners
- Loads of Bug Fixes
- Getting ready for v3.0
1. Saturation Control
At long last! Users can now edit saturation after their conversion without leaving NLP.
This is super useful for anyone who wants to keep their entire workflow RAW, but who were previously creating positive copies just to adjust saturation.
The control lets you make beautiful saturation adjustments with no color shifts, and integrates perfectly with other adjustments in Negative Lab Pro.
NOTES on saturation:
- Saturation control requires LrC 9.0 or newer. It is not available for historic LR6 users because LR6 is missing features necessary for it to run.
- If a negative was converted with a version of Negative Lab Pro prior to v2.1, you may need to reconvert in order to take advantage of saturation.
- The default saturation level is 5, which leaves saturation untouched. You can increase saturation as high as 10, or as low as 1. Each unit of saturation change in NLP is equivalent to roughly 7 units of saturation change in Lightroom.
2. Faster Conversions
I’ve been retooling and optimizing some of the internals of the conversion engine to squeeze out as much speed as I can. And with v2.4, you should see up to a 2x increase on speed of conversions versus previous versions. 
Check out the difference in this video!
3. Border Buffer Preview
Using border buffer can make the conversion workflow faster, because with it you can avoid needing to crop your image prior to processing it. BUT, it wasn’t entirely clear how much border area was being excluded from the analysis.
Border Buffer Preview takes out all the guesswork!
When you select “Preview,” the image will crop in to show you the area that will be evaluated. So you can check and make sure that ONLY the exposed film emulsion is being evaluated.
As a reminder, you don’t want any of the following showing in the preview:
No Sprocket Holes
No Film Holder
No Direct Light Table Light
No Visible Borders
Notes on Border Buffer Preview:
- There’s no need to unselect the preview before conversion (in fact, it will run just a hair faster if you leave preview selected). After conversion, the crop will automatically reset to the crop you had prior to opening NLP.
- This setting is sticky, so it will remember whatever setting you used last time. So after enabling “Preview” it will automatically enable preview on subsequent conversions.
4. New installers for both Mac and Windows
The new installer should make the installation (and upgrade!) process much simpler for both Mac and Windows users.
For both installation and upgrade, just run the installer and it should handle everything for you.
- A much, MUCH simpler process
There is no longer a need to manually move around files or add files into Lightroom. Just run the installer, open Lightroom, and start converting! - Automatic Shortcut/Hotkey installation
The installer will also add the Negative Lab Pro Shortcut/Hotkey shortcut to your system. - Auto-close Lightroom
The installer will check to make sure that Lightroom is not running before running the installer (this is crucial for updates to work properly). - Ensures compatible Lightroom Settings
The installer will check and make sure your Lightroom settings will work with Negative Lab Pro and let you know if anything needs adjusting.
Notes:
- If you get a notification that “Windows Protected Your PC”, click “More Info”, then “Run Anyway”. The installer includes my certified developer signature, but you may still see Windows Defender throw a little fit (thanks Windows).
- If you get a warning that the “package is damaged,” try downloading the zip file again using a different web browser.
5. New PDF Guides
Also new in this download are new PDF guides. There are two PDF guides included.
Quick Start Guide PDF
The quick start guide walks you through the installation process, first conversion, editing tips, and where to find additional resources.
What’s new PDF
This PDF covers some of the new features in v2.4, great for quick reference.
6. UI Improvements
Sensitive settings now include arrows to increment the settings.
7. Support for additional cameras and scanners
RAW Camera Profile support in now in line with the latest profiles supported by Lightroom Classic up to 12.0 (October 2022).
8. Loads of Bug Fixes
Here are just a few of the bugs that have been squashed… for this reason alone, it is highly recommended to upgrade to this new version.
LrC 12 Conversion Display Issue
LrC 12 introduced an issue that sometimes prevents the display from updating immediately after a conversion. The image has converted, but the display will not update until the user moves a setting. This should be fixed in v2.4. If you continue to have erratic display issues even after the update, go to “Preferences > Performance” and turn off any GPU acceleration.
Tiff Compression
You may have noticed that the lossless compression on TIFF positive copies was not reducing file size. This has been corrected.
Compatibility with Images Converted in Earlier Versions
If you experienced an error where it wouldn’t open up files processed with prior versions, that should be fixed in this update.
Reset Button
The “reset” button now correctly resets the settings in all sections.
Corrections to Phase 1 camera profiles
If you are using Phase 1 cameras to digitize your negatives, there was an issue on the previous profile update that is addressed with this update.
9. Prep for v3.0
This update also includes important changes under the hood to prepare for v3.0.
What will be in v3?
- Preset Management
In version 3, you will be able to save, name, edit and load your own Negative Lab Pro presets. You will be able to set a “default” color presets, as well as a “default” black and white preset. - Roll Analysis
Roll Analysis in v3 will provide you MAJOR improvements in conversion accuracy, especially for frames that contain little context, bright portraits, back-lighting or non-daylight lighting. You will be able to define rolls based on your selection, folder location, or film metadata. You will be able try roll analysis on previous conversions without the need to reconvert. - Much More - I can’t give away everything I’m working on
Is V3 included in prior purchases of Negative Lab Pro?
For purchases made prior to October 1st, 2022, V3 will be a $49 upgrade.
All purchases made after October 1st, 2022 will include V3.
So if you purchase now, V3 will be included as a free update.
When will V3 be ready?
I’ve been parallel pathing the features in v3, so it’s not too far away… I’m hoping to get into initial beta testing around Black Friday, with the final release happening around Jan 1st. For those looking to upgrade, I do plan to have pre-purchase available starting Black Friday!
Questions and Comments?
“How do I download v2.4?”
If you own Negative Lab Pro, or you’ve downloaded it in the past, you will receive an email with a download link. If you don’t receive this email, you can try this link.
If you are trying out Negative Lab Pro for the first time, please use this link to request a download.
“How do I install the upgrade?”
The download will contain a ZIP. Just unzip the file, and run the included installer.
Do I need to reconvert conversion made with a previous version of Negative Lab Pro?
That depends on what version you used to make the previous conversion. For any conversions made with v2.1 and earlier, I’d recommend reconverting so you can take advantage of saturation and some of the profile improvements in recent versions. For conversions made with v2.3, there isn’t a need to reconvert.
The profile still says “Negative Lab v2.3”, is that right?
Yep, that still the latest profile version. The underlying RAW profile doesn’t necessarily change between versions.
Issues And Fixes
The latest update (v2.4.2) includes a number of fixes to issues that users had with v2.4 (thank you to everyone who helped get these solved!).
If you are experiencing any issues, please check this thread:
Thanks everyone!
-Nate
The main thing that won’t work on LR6 is anything that has to do with LUTs, simply because LUTs weren’t added to Lightroom until LrC 9.0.