New Adobe app to take on Apple's Aperture

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Exclusive -- Refusing to stand idle while Apple Computer woos digital photographers with its new Aperture post production tool for working with RAW images, Adobe Systems next week will unveil a similar piece of software designed to lure back its professional audience, AppleInsider has learned.



Sources familiar with the company's plans say Adobe will preview the application, dubbed LightRoom, for the first time during next week's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. A finalized version of the application is not expected to ship until sometime later in the year.



Designed as a virtual light-box and photographer's companion, the initial version of LightRoom is expected to support approximately 100 digital cameras and their corresponding RAW file formats. It will reportedly boast a feature set similar to Apple's Aperture, including basic color correction and photo enhancement tools.



Also like Aperture, LightRoom will offer photographers several ways to sort and display photographs immediately following a photo shoot. Specifically, sources said the application will pack a slideshow feature akin to the one built into Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.



In the few weeks it has been available, Apple's Aperture has been met by mixed reviews: while some praise the software for its intuitive new approach towards post production RAW image editing, others gripe at its sluggish performance and lack of professional-level tools and filters.



Although Aperture was designed to run on computers such as the 1.25GHz 15- or 17-inch PowerBook G4, Apple on its Web site recommends that software be used on a computer with at least two (dual) 2GHz PowerPC G5 processors and 2GB of RAM for optimal performance. These steep requirements have deterred some potential users from adopting the $499 software for their mid-ranged Macs. At the same time, Mac systems approaching two-years of age and older just don't meet the grade.



According to sources, Adobe developed LightRoom to run on a slew of Macs not supported by Aperture. The company hopes that LightRoom's more lenient set of system requirements will be one its greatest benefits and selling points.



While Adobe has yet to set a release date or pricing information for LightRoom, the company plans to offer the application as a free beta in an effort to widen distribution and put the software into the hands of as many professional photographers as it can, sources told AppleInsider.



Initially, LightRoom will be released only for the Mac. However, sources say a PC version is in the works.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 85
    kmok1kmok1 Posts: 63member
    Competition is good.
  • Reply 2 of 85
    amac4meamac4me Posts: 282member
    This is an interesting development. This means that Adobe has been developing this new product for some time now.



    All in all, the competition between the two companies should yield better products for consumers. If the competition gets fierce, I hope that Adobe doesn't drop Photoshop for Mac as it did with it's video editing products.
  • Reply 3 of 85
    boogabooga Posts: 1,082member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by amac4me

    This is an interesting development. This means that Adobe has been developing this new product for some time now.



    All in all, the competition between the two companies should yield better products for consumers. If the competition gets fierce, I hope that Adobe doesn't drop Photoshop for Mac as it did with it's video editing products.




    Considering the new app will start its life as a Mac-only app, I don't think the situation is quite as you think. It looks to me like Adobe rushed completion on the Mac version of an upcoming product so-as not to lose too much market share.



    What will be interesting to see, for me, is if the Adobe product sped it's time-to-market by using Core Image filters and other MacOS-isms.
  • Reply 4 of 85
    I guess this will result in Apple spending a lot of time improving Aperture so they don't lose out to Adobe.
  • Reply 5 of 85
    You mean Adobe lost ground to Aperture?



    I agree this has to be a rushed out the door application, if they are willing to show it this shortly after Aperture's release and a number of months before it will actually ship. Shot across the bow?



    Odd they want to name it LightRoom. The app is not a room ... unless?

    Why not simply LightBox? Maybe it is taken?



    Also odd they did not make it part of Bridge? Bridge could handle alternate views and some extra features along the likes of Aperture.
  • Reply 6 of 85
    Quote:

    Originally posted by icerabbit

    Odd they want to name it LightRoom. The app is not a room ... unless?

    Why not simply LightBox? Maybe it is taken?





    Indeed:

    http://www.lightboxsoftware.com/



    This is clearly a rush-to-announce, don't lose mindshare move by Adobe, but I applaud it none-the-less for at least keeping Apple honest. I bet that when the final product ships, it may not have all the slickness of Aperture, but that it will do a great job of RAW conversion and most likely scale better than Aperture.
  • Reply 7 of 85
    tednditedndi Posts: 1,921member
    Apple should buy Adobe
  • Reply 8 of 85
    nagrommenagromme Posts: 2,834member
    My thoughts:



    1. Both apps will be the better for having each other as competition.



    2. If Adobe really DID whip this preview app up in a hurry (we don't know that), then I like their newfound ability to move fast! Put some of that hustle into Universal Photoshop



    3. Mac-only at first, then Windows later? From a major software company? Nice precedent if true.



    4. Runs on lower Macs that can't run Aperture? Sounds like there's room in the market for this new option.
  • Reply 9 of 85
    sounds interesting. I am REALLY suprised that Adobe would be cought developing a Mac application and not a PC version concurently. They have been so PC in the past several years, but since so many Photographers are on Macs these days, I guess they are afraid to loose their professional clients. I haven't been able to use Aperture yet because I have no machine to run it on...hopefully after keynote.
  • Reply 10 of 85
    ajmasajmas Posts: 597member
    By having Adobe as a separate company there is real competition and incentive for Apple.



    It is nice to see that Adobe is planning on offering some competition to Aperture, if only to force Apple to work harder on the product. On the other hand if either of them manage to get the new product working on lower powered computers then that will be a big plus.
  • Reply 11 of 85
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    It can only be a positive thing that Adobe is doing this. Competition is good, it demands excellence. Also having a Mac-only app always makes us feel special!
  • Reply 12 of 85
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    We are not really that surprised, are we?



    If this also integrates into PS better than Aperture does, then Adobe could have a big hit on their hands.



    Apple will have to move fast.



    I'm wondering what Adobe's long term plans are for this.



    And I'm also wondering if, as a long time PS beta tester, Adobe will offer this to me to test as well.
  • Reply 13 of 85
    Quote:

    Originally posted by icerabbit

    I agree this has to be a rushed out the door application, if they are willing to show it this shortly after Aperture's release and a number of months before it will actually ship. Shot across the bow?



    That's a good question. This software has apparently been in the works for a while, the trademark application dates to May 2004.
  • Reply 14 of 85
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by TednDi

    Apple should buy Adobe



    Adobe is a LOT bigger than Apple.
  • Reply 15 of 85
    kim kap solkim kap sol Posts: 2,987member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    Adobe is a LOT bigger than Apple.



    Bigger...but not a LOT like you're suggesting.
  • Reply 16 of 85
    What turns me off Aperture is that Photoshop is only $100 more...
  • Reply 17 of 85
    maccrazymaccrazy Posts: 2,658member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by jdbartlett

    What turns me off Aperture is that Photoshop is only $100 more...



    Photoshop cannot be compared to Aperture. If it could why would Adobe make their own version? Aperture is a cataloguing and post-production package.
  • Reply 18 of 85
    davegeedavegee Posts: 2,765member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    Adobe is a LOT bigger than Apple.



    Huh?



    If talking about market cap and if not I'm not sure what else you can use as a guide...



    AAPL Market Cap = $64.3B

    ADBE Market Cap = $19.2B



    Sure seems like the market values AAPL much bigger...



    Dave
  • Reply 19 of 85
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DaveGee

    Huh?



    If talking about market cap and if not I'm not sure what else you can use as a guide...



    AAPL Market Cap = $64.3B

    ADBE Market Cap = $19.2B



    Sure seems like the market values AAPL much bigger...



    Dave




    Number of Employees:



    AAPL = 14,800

    ADBE = 3,100



    Another metric showing that, in fact, Apple is a LOT BIGGER than Adobe!
  • Reply 20 of 85
    rickagrickag Posts: 1,626member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    Adobe is a LOT bigger than Apple.



    Adobe's market cap is ~19 billion.

    Adobe's annual sales is ~1.97 billion



    Apple's market cap is ~60 billion.

    Apple's annual sales are ~ 12+ billion.



    Unless I'm mistaken, Apple is bigger than Adobe. If I got my numbers wrong please feel free to correct me. I have made mistakes in the past and unfortunately will continue to in the future.



    edit: opps, late on the post again.
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