Adobe Brings Lightroom into Photoshop Family with Introduction of Beta 4
New Round of Enhancements in Latest Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Beta Unites Feature Set for Macintosh and Windows Versions
Sydney, Australia — Sept. 26, 2006 — Adobe Systems 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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© 2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Lightroom and Photoshop are either
registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Windows
is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
Macintosh is either a registered trademark or trademark of Apple Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
ENDS