Adobe Software Updates – Camera RAW 5.7 & Lightroom 2.7

Adobe has released updates for both Camera RAW 5.7 & Lightroom 2.7. Lightroom users, you did install the Camera RAW update right? The following link to the camera raw support page provides the appropriate download links for both Mac & PC computers. Here are some additional tips when updating your software:

Camera RAW 5.7 – This update applies if you run Photoshop CS4, or Photoshop Elements 7 or 8. You’ll want to install this update if you also use Lightroom to ensure file compatibility. Download Mac or Download PC

Lightroom 2.7 – This update simply installs on top of your current version of Lightroom. There is no need to use your installation CDs UNLESS you’re upgrading from version 1 (but then where have you been?) Download Mac or Download PC

The latest camera support has been added to these updates, and a full list is available on the camera raw support page.

Known Issues According to the Read Me file:

  • Burning exported images to disc is not available for the Lightroom 64-bit Windows application.
  • Upgrading a Lightroom 1 catalog during a catalog import can create multiple temporary copies of the catalog while upgrading.
  • Lightroom performance can be impacted when the Window’s Recycle Bin contains thousands of files.
  • Lightroom may not automatically launch an import dialog when a memory card is attached to a Windows Vista computer. Please select the Import button in the Library and select the attached card reader to begin the import.
  • Lightroom 2.7 will not automatically migrate plug-ins located in the following directory: C:Program
  • FilesAdobeAdobe Photoshop Lightroom 2Modules. Any plug-ins in this folder should be moved to: XP: C:/Documents and Settings/{your_username}/Application Data/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/ | Vista: C:/Users/{your_username}/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/

Lightroom 2 Bugs – Fixed

  • Slideshow playback on Windows could cause Lightroom and/or the computer to crash.
  • The camera raw cache limit was increased to 200GB

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Video Tutorials

UPDATE 07/22/2010 – Come back each week for Tip Tuesday video tutorials, written tutorials, or subscribe to my unfiltered YouTube channel.

In case you missed it last week, I posted some Photoshop CS5 videos along with the rest of the Photoshop Nuts over at TipSquirrel. Here’s a breakout of the posting schedule:

TUE, April 13 Bridge Improvements Mike Hoffman
WED, April 14 Content Aware Fill Janine Smith
THU, April 15 Refine Edge & then HDR
Yours Truly
FRI, April 16 Bristle Brushes, Mixer Brushes Tim Shelbourne
==== ========== ====
MON, April 19 Scrubby Zoom & then CS Review Yours Truly
TUE, April 20 Lens Correction & ACR Justin Seeley
WED, April 21 Content Aware Healing Janine Smith
THU, April 22 Puppet Warp Justin Seeley
FRI, April 23 Layer Management Mike Hoffman

The response to the videos has been great! Thanks to everyone for getting the word out, and I’ll be posting more CS5 coverage over the next few weeks.

Adobe Announces CS5

Today is the official Adobe CS5 launch event, and there are plenty of things to get the creative community excited. The web has been a buzz the past month as Adobe started releasing sneak peeks of features via social media sites. The most talked about feature has been Content Aware Fill inside of Photoshop CS5. The hype surrounding that feature has been GINORMOUS with speculation the feature was a stunt. Now we know it’s here, and let me tell you it’s going to be a game changer. In fact, the entire suite has much to offer aspiring creatives.

Here are some highlights from the launch event:

  • Native 64-bit processing Mac & PC
  • Introduction of Flash Catalyst bridging the gap between designers & developers
  • Omniture for business analytics
  • CS Review for online collaboration
  • New stroke options in Illustrator
  • Dreamweaver supports content management systems such as WordPress, Drupal & Joomla
  • Flash development port to the iPhone* (which looks to be blocked by Apple’s change to SDK)
  • Animation & interactive elements for InDesign
  • Automated roto-scoping with After Effects
  • HDR, Noise Reduction & Lens Correction for Photoshop (I already mentioned Content Aware Fill)
  • and too many features to list in a single blog post

CS5 will be offered in five different suite configurations:

Design Premium Web Premium Production Premium Master Collection Design Standard
$1,899 $1,799 $1,699 $2,599 $1,299

Upgrades start from $499.

To see all the new features coming with CS5 jump over to AdobeTV. To get your Photoshop fix in, visit the NAPP learning center. You can also join me and other Photoshop Nuts over at TipSquirrel where we’ll have our own take on CS5 the next two weeks.

Create a Rubik’s Cube Photo Frame with Photoshop

Yesterday, Janine Smith posted a Photoshop tutorial over on TipSquirrel entitled Cubism. If you don’t know Janine, she’s an award-winning photo restoration artist, and MUCH MORE creative than myself. Before you watch my video, be sure to read her tutorial. (That’s where you’ll find the PSD file Janine created that I use in the video) It’s a great idea, and I wish I had thought of it. Being the Photoshop technician that I am, I quickly broke down the steps to come up with Cubism 2.0. That’s the great thing about Photoshop–talk to 100 different experts you’ll get 100 different methods to accomplish the same task. Thanks to Janine for being this morning’s Photoshop inspiration. Enjoy!

Why You’ll Buy The iPad Even Though You Don’t Want One

After months of speculation, followed by  the device’s introduction–the iPad is here. I didn’t buy one, nor did I intend to make a purchase, but let me tell you why I will anyway.

My initial thought is the iPad is for content consumption not content creation. It’s not as powerful as my Macbook Pro which I use for tethered photography, Lightroom & Photoshop processing. It’s not as portable as my iPhone which aside from the obvious mobile features is really my handheld portfolio. I don’t have a pressing need for a third device. However, as a business owner, I can’t ignore existing or potential customers. It doesn’t matter what I think about the iPad–300,000 iPads sold on the first day. Twitter was a buzz, mainstream media jumped in, and the Apple fanboys enjoyed the Rapture as the iPad finally arrived in stores last Saturday. If you’re an iPad naysayer you probably want to jump in and tell me about it’s lack of Flash media support, remind me that tablet computers have never been mainstream, but that’s not the point. Apple didn’t make the iPad for the Power User, the technophile or gadget geek–the iPad is a consumer electronic device.

Consumers don’t care about how technology works, they just want it to work. Consumers expect a dial tone when they make a call, they’re not interested in how many hops the call is routed through. Consumers don’t debate the advantages of HDTV vs standard definition, they just want to watch their TV shows. Apple has created a device that my retired parents will love with proven iPhone technology so simple my two-year old daughter already uses it. Apple isn’t creating a new market, as much as they are recognizing the needs of an existing consumer base. Anyone will be able to use an iPad because the learning curve isn’t steep. Will everyone take advantage of all the nuances of the device? Certainly not, but that’s the same for a lot of consumer electronics out there. HDTVs are more common now that prices are under $1000, but only the home theater enthusiast is going to pay money to calibrate their LCD screen if they don’t tweak settings themselves.

We as content creators cannot ignore how consumers are accessing our products. Scott Kelby wrote a post this morning on how the iPad affects photographers, and I would add all industries should pay attention. In this global marketplace, you have to take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. Making your content available for the iPad while time consuming AND financially redundant is the smart choice because leaders are proactive not reactive. While many people are focusing on iPad apps, Terry White mentioned the opportunity for eBook self-publishing with Adobe InDesign. That’s right, my mother could very well publish that cookbook she’s always dreamed about, and make it accessible to 300,000 people today.

In summary, it remains to be seen if the iPad will be the revolutionary device Steve Jobs claims it will be, but I’m not going to stand around on the sidelines waiting to find out.