Yesterday, Adobe announced the release of the Arm version of the Lightroom app for both macOS and Windows 10. The new Lightroom version created especially for the M1 processors will take advantage of this processor leading to better productivity of the app. The Qualcomm powered Windows 10 is also compatible with running this app but only in those smartphones operating on ARM-based processors. The news became public via the blogpost of Adobe’s Photo Product Manager, Sharad Mangalick where he also mentions that the company intends to ship Apple M1 native versions as soon as they are ready. So, Adobe Lightroom will be available as a native app for the users of Apple’s M1 and Arm-based Windows 10, and also it is becoming a part of the Creative Suite installer.
Adobe new updates
In the blogpost by Sharad Mangalick, the news updates for the native app of Lightroom, Camera Raw, and Lightroom Classic are also mentioned. With the December updates, the users will now have the advantage of ProRAW format support. Once you take an image in the Apple ProRAW format you can import and edit those images in Lightroom. This applies to the desktop version as well. Adobe has also introduced new Lightroom widgets for iOS14 which will allow the users to quickly take photos and selfies using the Lightroom camera. The new widgets will allow the users to explore the Discover Edits and In-app tutorials from the Widget screen. In Lightroom iOS (iOS 14 and above), the users can drag these widgets onto the Home screen which will save some time and enable easy access.
There is also a free Lightroom starter plan for the desktop version of the software. This can be used by both Mac and Windows users but geographically limited to Australia and New Zealand. The new customers can start this free Lightroom starter plan, get used to the core Lightroom features, and continue to use without a subscription or trial limit. But, in general, this software can be downloaded for free but the trial period is only for one week. After one week, a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 has to be paid for continuing to use it. This subscription pack also includes 1TB cloud storage. Though the beta version of the app is already available for download, the Classic lovers have to wait for some time for a full rollout.
The biggest update of 2020
In 2020, Adobe Lightroom has introduced many new updates throughout the year. In February, Lightroom released Raw defaults for Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw followed by introducing Improved GPU support for the same. In June 2020, the software included the option of Share Edits, Local Hue color updates, Raw Defaults, and Watermarks for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android users. Share Edits is a very helpful option for all the budding photographers out there helping them to understand the edits. Many big photographers on social media have started sharing the Lightroom presets which is a great advantage for the content creators.
In October 2020, one of the best new features of Lightroom so far was added, that is, Advanced Color Grading in Classic, Adobe Camera Raw, and Lightroom. This feature allows much finer control producing even more sensational photographs than normal Split Tones. Apart from the Hue and Saturation control that already existed, the new color grading option gave broader tones for the users to experiment with. With the three new options of Luminance, Blending, and Balance the users get the best chance to change the mood of their photographs accordingly. The color effects produced by the advanced color grading are mostly used by the video editors.
The recent Beta version of Photoshop
Apart from the latest Lightroom updates, Adobe has also released the Beta version of Photoshop that runs on M1 Macs and ARM-based Windows PCs. The new Lightroom updates have all the missing features of this new beta version of Photoshop. The beta version undoubtedly has improved performance but features like the content-aware fill, patch tool, healing brush, etc are missing. This beta version was released in November, just a couple of weeks before the release of the native Lightroom app. But, the updates in Lightroom show that Adobe is improving the existing features continuously striving to optimize the software for Arm and M1 devices.
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more