This latest update to the Adobe Lightroom Cloud-centric suite of applications was released to customers in early November 2019. However, even with this update customers hoping/expecting for lots of new features will be disappointed.
Export photos
Until this release options for exporting photos from Lightroom desktop have been fairly limited (I’m being generous). In short, we had the ability to export JPGs and an unedited version of the original raw files.
You can now export edited photos as JPEG, TIF, or as the original photo with applied settings. Lightroom for mobile (Android only at time of writing) also lets you to export photos as DNG files. Additionally, you can access export setting options such as JPG Quality, Output Sharpening, Colour Space, and File Naming.
To export photos you first need to select the photos you want to export then click on the Share icon. This gives you quick access the Export screen, but not all of the export options. For the full list of share options you need to click on Export or tap the Shift+E keys.
Export Photo(s)
Lightroom Desktop 3.0 – Export with Preview
Export Options
Guided tutorials
Guided tutorials have been in the mobile device version of Lightroom for a while now, but now they make a showing in the desktop version. For Adobe this feature is big (i.e. important) and they’ve gone all out to make it as visible as possible. Sadly, for me anyway, its very presence is a major irritant. Don’t get me wrong, tutorials and easy access to them is important, but they shouldn’t be shoved in the face of those who don’t want/need them. At the very least, customers should have the option to hide the tutorials via preference, but we can’t.
So enough of my griping and on with a summary of the feature.
Lightroom 3.0 – Guided Tutorials
Click the ‘Home’ button in the left panel to access the Home view. Here, you will find ‘Get Started tutorials’ to learn the basics of using Lightroom. The tutorials will take you step-by-step through the process of photo editing techniques. The Home view also offers Interactive Edits where you can discover how professional photographers edit their photos and save the edits shown as a preset.
Fill Edges
As with Lightroom Classic 9.0, the new Fill Edges feature uses Content-Aware technology to automatically fill the blank edges of your panoramic photos. The feature is available in both Panorama Merge Preview/HDR Panorama Merge Preview dialog.
Lightroom 3.0 – Fill Edges
More details on Panorama Merge in general can be found in this link to an Adobe online tutorial – Create Panoramas
Merge Photoshop Elements catalog to Lightroom
In Lightroom desktop, choose File > Migrate From > Photoshop Elements Catalog to easily migrate your catalog from Photoshop Elements 2019 or later.
To learn more, see Migrate photos from Photoshop Elements to Lightroom.
Lightroom 3.0 – Merge Photoshop Elements Catalog
Other enhancements
- Sort your album photos in the grid view. Drag the photo thumbnails and drop them in the desired position in the album. This change syncs to Lightroom for mobile (iOS and Android) and Lightroom on the web.
- Click the search bar to view an array of options based on which you can search photos. These options include ratings, flags, camera settings, metadata such as location or keyword, and file. Click an option to include it in your search and see a list of possible values for the chosen facet.
- Lightroom offers options to share selected photos or albums to White House Custom Color and Blurb and Adobe Portfolio.
- With GPU acceleration enabled, you can preview the post-crop vignette effect in real time while cropping a photo. To view the latest system requirements for GPU features, see System requirements for GPU features.
- You can now select photos in the grid view and press the Delete key to delete the selected photos.
- When you rate or flag photos, press Shift + the respective keyboard shortcut to flag or rate the photo and automatically advance to the next photo.
Support for New Cameras & Lenses
For a full list of supported cameras and lens profiles for Lightroom desktop and Lightroom for mobile (iOS and Android), see these resources:
Lightroom 9.0 was released in early November and while it doesn’t include many major new features, the few that are present have been on customers ‘ask list’ for a lengthy period. Also, and unlike version 8.0 this new version will upgrade your catalog.
