The latest updates to Camera Raw (15.1), Lightroom Classic (12.1) and Lightroom Desktop (6.1) have been released to customers. These updates include new camera and lens support along with bug fixes. There are also new features in Lightroom Classic and Desktop.
Masking Enhancements [Lightroom Classic]
The Masks Adjustment Panel has been divided into sub-sections of Tone, Color, Presence and Details. Each of the sub-sections can be expanded or collapsed individually using an exposure triangle. Additionally, holding down the eye icon will temporarily hide settings for the Local Adjustment Section. It also disable the sliders for that section to provide better visual indication to the user.
Enhanced Mask Adjustments
A Solo Mode and Expand/Collapse All to Local Adjustment sub-panels has also be added to the Masks Adjustments Panel.
Local Adjustment sub-panels controls
A new preference to enable/disable Auto Hiding of Masking Window. This preference can be toggled through the tri-dot menu at the bottom of Masking Panel. This is a welcome enhancement as it will give users the ability to disable the annoying behaviour whereby the Masking Panel would appear/disappear when any of the adjustment sliders is moved.
Toggle Auto Hide Masking Panel
Two new commands ‘Delete Empty <Mask Name>’ and ‘Delete All Empty Masks’ have been added to assist with cleaning up Masks which contain components for which no results were found. (e.g.: Sky Mask on an image with No sky which got created either through Presets or any Batch operation.
Another welcome addition is the new item ‘Update AI Masks’ command, which gets enabled when AI masks needs updating because either it is missing, or a new Spot has been added or Image has been rotated. It can be used to update all the AI Masks.
‘Update AI Masks’ & ‘Delete Empty Masks’
‘Done’ Buttons [Lightroom Classic]
When Lightroom Classic 12 was first launched many users were upset with the removal of the ‘Done’ button for the ‘Crop’ tool from toolbar below image content area. They even created a thread on the Lightroom Classic Community Forum requesting that it be returned. Was any heed paid to this popular request? Nope! Instead, the ‘Done’ button has been removed from remaining tools in Develop module, namely ‘White Balance’, ‘Target Adjustment’, ‘Guided Transform’ and ‘Defringe’. FWIW, I suspect any that still remain will also eventually disappear.
GPU Support for Secondary Image Editing Pipeline [Lightroom Classic]
Great title and looks like a really super feature. So, what is it?
It’s about extending th ‘ GPU’ supporting ‘Image Processing’. to apply ‘Dehaze’ and ‘Clarity’ adjustments while generating previews, thus the Library previews should now be reflecting any Dehaze or Clarity edits that have been applied to the images(s)
How do I use it?
It depends on the ‘GPU for image processing’ preference; and (ii) it can be toggled specifically, using the checkbox that only becomes visible when the user presses on the Alt/Option key in the Performance tab of Lightroom Classic Preferences. However, if the GPU preference must indicate: ‘Limited graphics acceleration is enabled’ or ‘Your system automatically supports full acceleration’ before the extended GPU support can function.
Photoshop Elements 2023 Support [Lightroom Classic]
Import from Photoshop Elements 2023 catalog into Lightroom Classic is now supported
Tethered Capture for Canon [Lightroom Classic]
Native support for Tethered Capture with Canon cameras on Macs with Apple Silicon no longer requires a restart in Rosetta emulation mode.
Color Calibration Panel [Lightroom Desktop]
The Color Calibration panel available in both Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic is now also available in Lightroom Desktop. However, as is often the case with Desktop, the panel has a new home (i.e. the ‘Color’ panel).
Color – Calibration Panel
Export Presets Groups [Lightroom Desktop]
The use of presets is a very common workflow in Lightroom Desktop and many users even create their own. Until now exporting these as a group has not be possible.
Other new features in Lightroom Desktop are:
- Search in People View
- Use names from People View for labels in People Masks
- Compare View Drag and Drop from Filmstrip to Canvas
- “Fit’ View now available in Zoom dropdown
- Clicking on the likes count of an edit or remix posted by you will show the users who liked the edit/remix
- When importing via drag/drop into an album, if the image is a duplicate of one already imported, Lightroom will add the one already in your catalog to the album (and still not import the duplicate).
- New menu options for cleaning up the mask list (updating/recomputing masks and deleting empty masks)
- Click sync status in the info panel to prompt LR to retry syncing. Useful for images that are stuck
Premium Presets [Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic and Desktop]
Adobe has added a new batch of Premium Presets called ‘Seasons’. There are a total of 45 presets spread across the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Like all presets they are an acquired taste.
New Camera Support
Details of new camera support added since the last release can be found here
New Lens Correction Support
Details of new lens support added since the last release can be found here
Disclosure: As an Adobe Community Expert I receive a free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.
I’ve uploaded a gallery of images from a photo tour to the US in September and October 2022. The trip had originally been planned for 2020, but due to the COVID-19 Pandemic travel was too risky. So, 2022 it was, and six of us headed to the US in the hope of capturing the fall colours in the national and state parks bordering the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
