Adobe Lightroom CC/Classic Jan 11 - Mar 15, 2018

Lightroom CC (2015.2/2015.3) (not to be confused with NEW Lightroom CC see below)
This upgrade to the subscription Lightroom CC (now Classic) model happened in early Oct 2017
Haze control for specific areas
Increase or decrease the amount of atmospheric haze in parts of your photos. Dehaze is now available as a local adjustment with the Graduated Filter, Radial Filter, and Adjustment Brush.

Lightroom Classic CC
New name: Lightroom Classic - Basically the upgraded version of Lightroom CC
Your favorite photography app has a new name, but it’s still the industry standard for desktop-based digital photography workflows. This is cloud based and requires a subscription of $9.99 a month for the Photography Edition and includes Photoshop

Extensive performance improvements
Experience faster performance when you launch the app, generate previews, switch from Library to Develop Module, move sliders and brushes, and more.

Faster image selection
Begin image selection faster on import with the improved Embedded Preview workflow

Range Masking for fine selection control
Make precise color- and tone-based selections for local adjustments. Use the Adjustment Brush, Radial Filter, or Graduated Filter to define a rough mask, and then refine your selection using new Range Masking option

Lightroom CC (no longer the desktop workflow model)
December 11 Adobe introduced a NEW platform and new concept for Lightroom. This version is in development and may take a long time to have the same features as Lightroom Classic. 

The idea is that you have all of your images in the cloud instead of on your computer. You can process your images anywhere provided you have an internet connection. They are adding features with each upgrade. 

Lightroom is still about the same at its core but the added features on the subscription model vs the stand alone version is where you see the dramatic differences. Adobe has decided to no longer support the stand alone version of Lightroom 5 and 6. The last upgrade for new cameras and lenses plus bug fixes is the end for both Lightroom and Photoshop.  Adobe is moving to cloud baed services, whether desktop or only cloud based with a subscription model. 

You can register online at Lightroom CC
at Pacific Grove Adult School https://www.pgadulted.com or call a human at 831-646-6580. 

 

 

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Adobe Lightroom CC is now called Lightroom Classic.  This is a course for you to learn the basics of the Import and Develop module in Lightroom CC now Classic. Adobe has renamed their products since last October. I will try to clarify what is available and what I teach here at Pacific Grove Adult School. The MacLab has the traditional Lightroom CC subscription model. We currently teach on that version. We will update to Classic for the Spring session. Either way you will learn the basics of the Import and Develop module. I use the Scott Kelby textbook, Lightroom CC. Kelby will have a new book out February 27 on Lightroom Classic and available on Amazon, Peachpit Press, B&H. The image below is the book I currently use for this course. 

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Beta Testing Lightroom CC Classic before committing to an update

I have learned this from reading the blogs and boards about the recent upgrade for Lightroom.

If you want to beta test Lightroom CC Classic before you make a full commitment, it is important that you do not try it with your current subscription account. If you are logged into your current subscription account and click on the test version, it will upgrade your stand alone Lightroom 6 to Lightroom CC (2015) or upgrade your Lightroom CC (2015) to Lightroom CC Classic. You can't undo this!!

Suggestion: Create a new Adobe account with a new email address (free with gmail) and then download the Trial 30 day version  of Lightroom CC Classic or Lightroom CC web based version and play with it. 

It will tell you if your current operating system is ok with it or not. Import some images. Try the things you use in the Library Module, Develop Module as well as Exporting and see what happens.If you print from Lightroom, try the Print Module. If you use the Book Module, try it and see if it functions as it did before. If you jump over to Photoshop and save back to Lightroom, try that. If you use Lightroom Mobile, make sure the sync works. Test every function you are used to trying out including your plugins ie. Nik Collection. 

I hope this little suggestion helps. Feedback appreciated. 

Barbara 

Basic Photography Class at Pacific Grove Adult School

Basic Photography class starts at Pacific Grove Adult School next Tuesday, Nov 14th. The fee is $75 for 5 weeks, Nov 14, 28, Dec 5, 12, 19. We cover Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Depth of Field, Composition. We have 5 people registered and need a 6th for the class to go. Please tell your friends, family and colleagues if they are interested to register online at www.pgusd.org or call a human at 656-6580. Thank you. 

GREAT NEWS!!!!! DxO acquires Nik Collection assets from Google

Great news for those of us who use Nik Collection!! The press release below will give you the basic info but Nik Collection will not be going away anytime soon. 

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DxO acquires Nik Collection assets from Google, and plans to continue to develop the Collection for the benefit of the photographer community.
PARIS – October 25, 2017 – DxO, one of the most innovative companies in consumer imaging, today announces the acquisition of the Nik Collection assets from Google.
DxO plans to continue development of the Nik Collection. The current version will remain available for free on DxO’s dedicated website, while a new version is planned for mid-2018.
“The Nik Collection gives photographers tools to create photos they absolutely love,” said Aravind Krishnaswamy, an Engineering Director with Google. “We’re thrilled to have DxO, a company dedicated to high-quality photography solutions, acquire and continue to develop it.”
“We are very excited to welcome the Nik Collection to the DxO family,” said Jérôme Ménière, CEO and founder of DxO. “DxO revolutionized the image processing market many times over the years with its innovative solutions, and we will continue to do so with Nik’s tools, which offer new creative opportunities to many photographers. The new version of our flagship software DxO OpticsPro, which is available as of now under its new name DxO PhotoLab, is the first embodiment of this thrilling acquisition with built-in U Point technology.”
About the Nik Collection
The Nik Collection is composed of seven desktop plugins for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop that provide a powerful range of photo editing capabilities. The current lineup of the Nik Collection includes:
• Analog Efex Pro: Applies film-era camera, lens, and film simulations to digital images
• Color Efex Pro: A comprehensive set of filters for color correction, retouching, and creative
effects
• Dfine: Noise reduction software for camera-specific digital images
• HDR Efex Pro: Specialized program for processing HDR pictures
• Sharpener Pro: Image sharpening for digital images
• Silver Efex Pro: Black & White conversion of images with darkroom-inspired controls
• Viveza: Selectively adjusts image color and tonality without complicated masks or selections
About DxO
For well over a decade, DxO has been developing some of the world’s most advanced image processing technologies, which have enabled over 400 million devices to capture the highest quality images achievable. DxO designs and manufactures the DxO ONE, a connected, miniaturized, and pro-quality camera for iPhone and iPad that has revolutionized the world of mobile photography. DxO also develops DxO PhotoLab, previously DxO OpticsPro, as well as other image processing software for Mac and PC, all of which have been acclaimed by top photographers the world over.


 

 

Adobe Lightroom Upgrades Cautionary Tale

I have received multiple posts from the boards about the recent upgrades being offered by Adobe. Victoria Bampton- Lightroom Queen just sent this email out. I could not give you better info or advice. Please note the WARNING BEFORE UPGRADING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INFO. Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Classic CC 7.0 are completely different platforms and therefore this transition will be tricky. Proceed with caution and give Adobe time to fix the bugs if you have already done the upgrades.  

I know change is hard but when it comes to computers and software, it is advisable to go slow, put yourself in a patient mood and stop before you push the ok button and review your steps. It is easier to be cautious in your decisions then do things by rote and then spend time undoing them. 

Thank you. Barbara Moon Batista

Check out Victoria Bamton Website for the free Ebook https://www.lightroomqueen.com. You will have to give your email address of course. Enjoy. 

It's the Adobe Max conference this week and there's LOADS of Lightroom news!

In this edition...

Lightroom Rebranded as Lightroom Classic
Lightroom Classic CC 7.0 Release
End of Perpetual Licenses
Cloud-native Lightroom CC
Lightroom for iOS/Android
Announcement FAQ's


Since the first Lightroom beta was released in 2006, the world of photography has undergone many changes. In those days, most people had never even heard of smartphones, and editing photos required sitting down at a computer. Today, photos shot on mobile phones grace the covers of top magazines, and billions of photos are captured and instantly shared online every single day.

Today, during the Adobe Max conference, Adobe will announce the future of Lightroom. There's lots of changes and plenty of confusion, so let's get an overview...

Lightroom Rebranded as Lightroom Classic

The folder-based version of Lightroom that we've known and loved for the last 10+ years is still going strong. It's been rebranded as Lightroom Classic, because it continues to use the traditional desktop folder-based organizational system we've used for decades (as opposed to a modern cloud-based system).

Future development of Lightroom Classic is being refocused on improving performance and enhancing the editing tools. It's become a bit of a jack-of-all-trades over the last few years, so this new focus is great news for serious Lightroom users.

Lightroom Classic CC 7.0 Release

Lightroom Classic 7.0 was released today, including the first wave of performance improvements, a new embedded preview workflow for faster culling, and a new range mask tool for color/luminance based selections, in addition to the usual new camera/lens support. There's more information on the new features here.

Before you jump to upgrade, a word of warning is in order. Performance is a tricky thing. Making a feature faster on one computer can make it slower on another, and the code changes are so widespread, it can create bugs in seemingly unrelated areas. I'd recommend exercising a little caution because opening a catalog into 7.0 upgrades the catalog format, so you can't easily roll back to 2015.12 if you run into problems. Lightroom 7.0 can be installed alongside Lightroom CC 2015, so if you're an early adopter, perhaps test it using a clean catalog before upgrading your main working catalog, just in case. I'll compile the early feedback into a blog post over the next week or two.

End of Perpetual Licenses

For the last couple of years, it's been a subject of great debate… will Adobe keep selling Lightroom as a perpetual (standalone) license or not? We finally have an official answer… Adobe will continue to sell Lightroom 6 as a perpetual license, but Lightroom 7 and future versions will only be available to CC subscribers. At least they've said it now, and we can all stop guessing. They'll continue to add new camera support to Lightroom 6 until the end of the year, and even at that point, your perpetual version of Lightroom will not spontaneously combust. If you're currently a perpetual user, I've outlined some of the options here.

Cloud-native Lightroom CC

There's a new cloud-native version of Lightroom, designed for the next generation of photographers. Because in this version everything's synced to the cloud, your photos and edits are available on all of your devices, wherever you are. Since Lightroom manages your photos for you, this new Lightroom app is really simple to use (no more missing files!), but still has the non-destructive editing power we've come to expect from Adobe. It's been rewritten from the ground up, so it's relatively bug-free (hooray!).

It's early days, so Lightroom CC doesn't have all of the features of the Classic version, but it already has the essentials and will continue to develop rapidly. If you're a Lightroom user considering moving to the cloud-native app, I've created a feature comparison table, so you can check whether it has the features you need for your workflow.

I know you’ll have loads of questions, so I’ve written a free Quick Start eBook, available for download right now (just fill in your name/email again and check the Lightroom CC eBook checkbox). 

More extensive books for both Lightroom Classic 7.0 and Lightroom CC will be available soon in eBook and paperback formats, and I’ll let you know as soon as they’re released.

Lightroom for iOS/Android

The iOS and Android versions of Lightroom have been updated with some fantastic new features including AI-based automatic tagging and search, keywords, album folders to organize all of your albums (prev. called collections), and the Android version now has the brush tool too. You can read all about the new features here.

The mobile apps are designed primarily to be a companion to the cloud-native Lightroom CC ecosystem, so they now use the new terminology (e.g., albums instead of collections). The mobile apps continue to sync with Lightroom Classic, as they always have done, but no new cloud features will be added to Lightroom Classic, so keywords and collection sets don't sync with Lightroom Classic.

Announcement FAQ's

There's sure to be a mass of questions about these announcements. I've preempted many of the questions I expect to see, and I'll continue adding to the FAQ's as new questions arise.

Artists Studio Tour and Open House Sep 23, 2017

Please join us on Saturday, September 23 from 10-2 at Pacific Grove Adults School for the Artists Studio Tour and Open House. The address is 1025 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove. There will be art, food, music and much more. Celebrate our students achievements and see what our school has to offer the community. 

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