These releases provide support for the following cameras:

Nikon D300s
Nikon D3000
Olympus E-P1
Panasonic DMC-FZ35
Panasonic DMC-GF1
There are some issues to note regarding the Panasonic DMC-FZ35, please check Lightroom Journal for the details.

Camera Raw 5.5 and Lightroom 2.5 include a correction to the demosaic algorithms for Bayer sensor cameras with unequal green response. Olympus, Panasonic and Sony are among the more popular camera manufacturers affected by this change. But the demosaic correction provides only a subtle visual improvement to the processing of those raw files.

Lightroom 2.5 corrects for the following problem in Lightroom 2.4. Lightroom 2.4 on Windows continued to display the import dialog when a memory card was detected regardless of the preference setting “Show import dialog when a memory card is detected.”

Lightroom 2.5 is available at: Macintosh | Windows

Adobe Camera Raw 5.5 is available at: Macintosh | Windows

From the DNG Profiles page:

Overview
We have been actively working on improving color rendering for digital raw photographs. Our new color rendering package contains the following components:

• the DNG 1.2 specification, which expands and formalizes the concept of a color profile for raw (i.e., scene-referred) image data captured by digital sensors,
• Adobe Standard camera profiles that significantly improve color rendering, especially in reds, yellows, and oranges,
• Camera Matching profiles that match the camera manufacturers’ color appearance,
• DNG Profile Editor, a free software utility for editing camera profiles

Public Beta
The new camera profiles and DNG Profile Editor are being initially distributed online in public beta form. This public beta gives photographers the opportunity to try these new tools and provide feedback before we finalize them.

Requirements
The new Adobe Standard and Camera Matching camera profiles require Camera Raw 4.5 / Lightroom 2.0 or later. In general, they can be used in any raw converter that supports DNG 1.2.

These camera profiles will NOT work correctly with earlier versions of Camera Raw (i.e., 4.4.1 and earlier) and Lightroom (i.e., 1.4.1 and earlier). These earlier versions do not support DNG 1.2.

The DNG Profile Editor’s basic system requirements (i.e., CPU, operating system, and memory) are the same as Lightroom’s requirements.

Resources
Since the profiles and DNG Profile Editor are still in public beta, there is no official Adobe support for them. However, we have put together an online FAQ, tutorials, and documentation to help you get started with both the profiles and DNG Profile Editor. You are also encouraged to post questions in the User-To-User forums (see links below).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
DNG Profile Editor Tutorials and Documentation
Adobe DNG Home Page (includes latest DNG specification and SDK)
Camera Raw User-To-User Forums
Lightroom User-To-User Forums
DNG User-To-User Forums

In addition to new camera support (now at over 180 cameras), Camera Raw 4.5 and DNG Converter 4.5 also adds support for rendering the newly released Lightroom 2.0 functionality.

The direct download pages are here; Macintosh, Windows

From the Camera Raw 4.5 Read Me:

Working with Lightroom 2 and Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw
Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw share the same image processing technology to ensureconsistent and compatible results across applications that support raw processing. These applications include Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Elements 6.0 and Premiere Elements 4.0. Photoshop Camera Raw 4.5

Adobe applications must be updated with the Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in in order to ensure compatibility with Lightroom 2 develop module settings. Photoshop CS3 users can update the Camera Raw plug-in automatically using the Update tool listed under the Help menu. The Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in can also be downloaded and installed manually by visiting the Adobe web site: www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html. Please follow the installation instructions carefully.

Sharing Lightroom Settings with Camera Raw 4.5
By default, Lightroom’s develop module settings are stored in Lightroom’s database. In order to ensure that Lightroom develop settings can be viewed by Camera Raw 4.5 the settings must be written to the XMP metadata block for that file. This metadata is stored in an XMP sidecar file (Imagename.xmp) in the current image directory of proprietary raw files or stored directly within DNG files. To update images with the latest develop settings, choose the library module and select the group of target images. Choose the “Export XMP Metadata to File”

option in the Metadata:XMP file menu. Note: This menu option is only available in the Lightroom Library.

Viewing Lightroom settings in Camera Raw 4.5
Before working in conjunction with Lightroom and Camera Raw please set the Camera Raw preference to: Save image settings in: Sidecar “.xmp” files. By default Camera Raw will display the image adjustments exactly as performed in Lightroom’s develop module. However, at this time Camera Raw 4.5 is unable to support further adjustments to the following settings or tools:
• Clone/Heal Opacity
• Post Crop Vignette
• Graduated Filter Adjustment
• Local Adjustment Brush
The controls currently available in Camera Raw 4.5 will continue to function normally and provide incremental edits beyond those performed in Lightroom. The Lightroom adjustments that are not available in Camera Raw 4.5 can be cleared by choosing the “Clear Imported Settings”

option in the Camera Raw settings menu.

Viewing Camera Raw settings in Lightroom
Raw files edited by previous versions of Camera Raw files will maintain their previous appearance when imported into Lightroom. Note: Those files must have been edited with the preference set to Save image settings in: Sidecar “.xmp” files in order for Lightroom to respect the previous edit. Files edited in Camera Raw after importation into Lightroom can be updated in Lightroom by choosing the “Read Metadata from File”

from the Metadata file menu. Note: This menu option is only available in the Lightroom Library.

This new version of the Camera Raw plug-in replaces the original Camera Raw plug-in that was installed with Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Elements 6.0 and Premiere Elements 4.0. The Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in is not compatible with versions of Photoshop earlier than Photoshop CS3 or versions of Photoshop Elements earlier than Photoshop Elements 5.0 for Windows and Photoshop Elements 4.01 for Mac.

The latest version of the Camera Raw plug-in available for Photoshop Elements 3.0 customers is Camera Raw 3.6. The latest version of the Camera Raw plug-in available for Photoshop Elements 4.0 (Windows) is Camera Raw 3.7.

Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Creative Suite 3:
Automated installation on Mac or Windows®:
1. Select “Updates…”

from the Help menu

2. Follow the on-screen dialogs to download and install the latest available Camera Raw update

Manual installation on Mac or Windows®:
Windows®:
1. Exit Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Bridge.
2. Open My Computer.
3. Double-click Local Disk (C:).
4. Navigate to Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CS3\File Formats.
5. Move the existing Camera Raw.8bi plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw.8bi, from the download into the same folder as Step 4.
7. Launch Photoshop CS3 or Adobe Bridge.

Mac:
1. Exit Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Bridge.
2. Open the Finder.
3. Navigate to the root of the local disk (not the user’

s home folder).
4. Navigate to Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS3/File Formats.
5. Move the existing plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw, from the download into the same folder as in Step 4.
7. Launch Photoshop CS3 or Adobe Bridge.

Photoshop Elements:
Windows®:
1. Exit Photoshop Elements.
2. Open My Computer.
3. Double-click Local Disk (C:).
4. Navigate to Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 6.0\Plug-Ins\File Formats
5. Move the existing Camera Raw.8bi plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw.8bi, from the download into the same folder as Step 4.
7. Launch Photoshop Elements

Mac:
Photoshop Elements
1. Exit Photoshop Elements and Adobe Bridge.
2. Open the Finder.
3. Navigate to the root of the local disk (not the user’

s home folder).
4. Navigate to location designated by your version of Photoshop Elements:
a. Photoshop Elements 4.01: Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS2/File Formats
b. Photoshop Elements 6: Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plug-Ins/CS3/File Formats
5. Move the existing plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw, from the download into the same folder as in Step 4.
7. Launch Photoshop Elements or Adobe Bridge.

Premiere Elements:
Windows®:
1. Exit Premiere Elements.
2. Open My Computer.
3. Double-click Local Disk (C:).
4. Navigate to location designated by your version of Premiere Elements:
a. Premiere Elements 3.0: Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0\Plug-Ins\ Common\PSA
b. Premiere Elements 4.0: Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0\Plug-Ins\ Common\PSA
5. Move the existing Camera Raw.8bi plug-in to another location (for example, a new folder on your
desktop). Ensure you keep this version in case you need to revert back.
6. Copy the Camera Raw plug-in, Camera Raw.8bi, from the download into the folder designated in Step 4.
7. Launch Premiere Elements

Major Software Upgrade Further Simplifies Photography Workflows

Press Release: SAN JOSE, Calif. — July 29, 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 software, the photographer’s essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities, Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies photography from shoot to finish. As Adobe’

s first application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers with Intel® processors and Microsoft® Windows® Vista® 64bit operating systems, Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with large scale images.

“A worldwide community of photographers provided valuable insight and feedback, as part of the Lightroom 2 public beta program, ultimately helping us deliver a better product,” said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Lightroom and Camera Raw at Adobe. “We’

ve considered their requests which helped us develop useful features that make it easier than ever for our customers to quickly refine, enhance and present brilliant photographs.

Photoshop Lightroom 2: Smarter, Faster and More Accurate
The enhanced Library module in Lightroom 2 helps streamline and accelerate photographers’

workflows. With the ability to visually organize images across multiple hard drives, Lightroom 2 and its powerful Library Filter Bar makes it easy for users to quickly find the images they need. The Suggested Keywords feature helps photographers keyword their images by making intelligent suggestions based on their own previous efforts. New dual-monitor support allows users to expand their workspace, giving them flexibility to edit and organize images in a way that maximizes an additional display.

In the Develop module, the new Local Adjustment Brush lets photographers fine-tune specific areas of an image to precisely adjust color, exposure and tonal range without affecting other areas of the image. The new Graduated Filter expands the toolbox in Lightroom, allowing for edits to larger areas by applying gradually diminishing or increasing adjustment effects such as exposure, clarity, and saturation, alone, or in any combination. Lightroom 2 also helps photographers print more efficiently by quickly arranging photos of multiple sizes on one or many pages with flexible and customizable templates to maximize paper and ink. Intelligent algorithms automatically determine optimal sharpening for screen or print, producing crisper images faster.

Developers can further extend the Lightroom workflow with Web, Export and Metadata Software Development Kits available at the Adobe Developer Connection, http://www.adobe.com/devnet/.

Ground-Breaking Innovation in Raw Technology
New raw technology gives photographers access to flexible camera profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer. To minimize surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing from their favorite camera, while also providing the ability to create highly customized profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are available for immediate download on Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com) for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.

The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.

“One of the big reasons why Lightroom has become such a phenomenon among serious photographers is that Adobe built it with the input of a very vocal user community,” said Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). “Adobe really listens to the issues and challenges today’s photographers face and they’ve built a complete solution that not only meets the needs of photographers; it really feels like it was made just for us. The enhancements to Lightroom 2, combined with the power of Photoshop, give photographers the ultimate freedom to produce professional images quickly.”

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is available now through the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store in English, French and German with the Japanese language version planned to be released at a future date. The estimated street price is USD$299 for new users with an upgrade price of USD$99 for registered users of qualifying Lightroom customers. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel® based processor, or Microsoft Windows® XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4® processor, 1 GB RAM and a 1024×768 resolution screen. Additional information on product features, upgrade policies, pricing, and language versions is available on www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information –

anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

© 2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Mac, Mac OS and Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United Sates and/or other countries. Pentium is a trademark or registered trademark of Intel Corporation, or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Canon EOS 450D (Digital Rebel XSi/EOS Kiss X2)
Fujifilm S100FS
Nikon D60
Olympus SP-570 UZ
Pentax K20D
Pentax K200D
Sony A200
Sony A300
Sony A350

Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4 include corrections for the following issues:
Previous camera profiles identified in the Calibrate panel of the Develop module may have displayed poor results at extreme ends of the temperature and tint ranges. A new camera profile identified as Camera Raw 4.4 is now available and will be applied by default to all images without existing Camera Raw or Lightroom settings. The creation of new default profiles will also include the updated Camera Raw 4.4 profile. Images edited in Camera Raw or Lightroom with earlier profiles will retain the earlier profile value and visual appearance.

In previous grayscale conversions the Color Noise setting was disabled and this could result in an image with excessive noise when grayscale channel mixing is applied. Both the tool and effect have been enabled in Lightroom 1.4 and Camera Raw 4.4 providing the ability to reduce noise in grayscale conversions. In order to return to the prior visual appearance, Color Noise reduction can be set to zero.

Lightroom 1.4 includes corrections for the following issue:
Compatibility with legacy printer drivers on OS X 10.5 (Leopard) has been updated. I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my earlier post regarding this topic. Some valuable feedback was provided and by working directly with Apple and Epson we are able to provide a resolution through this Lightroom update.

Also note that a new version of the free DNG Converter is also available along with the Camera Raw updates.

• Canon EOS 40D
• Fuji FinePix IS-1
• Leaf Aptus 17
• Leaf Aptus 54s
• Leaf Aptus 75s
• Olympus EVOLT E-510
• Panasonic DMC-FZ18
• Pentax K100D Super
• Phase One P 20 +
• Phase One P 21 +
• Phase One P 25 +
• Phase One P 30 +
• Phase One P 45 +
• Sony Alpha 700

(Unofficial Support will be included for the Canon G9 camera model. “Unofficial” just means that our engineering and quality engineering team has yet to certify the quality of the support but Lightroom and Camera Raw will read the files)Camera Raw 4.2 Notes and Corrections:

• Camera Raw 4.2 does not support the Canon EOS 1D Mark III SRAW format at this time
• Lightroom and Camera Raw will be updated together to ensure raw format and settings compatibility
• Noise reduction adjustment for all cameras with Bayer Pattern sensor: The base point noise reduction applied at the demosaic stage of raw processing has been reduced. The resulting effect is that images with zero luminance noise reduction applied in Camera Raw 4.2 will contain more noise than the identical settings in Camera Raw 4.1 but less noise than identical settings in Camera Raw 4.0. (This Applies to Lightroom 1.2 as well)

Lightroom 1.2 Notes and Corrections:Lightroom 1.2 includes corrections for the following issues

• Lightroom 1.1 catalogs with user-specified sort order could not be imported into another catalog
• Lightroom 1.1 for Windows could at times display gray boxes instead of image thumbnails
• Lightroom 1.1 for Windows could at times display gray boxes instead of image thumbnails
• The preference to write XMP metadata automatically in Lightroom 1.1 could attempt to write metadata indefinitely for offline images causing significant performance problems
• Images could be dropped from the Quick Collection upon reordering of the source folder
• Catalogs could not be exported to drives smaller than 250MB
• The Web Module was not accessible in Lightroom 1.1 on the Macintosh platform when Lightroom was installed on case-sensitive volumes such as the Case Sensitive HFS+ (Journaled) volumeErrors occurred exporting to a Linux SMB network volume
• Scroll position in the grid view was not maintained when changing the view option using the J shortcut key
• The tokens for image number and image count were not displaying properly in the Slideshow module
• The metadata panel could display incorrectly on Windows Slideshows on the Macintosh platform did not display properly when a 256MB ATI graphics card was connected to 30 ” LCD
• The Lightroom 1.1 Web module export did not position the copyright tag in the same location displayed in the preview
• The auto-eject functionality on Windows ejected the card reader device in addition to the card
• 1:1 previews were not discarded according to the timing set in the Lightroom preferences
• 1:1 previews are not built for an entire set of images when requested after import

Tom says: To be honest, it’s driven by the nature of software development. The camera raw plug-in is a discrete portion of code that has quietly matured and delivered numerous incremental updates over the last three years. So when a Camera Raw and DNG Converter update is ready to be released, customers expect Adobe to deliver the solution in the same timely manner that we’ve always provided. Lightroom on the other hand is a brand new product and the team has taken the opportunity to address a number of critiques on Lightroom 1.0 similar to the way the beta program was managed. Testing and qualifying all those improvements is taking more time than it takes us to get the Camera Raw update tested and out the door. I believe that you’ll find it worth the wait.

Read the original post

Adobe promotes its Digital Negative (DNG) format as a replacement for the profusion of useful–but proprietary–image formats of today’s high-end cameras. The San Jose, Calif.-based company believes the industry and consumers would benefit from a unified format.

Now Adobe’s challenge is to build consumer demand and find industry allies. So far, only a handful of cameras support the technology, it doesn’t ease some of the difficulties of the proprietary formats, and it’s not a neutral industry standard.

But the company is patient. “When we announced DNG two years ago, we said that it would be a slow road to adoption. We already have a variety of cameras at different price points supporting the format natively. That’s very good progress,” said Tom Hogarty, Adobe’s digital imaging product manager.

DNG is the byproduct of the ability of higher-end cameras to store data in their own “raw” formats. While most cameras convert their sensor data into images in the JPEG format, raw formats record the unprocessed data. Photographers must use software to process raw into more convenient formats such as JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or TIFF (Tagged Image File Format).

All digital SLR cameras and several compact models can produce raw images, and enthusiasts and professional photographers have rapidly embraced the technology to gain fine lighting and tonal control for their photos.

“I shoot 95 percent nature images, and conditions and light are constantly changing. Shooting raw gives me so many opportunities to make adjustments before I start the actual editing process,” said Ray Barlow, a hobbyist nature photographer in Grimsby, Ontario.

But raw poses a problem for companies like Adobe, whose bread-and-butter business includes image-editing software such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom. They must write new software to support each new camera model’s raw image variation.

“This raw format Tower of Babel is going to explode,” said Dave Story, Adobe’s vice president of digital-imaging product development, who argues. Raw support is a challenge today, but Story argues it’s only going to get worse. That’s because more camera manufactures will add raw support, to entice consumers displeased that more megapixels from their camera hasn’t meant higher-quality images.

The second major motivation for DNG is to ensure raw images will have an archival standard that endures even if camera makers’ raw-processing software doesn’t work on future computers, or if those manufacturers themselves go out of business.

“There’s basically a new format for every single camera model. In 5, 10 or 15 years, how easy will it be to find software that supports those proprietary file formats?” Hogarty asked. “Is there a need for a unique format? Wouldn’t it be better if we stored information in a common way?”

That argument appeals to some photographers. “It is a great idea to have a standard for raw images, because who knows where photography will go in the future?” said Holly Yurchison, a Cincinnati, Ohio, photographer who recently began selling family portraits.

Ken Milburn, author of Digital Photography Expert Techniques, likes DNG’s longevity. “It makes sense to convert whatever you get out of your camera into DNG just for archival purposes,” Milburn said. (Adobe offers a free tool to convert images into DNG.)

Read entire article

Other issues addressed:

-Handling of large Canon RAW files (.CRW)
-DNG compatibility on Intel-based Macs
-Lines sometimes appearing in images exported from Aperture

Digital Camera RAW Update 1.01 (PPC)
Digital Camera RAW Update 1.01 (Universal)