Adobe updates Lightroom ahead of Apple presentation
Adobe Systems on Monday released an updated public beta of its Lightroom photography workflow software, adding a handful of new tools and a more streamlined user interface.
The announcement comes just hours before Apple Computer is expected to highlight enhancements to its own post-production photography solution (Aperture) during a 90 minute presentation at the Photokina tradeshow in Cologne, Germany.
Adobe said Lightroom beta 4 -- available immediately as a free download from Adobe Labs -- unites the product feature set of both the Windows and Macintosh versions.
The San Jose, Calif-based software developer also announced that it has decided on final branding of the software, which it will induct into the Photoshop family as "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom."
The latest beta offers improved digital photography workflow tools, such as a precision white balance selection option and a more streamlined user interface experience with customizable controls. A new tone curve adjustment feature offers image correction capabilities, allowing users to visually obtain excellent midtone, shadow and highlight adjustments.
Other enhancements in beta 4 include new filters, search presets and organization options for quicker retrieval of images. Adobe has also built some time-saving tools into the Develop and Library modules that allow users to re-name and convert files to Adobe Digital Negative Format (DNG) after importing into the Lightroom library.
Since it was introduced in January, more than 325,000 people have opted to download and try Lightroom as a beta, Adobe said.
In order to run Lightroom, the company recommends Mac OS X 10.4.3 and at least a 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor or Windows XP SP2 and at least an Intel Pentium 4 Processor. It also recommends a minimum of 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution display.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta is a Universal binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and new Intel-based Macintosh systems. The final version of software is expected to ship in early 2007, at which time Adobe promises specifics on pricing and final system requirements.
The announcement comes just hours before Apple Computer is expected to highlight enhancements to its own post-production photography solution (Aperture) during a 90 minute presentation at the Photokina tradeshow in Cologne, Germany.
Adobe said Lightroom beta 4 -- available immediately as a free download from Adobe Labs -- unites the product feature set of both the Windows and Macintosh versions.
The San Jose, Calif-based software developer also announced that it has decided on final branding of the software, which it will induct into the Photoshop family as "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom."
The latest beta offers improved digital photography workflow tools, such as a precision white balance selection option and a more streamlined user interface experience with customizable controls. A new tone curve adjustment feature offers image correction capabilities, allowing users to visually obtain excellent midtone, shadow and highlight adjustments.
Other enhancements in beta 4 include new filters, search presets and organization options for quicker retrieval of images. Adobe has also built some time-saving tools into the Develop and Library modules that allow users to re-name and convert files to Adobe Digital Negative Format (DNG) after importing into the Lightroom library.
Since it was introduced in January, more than 325,000 people have opted to download and try Lightroom as a beta, Adobe said.
In order to run Lightroom, the company recommends Mac OS X 10.4.3 and at least a 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor or Windows XP SP2 and at least an Intel Pentium 4 Processor. It also recommends a minimum of 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution display.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta is a Universal binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and new Intel-based Macintosh systems. The final version of software is expected to ship in early 2007, at which time Adobe promises specifics on pricing and final system requirements.
Comments
The San Jose, Calif-based software developer also announced that it has decided on final branding of the software, which it will induct into the Photoshop family as "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom."
I can't believe they're doing the same bullshit as Microsoft now. "Microsoft Office Word". "Microsoft Windows Live Mail Desktop". Where's the emergency "fire marketing exec" button?
I can't believe they're doing the same bullshit as Microsoft now. "Microsoft Office Word". "Microsoft Windows Live Mail Desktop". Where's the emergency "fire marketing exec" button?
Don't worry. You can join with hundreds of thousands of other humans in simply calling it "Lightroom". The rest is branding, which is important to a company with about 30-40 different photo/design/video/etc. applications that wants brand loyalty and to highlight the integration of said applications. Here, they're highlighting the fact that Lightroom is best integrated with Photoshop, which may tempt people who use a lot of Photoshop to choose it over Aperture or some other piece of software. The only way it affects the consumer is the title on the box and in press releases.
I can't believe they're doing the same bullshit as Microsoft now. "Microsoft Office Word". "Microsoft Windows Live Mail Desktop". Where's the emergency "fire marketing exec" button?
Contrast this with Apple's 3 naming schemes
PLAN A: Call It What It Is
-Mail
-Address book
-Preview
-Calculator
PLAN B: Put an "i" in front of it
-iCal
-iChat
-iTunes
-iMovie
-iDVD
-iWeb
-iPhoto
-iSync
-iLife
-iWork
-iHopeIdidntMissAnything
When the names created by plan A & B have already been taken then:
PLAN C: Use a term associated with the App's function
-Safari
-Aperture
-Final Cut
-Soundtrack
Contrast this with Apple's 3 naming schemes
PLAN A: Call It What It Is
-Mail
-Address book
-Preview
-Calculator
PLAN B: Put an "i" in front of it
-iCal
-iChat
-iTunes
-iMovie
-iDVD
-iWeb
-iPhoto
-iSync
-iLife
-iWork
-iHopeIdidntMissAnything
When the names created by plan A & B have already been taken then:
PLAN C: Use a term associated with the App's function
-Safari
-Aperture
-Final Cut
-Soundtrack
I guess the only problem with this is that it isn't very obvious that "Aperture" is easily integrated with "iWork", whereas there's no doubt to anyone with Adobe or Microsoft. (btw, are all of the "i" products fully integrated with each other yet?)
Lightroom makes a lot of sense. Pro's will get an immediate idea from that name what it might do. Pro's are only too familliar with lightboxes, and what they are used for, and when. We had four in our front counter room, and numerous ones throughout the lab. Associating it with PS makes that association stronger. What's the problem?
Aperture doesn't say much of anything at all. It's a nice name, but you get almost no idea of its function, except in the most general way. All it means to a pro is the F stop on a lens. I've been in the business since 1969, and I had to think about what it did before I found out.
Apple's upgrades to Aperture may position it better than ever to start to seriously chip away at Adobe's dominance. As a matter of fact, I think Apple should think of selling a PC version of Aperture. Let's fight over that one for a while.
Put that into the FCP Studio Windows wishlist.
This isn't to sell programs, it's to sell Mac's.
I think Lightroom is a perfectly fine name. Photoshop Lightroom, however, is just silly.
Apparently they're doing that weird branding thing to put Lightroom into the Photoshop CS/Elements family. Maybe it will be positioned between the two?
Of course it would be nice if PS Elements Organizer databases (on the Windows side) and Bridge metadata (on the Mac side) were importable into PS Lightroom. Adobe hasn't actually said anything about importing (other than XMP from PS CS), have they?
Apple's upgrades to Aperture may position it better than ever to start to seriously chip away at Adobe's dominance. As a matter of fact, I think Apple should think of selling a PC version of Aperture. Let's fight over that one for a while.
Now that OS X runs on Intel chips, is there any need for Apple to ever make Windows apps?
I thought the Intel transition killed any rumors of that.
I think Lightroom is a perfectly fine name. Photoshop Lightroom, however, is just silly.
i agree. sounds cumbersome.
there are worse product names though. for instance, NINTENDO GAMECUBE. The name of the game console isn't GameCube or Gamecube or even Nintendo Gamecube... the correct name is NINTENDO GAMECUBE.
I understand the rationale behind these naming schemes but that doesn't make them less silly.
Now that OS X runs on Intel chips, is there any need for Apple to ever make Windows apps?
I thought the Intel transition killed any rumors of that.
Sure, but until the other 99% of users actually buy Macs, wouldn't it make sense to tease them over to the light side? Windows users already love iTunes... give 'em a little more crack.
My all time most hated name is:
PricewaterhouseCoopers (the accounting firm)
Why, when merging Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand did they think it necessary to remove all spaces between the words and, worse still, make the 'W' in 'waterhouse' lowercase?
Just thought I would throw in that pet peeve.
Does it tell anything that the only program Adobe has competition on the Mac is the only Universal Application?
Which "only program" do you mean?
Does it tell anything that the only program Adobe has competition on the Mac is the only Universal Application?
Lightroom is just the first Adobe app to appear after the Intel transition.
Lightroom is just the first Adobe app to appear after the Intel transition.
acrobat 8 will be universal as well. hopefully both will be shipping at the same time. and, just as a guess, i got money says that there will be some ridiculously long-winded creative suite box set that will also throw in lightroom and acrobat and the new dreamweaver and the new adobe photoshop imageready fireworks apps... call it the adobe creative kitchen sink and sell it for $1999 (or $299 to students).