Apparently Tuesday is the new photo-cataloging application update day. Both Apple and Adobe have rolled out new versions of their high-end photo apps, so no matter what you use to keep track of your pictures, it’s time to check the old update queue.
Of the two, Adobe’s update is the weightier: it’s Photoshop Lightroom 2 (The Revenge!). Lightroom 2 has been in beta since April (and has supposedly been downloaded 130,000 times); it boasts the notable achievement of being Adobe’s first 64-bit OS X app. It’ll run $299 or $99 as an upgrade if you already own Lightroom.
What else does numero dos offer that’s new? Well, you can organize your photos across multiple hard drives; there’s a Suggested Keyword feature that should take some of the pain out of assigning keywords; a Local Adjustment Brush which lets you adjust qualities like color and exposure in certain areas without affecting the overall image; dual-monitor capability; and improved support for Raw images using the DNG Profile Editor and Camera Raw 4.5 which are also dropping today.
By comparison, Apple’s Aperture update is a snooze—it “supports general compatibility issues, improves overall stability, and addresses a number of other minor issues.” It’s a free update, though—so you got that going for you.
