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Adobe issues Lightroom 3.3, patches Photoshop

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.3 that supports 15 new cameras; adds profiles to automatically correct optical problems with dozens of lenses from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sigma; and corrects a long list of bugs.

Lightroom, like its top rival Apple Aperture, is geared for editing and cataloging photos, especially those in the higher-quality but ungainly raw image formats recorded directly from camera image sensors. Raw formats therefore must be created for each camera, and though only higher-end models can shoot raw, there still are a lot of new models to keep up with.

New to Lightroom 3.3--and to … Read more

Apple issues security, raw, and MainStage updates

Along with yesterday's release of OS X 10.6.5, Apple issued a few other updates for currently supported software. These include a security update for OS X 10.5 "Leopard," an update to the MainStage music production application, and a digital raw compatibility update.

Security Update 2010-007 "Leopard Client" (240.74MB)

This update is a patch for OS X 10.5, which incorporates the same security updates that were addressed in the OS X 10.6.5 update. Apple's description of the update is the standard one that it "improves security," … Read more

Mac OS X update perks up photo performance

Apple's release of Mac OS X 10.6.5 yesterday carried some improvements for photographers: better performance, and support for raw photo formats from a handful of newer cameras.

The release notes mention simply that the update "addresses performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture." In my tests on a dual-core MacBook Pro, however, I found one particular bottleneck is significantly relieved: rendering the raw photos so they can be viewed at 100 percent--when one photo pixel takes up one screen pixel.

That's significant, given how frequently a photographer must wait for a computer … Read more

Adobe Lightroom update brings direct Facebook publishing; Camera Raw 6.2 released

For photographers who use Adobe's Lightroom program, there's an update available that fixes a number of issues with the previous version; it also adds new online publishing features. There is also an update for Adobe's Camera Raw plug-in, which brings new Camera Raw profile support to various Adobe programs that use the plug-in.

Before installing any of these updates be sure you create a full restorable system backup using Time Machine or a drive clone.

Lightroom 3.2

Additional camera support for several new camera models including the Panasonic DMC-LX5, Sony NEX-5, and Canon EOS 60D Numerous … Read more

Apple supports new high-end compact cameras

Apple recently issued software that lets iPhoto and Aperture handle raw photos from a range of new compact, higher-end cameras from several manufacturers.

Camera makers are racing to compete in a new market pioneered by Micro Four Thirds models from Olympus and Panasonic that feature small camera bodies but also interchangeable lenses. The Apple update adds support for Olympus' newer E-PL1 model and Panasonic's Lumix DMC-G10 and G2 models in this range.

Others are getting into the market too, and Apple supports them as well: Samsung's NX10 and Sony's NEX-5 and NEX-3. Each of these ranges has its own incompatible lens mount compared with the Micro Four Thirds models.

Also supported in the update is Sony's recently released lower-end Alpha A390 SLR, a more traditional design. … Read more

Lightroom 3.2 to fix bugs, add Facebook support

Adobe Systems issued a release candidate for Lightroom 3.2 on Tuesday that fixes dozens of bugs, lets users publish photos to Facebook, adds automated optical corrections for dozens of lenses, and supports Pentax's new medium-format digital camera among other models.

Accompanying the software is a corresponding release candidate for Camera Raw 6.2, the Photoshop module that uses the same engine as Lightroom for converting raw files into more broadly supported, compact formats such as JPEG. Adobe skipped the Lightroom 3.1 number to synchronize the two related packages' release numbers.

If you want to fetch the software, … Read more

Apple releases raw image profile update

Apple released an update to its raw image compatibility profiles, adding support for the raw format from a number of new camera models. The update lets you manage raw images shot by newer cameras in Aperture 3 and iPhoto '09. The update is available for Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6.

The specific cameras that Apple added to the compatibility list are:

Canon PowerShot SX1 IS Olympus E-PL1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Samsung NX10 Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 Sony Alpha NEX-3 Sony Alpha NEX-5

In addition to this update, which is available for download at on Apple Support Web page, … Read more

Apple expands raw, tethered camera support

Apple's Mac OS X 10.6.4 update Tuesday contained several additions of note to serious photographers: support for several cameras' raw image formats and for tethered shooting with Canon cameras in the company's Aperture software.

Apple, like photography software rival Adobe Systems, is on a constant treadmill supporting new cameras' raw formats. The proprietary file formats offer higher quality and greater flexibility, but each camera has its own format for software companies to decode.

By my scrutiny of previous Apple announcements and the updated Apple raw image support page, here are the new cameras supported beyond earlier … Read more

Raw power on display in Lightroom 3

The bottom line: Critical enhancements in areas like noise reduction, video handling, and printing make Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 a recommended upgrade for most current users.

For the uninitiated, Lightroom is Photoshop's specialized sibling; where Photoshop is an imaging Swiss Army Knife, Lightroom is a steak knife for photographers. Like its most well-known competitor, Apple Aperture, you use it to organize, process, nondestructively retouch, and output volumes of raw files. Now with version 3, Adobe enhances the product in some critical ways that make it a significant upgrade over version 2.x. There's pretty much something for everyone … Read more