Photoshop Lightroom 2 Improves Image Editing, More

by , 8:00 AM EDT, July 29th, 2008

Adobe announced the immediate availability of Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 on Tuesday. The new version of the professional digital image editing and composition application includes enhanced non-destructive editing tools, improved RAW image support, and an updated interface.

Version 2.0 added a local adjustment brush that applies dodge, burn and other effects to specific parts of a photo; improved the non-destructive image editing tools for color adjustment and enhancement, tonal curves, and exposure; supports JPEG, TIFF, PSD, and over 190 camera RAW formats; supports Photoshop CS3 Smart Objects, panorama stichting, HDR, and layers; supports external image editors; and can batch process images. The new version also lets users pick slideshow background colors from images, more efficiently lays out images in picture packages, supports print sharpening for Web images, and supports multiple monitor systems.

Photoshop Lightroom is the first Adobe application for the Mac that supports 64-bit processors, allowing it to more efficiently manage very large files. Adobe also opened Photoshop Lightroom to plug-in developers and is hosting a Web-based plug-in repository.

Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 is priced at US$299. Upgrades for qualifying customers cost $99.