Adobe Debuts Photoshop Lightroom 1.0
By Shutterbug Staff
January 30, 2007 Adobe Systems Incorporated(Nasdaq:ADBE) has announced that Adobe Photoshop(r)
Lightroom(tm) 1.0 software is now available for pre-order and is expected to
ship in mid-February 2007. Photoshop Lightroom enables professional photographers
to import, manage and present large volumes of digital photographs, helping
photographers spend more time behind the lens and less time at the computer.
With more than 500,000 photographers participating in the public beta program
over the last 12 months, Photoshop Lightroom now includes a wealth of innovative
features that streamline digital photography workflows. Recognizing the photography
community for their efforts, Adobe is offering Photoshop Lightroom at a special
introductory price of US $199 through April 30, 2007 at the Adobe Store. Photoshop
Lightroom will later sell for an estimated street price of US $299.
Photoshop Lightroom includes new functionality added since beta 4.1, with significant
changes to the Library and Develop modules complementing improvements to the
Slideshow, Print and Web components. While in the Library module, new advanced
keywording tools help photographers filter through large collections, and an
improved import dialogue with more flexible file handling allows more choice
when determining file location. The new Key Metadata Browser provides quick
access to key information tags with an improved ranking and rating system that
now incorporates color labels and a pick/reject system that sorts and locates
photographs faster than ever. New to the Develop module, Virtual Copies and
Snapshot tools help present multiple versions of the same image, providing the
most choice to clients without the confusion of saving separate physical versions.
Additional tools added include a Hue, Saturation and Luminance targeted adjustment
tool for precise and intuitive image edits. Clone and Healing features provide
non-destructive edits to eliminate sensor dust across one or many images.
Photoshop Lightroom leverages Adobe Camera Raw technology and supports over
150 native raw file formats, in addition to JPEG and TIFF, bringing raw conversion
into a single workflow experience. The latest camera models supported include
the Nikon D40 and D80 and the Pentax K10D. 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 in the future. Upon import, files can
be converted to the Digital Negative specification (DNG) or renamed and segmented
by folder or date. DNG is an industry-wide initiative to create a universal
file format for solving workflow and archiving issues. It aims to eliminate
barriers to new camera adoption while giving professional photographers the
confidence that their digital body of work is securely archived and will remain
accessible as digital imaging technology evolves.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom will ship in mid-February 2007 and is available
for pre-order in the United States and Canada through the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store
for a special introductory price of US $199. The $100 discount is offered to
all customers through April 30, 2007 in appreciation of loyal Photoshop users,
early supporters of Photoshop Lightroom and beta participants who devoted time,
energy and feedback throughout the process. Photoshop Lightroom will later sell
for an estimated street price of US $299. Recommended system requirements are
Macintosh OSX 10.4.3, 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor or Microsoft(r),Windows(r)
XP SP2, Intel(r) Pentium 4(r) Processor, and 768 MB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution
screen. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is a Universal Binary application that will
run natively on PowerPC and new Intel-based Macintosh systems.
The announcement of Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 signifies the official conclusion
of the groundbreaking Lightroom beta program. Users of Lightroom beta will have
access to the program until its expiration on February 28, 2007.
www.adobe.com.
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