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Adobe Launches Photoshop Lightroom 5 Public Beta With New Healing Brush, 'Upright' Tool
Adobe today announced the launch of a free public beta of Photoshop Lightroom 5 for both Mac and Windows, offering a peek at the next major version of the company's digital photo management and post-production software. The beta program runs through June 30, with the official release of Lightroom 5 planned for later this year.
Lightroom 5 Upright tool (Click for full size) 
Lightroom 5 Radial Gradient tool (Click for full size)
Adobe's Sharad Mangalick has more on the new features in a blog post on the company's Photoshop.com Blog.
Adobe has yet to announce pricing or an exact release date for Lightroom 5, which will compete with Apple's Aperture software. Aperture 3 was released over three years ago, but Apple has continued to enhance the software with minor upgrades since that time and slashed the price to $79.99 with the launch of the Mac App Store in January 2011. Adobe responded a year later by cutting Lightroom's price in half to $149 with the launch of Lightroom 4.
Lightroom 5 beta offers photographers and enthusiasts many new features including:
- Advanced Healing Brush allows customers to heal imperfections and remove distracting elements
- Upright tool analyzes an image to automatically level horizons and straighten objects like buildings to correct a keystone effect
- Radial Gradient tool creates off-center or multiple vignette effects
- Smart Previews allow customers to edit images without needing the original raw file
- Video slideshow enables customers to combine still images, video clips and music in a creative HD slideshow
- Upgrades to the Book module enhancing the ability to create, customize and order elegant photo books using a variety of tailored templates
Adobe's Sharad Mangalick has more on the new features in a blog post on the company's Photoshop.com Blog.
Adobe has yet to announce pricing or an exact release date for Lightroom 5, which will compete with Apple's Aperture software. Aperture 3 was released over three years ago, but Apple has continued to enhance the software with minor upgrades since that time and slashed the price to $79.99 with the launch of the Mac App Store in January 2011. Adobe responded a year later by cutting Lightroom's price in half to $149 with the launch of Lightroom 4.
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80 months ago
3 Years on Aperture 3! I waited and waited, and moved to Lightroom a few months ago. Now the disparity is really becoming clear. Sure, lots of posts about Apple giving the pros the backseat - but isn't it becoming super clear? FCPX, Mac Pros with super long refresh cycles, and Aperture showing its age years ago... I love apple, but not as a professional anymore.
80 months ago
I truly love Aperture's distraction free -photo viewing/editing. But I also truly hate not knowing what the software's future is going to be like :(
80 months ago
3 Years on Aperture 3! I waited and waited, and moved to Lightroom a few months ago. Now the disparity is really becoming clear. Sure, lots of posts about Apple giving the pros the backseat - but isn't it becoming super clear? FCPX, Mac Pros with super long refresh cycles, and Aperture showing its age years ago... I love apple, but not as a professional anymore.
Well there are a lot of "professionals" or people who call themselves that..:rolleyes:.. that still get everything they need to get from Apple. Music and movie studios don't seem to be crying foul with Apple nor do large corporations of the arts that use Macs and Adobe certainly feels their professional software is still worth coding on Mac rather than making crap ports. I'm finding that more "Apple enthusiasts" tend to have this annoyance. Not make excuses here but to be honest about it you don't really need a Mac Pro to do any heavy work. The top iMac can handle Maya, AutoCAD and the like extremely well. I've been on Mac for well over 15 years and I know system software well enough.
80 months ago
I don't need this. I'm a photographer who learned how to use Photoshop and do all my file management in Bridge.
I consider Lightroom and Aperture applications for the computer illiterate among us in the trade. Learn how to use your tools instead of settling for the "idiot version" people!
Wonderful that you've developed a workflow that works. For you. However, simply because other people don't use your method doesn't mean they're wrong and you're right.
What exactly are people "settling for" in their 'idiot versions'? We're using one piece of software, you're using two to do the same job? And we're the idiots?
I'd rather be a happy, friendly artist than an arrogant, grumbling technologist. But, hey, what do I know? I'm probably an idiot. ;)
80 months ago
I'm sold on the iPhoto workflow for my personal photos, but I need a bit more power, so I've been waiting for Aperture 4. I've been waiting for a long time.
I don't see the point paying full price on the App Store for a program that is being updated "any time now", only to have to re-buy the new version at full price.
However, I've been in that situation for about a year. Wanting to buy Aperture, but not wanting to waste money on version 3, when version 4 is seemingly around the corner.
This situation really exposes that Apple's sporadic Pro software releases and "no upgrade" policy on the App Store just aren't compatible. They lead to buyer paralysis, waiting for the "imminent" new release.
I'm thinking of just going to Lightroom, and throwing my iPhoto workflow (along with faces, places, and much of my complex filing system) away. At least then I'll have a predictable release schedule and access to upgrade pricing.
I don't see the point paying full price on the App Store for a program that is being updated "any time now", only to have to re-buy the new version at full price.
However, I've been in that situation for about a year. Wanting to buy Aperture, but not wanting to waste money on version 3, when version 4 is seemingly around the corner.
This situation really exposes that Apple's sporadic Pro software releases and "no upgrade" policy on the App Store just aren't compatible. They lead to buyer paralysis, waiting for the "imminent" new release.
I'm thinking of just going to Lightroom, and throwing my iPhoto workflow (along with faces, places, and much of my complex filing system) away. At least then I'll have a predictable release schedule and access to upgrade pricing.
80 months ago
I don't need this. I'm a photographer who learned how to use Photoshop and do all my file management in Bridge.
I consider Lightroom and Aperture applications for the computer illiterate among us in the trade. Learn how to use your tools instead of settling for the "idiot version" people!
I made a lot of money a few years ago, teaching dinosaurs like you how to use modern software to improve your workflow. Mostly grumpy technophobes who love nothing more than tweaking images to death, one by one, slowly, and safely.
File management and Bridge don't really go together seeing as bridge is really just a portal to your own file management. Put a folder here, etc.
'Learning' photoshop doesn't a genius make. Although it's an awesome program most of it isn't necessary to users of DAM software, where library management and batch processing is king.
Careful who you call idiots on here, please, especially when you come across as having no idea about what you so easily dismiss.
Professionals don't need to be told what software works best for their individual workflows, and most these days don't have the time to wang around on photoshop all day.
A degree of Computer illiteracy (if it were even that) is in this case preferable to not being out there being a 'professional photographer', even less so a cantankerous, old fashioned, presumptuous fool, with out of sync delusions of superiority.
80 months ago
These additions look great, but seems I chose wrong: I bought Aperture instead of LightRoom :-\
3 years and counting Apple.... appears Apple discounted and dumped Aperature. Wish they wouldn't give up on their products.
3 years and counting Apple.... appears Apple discounted and dumped Aperature. Wish they wouldn't give up on their products.
80 months ago
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but this is Apple we're talkng about here. What's the threshold for these desired "status updates." Monthly? Quarterly? Yearly?
For me, I think it's an objective threshold for software: when a product lacks major features of its nearest competitor it needs an update. It doesn't matter who makes it, a company competes on it's products merits. The fact Aperture is an Apple product means zero to me. If Apple has lost interest in it they should be honest with its customers and EOL it with continuing support for new cameras for another year to let customers transition.
Aperture 3 is 3 years old and lacks many of the refinements of LR4. I still prefer Aperture 3's work flow, but it gets harder to ignore LR as Adobe keeps refining and improving.
I don't use Logic Pro, but I read complaints by it's users frequently.
80 months ago
Please don't bring FCPX into this. The updates have fixed pretty much everything that was missing before. Anything missing now is either people moaning on the littlest thing or they just don't want to relearn the future of editors. FCPX is a complete break from previous NLE's and until ppl understand that, they will continue to not get it. So with that, now to Mac Pro's... there are more than enough solutions out there that work wonders as HenryDJP has so elegantly stated (Henry I +1 you on that post).
Now with that set aside, I'm very happy with LR4. I was thinking about waiting for Ap4, but I used a trial of LR4 and it felt like being right at home. Things are setup just the way I want them to. Will I upgrade to LR5? Probably not. Why? Because I really just use it for organizational purposes. I'm just a guy with a DSLR that takes photos here and there, not much of a color correction or anything like that. So for photo management, I'm very pleased with LR4.
For those of you who are thinking about Lightroom, I say take the dive! Grab the beta and hold out till LR5 is released and buy it. If your doing photo management, LR4 will fit the bill, you could even wait till LR5 and get a deal on LR4.
Now with that set aside, I'm very happy with LR4. I was thinking about waiting for Ap4, but I used a trial of LR4 and it felt like being right at home. Things are setup just the way I want them to. Will I upgrade to LR5? Probably not. Why? Because I really just use it for organizational purposes. I'm just a guy with a DSLR that takes photos here and there, not much of a color correction or anything like that. So for photo management, I'm very pleased with LR4.
For those of you who are thinking about Lightroom, I say take the dive! Grab the beta and hold out till LR5 is released and buy it. If your doing photo management, LR4 will fit the bill, you could even wait till LR5 and get a deal on LR4.
80 months ago
Wish they wouldn't give up on their products.
I wish they would respect its customers more and tell us if they are giving up or not. As the saying goes, there comes a time when event require one to either sh!# or get of the pot.
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