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New Round of Enhancements in Latest Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Beta Unites Feature Set for Macintosh and Windows Versions
SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany — Sept. 25, 2006 — Adobe Systems
Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced an update to the public beta
of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™ software at the Photokina tradeshow in
Cologne, Germany. Available immediately for download from Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom
), this update unites the product feature set for Windows® and
Macintosh platforms, giving professional photographers a new way to
import, manage and showcase large volumes of digital photographs. More
than 325,000 people have opted to try Lightroom during the beta period
and feedback has been fueled by over 3,400 of them sharing input in
Adobe online forums. The final version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is
expected to ship in early 2007.
“From the moment we introduced Lightroom beta we opened up the process
to photographers, making them a part of our 'virtual development team'
and allowing them to tell us exactly what this application needs,” said
Deborah Whitman, vice president of product management for Digital
Imaging. “Engaging with this community has helped us build a better
workflow solution and has made watching its evolution more exciting and
dynamic.”
The final branding of the software, Adobe Photoshop
Lightroom, confirms its place within the Photoshop family, a line of
products that meet the needs of novice snapshooters, photo hobbyists
and a diverse set of professional customers.
Lightroom Feature Advancements and Raw Processing Support
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta 4.0 offers improved digital photography
workflow tools, including a precision white balance selection option
and a more streamlined and elegant user interface experience with
customizable controls. An intuitive new tone curve adjustment feature
provides powerful image correction capabilities, allowing users to
visually obtain excellent midtone, shadow and highlight adjustments.
New enhancements in the Develop and Library modules include time-saving
tools such as the ability to re-name and convert files to Adobe Digital
Negative Format (DNG) after importing into the Lightroom library. New
filters, search presets and organizing options allow for quick
retrieval of images and greater flexibility.
Lightroom supports over 125 native raw file formats, in addition to
JPEG and TIFF, and brings raw conversion into a single workflow
experience. The latest camera models supported by this beta are the
Nikon D2Xs, Sony A100, as well as preliminary support for the Canon
Digital Rebel XTi (400D) and Nikon D80. This support means that
photographers can use Lightroom with even the newest cameras on the
market, knowing that the image files will be recognized today and into
the future.
Thriving Community Support
Adobe hosts an online community site for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta
which features artists in the Lightroom Showcase Gallery (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom/gallery) and provides an arena for photographers to share their portfolios
using Lightroom slideshow functionality. Photographers will find
inspiration in the documentaries of well-known photographers posted in
the community and gallery.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta 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 or Windows XP SP2, Intel Pentium 4 Processor, and
768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. 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
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is expected to ship in early 2007. Further
details around pricing, system requirements and availability have yet
to be determined.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information -
anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com. |
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