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January 29, 2007* – After 12 months of beta testing, Adobe Systems launched today the commercial version of their photo management and editing program, Photoshop Lightroom 1.0. The official version of Lightroom has enhanced features including the Key Metadata Browser, Virtual Copies and Snapshot tools since the last beta 4.1 launched in October. With an end to the free beta program, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 is available for preorder today at the introductory price of $199 until April 30. After April 30, it will be available at the suggested price of $299.
As their first public beta, Lightroom has been downloaded by over 500,000 users since its release a year ago, fueling feedback for the software manufacturer.
"This was truly a collaborative effort and we extend our thanks to everyone who provided invaluable feedback to help us deliver a powerhouse professional photography tool," said Adobe senior vice president John Loiacono of Creative Solutions Business Unit, in a press release today.
One new feature in the official version is the Key Metadata Browser in the Library module. The Key Metadata Browser allows users to tag images with text and ratings, includes color labels, and a pick or reject method, according to the release.
Lightroom 1.0 possesses a new Virtual Copies and Snapshot tool in the Develop Module that allows users to display multiple edited versions of one image on the screen without saving them as separate photos.
Users can also import their photos from an external memory card into two destinations such as a folder and hard drive. This makes it easier for users to manually back-up their images.
Other improvements include new adjustments tools for Hue, Saturation, and Luminance and batch cloning and healing options.
While Lightroom has undergone a year’s worth of user feedback, Lightroom has also faced some criticism from RAWShooter users. Since Adobe acquired Pixmantec, makers of RAWShooter, in June, the product has been discontinued with promises that the raw processing would be integrated RAWShooter into Lightroom.
Although RAWShooter has not been fully integrated into Adobe Lightroom, Lightroom 1.0 does support over 140 camera RAW formats, along with JPEG, TIFF, and Adobe’s DNG format. Users can also now share XMP data between Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw.
"The announcement of Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 signifies the official conclusion of the groundbreaking Lighroom beta program," stated the release. The free version of Lightroom beta will expire after Feb. 28. The expected ship date of Adobe Lightroom 1.0 is mid-February.
**Key Features:
**Key Metadata Browser in Library module
Virtual Copies and Snapshot in Develop module
Batch cloning and healing options
Camera Raw and Lightroom compatibility for XMP information
Multiple destination photo import