Adobe has released Lightroom 6 as a standalone software application and as part of an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
The latest versions of Lightroom feature require 64-bit operating systems, specifically Windows 7 or later, and Mac OS X 10.8 or later. They also need at least 2GB of RAM to operate because they utilise the computer’s graphics processor unit for some operations. The consequence of these changes is improved responsiveness, particularly on high-specced computers. The greatest improvements will be in the rendering speeds of the Exposure and Distort tools, with noticeable improvements also promised in importing and batch processing times. (Rendering raw files is slightly faster but the improvements in processing times are less.)
New features added to the latest versions include the ability to import HDR and panorama images directly via a Photo Merge option, which is similar to the facility in Photoshop. Other additions include facial recognition with automatic tagging, finer control over graduated filters and the ability to compile slideshows as video movies with control over transitions timing (to match background music) and pan-and-zoom effects.
The Lightroom 6 CC version adds web galleries plus several new brush controls. The new Lightroom Mobile add-on provides ‘seamless’ synching of edits made on mobile devices with Lightroom on a desktop plus the ability to view images by date and apply star ratings. There has also been an improvement to the crop tool and copying and pasting adjustments to multiple images.
Full details and trial downloads can be found at http://www.adobe.com/au/products/photoshop-lightroom.html.
