Adobe News (Page 10)

From Adobe:

New Offer Makes it Even Easier to Purchase and Deploy Creative Cloud

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Aug. 1, 2013 - Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced a new version of Adobe® Creative Cloud™ that enables creative teams to purchase membership of a single desktop application like Photoshop® CC, Illustrator® CC, InDesign® CC or any other of the entire collection of CC desktop applications. With this new move, Adobe now offers two team plans for Creative Cloud: the complete option that delivers 14 Adobe desktop applications and sophisticated, cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities; or the new single app plan that includes access to one desktop application along with 20GB of storage and the ability to showcase work on Behance®, the world’s leading creative community.

Both plans for Creative Cloud for teams radically simplify license management and deployment for IT departments. An intuitive, easy-to-use web portal, the Admin Console, lets administrators centrally purchase, deploy and manage all seats across an organization - whether single app or complete - under one membership agreement.

The new single app plan for teams delivers many of the benefits of full Creative Cloud for teams membership. Customers will receive updates to their favorite desktop CC application as new features become available. Creatives can share files with colleagues, whether inside or outside the organization; and cloud-based storage of 20GB can be used to view, edit, store and share a larger set of files across the team. Designers can also publish a customized online portfolio with Behance ProSite, and solicit feedback from the worldwide creative community. Over 1.6 million creatives globally are part of the Behance network.

Adobe CC Desktop Applications At Core of New Team Offer

This new version of Creative Cloud enables creative teams to purchase membership for one of Adobe’s just-launched CC family of desktop applications, including Adobe Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Dreamweaver® CC, Premiere® Pro CC and more.

Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools. Innovations include:

• Photoshop CC ships with new sharpening technologies and designer workflow enhancements. Camera Shake Reduction deblurs images that would have otherwise been lost due to camera movement. All-new Smart Sharpen makes texture and detail pop while minimizing noise and halos, and Adobe Camera Raw 8 adds even more powerful photographic controls to straighten and perfect images.
• For designers, the Touch Type tool in Illustrator CC offers a new level of creativity with type. Move, scale, and rotate text characters knowing that it remains editable. This feature works with a mouse, stylus or multi-touch device. Illustrator also enables painting with a brush made from a photo. Art, Pattern, and Scatter brushes can contain raster images, so designers can create complex organic designs quickly, with simple brush strokes. A new, modern architecture for InDesign CC turbocharges performance, and in-browser editing in Adobe Muse™ CC - a tool for designers to create and publish HTML websites without writing code - allows clients to make edits to a published website, which can then be reviewed, approved, and updated by the designer.
• For video customers Adobe Premiere Pro CC includes dramatic new editing features, customizations and improvements to help editors work efficiently. Premiere Pro CC integrates powerful color workflows, with the addition of the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to easily apply rich color grading looks. A high-impact version of Adobe After Effects™ CC brings motion graphics and visual effects artists more creative possibilities and allows them to work more easily in 3D with the new Live 3D Pipeline with Maxon Cinema4D integration.
• Web designers and developers can look forward to significant advances in Adobe’s family of Edge tools and services. The latest Edge Animate CC lets Web designers create animated and interactive content with amazing ease and precision, using native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Dreamweaver users can look forward to the most up-to-date CSS and properties via the intuitive visual editing tool, CSS Designer. And Adobe Flash® Pro CC features a modern, modular 64-bit architecture rebuilt from the ground up to be fast and reliable.

Membership Plans and Availability

The new single app plan of Adobe Creative Cloud for teams is available for a suggested retail price of $29.99 (US) per user per month. Existing customers with CS3 or later are eligible for single app membership at a suggested retail price of $19.99 (US) per user per month. Customers can pre-order beginning today, with product availability expected August 15. Both the complete and single app plans are available via reseller partners worldwide. The complete plan is also available directly from adobe.com. For more information visit http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/teams.html.

Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 8.2 Release Candidate for Creative Cloud is now available.

From Adobe:

New Features:

• The Histogram is now interactive. This enables the ability to click and drag on the Histogram to adjust the Blacks, Shadows, Exposure, Highlights, and Whites slider adjustments.
• A Color Smoothness adjustment slider has been added to the Detail Panel. This helps to reduce low-frequency color mottling artifacts
• Separate Auto Temperature and Auto Tint controls, which is accessible via the Shift+Double Click on either the Temperature or Tint adjustment sliders.
• Workflow presets are now available and can be selected on context-clicking the workflow link.
• Refinements to the Spot Healing Tool:

• New Feather control
• Auto find source method now works better for images with textured areas like rocks, bark, and foliage
• Auto find source method now prefers source areas within the crop rectangle

• Refinements to the Local Adjustment Brush:

• Move brush adjustments by clicking and dragging on brush adjustment pins
• Right Click (PC) / Control-click (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to bring up a context menu to duplicate or delete
• Control+Alt+Drag (PC) / Command+Option+Drag (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to clone (duplicate) that adjustment
• Alt+Click (PC) / Option+Click (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to delete the adjustment

New Cameras Supported

• Canon EOS 70D (preliminary support)

FAQs

Why is it no longer required to place the plug-in file in the specified directory on my hard drive?
The Camera Raw update process has grown to include lens profile and camera profile files which are easiest to install via a single installer process instead of updating several different directories manually.

When will the Camera Raw 8.2 for CC release candidate expire?
9/30/2013

Will additional camera or lens support be available in the final release?
It is possible that additional cameras or lenses will be supported in the final release.

Download:

Camera RAW 8.2 RC Plug-In - Windows (ZIP, 40.6MB) | Macintosh (DMG, 30.2MB)

The Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw and DNG Converter 8.2 Release Candidates for CS6 are now available.

From Adobe:

New Cameras Supported

• Canon EOS 70D (preliminary support)

FAQs

Why is it no longer required to place the plug-in file in the specified directory on my hard drive?
The Camera Raw update process has grown to include lens profile and camera profile files which are easiest to install via a single installer process instead of updating several different directories manually.

When will the Camera Raw 8.2 for CS6 release candidate expire?
9/30/2013

Will additional camera or lens support be available in the final release?
It is possible that additional cameras or lenses will be supported in the final release.

Download

Camera RAW 8.2 RC Plug-In - Windows (ZIP, 82.1MB) | Macintosh (DMG, 75.6MB)
DNG Converter 8.2 RC - Windows (EXE, 124MB) | Macintosh (DMG, 137MB)

Adorama carries Adobe Photoshop CS6.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.2 Release Candidate is now available.

From Adobe:

New Features

• A Smoothness adjustment slider has been added to the Detail Panel under Color Noise Reduction. This helps to reduce low-frequency color mottling artifacts
• Refinements to the Spot Healing Tool:

• New Feather control
• Auto find source method now works better for images with textured areas like rocks, bark, and foliage
• Auto find source method now prefers source areas within the crop rectangle

• Smart Preview size has been updated to 2560 pixels on the long edge.
• Refinements to the Local Adjustment Brush:

• Right Click (PC) / Control-click (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to bring up a context menu to duplicate or delete
• Control+Alt+Drag (PC) / Command+Option+Drag (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to clone (duplicate) that adjustment

New Camera Support

• Canon EOS 70D (preliminary support)

Fixed Issues

• Catalog containing images processed with PV2003 were adding a post-crop vignette when catalog upgraded to Lightroom 5.
• Pressing the "Reset" button while holding down the Shift key caused Lightroom to exit abruptly.
• Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction were not applied to exported images that were resized to less than 1/3 of the original image size.
• Incorrect photo was selected when trying to select a photo in segmented grid in Publish Services.
• The Esc key did not exit the slideshow after right clicking screen with mouse during slideshow playing.
• Import dialog remained blank for folders that contain PNG files with XMP sidecars.
• Metadata panel displayed incorrect information after modifying published photo. Please note that this only occurred when metadata was changed after the photo was published.

FAQs

Can Lightroom 5.2 Release Candidate be installed alongside Lightroom 5?
By default, the Lightroom 5.2 Release Candidate for both Windows and Mac will remove or overwrite your existing Lightroom 5 installation. If you wish to return to Lightroom 5 after installing Lightroom 5.2, simply reinstall Lightroom 5 from your original download after uninstalling Lightroom 5.2 Release Candidate.

Both versions of the application share the same catalog format allowing your catalogs to be opened by either version without complications

When will the Lightroom 5.2 release candidate expire?
The Lightroom 5.2 release candidate will expire on September 30, 2013.

Will there be an upgrade charge for the final Lightroom 5.2 release?
No, Lightroom 5.2 will be a free update for all current Lightroom 5 customers.

Will additional camera or lens support be available in the final release?
It is possible that additional cameras or lenses will be supported in the final release.

Download** - Windows (ZIP, 800MB) | Mac (ZIP, 446MB)

** System Requirements

Adorama carries Adobe Lightroom 5.

From Adobe:

"As mentioned, we have been investigating a number of issues that Lightroom 5 customers have reported. We are testing fixes for these issues and are planning to release an update next week.

We really appreciate your patience as we ensure that the upcoming release addressing these issues.

Thanks!"

Adorama carries Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.

From the Adobe Blog:

In this video tutorial by Julieanne Kost (Top 10 Hidden Gems in Lightroom 5), you’ll learn the additional, seldom talked about, features in Lightroom 5 that can make a huge difference in the way that you work with your images.

Adorama carries Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.

From Adobe:

Creative Cloud Subscriptions Hit 700 Thousand; Adobe Marketing Cloud Bookings Grow Over 25 Percent

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 18, 2013 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today reported financial results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2013 ended May 31, 2013.

Second Quarter Financial Highlights

• Adobe® achieved revenue of $1.011 billion, within its targeted range of $975 million to $1.025 billion.
• Diluted earnings per share were $0.15 on a GAAP-basis, and $0.36 on a non-GAAP basis.
• Operating income was $111.3 million and net income was $76.5 million on a GAAP basis. Operating income was $247.3 million and net income was $182.9 million on a non-GAAP basis.
• Adobe ended Q2 with 700 thousand paid Creative Cloud™ subscriptions, an increase of 221 thousand when compared to the number of subscriptions as of the end of Q1 fiscal year 2013.
• Adobe Marketing Cloud quarterly revenue was $229.6 million, with bookings growth of greater than 25 percent.

A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP results is provided at the end of this press release.

Executive Quotes
“Our Q2 results reflect our leadership position in Digital Media and Digital Marketing,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer, Adobe. “Creative Cloud is revolutionizing the creative process, and Adobe Marketing Cloud is quickly becoming the platform of choice for the world's leading brands, advertising agencies and media companies.”

“Adoption of Creative Cloud continued to accelerate and we drove strong Adobe Marketing Cloud bookings growth in Q2,” said Mark Garrett, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Adobe.

Adobe to Webcast Earnings Conference Call
Adobe will webcast its second quarter fiscal year 2013 earnings conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time from its investor relations website: www.adobe.com/ADBE. A copy of Adobe management’s prepared remarks, including financial targets and conference call slides, has been posted to Adobe’s investor relations website in advance of the conference call for reference.

A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial targets is also provided on the website.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including those related to the transition of our business as we migrate to a subscription model, adoption of Creative Cloud and growth in revenue and bookings for Adobe Marketing Cloud solutions in our Digital Marketing business, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: failure to develop, market and distribute products and services that meet customer requirements, introduction of new products and business models by competitors, failure to successfully manage transitions to new business models and markets, including our increased emphasis on a cloud and subscription strategy, fluctuations in subscription renewal or upgrade rates, continued uncertainty in economic conditions and the financial markets, difficulty in predicting revenue from new businesses and the potential impact on our financial results from changes in our business models, and failure to realize the anticipated benefits of past or future acquisitions.

For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer to Adobe’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2012, and Adobe’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q issued in fiscal year 2013.

The financial information set forth in this press release reflects estimates based on information available at this time. These amounts could differ from actual reported amounts stated in Adobe’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for our quarter ended May 31, 2013, which Adobe expects to file in June 2013.

Adobe assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update these forward-looking statements.

Financial Documents

• Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (PDF: 54k)
• Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (PDF: 49k)
• Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (PDF: 44k)
• Non-GAAP Results (PDF: 54k)

Includes Next Generation of “CC” Desktop Applications and Delivers New Community and Publishing Capabilities

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 17, 2013 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that a major update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™, the company’s flagship offering for creatives, is now available. Unveiled at Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference, in early May and packed with new features, this Creative Cloud release reimagines the creative process through a stunning set of “CC” desktop applications and sophisticated cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android; and Behance, the world’s leading online creative community, is now integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure.

“We’ve added a ton of new innovation to all our CC desktop apps like Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. These apps include new features that increase productivity, streamline the effort to build mobile content and showcase some stunning new imaging and video science. And in addition to the traditional areas of innovation these apps are now connected to the powerful publishing and community features integral to the Creative Cloud experience,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Media, Adobe. “And with even more great updates coming to Creative Cloud throughout the year, we can’t wait to see the incredible work our customers are going to deliver.”

With Creative Cloud, publishing finished work has never been easier, with enhanced services that build and power websites, mobile apps, tablet publications, online portfolios, and content for virtually any medium and device.

Adobe Creative Cloud Powers Frictionless Creative Workflows

This milestone update to Creative Cloud simplifies the entire creative process. Core features include:

• Creative Cloud Experience on the Desktop. With the new Creative Cloud desktop app, your entire creative world is synced and organized across your desktop, website, and mobile device. You can stay connected to work on Behance; track feedback; and install and manage apps and updates. More features will be added soon to manage your files and desktop fonts within this same experience.
• Integration With The World’s Leading Creative Community. With Behance now integrated with Creative Cloud, members are able to publish their own portfolios, follow other creatives, publish work-in-progress from within a growing number of CC apps and solicit feedback from the worldwide creative community. Over 1.4 million creatives globally are part of the Behance network.
• Store, Share and Collaborate. All files and assets can be shared between the desktop, cloud and mobile devices. A designer can take a photo on their iPad, use Photoshop® Touch to refine the photo while on the go, then access that file, via the cloud, and use Photoshop CC on their Mac or Windows PC to further enhance the image. Designers can send files to view, download or comment. Individual members receive 20GB of storage.
• Seamless Publishing. Creative Cloud members have access to the services necessary to publish highly personalized portfolio websites using Behance ProSite, high-impact digital publications for iPad using Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) Single Edition, and PhoneGap™ Build to create and publish mobile apps for any device. Adobe Typekit features an unmatched library of old-classic to new-favorite fonts for use on websites and, coming soon in an update to Creative Cloud, creatives will also be able to quickly find the perfect fonts in the growing Adobe Typekit library, sync them to their computer, and have them immediately available for use in any desktop application. Full Creative Cloud members will soon have access to over 700 fonts, installed with a single click.

New Family of CC Desktop Applications Available Exclusively to Creative Cloud Members

This update to Creative Cloud includes the next generation of 15 Adobe desktop applications -- including Adobe Photoshop CC, InDesign® CC, Illustrator® CC, Dreamweaver® CC, Premiere® Pro CC and more. Adobe Creative Cloud includes more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography.

Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools. Innovations include:

• Photoshop CC ships with new sharpening technologies and designer workflow enhancements. Camera Shake Reduction deblurs images that would have otherwise been lost due to camera movement. All-new Smart Sharpen makes texture and detail pop, and Adobe Camera Raw 8 adds even more powerful photographic controls to straighten and perfect images. Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC are the first Adobe desktop applications to include the ability to post files directly to Behance, showcasing work immediately and integrating peer feedback into the creative process.
• For designers, the Touch Type tool in Illustrator CC offers a new level of creativity with type. Move, scale, and rotate text characters knowing that it remains editable. This feature works with a mouse, stylus or multi-touch device. Illustrator also enables painting with a brush made from a photo. Art, Pattern, and Scatter brushes can contain raster images, so designers can create complex organic designs quickly, with simple brush strokes. And Illustrator CC features integration with Behance, so work can be shared directly to Behance to get feedback and showcase projects. A new, modern architecture for InDesign CC turbocharges performance, and in-browser editing in Adobe Muse™ CC – a tool for designers to create and publish HTML websites without writing code – allows clients to make edits to a published website, which can then be reviewed, approved, and updated by the designer.
• For video customers Adobe Premiere Pro CC includes dramatic new editing features, customizations and improvements to help editors workefficiently. Premiere Pro CC integrates powerful color workflows, with the addition of the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to easily apply rich color grading looks. A high-impact version of Adobe After Effects® CC brings motion graphics and visual effects artists more creative possibilities and allows them to work more easily in 3D with the new Live 3D Pipeline with Maxon Cinema4D integration. There are also all-new versions of Adobe SpeedGrade CC, Audition® CC, Prelude™ CC and Adobe Story CC Plus.
• Web designers and developers can look forward to significant advances in Adobe’s family of Edge tools and services. The latest Edge Animate CC lets web designers create animated and interactive content with amazing ease and precision, using native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Dreamweaver users can look forward to the most up-to-date CSS and properties via the intuitive visual editing tool, CSS Designer. And Adobe Flash® Pro CC features a modern, modular 64-bit architecture rebuilt from the ground up to be fast and reliable.

Adobe Create Now

To mark this introduction, Adobe has also launched Create Now: a Celebration of Creativity. Over the course of the program’s first month Adobe will host a variety of collaborative art projects, commemorate the birthday of a design icon and provide a forum for creatives to use Adobe tools to express themselves in fun, engaging and unexpected ways. More information is available at: http://adobe.ly/createnow.

Membership Plans and Availability

This major update to Creative Cloud is available now. Current Creative Cloud members receive all of this innovation as part of their existing membership, at no extra cost. Special promotional pricing is available to existing customers who own CS3 or later. Individual, education, team, government and enterprise membership plans are available. For pricing details, visit: Adobe.com.

From Adobe Lightroom Journal:

The team would like to provide an update on several issues discovered since Sunday night’s launch. Thanks for your patience while we investigated and compiled this list.

Noise Reduction and Sharpening Not Visible on export
As mentioned here, a bug was introduced in Lightroom 5.0 where files exported at less than 1/3 of their original size may not retain Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction settings. We are working on a solution and will include it in our next update.

Incorrect photos selected when working with Publish Services
When working in a Publish collection, it is sometimes possible for the grid view to indicate that certain photos are selected, while the filmstrip indicates that different photos are selected. In this case, the filmstrip is actually correct, and any actions that are performed will be performed on the photos that are selected in the filmstrip. If you are concerned about this bug, make sure that you have the filmstrip showing while you’re working in a Publish collection, so that you know for sure what photos are selected. We are working on a fix and hope to include in a future update.

Presets Disappearing when Upgrading Catalog to Lr5
As reported here, user created presets were not migrated to Lightroom 5 with a catalog upgrade. This only occurs when the “Store Presets with Catalog” preference is checked (enabled). Within Lightroom 5, the “Store Presets with Catalog” preference will be unchecked (disabled). Please check (enable) this preference and the missing user created presets will return. Please note that this only occurs on Mac.

Revel Publish Service
The Revel Publish Service for Lightroom 5 is available here.

Lightroom 5 Upgrade Eligibility
We’ve had several questions around who is eligible for an upgrade to Lightroom 5. Any Lightroom 1, 2 3, or 4 version of Lightroom, education editions included, can utilize the upgrade version of Lightroom 5. The prior version of Lightroom does not need to be installed on the computer, however you will need the prior version serial number at the time of installation of Lightroom 5. If the prior version is still installed on the computer, Lightroom 5 will automatically pick up that serial number so you don’t need to go digging through boxes or your email.

Customers who purchased Lightroom 4 through the Mac App Store are eligible for upgrade pricing. Please see here for instructions. Lightroom 4 must be installed on the machine before installing the Lightroom 5 upgrade.

Upgrade policy for those that just purchased Lightroom 4
We’ve seen quite a few questions from those who have just purchased Lightroom 4. If you purchased Lightroom 4 very recently you may be eligible for a complimentary upgrade to Lightroom 5: http://www.adobe.com/go/pa

We’re listening
If you have additional workflow or how-to questions visit our user community on Adobe.com: http://forums.adobe.com/community/lightroom

To report Issues or Ideas on how to improve Lightroom, visit our Feedback Site on Photoshop.com: http://feedback.photoshop.com/

B&H carries Adobe Lightroom 4 (which, according to this, *may* qualify for a free upgrade) and Lightroom 5.

From Adobe:

Camera Raw 8.1 is now available as a final release through the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6. This release provides support for HiDPI capable displays, new camera and lens support and address bugs that were introduced in previous versions of Camera Raw. Customers of previous versions of Photoshop can utilize DNG Converter 8.1 to receive raw file support for newly added cameras.

Photoshop CS6 customers traditionally have received camera updates through Camera Raw 7.x releases. This is the first time that we are providing camera support through a version of the camera raw plug-in that is a whole version number greater than the version of Camera Raw that shipped with a specific version of Photoshop. (Photoshop CS6 shipped with ACR7 and now we’re providing support to CS6 with ACR8.) As mentioned here, this change allows us to be consistent with our past policy of providing raw support for currently shipping products. However, when ACR8 is hosted by Photoshop CS6, it will not offer any of the new features described in Photoshop CC marketing materials for ACR8.

Bugs Corrected in Camera Raw 8.1

• Occasionally the Fill Light adjustment introduced artifacts. This only occurred when processing an image using the PV2010 process version.
• When using the Red Eye removal tool, setting red eye darken to 100% would lighten the adjustment instead of darkening it.
• Reduced the default amount of sharpening applied to images taken with the Fuji X100s camera.

New Camera Support in the Camera Raw 8.1

• Hasselblad H5D-60
• Olympus PEN E-P5
• Olympus PEN E-PL6
• Phase One IQ260*
• Ricoh GR
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G6
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LF1

* denotes preliminary support

Download Links

Camera Raw 8.1 – Please use the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6

DNG Converter 8.1 – Mac | PC

B&H carries Adobe Photoshop CS6.

From Adobe:

Powerful New Features Advance Photography Workflows

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 10, 2013 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 5 for Mac OS® and Windows®. The product is available as an individual license or as part of Adobe Creative Cloud™. Designed for both photography enthusiasts and professionals alike, Lightroom 5 adds critical photo editing capabilities and creates groundbreaking workflows. Lightroom 5 was initially released as a free, public beta in April 2013.

“Lightroom was originally conceived through the requests of Adobe customers, and this feedback continues to drive each new iteration,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. “As the digital photography landscape advances and evolves, Lightroom is the best solution for photographers and passionate hobbyists who want to get the most out of their digital images.”

New Features in Lightroom 5

Lightroom 5 adds powerful new editing tools to help photographers create better images faster. The Advanced Healing Brush enables customers to fix irregularly shaped imperfections such as dust spots, splotches, and other distractions with the precision and flexibility of a fine brush. The Upright tool analyzes each image to automatically straighten objects such as buildings and level horizons. Radial Gradients offer customers the control to make photo subjects stand out by applying off-center and multiple vignettes in a single image.

Lightroom 5 also brings extended sharing and publishing capabilities. New video slideshows enable customers to combine still images, video clips and music in a creative HD slideshow that can be viewed on almost any device. Updates to the Book module bring the ability to create, personalize and print elegant photo books from a variety of tailored, easy-to-use templates, as well as create customer-specific templates.

Smart Previews, new in Lightroom 5, enable photographers to make edits to their images offline, without bringing their entire library of original files with them. Edits and metadata changes to Smart Preview files are automatically applied to the original images when they are reconnected.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 is available now for immediate download for Adobe Creative Cloud members. Standalone software is available at Adobe.com and participating retailers for US$149 or US$79 for upgrades. For more detailed information about product features, upgrade policies, pricing and language versions, please visit www.adobe.com/go/lightroom.

B&H has Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 available for pre-order.

From Adobe:

We announced a major update to Adobe Creative Cloud at our MAX Creativity Conference on May 6th and as we gear up to ship this release of Creative Cloud in a few weeks, we’d like to update the community on the feedback we’ve been getting.

Our goal with Creative Cloud is to deliver the world’s best creative products and services to customers. On May 6, we announced a new generation of “CC” desktop applications and sophisticated cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored, synced and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android. In addition, Behance, the world’s leading online creative community, is now integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure.

We will continue to offer new innovation in apps and services on an ongoing basis, which is one of the top reasons members tell us they are subscribing. We were thrilled with customer adoption leading up to the announcement on May 6th, with over 80% of people purchasing on Adobe.com selecting Creative Cloud. That momentum continues today.

That said, through discussions with the community, we have heard some concerns around our move to Creative Cloud. Three main themes are coming through:

• File access. Customers want to be sure that, if their membership to Creative Cloud lapses, they will still have access to their files.
• Photographers, particularly photo-enthusiasts, are looking for a more tailored offering that focuses on their particular needs.
• Some customers are not convinced that Creative Cloud is right for them and would rather continue to purchase desktop applications as before.

We want to start off by reinforcing that we continue to believe that the move to Creative Cloud will benefit the wider creative community because of the constant stream of innovation that we’re able to deliver. Creative Cloud also allows us to explore new areas in mobile apps, helping you collaborate better and build a meaningful worldwide community to share work and find inspiration. Because of this we have no plans to change our focus on Creative Cloud. We understand this is a big change and for customers who are not yet ready to move, we will continue to offer CS6 products through our reseller partners and Adobe.com.

For photographers, we are looking at potential offerings that recognize the photography community – because it is so broad – has some unique needs.

With regards to file access, Adobe completely agrees that customers should have access to their files if they choose to stop their Creative Cloud membership. Our job is to delight our customers with innovation, but there are a number of options open to us here and we expect to have news around this issue shortly.

We sincerely appreciate all the feedback you have given us. We believe that an honest and open dialogue with the community will ensure that, together, we can move the creative process forward.

Thanks again for using Creative Cloud. If you have any questions or comments, please post them in our forums, where we are continuing the conversation.

- The Creative Cloud Team

Adobe is offering Creative Cloud for 60% off for students and CS6 customers; CS3-CS5.5 customers can get Creative Cloud for 40% off.

For a perpetual license option, Adorama has Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Windows available for $70.00 off – only $529.95 with free shipping. Regularly $599.95.

From Adobe:

Camera Raw 8.1 and DNG Converter 8.1 Release Candidates are now available. This release includes support for HiDPI capable displays, bug fixes, new camera support, and new lens profiles.

Photoshop CS6 customers traditionally have received camera updates through Camera Raw 7.x releases. This is the first time that we are providing camera support through a version of the camera raw plug-in that is a whole version number greater than the version of Camera Raw that shipped with a specific version of Photoshop. (Photoshop CS6 shipped with ACR7 and now we’re providing support to CS6 with ACR8.) As mentioned here, this change allows us to be consistent with our past policy of providing raw support for currently shipping products. However, when ACR8 is hosted by Photoshop CS6, it will not offer any of the new features described in Photoshop CC marketing materials for ACR8.

New Camera Support in the Camera Raw 8.1 Release Candidate

• Hasselblad H5D-60
• Olympus PEN E-P5
• Olympus PEN E-PL6
• Phase One IQ260*
• Pentax Ricoh GR
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G6
• Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LF1

* denotes preliminary support

New Lens Profile Support in the Camera Raw 8.1 Release Candidate

Release Notes

Camera Raw 8.1 RC includes support for HiDPI capable displays.

Getting Started

1. Download the Camera Raw 8.1 and/or DNG Converter 8.1 release candidates
2. Quit out of Photoshop CS6 and Adobe Bridge.
3. Open the download file and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Ask questions or share your feedback in the Camera Raw forum

Download

Camera Raw 8.1 Release Candidate - Windows | Macintosh
DNG Converter 8.1 Release Candidate - Windows | Macintosh

B&H carries Adobe Photoshop CS6.

From Adobe Lightroom Journal:

May 6, 2013 - Today’s Photoshop CC announcement requires a modest change in our camera raw support policy. Because Adobe is still selling Photoshop CS6, those customers will continue to receive updated camera raw file format compatibility via Adobe Camera Raw 8. When we update ACR8 with new camera support, Photoshop CS6 customers can work with the new version of the Camera Raw plug-in. No new features or functionality will be available in ACR to Photoshop CS6 customers as part of those updates. (No Upright, advanced healing brush or radial filter, etc.) I don’t have a timeline for how long this camera raw support will continue for Photoshop CS6 but I want to be consistent with our past policy of providing raw support for currently shipping products.

From Adobe:Top technology explorations spotlighted, including “Perspective Warp” in Photoshop and “Video Color Grading” in After Effects

SAN JOSE, Calif. — May 7, 2013 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today presented a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge design and interactive technologies at Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference. Focused on creativity and expressiveness, MAX brings together over 5,000 creative industry leaders, visionaries and professionals to exchange ideas and inspiration and explore how creativity is changing the world.

MAX Sneak Peeks offer a unique opportunity to see inside Adobe’s engineering labs and to preview breakthrough applications and features during their early stage of development. For example, the new Camera Shake Reduction tool, that analyzes and corrects blur from camera movement, which was unveiled as part of Adobe® Photoshop® CC yesterday, was actually first shown publicly at MAX Sneak Peeks in October 2011.

Videos of the technology explorations spotlighted during the MAX Sneak Peeks, hosted by Rainn Wilson and special guest Mary Lynn Rajskub, with Ben Forta, director of Evangelism, Adobe, will soon be available on YouTube. Photos will be posted in the Adobe MAX online press room. Projects shown may, or may not, make it into future versions of Adobe products and services.

“The Sneaks embody the spirit and passion for technology innovation that thrives at Adobe,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Media Business, Adobe. “The presentations are always a sensation at Adobe MAX; the energy and enthusiasm from the audience is electric and demonstrate that our creative customers are always ready to embrace the new.”

Adobe MAX Sneak Peeks

• Drawing Tools Revisited: The opening keynote introduced a hardware project named “Mighty” (and a related short ruler project named “Napoleon”) which aims to marry traditional drawing tools with the mobility and flexibility of tablet devices. Innovative next generation hardware like these need new yet familiar software.
• Responsive Design with Edge Code (Edge Code): Edge Reflow is the perfect tool for creatives who want to build modern, responsive websites. But what about developers whose workflow is highly code based? Here’s an Edge Reflow-inspired experience available right inside of Edge Code.
• Creative Cloud™ as a Service (Photoshop): As mentioned in the opening keynote, Creative Cloud makes it possible to host that "Adobe magic" as a service to power all sorts of apps and more. This sneak is an example of just that, a Photoshop feature running in the crowd, and made better over time thanks to crowdsourcing.
• Playing with Lighting (After Effects® & Photoshop): Photographers will often tell you that “It’s all about the lighting.” This sneak lets you experiment and play with lighting after the fact. Tweak image lighting based on a selected sample and turn your home movies into blockbuster hits (or at least make them look the part) by adjusting lighting modeled on any movie you choose.
• Code Free Website Special Effects (Muse™): Muse is a proven platform for building powerful and great looking websites without having to write any code, and we’re just getting started. Next up, code-free color transformations, 3D motion, and more!
• Navigating and Debugging Asynchronous JavaScript in Brackets (Edge Code): Developers, never again find yourself asking "What code runs when I click this button," "What code caused this callback to be called," or "Why didn't this code ever run?" This Edge Code plugin reveals all.
• “Painting with Bob”: Create a masterpiece painting without, well, painting! These special brushes allow you to paint by copying a picture using a variety of special strokes and textures.
• Digital Publication Special Effects (DPS): Digital publications shouldn’t merely be copies of their print counterparts. After all, tablets and devices can do so much more. This sneak will wow you with just how easy it can be to add animation, special effects and even accelerometer-based movement to your digital publications.
• Liquid Search: Stop searching using words to describe what you want. Instead, use a silhouette, then draw it, resize it, drag it, reshape it … and Liquid Search will do the rest.
• PSD Lens (Edge Code): Most websites start off as Photoshop comps which designers then turn into Web pages (which is why Photoshop includes features that assist creative professionals in quickly and easily converting their creations for Web use). But what about developers who are more comfortable in code and use a very different workflow? This sneak allows Edge Code users to open PSD files right inside their editor, exposing all that Photoshop goodness in real-time as they type.
• Audio Layers: Separating desired audio from background noise is a painful process. Or rather, it was. Use a visual editor to paint the sounds you want while identifying those you don’t, and this tool will do the rest.
• Perspective Warp (Photoshop): Ever wished you had gotten closer to take a picture? Perhaps you were not right in front of your subject or took the picture from too high or low? This Photoshop sneak lets you adjust the perspective for parts of your shot while still keeping the rest of the image intact.

B&H carries Adobe software products.

From Adobe Systems YouTube channel:

"Our XD team revealed a few projects they're working on at Adobe MAX 2013. The team has been exploring how new form factor displays, new interactions (like touch and gesture), cloud connections and even new hardware might change how you all create and in turn how it might impact what software we need to build. Watch the video to get the full overview."

From Adobe:Milestone Version of The Industry Standard in Digital Imaging Anchors Major Update to Adobe Creative Cloud

LOS, ANGELES — May 6, 2013 — At Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CC as part of a major update to Adobe Creative Cloud™ (see separate press release). Photoshop CC pushes the boundaries of possibility, offering a powerful new creative process, legendary imaging magic, and greater creative freedom with new tools and workflows. Adobe Photoshop CC will be available, exclusively to Creative Cloud members, in June.

Adobe’s desktop apps, including Photoshop, were previously known as Creative Suite® (CS), and will now be branded CC to reflect that they are an integral part of Creative Cloud and have been reinvented to support a more intuitive, connected way of creating. Photoshop CC includes a wide range of innovative enhancements, including new image deblurring and sharpening features to improve design workflows, and new Camera Raw capabilities. This update combines Photoshop standard and Photoshop Extended features to deliver greater accessibility to 3D tools and image analysis, while Creative Cloud integration offers flexible collaboration and sharing capabilities.

“With the ability to quickly deliver new innovations, we’re empowering photographers and creatives to push the boundaries in digital imaging and design,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. “Our customers will no longer have to wait 18 to 24 months to access new Photoshop innovation. When a new Photoshop feature is ready – whether it’s the next Healing Brush or something as mind-blowing as Content Aware Fill – we’ll deliver it via Creative Cloud.”

New Features in Photoshop CC

Photoshop CC brings a wide range of new features and enhancements designed to unleash creativity and boost efficiency whether perfecting photographs, designing for online and offline media, creating 3D artwork or shooting video.

• A fleet of new tools introduce the most advanced deblurring and sharpening technologies to date. The new Camera Shake Reduction tool analyzes and corrects for blur from camera movement to produce a better image. The all-new Smart Sharpen tool uses adaptive sharpening algorithms to minimize noise and halo effects while producing high-quality results. With intelligent upsampling users can increase the size of an image – large enough for a billboard – without pixelating the image.
• Adobe Camera Raw 8 brings three new photo-editing capabilities to Photoshop CC. The Advanced Healing brush allows photographers to “heal” or “patch” images with a brush stroke instead of a circular area. The new Radial Gradient offers powerful controls to draw attention to the focus of an image without applying a standard vignette, and the Upright tool automatically straightens horizons and applies perspective corrections without distorting the image. Camera Raw edits can also be made to any layer or file within Photoshop CC.
• For designers, improvements to rounded rectangles add the ability to adjust corner radii at any time. Users can also now select multiple paths, shapes and vectors at once, providing a faster, easier workflow for working with multiple objects.
• In previous releases, Adobe Photoshop Extended was released as a separate application comprising all Photoshop features as well as 3D and image analysis capabilities. Beginning with Photoshop CC, all Photoshop Extended features will be integrated within one application, providing all users with advanced capabilities for 3D image editing and image analysis.
• Photoshop CC is the first Adobe desktop app to include the ability to post files directly to Behance from within the application, showcasing work immediately and integrating peer feedback into the creative process. Behance is the world’s leading online creative community, with over 1.4 million members.
• Photoshop CC includes all the Photoshop feature innovation delivered exclusively to Creative Cloud members over the last year, including: Smart Object support for Blur Gallery and Liquify effects, Conditional Actions, and CSS support for faster web design.
• Adobe is also previewing a new workflow from Photoshop CC to Edge Reflow CC that will enable creatives to build web designs in Photoshop that can easily be turned into responsive websites, viewable across devices. Adobe expects to update Photoshop CC with this new capability this summer, underscoring the constant steam of innovation delivered to Creative Cloud members.

"I capture thousands of images for my 'Day to Night' projects and am always looking to improve my creative process," said Stephen Wilkes, an award-winning photographer, whose work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Sports Illustrated, Time, Life Magazine, and The New York Times Magazine. "With Photoshop as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, I don't have to wait every year for a new set of tools and features, like Smart Sharpen and the new upsampling capabilities, to help achieve my vision. I'm also excited about the integration with Behance. As a photographer, the ability to connect to a global community of artists, art directors, and designers is very inspiring."

To find out more about Photoshop CC, users can connect with the Photoshop team on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Photoshop; YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/photoshop; Photoshop.com blog: http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom/; or via Twitter: http://twitter.com/photoshop.

Membership Plans and Availability

By signing up for Creative Cloud today, creatives will be set up to immediately download and use these latest cloud-enabled innovations from Adobe, when they are available next month. Creative Cloud membership for individuals is US$49.99 per month based on annual membership; existing customers who own CS3 to CS5.5 get their first year of Creative Cloud at the discounted rate of US $29.99 per month. Students and teachers can get Creative Cloud for $29.99 per month.

Single application membership plans for customers, who require only Photoshop CC, are available for $19.99 per month. Special promotional pricing is available for some customers, including CS6 users.

A team version of Creative Cloud includes everything individual members receive plus 100GB of storage and centralized deployment and administration capabilities. Creative Cloud for teams is priced at US $69.99 per month per seat. Existing customers, who own a volume license of CS3 or later, get their first year of Creative Cloud for teams at the discounted rate of US $39.99 per month per seat if they sign up before the end of August 2013.

For more details, visit: https://creative.adobe.com/plans.

From Adobe:

Includes Next Generation of “CC” Desktop Applications and Delivers Fully Integrated Cross-Device Collaboration, Community and Publishing Capabilities

LOS, ANGELES — May 6, 2013 — At Adobe MAX, The Creativity Conference, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced a significant update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™, the company’s flagship offering for creatives. Available in June and packed with new features, Creative Cloud reimagines the creative process through a stunning set of “CC” desktop applications and sophisticated cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored, synced and shared, via Creative Cloud, on Mac OS, Windows, iOS and Android; and Behance, the world’s leading online creative community, is now integrated with Creative Cloud, so customers can showcase work, get feedback on projects and gain global exposure. With Creative Cloud publishing finished work has never been easier, with enhanced services that build and power websites, mobile apps, tablet publications, online portfolios, and content for virtually any medium and device.

By signing up for Creative Cloud today, creatives will be set up to download and use these latest cloud-enabled innovations from Adobe, when they are available next month.

“Creative Cloud brings together everything you need to create your best work. We’re delivering incredible new versions of our desktop tools, services that take publishing content to the next level and we’re making it easier than ever for creatives to collaborate and share their work worldwide,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Media, Adobe. “Creative Cloud is a destination that champions inspiring work and builds lasting connections within a vibrant global creative community.”

Adobe Creative Cloud Powers Frictionless Creative Workflows

This milestone update to Creative Cloud simplifies the entire creative process. Core features include:

• Desktop, Web and Mobile Access. Creative Cloud allows users to stay connected with workgroups and the creativecommunity via their desktop, website, or mobile device. With Creative Cloud, your entire creative world gets its own centralized hub whereideas, files, fonts, settings, notifications, and team members are connected and organized. Join group folders to work collaboratively; track updates and comments to shared files; stay connected to work on Behance; get notified when app updates are available and download the latest updates; and access favorite colors, fonts and settings, wherever you are.
• Integration With The World’s Leading Creative Community. With Behance now integrated with Creative Cloud, members will be able to publish their own portfolios, follow other creatives, publish work-in-progress from within a growing number of CC apps and solicit feedback from the worldwide creative community. Over 1.4 million creatives globally are part of the Behance network.
• Synchronize, Store, Share and Collaborate. All files and assets will be automatically synchronized between the desktop, cloud and mobile devices. A designer can take a photo on their iPad, use Photoshop® Touch to refine the photo while on the go, then access that file, via the cloud, and use Photoshop CC on their Mac or Windows PC to further enhance the image. Designers can designate shared folders and invite others to collaborate on files. Edits are stored with version history so users can share their files with confidence. Individual members receive 20GB of storage.
• Seamless Publishing. Creative Cloud members have access to the services necessary to publish highly personalized portfolio websites using Behance ProSite, high-impact digital magazines for iPad using Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) Single Edition, and PhoneGap™ Build to create and publish mobile apps for any device. Adobe Typekit features an unmatched library of old-classic to new-favorite fonts for use on websites – and, with this update, creatives can use many of these same fonts directly in their desktop applications.

New Family of CC Desktop Applications Available Exclusively to Creative Cloud MembersThis update to Creative Cloud includes the next generation of Adobe desktop applications -- including Adobe Photoshop CC, InDesign® CC, Illustrator® CC, Dreamweaver® CC and Premiere® Pro CC. Adobe’s desktop tools, previously known as Creative Suite® (CS), are now branded CC to reflect that they are an integral part of Creative Cloud and have been reinvented to support a more intuitive, connected way of creating. Adobe Creative Cloud includes more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography.

Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools. Innovations include:

• Photoshop CC will ship with new sharpening technologies and designer workflow enhancements. Camera Shake Reduction deblurs images that would have otherwise been lost due tocamera movement. All-newSmart Sharpen makes texture and detail pop, and Adobe Camera Raw 8 adds even more powerful photographic controls to straighten and perfect images. Photoshop CC is the first Adobe desktop application to include the ability to post files directly to Behance fromwithin the application, showcasing work immediately and integrating peer feedback into the creative process.
• For designers, the Touch Type tool in Illustrator CC offers a new level of creativity with type. Move, scale, and rotate text characters knowing that it remains editable. This feature works with a mouse, stylus or multi-touch device. Illustrator also enables painting with a brush made from a photo. Art, Pattern, and Scatter brushes can contain raster images, so designers can create complex organic designs quickly, with simple brush strokes. A new, modern architecture for InDesign CC turbocharges performance, and in-browser editing in Adobe Muse™ CC -- a tool for designers to create and publish HTML websites without writing code -- allows clients to make edits to a published website, which can then be reviewed, approved, and updated by the designer.
• For video customers Adobe Premiere Pro CCincludes dramatic new editing features, customizations and improvements to help editors work efficiently. Premiere Pro CC integrates powerful color workflows, with the addition of the Lumetri™ Deep Color Engine to easily apply rich color grading looks. A high-impact version of Adobe After Effects® CC brings motion graphics and visual effects artists more creative possibilities and allows them to work more easily in 3D with the new Live 3D Pipeline with Maxon Cinema4D integration. There are also all-new versions of Adobe SpeedGrade CC, Audition® CC, Prelude™ CC and Adobe Story CC Plus.
• Web designers and developers can look forward to significant advances in Adobe’s family of Edge tools and services. The latest Edge Animate CC lets web designers create animated and interactive content with amazing ease and precision, using native HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Adobe is also previewing a new workflow from Photoshop CC to Edge Reflow CC that will enable creatives to build web designs in Photoshop that can easily be turned into responsive web sites. Dreamweaver users can look forward to the most up-to-date CSS and properties via the intuitive visual editing tool, CSS Designer. And Adobe Flash® Pro CC features a modern, modular 64-bit architecture rebuilt from the ground up to be fast and reliable.

Membership Plans and Availability

This major update to Creative Cloud is available in June. By signing up for Creative Cloud today, creatives will be set up to download and use these latest cloud-enabled innovations from Adobe, when they are available next month. Creative Cloud membership for individuals is US$49.99 per month based on annual membership; existing customers who own CS3 to CS5.5 get their first year of Creative Cloud at the discounted rate of US $29.99 per month. Students and teachers can get Creative Cloud for $29.99 per month. Promotional pricing is available for some customers, including CS6 users.

A team version of Creative Cloud includes everything individual members receive plus 100GB of storage and centralized deployment and administration capabilities. Creative Cloud for teams is priced at US $69.99 per month per seat. Existing customers, who own a volume license of CS3 or later, get their first year of Creative Cloud for teams at the discounted rate of US $39.99 per month per seat if they sign up before the end of August 2013.

Adobe also announced Creative Cloud for enterprise today and special licensing programs for educational institutions and government. For more details, visit: https://creative.adobe.com/plans.

Adobe just posted a sneak peek at their latest development in image processing - a camera shake reduction tool. While the new technology looks promising, I believe proper stabilization (tripod, monopod, appropriate hand-holding technique, and/or built-in IS) will prove the surest way to create sharp, high quality images. ;-) [Sean]

Use coupon code S5698745 ($150.00 off) during checkout at Adorama to get Adobe Photoshop CS6 for $449.95 with free shipping.

From Adobe:

New tools to enhance and share your digital photograph library

Welcome to the Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 5 public beta. We're excited about the new features and advancements in the new Lightroom 5 beta and we hope you will be, too. This page includes information about Lightroom, details about the beta release of Lightroom 5, and access to Lightroom 5 beta software.

Lightroom Overview

Lightroom software provides a comprehensive set of digital photography tools, from powerfully simple one-click adjustments and features to cutting edge advanced controls. With Lightroom, you can organize, enhance, and showcase your images all from one fast and nimble application that's available on Macintosh and Windows® platforms.

• Get the highest possible quality from every pixel in your images using state-of-the-art editing tools.
• Easily showcase your work to friends, family, and clients. Craft elegant photo books and share your photographs on social networks or in web galleries, slideshows, prints, and more.
• Manage your entire photo collection in a visual library that makes it quick and easy to organize, find, and select your images.

Introducing Lightroom 5 Beta

Lightroom 5 beta builds on the vision of the very first Lightroom beta. From day 1, Lightroom was designed for photographers and by photographers to help them focus on what they love—the art and craft of photography. Lightroom provides photographers with an elegant and efficient way to work with their growing digital image collections, bring out the best in their images, and make an impact from raw capture to creative output, all while maintaining the highest possible quality each step of the way.

New Features in Lightroom 5 Beta

• Advanced Healing Brush – Easily remove objects and fix defects—even those with irregular shapes such as threads or lint—with a single brush stroke. Take precise control over what's being removed as you make unwanted objects just disappear.
• Upright – Straighten tilted images with a single click. Upright analyzes images and detects skewed horizontal or vertical lines. You choose one of four correction methods, and Upright can even straighten images where the horizon is hidden.
• Radial Gradient – Lead your viewer's eye through your images with more flexibility and control. The radial gradient tool lets you create off-center vignette effects, or multiple vignette areas within a single image.
• Offline editing with Smart Previews – Easily work with images without bringing your entire library with you. Just generate smaller stand-in files called Smart Previews. Make adjustments or metadata additions to Smart Previews and your changes will be automatically applied to the full-size originals later.
• Video slideshow sharing – Easily share your work in elegant video slideshows. Combine still images, video clips, and music in creative HD videos that can be viewed on almost any computer or device.
• Improved photo book creation – Create beautiful photo books from your images. Lightroom includes a variety of easy-to-use book templates, and now you can edit them to create a customized look. Upload your book for printing with just a few clicks.

The Lightroom 5 beta program is available to the public. Anyone with an Internet connection can download it and start putting it to the test. You do not need to own (or have tried) a previous version of Lightroom. You can download the beta and use it until the product expires on June 30, 2012.

Download the Lightroom 5 Public Beta.

Adobe's Lightroom YouTube channel has several informative videos on Lightroom 5 Beta.