Exciting news for photography buffs: Lightroom 3 has been released and if you’ve been using the Lr3 beta you know that there have been many improvements made in speed and feature-wise.
We did a review on Lightroom 2 and will try to focus on the new aspects of this major release when we get our hands on the final version.
Stay focused!
For more details, see the Press Release below:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Now Available
Major Release Advances Image Quality, Performance and Workflow Flexibility for Photographers
SAN JOSE, Calif., – June 8, 2010 – Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) Lightroom(r) 3 software for Windows(r) and Macintosh, the essential digital photography workflow solution that allows photographers to quickly organize, enhance and showcase their images from one application. First released as a public beta in October 2009, the final version of Lightroom 3 introduces a completely redesigned performance architecture that better handles growing image libraries and provides an unrivaled raw processing engine with noise reduction and sharpening tools to achieve the highest image quality. The 64-bit capable Lightroom 3 includes new features that optimize workflows and allow images to be shared in creative ways, including support for DSLR video files and tethered shooting on select cameras.
"There have been over 600,000 downloads of the Lightroom 3 public beta, which has supplied us with a huge amount of valuable feedback from a passionate community of professional and advanced amateur photographers," said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for Digital Imaging at Adobe. "The open dialog we have with our customers allows us to further improve Lightroom and provide the best tools they need to produce high-quality images. We’re happy to see that so many people are anxiously anticipating the final release, so they can start taking advantage of all the new features they had a hand in developing."
Public Beta Process Perfects Lightroom 3 New Features
Re-built from its core to be lightening fast and responsive, Lightroom 3 adds power throughout the application to provide a fluid experience for photographers. Images load almost instantaneously, and the import experience has been redesigned to be more intuitive, with added previews and default selections that give users quick access to sort through and find images. Helping streamline and adapt to photographers’ changing workflows, Lightroom 3 now allows users to import and manage DSLR video files, as well as take advantage of tethered shooting for select Nikon and Canon cameras.
New state-of-the-art photographic tools help photographers bring out the best in their images. Unrivaled Luminance and Color Noise Reduction tools help produce a clearer picture from high ISO or underexposed images while still preserving details. The highly-requested Automatic Lens Correction feature can dramatically improve the results possible with any lens by allowing users to apply profiles that correct for undesirable geometric distortions, chromatic aberrations, and lens vignette effects that most lenses introduce to the image. Users now also have a straighten tool to perfect vertical and horizontal perspective, additional presets for applying more photographic adjustment styles, and three new contemporary vignette styles and a Grain effect to add a more natural look with images.
Lightroom 3 Expands Image Showcasing
Output options have also been enhanced in this release, with new capabilities to publish collections on online sharing sites. Flickr(r) users have the ability to synch their accounts to Lightroom with one click, and integration with additional online photo sharing sites can be added via third-party plug-ins. Customizable print layouts provide more refined control over how photographers present final images, and new watermarking features with options to modify text, size, location and style, help give professionals and amateurs flexibility for branding images. Lightroom 3 now also includes the ability to export polished slideshows as video files with the option to add audio and title screens.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for Windows and Macintosh is available now at www.adobe.com/store, for pre-order via Amazon.com and NewEgg.com and will be available soon at retail and online outlets such as Frys, BestBuy.com, Costco.com, Walmart.com, Staples.com, OfficeMax.com, OfficeDepot.com and select camera stores. The estimated street price is USD $299 for new users with an upgrade price of USD$99 for qualified registered Lightroom users. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OS X v 10.5, 10.6 with Intel(r) based processor, or Microsoft(r) Windows(r) 7, Windows Vista(r) Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise or Windows XP with Service Pack 3, Intel(r) Pentium(r) 4 processor, 2 GB RAM and a 1,024×768 resolution screen.
Additional information on product features, upgrade policies, pricing, and language versions is available on www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom. Join the Lightroom community on Facebook (www.facebook.com/lightroom) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/lightroom).
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.
********************
Adobe Expands Photoshop.com with New Content and Resources
Adobe has expanded the scope of its current Photoshop.com website, creating a destination for its passionate customers to find the latest resources and information about the Photoshop family of products. With millions of registered users and monthly visitors, Photoshop.com has become a popular Web-based tool for organizing, editing, sharing and storing photos. In addition to hosting its free online editor, Photoshop.com will now offer access to inspiration, tutorials, product information, trials and purchase details, news and more.
The Photoshop.com expansion was completely inspired by feedback from customers who requested Adobe provide a single location they could easily access to fuel their interest in digital imaging. In its initial phase, Photoshop.com will include content such as – the most popular video tutorials to help customers make the most of their tools, spotlights showcasing "real-world" workflows of amateur and professional photographers and the ability to share their favorite content via Facebook or Twitter right from the site.
Photoshop.com also points users to Photoshop family trials and purchase details and will link to relevant information on Adobe.com, with product features and information on Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, Photoshop Lightroom, Photoshop Elements and Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone and Android devices. Adobe will continue to refresh content and evolve the site in response to customer needs and interests.
Availability
The Photoshop.com website is available in English-only and can be viewed from most Web browsers at www.photoshop.com. Current Photoshop.com and Photoshop.com Mobile users will retain access to their personal photos and all of the same capabilities (available in English and Japanese) using their existing Adobe IDs. Content and services delivered solely to the Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements Plus members will remain in place, and are unaffected by this update.
Additional information is available at the following resources:
* Photoshop.com blog at http://blogs.adobe.com/photoshopdotcom
* Photoshop.com Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/photoshopdotcom
* Photoshop.com Twitter account at http://www.twitter.com/photoshopdotcom
Chris Lane | A&R Edelman | 650.762.2985 | Chris.Lane@ar-edelman.com
