BIOS: Technology Means Business

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) 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, 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.

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.

Adobe hosts an online community site for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta which features artists in the Lightroom Showcase 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.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom beta is available for free download from the Adobe Labs Web site. 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.

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