Hardware and Software Reviews

Adobe Camera Raw 15, Lightroom Classic 12 & Desktop 6

Adobe  'Max 2022' saw the announcement of Camera Raw 15, Lightroom Classic 12 and Lightroom Desktop 6. New features in each include: Content Aware Remove, additional masking options and much more.

Adobe Camera Raw 14, Lightroom Classic 11 & Desktop 5

Adobe  'Max 2021' saw the announcement of Camera Raw 14, Lightroom Classic 11 and Lightroom Desktop 5. We've come to expect that each new version includes new features and this time round is no exception.

Adobe Camera Raw 13, Lightroom Classic 10 & Desktop 4

Adobe used the 2020 Max event on 20-22 October to announce new versions of Camera Raw 13.0, Lightroom Classic 10.0 and Lightroom Desktop 4.0. While they don’t include many major new features, those that are present will likely be welcomed by many customers

Adobe Lightroom Classic 9 (November 2019)

Lightroom Classic 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.

Adobe Lightroom Classic 8 (October 2018)

Twelve months on from the release of Lightroom Classic CC (a.k.a. Lightroom 7.0) Adobe has just launched Lightroom Classic 8.0. It's an unusual release in so far as it’s the first full update that doesn’t include many major new features that the wider user base will find useful.

Adobe Lightroom Classic CC

Some two and half years after Lightroom 6 / 2015 shipped the application has reached another milestone. This time around we get a new name (Lightroom Classic CC), performance improvements and and some new features. Why not Lightroom 7? Hmm, don't ask!

Adobe Lightroom mobile 2.4

I normally don’t get too excited when a new version of Adobe Lightroom mobile comes along, but today is different. Why?

Well, today sees support for two features that I, and no doubt many other customers, have long been waiting for. These are support for Raw files and Local Adjustments. Also, as of this release, the application is now named Lightroom CC iOS / Lightroom CC Android.

Adobe Lightroom CC 2015 (a.k.a Lightroom 6)

It probably hasn't escaped many readers notice that it's just under 18 months since Lightroom 5 shipped.  As such the question on many users minds will be - has the wait for Lightroom 6 been worth it?

Adobe Lightroom mobile

Adobe have today announced a completely new digital photography workflow. This new workflow is made possible by a free iPad application called Lightroom mobile. This new application enables you to carry out a small subset of the tasks normally undertaken in Lightroom desktop, then sync these back to your desktop catalog via the Adobe Cloud.

Adobe Lightroom 5

It doesn't seem like all that long ago that Photoshop Lightroom 5 went into public beta. Yet, here we are just under two months later and the GM version has been released. Has anything new been added or changed in the interim?  This short review summarises the changes since public beta and the headline features in Lightroom 5.

Adobe Lightroom 4

For Lightroom 4 Adobe went right back to 2006. They've reviewed the feature requests, and spoken to customers. So, which features came to the top? Yes, you guessed - Soft Proofing, Books, Geotagging and Video. Obviously, these aren't the only requested features, but the fact that they've all been included should please a lot of photographers.

Alien Skin Exposure 3

A week or so back I received a note from Alien Skin to say that a version of Exposure 3 had been released for Lightroom. Now, I have to say from the outset that I've never been into filter effects when taking photographs and am even less so when editing them in Photoshop or Lightroom. Nevertheless, the information provided on their website looked interesting, so I downloaded a copy and gave it a try.

X-rite Photo ColorChecker Passport

X-rite Photo recently updated their ColorChecker Passport plug-in for compatibility with Adobe Lightroom 3. If you feel that the camera calibration profiles supplied by Adobe with Lightroom and Camera Raw aren't quite measuring up to your requirements then it might be worthwhile in investing in the ColorChecker Passport. Everything you need to create and manage your own camera profiles is supplied with the kit.

Adobe Lightroom 3 - Final

Lightroom 3 has been a long time in oven, but it's finally baked and ready for serving. Has the wait been worth it? Well, if you've already been working with either of the two public betas you'll already be familiar with most of the features added since version 2 shipped in late July 2008. For those who haven't, the following is as good a place as any to start learning.

Adobe Lightroom 3 Public Beta 2

So, here we are in late March 2010 and Adobe has opened the second public beta for Photoshop Lightroom 3. Has it addressed all of the feature requests submitted following the release of beta 1? Probably not, but the first beta was downloaded by over 350,00 photographers. As such, Adobe can expect a fair amount interest in this latest beta.

Adobe Lightroom 3 Public Beta 1

On 9th January 2006 Adobe announced a public beta of a new software application that was eventually to become the mainstay photo management and editing application of many digital photographers. That application was Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Now move forward to 21st October 2009 and Adobe have announced a public beta for Lightroom 3.

Adobe Lightroom 2 - Final

When Adobe released the public beta of Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 back in early April 2008 it was with the express intention of providing the user community with an opportunity to try out many of the new features. Obviously, there was an expectation that the users would provide feedback on the new features and other aspects of the Lightroom workflow. So, here we are some 4 months later and the final release version is available, the question on everyone lips is - has the public beta delivered on it's objectives?

Adobe Lightroom 2 Public Beta

Wednesday April 2nd 2008 and Adobe slipped a Public Beta of  Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 onto their servers. During the days leading up to release there had been a few hints that something 'new' and 'improved' was coming, but no substantive information on what or when.

Adobe Lightroom 1.3 Update

So, here we are at Lightroom version 1.3 and the question most users will be asking is - what's new? On the surface very little, but just like an iceberg there's lots beneath the surface.

Adobe Lightroom 1.1 Update

Lightroom 1.1 includes many new features and enhancements, in fact way too many for me to cover here, although I'm sure there will be plenty of coverage on other web sites.

Following publication of above review I published a short essay on the GPS and Voice Annotations features built into Lightroom. More details f same can be seen here.

Adobe Lightroom Public Beta 4

The last big date for Adobe Lightroom was back in July when Beta 3 finally made its way into the hands of  Windows users. There wasn't a lot of fanfare at the time, however, things promise to be different for Beta 4, especially with the opportunity presented by the worlds biggest photographic show - Photokina.

Adobe Lightroom Public Beta for Windows

For close on 6 months photographers have been asking when a Windows version of Lightroom would be available for them to "play" with. Well, I have good news - Lightroom for Windows is finally here.

Adobe Lightroom Public Beta 3

It's now some 5 months after Lightroom Beta 1 was released to the public and Beta 3 has finally arrived. I've been privileged to use Beta 3 over this past few months. So, I'm very pleased to be one of the first to summarise the more significant changes.

Adobe Lightroom Public Beta 1

Out of the shadows and into the light - Adobe Lightroom shows its face to what should have been the unsuspecting world. The formal announcement was due during Macworld San Francisco. However, the news broke on an Apple rumour site on Friday 6 January. Anyway, enough said about what should have been...

Feature Review of LaserSoft SilverFast 6

A comprehensive review of the new features to be found in the latest version of SilverFast. New features include: Dust and Scratch Removal, Grain and Noise Reduction, Selective Color to Grey Conversion and a host of others. The review has been updated to include some material on LaserSoft DCPro which includes such features as: raw image conversion for a wide range of digital cameras, red eye correction and the Virtual Light Table.