Adobe Announces Literoom for Photographic Workflow
Adobe Unveils Lightroom Public Beta and Delivers New Technology for Digital Photography Workflows; Professional Photographers Instrumental in Developing New Modular Software to Import, Manage, Develop, and Showcase Images
Macworld San Francisco 2006 Booth #1307
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2006--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the public beta of Adobe(R) Lightroom(TM), an all-new digital imaging solution for professional photographers. With its modular, task-based and streamlined environment, Lightroom's goal is to deliver a complete photography workflow. As Adobe collects more feedback from photographers, modules and feature sets will likely change, as customers decide on their popularity and priority within digital photography workflows. Initially available as a beta for Macintosh, Lightroom will later support both the Windows(R) and Macintosh platforms.
"We first showed an early version of Lightroom at the Adobe Ideas Conference in April 2005 to demonstrate a new streamlined digital photography experience, from capture to print," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief operating officer of Adobe. "Today's Lightroom Beta leverages Adobe's renowned digital imaging innovation, in areas such as raw image processing, so that even in beta form photographers will find world class technology that complements Photoshop. We look forward to the feedback from the photography community as we refine the product over the next few months."
New Open Architecture Focuses on the Image
Lightroom Beta has been designed with a radical new user interface that puts the focus on what photographers really care about: the image. With just one click, the control panels and tools fade into the background in Lights-Out mode, allowing the image to take center stage. The innovative Identity Plate feature allows photographers to apply their own branding to the application and its output, so that it becomes their own personal gallery for showcasing work. Photographers also can rapidly scroll through hundreds of images and Quick One-to-One Zoom allows instant magnification of the finer points within the image.
"Lightroom defines the future workflow for the professional digital photographer," said Seth Resnick, a premier corporate, editorial and stock photographer. "It delivers exactly the functions photographers need to speed up their workflow in a way that was never before possible."
High-Quality Raw Processing
Leveraging industry-leading Adobe Camera Raw technology, Lightroom supports over 100 cameras and incorporates raw conversion into a single workflow experience. Adobe continues to advance the state of the art in raw processing, as evidenced by the new split-toning controls which create richer black and white images. This extends photographers' creative control, providing new parameters for making adjustments and more freedom to address precise areas of the photograph on the histogram. Upon import, files can be converted to Digital Negative format (DNG) or renamed and segmented by folder or date.
Images can also be showcased via slideshows with drop shadows, borders, Identity Plates and different colored backgrounds. The size and position of the images can be manipulated and delivered in Macromedia Flash(R), Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) or HTML formats. A variety of templates are offered for contact sheets with the ability to add identity plates or produce a fine art print.
Pricing and Availability
The public debut of Lightroom Beta for Macintosh OSX 10.4.3 will occur at Macworld 2006 on January 10, 2006 in San Francisco at Booth #1307 and is available for free download from the Adobe Labs Web site at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4.3, 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. Regular updates to the software will be posted on the site, feedback will be collected and the final product is expected to be introduced in late 2006. Further details around pricing, system requirements and availability have yet to be determined.
Macworld San Francisco 2006 Booth #1307
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 9, 2006--Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced the public beta of Adobe(R) Lightroom(TM), an all-new digital imaging solution for professional photographers. With its modular, task-based and streamlined environment, Lightroom's goal is to deliver a complete photography workflow. As Adobe collects more feedback from photographers, modules and feature sets will likely change, as customers decide on their popularity and priority within digital photography workflows. Initially available as a beta for Macintosh, Lightroom will later support both the Windows(R) and Macintosh platforms.
"We first showed an early version of Lightroom at the Adobe Ideas Conference in April 2005 to demonstrate a new streamlined digital photography experience, from capture to print," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief operating officer of Adobe. "Today's Lightroom Beta leverages Adobe's renowned digital imaging innovation, in areas such as raw image processing, so that even in beta form photographers will find world class technology that complements Photoshop. We look forward to the feedback from the photography community as we refine the product over the next few months."
New Open Architecture Focuses on the Image
Lightroom Beta has been designed with a radical new user interface that puts the focus on what photographers really care about: the image. With just one click, the control panels and tools fade into the background in Lights-Out mode, allowing the image to take center stage. The innovative Identity Plate feature allows photographers to apply their own branding to the application and its output, so that it becomes their own personal gallery for showcasing work. Photographers also can rapidly scroll through hundreds of images and Quick One-to-One Zoom allows instant magnification of the finer points within the image.
"Lightroom defines the future workflow for the professional digital photographer," said Seth Resnick, a premier corporate, editorial and stock photographer. "It delivers exactly the functions photographers need to speed up their workflow in a way that was never before possible."
High-Quality Raw Processing
Leveraging industry-leading Adobe Camera Raw technology, Lightroom supports over 100 cameras and incorporates raw conversion into a single workflow experience. Adobe continues to advance the state of the art in raw processing, as evidenced by the new split-toning controls which create richer black and white images. This extends photographers' creative control, providing new parameters for making adjustments and more freedom to address precise areas of the photograph on the histogram. Upon import, files can be converted to Digital Negative format (DNG) or renamed and segmented by folder or date.
Images can also be showcased via slideshows with drop shadows, borders, Identity Plates and different colored backgrounds. The size and position of the images can be manipulated and delivered in Macromedia Flash(R), Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) or HTML formats. A variety of templates are offered for contact sheets with the ability to add identity plates or produce a fine art print.
Pricing and Availability
The public debut of Lightroom Beta for Macintosh OSX 10.4.3 will occur at Macworld 2006 on January 10, 2006 in San Francisco at Booth #1307 and is available for free download from the Adobe Labs Web site at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4.3, 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor, 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. Regular updates to the software will be posted on the site, feedback will be collected and the final product is expected to be introduced in late 2006. Further details around pricing, system requirements and availability have yet to be determined.
Comments
Lightroom as it is, is using a centralized database much like Aperture instead of using XMP sidecars like Bridge does. That's no good, but I guess it may change in the final product.
I probably won't get Lightroom, but stick with ACR+PS instead. Time will tell. But if Lightroom is a hint to what ACR4 is to become, then I'll be really happy!
The fact is, Apple *shouldn't* be writing the software. But it is. Not because it wants to, but because it has to...to fill a gap or to raise the bar.
This has nothing to do with Apple being evil like some developers suggest when they come out with something that apparently 'ripped them off', or Apple producing buggy software as some point out when a 1.0 software is released.
If Apple hadn't released Aperture, we probably wouldn't have access to this public beta of Lightroom. We wouldn't even know about it. Turns out that if you're a photographer, you now have *two* choices. And if you don't have a Mac, you *want* to get one because the only two apps that make sense are available on Mac.
This is a win for Apple (because the only two viable solutions only exist on Mac currently so photographers will most likely buy a Mac), Adobe (because they have something that's pretty good and, according to some, better than what Apple has) and, of course, consumers (because of increased competition).
iWeb will be released tomorrow...if it turns out to be a RapidWeaver or Sandvox-type of website creation tool, Apple will simply be raising the bar. Those that can meet or exceed this can simply slip out and produce for inferior platforms such as Windows.
By putting out software (good or bad), Apple is forcing developers to put out quality apps...apps that make Mac users proud of being Mac users. It doesn't matter if Apple loses when it comes to software, as long as what they released raised the bar for developers and made them push the envelop.
Tomorrow, we'll have 3 (or 2) excellent website creation tools (RapidWeaver, Sandvox and possibly iWeb which should push RapidWeaver and Sandvox to differentiate themselves from it) and 2 photographer's workflow apps. All of this doesn't yet exist on Windows (at least, not with this much ease-of-use and elegance.)
edit: IMO though, Lightroom looks very incomplete compared to Aperture. Some might like the minimalist approach (whether it was deliberate or not on Adobe's part) but it will take more from Adobe to compete with Aperture. It is a beta though, so I'm sure a few more things will slip in before release.
Originally posted by PBG4 Dude
I'm excited because Aperture won't run on my Rev A iMac G5, but Lightroom will. Can't wait to spend some time in Lightroom.
Fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to look at it), Lightroom doesn't do half the stuff Aperture does. But it's certainly the only solution for those with slower Macs.
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to look at it), Lightroom doesn't do half the stuff Aperture does. But it's certainly the only solution for those with slower Macs.
True, but this is also a Beta version, they might be adding more to it once the final version is complete.
Originally posted by TrojanShawn
True, but this is also a Beta version, they might be adding more to it once the final version is complete.
Yeah, that's true. I hope they do. Although even if it ships with its current feature set, I'm sure it'll please a lot of people.
[added] Yes, Adobe describes that when they say "beta" they're taking the term loosely. In fact, more features may well come to it. It's more akin to the old OS X developer previews which were pre-beta back in the day and well under-cooked.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Wait a minute. Is Aperture a universal binary? If not, why not? Apple KNEW they were coming out with Intel machines, so it seems they would have written it as a UB from the start.
They probably didn't want to test it on pre-production machines.
Originally posted by kim kap sol
Fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to look at it), Lightroom doesn't do half the stuff Aperture does. But it's certainly the only solution for those with slower Macs.
Well, Aperture will run on my 1.25GHz G4 but not on my 1.8GHz G5(?). So actually it would run on my 'slower' machine, but not on my newer, faster desktop computer. Simply because of the GPU, even though it is CoreImage compatible.
Originally posted by CosmoNut
Wait a minute. Is Aperture a universal binary? If not, why not? Apple KNEW they were coming out with Intel machines, so it seems they would have written it as a UB from the start.
The Intel machines have been in development for a year. Aperture's been in development for about 2-3 years.