The latest updates to Camera Raw (18.2), Lightroom Classic (15.2) and Lightroom Desktop (9.2) have been released to customers via the Creative Cloud App. These updates include new camera and lens support along with Generative AI features in Lightroom Classic and Desktop. There are also bug fixes for all.
Edit in Firefly [Lightroom Classic and Desktop]
Starting with this update to Lightroom Classic and Desktop, you can now send images directly to Adobe Firefly to explore new creative possibilities. Two edit options are available:
- Edit images using Firefly’s capabilities
- Generate videos from a single image
To access ‘Edit in Firefly’:
Lightroom Classic
Select an image, then choose ‘Generate using Firefly’. Alternatively, Right-click the image, then choose ‘Generate using Firefly’ in the context menu.
Lightroom Desktop
Select image, click the ‘Share’ button at top right corner of application window, then choose Firefly.
When you send an image to Firefly it opens your web browser rather than Lightroom Classic or Desktop application. Both of the above Firefly options also require that you provide a description (Prompt) of what you want to create or edit.
I can’t comment on the accuracy or quality of the results from either of the options or models as I’ve never used Prompt based Generative AI in any application or from any vendor. However, it is important to note that the Firefly resolution of the generated image and/or video is, at time of writing, limited to 2K.
Also, note that this feature uses AI credits. Of course, your subscription already includes a small monthly credit allowance. So, this may not be a problem if you only use the feature occasionally. However, as the screenshots included above indicate, 10 credits is used for a single image and 80 credits for a video based on a single image. The screenshot shown below shows the monthly cost for additional credits.
WebP Support [Camera Raw, Lightroom Classic and Desktop]
You can open or import and edit WebP images. You can also export WebP images to other file formats, but not as WebP. I can already hear the screams of displeasure.
Filtering WebP images is possible using metadata filters and smart collections in Lightroom Classic.
Note: WebP files cannot be synced from Lightroom Classic.
New Assisted Culling Models [Lightroom Classic and Desktop]
Assisted Culling has new ‘Subject Selection’ and ‘Eye Focus’ models, which should improve results in photos of groups of people. The model inclusion will cause images to recalculate scores.
Note that the Assisted Culling remains only suitable for photos of people.
Generative Upscale [Lightroom Desktop]
Lightroom Desktop now includes the ability to generatively upscale your images to either 2X or 4X the original size.
The actual model used is Topaz Gigapixal. However, unlike the version of Gigapixel that you can purchase, the version provided in Lightroom does not include the ability to adjust parameters such as the degree of noise reduction or sharpening applied. As such the quality of the results are, in my opinion, not particularly good. If the results are not to your liking, then tough, the credits have been used and there’s no refund.
At a personal level, I would have much preferred that Adobe updated their existing upscaling feature (i.e. Super Resolution) to include their AI based noise reduction). In my tests, Super Resolution along with manual noise reduction in Lightroom Desktop produces superior results at 2X than the Topaz model.
New Camera Support [All Clients]
- Details of new camera support added since the last release can be found here
New Lens Correction Support [All Clients]
- Details of new lens support added since the last release can be found here