A few weeks ago, ACR 8.4 was released as a Release Candidate, but there was no sign of a Lightroom 5.4 RC. That was unusual, to say the least, and frustrating for many photographers with the latest and greatest cameras. There was a good reason, however. 5.4 adds support for syncing to Lightroom mobile, allowing you access to your catalog from your iPad. We’ll come back to that in the next post but first, there’s the usual list of what’s new in Lightroom 5.4.
Here are the update download links for perpetual licenses: Windows – Mac Creative Cloud subscribers update via the Creative Cloud app.
So what’s new? Camera support, for a start:
- Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II (preliminary support)
- Canon EOS 1200D (REBEL T5, KISS X70)
- Casio EX-100
- DJI Phantom
- Fujifilm X-T1
- Hasselblad H5D-50c
- Hasselblad HV
- Nikon D4S
- Nikon 1 V3 (preliminary support)
- Nikon D3300
- Nikon COOLPIX P340
- Olympus OM-D E-M10 (preliminary support)
- Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS40 (DMC-TZ60, DMC-TZ61)
- Phase One IQ250
- Samsung NX30
- Sony Alpha a5000 (ILCE-5000)
- Sony Alpha a6000 (ILCE-6000)
- Click to view the full list of supported cameras
There are some new camera emulation profiles (Provia/Standard, Velvia/Vivid, Astia/Soft, Monochrome, etc.) for a selection of Fuji cameras:
- Fujifilm X-A1
- Fujifilm X-E1
- Fujifilm X-E2
- Fujifilm X-M1
- Fujifilm X-S1
- Fujifilm X-T1
- Fujifilm X-Pro1
- Fujifilm X10
- Fujifilm X20
- Fujifilm XF1
- Fujifilm XQ1
- Fujifilm X100
- Fujifilm X100S
There are also some new lens profiles:
- Canon mount:
- Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
- Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II
- Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 ZE
- SIGMA 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM A013
- Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM
- Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM EXT
- DJI mount:
- Phantom Vision FC200 (for raw files)
- Fujifilm mount:
- Fujifilm X100S
- Nikon mount:
- Nikon 1 NIKKOR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 VR
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5G ED
- SIGMA 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM A013
- Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR II
- Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ED
- Zeiss Otus 1.4/55 ZF.2
- Nikon COOLPIX P340
- Sony E mount:
- Sony E PZ 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS
- Sony FE mount:
- Sony FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS
- Sony FE 70-200mm F4 G OSS
- Sony Alpha mount:
- Sony 20mm F2.8
- Sony 24mm F2 ZA SSM o Sony 35mm F1.4 G
- Sony 50mm F1.4
- Sony 50mm F1.4 ZA
- Sony 50mm F2.8 Macro
- Sony 85mm F1.4 ZA
- Sony 85mm F2.8 SAM
- Sony 135mm F1.8 ZA
- Sony DT 11-18mm F4.5-5.6
- Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
- Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
- Sony DT 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 SAM II
- Sony DT 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 SAM
- Sony DT 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM
- Sony DT 35mm F1.8 SAM
- Sony DT 50mm F1.8 SAM
- Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
- Sony DT 55-300mm F4.5-5.6 SAM
- Sigma mount:
- SIGMA 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM A013
- Other:
- Apple iPhone 5c
- Click here for the full list of available Adobe Lens Profiles
- Further user-created profiles can be downloaded using the Lens Profile Downloader
Of course there are also bug fixes:
- Not technically a bug, but Lightroom will now keep the computer awake if a process is running, such as exporting, syncing with Publish Services, building previews, etc. Previously, it followed your OS setting, meaning it could fall asleep part way through the process.
- There are some slideshow fixes, including slideshows not playing on some machines.
- More attention has been given to sharpening/noise reduction while exporting.
- Don’t Enlarge in the Export dialog now works correctly.
- and a few more besides!
And finally, there’s support for the new Lightroom Sync feature, which allows you to sync specific collections to the cloud and then view and edit them on your mobile device! More on that in my next post…
Does cloud-based LR5.4 indicate that there will be no further enhancements/upgrades to boxed LR5.3 (i.e., no boxed LR6)? are folks concerned that access to a cloud-based (proprietary-formatted!) catalog is lost when one stops paying monthly fees?
No, don’t worry, no hints of that. Quite simply, a cloud based mobile sync requires a cloud… that’s the only reason CC is required for Lightroom mobile/sync. Either way, your catalog remains stored on your computer and works as normal.
Victoria,
Although I use Android (actually Amazon Kindle HDX), I take photos during travel to parts of the world where cloud service is either not so good or not available, e.g., all over China, Tibet, Myanmar, Laos, the extreme north of Vietnam, obscure places in S. America, Russia, and so on. Do you know if Lightroom mobile will work for me (1) on my Kindle when it comes out for Android and (2) without reliable cloud service?
If you have a good internet connection before you go, you can cache all of the photos and use them when you’re offline. Things would sync back as and when they can, or complete syncing when you get home again. I don’t know about the Kindle though, sorry. We don’t have any Android specs yet.
Will there be an version of Lightroom Mobile for Android Tablets?
Hi J. Yes, it’s planned. iPhone next, because a lot of the code is the same as the iPad, and then on to Android devices.
Hi Victoria, When i click Check For Updates in my 5.3 version, it says Your Software Is Up To Date. Has 5.4 been rolled out yet in UK?
Hi Captain Slocum. Yes, it should be available everywhere. Try the links at the top of this post.
great newsletter Victoria. I upgraded to LR5.4 standalone. Now Bridge is my default and I can’t even get my Windows 7 64 Pro to take open with Lightroom when I try to choose new default open with, Browse to the Programs Files Adobe Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4 Lightroom.exe. Nothing happens after I hit enter. Lightroom is not in the Recommended Programs or Other Programs. If I don’t get to the bottom of this LR5.4 is worthless and goes to the bit bucket in a full system restore.
Hi Tom. What was your previous version? 5.3? or earlier? Lightroom isn’t built to be used as an open-with program, and never was, so I suspect that it’s a ‘bug’ that was fixed.
Yes,
Interesting that I had it work in a way it was not designed.
So I have an image from another person card and I have it just dragged to my desk top I can’t Open with Lightroom to fixit the I once did. Booo! I must go the complete IMPORT route? Dumb.
You can drag and drop it on LR’s grid view and it’ll open the Import dialog with that photo already selected. Make sure it’s set to Add at the top and it’ll remember that setting in future, so it’s only one extra click (the ok button in the import dialog).
Victoria.
You are such a clever gal.
You just sold a book.
Thomas
🙂 Selling a book is a bonus. I’m just happy that you’re happy! (Well, happier…!)
OH,
LR5.3
Sorry
Still bummed!
Hi, New here. Disappointed that I’m struggling to find help from Adobe with the 5.4 upgrade (from 5.3). Last night when I upgraded, after considerable installation issues (resolved with a tech via chat) I went to bed thinking all was well. Today, I discovered that 100s of my photos are listed as “Photo is Missing” and the Develop tools are “grayed out”. Obviously, the photos, which haven’t been moved, are in my Windows 7 Explorer, they’re just listed as missing in my LR catalog. Like Tom T., I tried ‘associating’ the photos with LR to no avail. Reading your response I now understand why. However, what am I do do about seeing having the photos show up in my Catalog, but inaccessible to me for editing?? Any suggestions?
Oh dear, sorry to hear that Jean. Are they on an external drive? If so, it’s quite possible that the drive letter has simply changed. The good news is there are really easy fixes for that, and it may not have had anything to do with your earlier issues.
Thanks for the reply Victoria, actually yes they are, either you’re a mind-reader or you’ve heard of this problem before. 🙂 Easy fix? Do tell.
Hi Jean. I’ve heard it a lot of times before. 😉 Did you unplug any usb devices before you went to bed? Sometimes just plugging everything back in the way it was before, and then rebooting the computer, does the trick without any further intervention.
Other than that, you can either set the drive back to the previous letter using these instructions: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/how-do-i-change-a-drive-letter-on-windows/
Or you can relink the missing folders using these instructions: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/articles-page/lightroom-thinks-photos-missing-fix/ The instructions for LR4 but it works the same way. The icon on the thumbnails has just changed to an exclamation mark instead of a question mark. If you go for this option, just back up your catalog first in case you make a mistake, for your own peace of mind. If you have all of the folders inside a parent folder, you only need to link the parent folder. If you have a long list of separate folders (as opposed to folders inside other folders), there may be a way we can make it faster for you, but it would help to see a screenshot to talk you through that if so.
ahhh… I see what you’re talking about. No it’s not the usual ?missing photo. Not at all. I’ve see that happen when I’ve reorganized files. That isn’t the case here. While it’s true my images are on two external drives (one a backup). When I d/l’d the upgrade, I had to search out my catalog and open it i.e. it didn’t automatically come over in the new 5.4 version. Oddly, when it did, some photos are accessible and edit-able. Some are not, though they do still appear in my catalog. How I noticed the problem was when I went to edit a photo in Develop, I had no access (grayed out). Looking around the right side menu I noticed underneath the Histogram where it usually says Original photo, it said Photo is Missing. It’s very strange.
That does sound strange. Is there any pattern in which ones are available and which ones aren’t? I’m just off to bed but I’ll check for your replies in the morning. If you want a hand in the meantime, post it over at http://www.lightroomforums.net and I’m sure some of the Gurus will still be up.
Not that I can discern so far. Thanks I will, and thanks for your help. Sweet dreams.
Anyone else have a problem upgrading to LR5.4 and get the error message “can’t find preview will repair next restart” I am using Windows 7 64bit.
That sounds like a corrupted preview cache. Does it manage to repair it next time? If not, you can trash and rebuild the preview cache.
Find your catalog on the hard drive. Next to it is a Previews.lrdata file/folder. Move or rename it and then restart Lightroom. Select all of the photos and go to Library menu > Previews > Render Standard-Sized Previews and leave it to work, perhaps overnight as it will take a long time. Lightroom will rebuild the previews, and they should rebuild correctly as long as all of the photos are online. Once you’re happy they’ve all rebuilt, you can delete the previous previews folder (*Previews.lrdata) if you haven’t already done so.
No it would not repair it a multitude of restarts. Per your advice I renamed it with the prefix old and tried to restart the software (without rebooting) and I get the same error message and no files visible in LR5
Very strange indeed. I think some screenshots might help at this stage, just so I can check we’re talking about exactly the same thing. You can either post them here or use the Contact link at the top of the page.
I also have a problem upgrading to LR5.4. I get the following error message: “A problem occurred while extracting the archive. Please try downloading LR5.4 again.” I tried to upload the print screen, to this message as a jpeg, but didn’t let me. I also had issues downloading 5.3 so gave up. I’m still stuck on LR5.2. It would be nice if I can actually keep LR up to date. We are remote and it takes a lot of memory and time to download an upgrade. If I have to keep doing it over again, I get charged a fortune by the local internet provider… Can you please help me solve the issue? FYI, I have a Windows 7 64bit operating system.
Oops, looks like it uploaded the print screen about 6 times. Sorry about that.
There are 2 scenarios that usually cause an issue like that. The main one is an incomplete download. It may be that your connection hiccups during the download, corrupting it. Drop me an email and I’ll upload just the 64-bit version somewhere for you, so it’s a smaller download. Very rarely there are also problems using other software to unzip the file, but that doesn’t look to be the issue in this case.
Thank you, your scenario 1 sounds very likely as our internet relies on satellite which breaks up a lot. Most downloads go okay, but big ones cause dramas. Living remote is lovely, but not for these sort of issues ;).
Email sent.
Did you get my email Victoria?
Hi Smiley. Just found it! It got caught in my spam folder in one of my lesser-used accounts. I’m just downloading/uploading now, so I’ll reply to your email in the next few minutes. Sorry about that!
That’s ok, received your email…still downloading…taking hours. I’ll let it run overnight and see what happens in the morning. Will keep you posted.
Dear Victoria,
I discover you advised KB Covers for wireless iMac lightroom keyboard cover, I would like to use this cover but my keyboard is a French azerty one, do you see any possibility to use anyway the ISO qwerty model ? Or I should forget it ?
Thanks in advance for you replay.
Regards. PierreGF
Hi Pierre. Well I told them about Lightroom’s shortcuts and which were most frequently used… not sure that counts as advised! LOL I’ve just been looking at some azerty keyboard photos online and it looks like quite a number of the keys – square brackets, for example – are in different locations. That would mean a number of the printed shortcuts would be on the wrong keys, so I’m not sure how useful it would be for you.
Thanks Victoria for your quick answer. Yes I understand, or maybe to setup/switch my azerty keyboard to a qwerty one ? I will try first to switch, if it’s work then I will buy the cover. I will tell you. Thanks again.
That might work Pierre!
Dear Victoria,
I thing so too, yesterday evening I checked on my iMac and in 1 click on the bar menu you switch between azerty & qwerty (it meens when I will work with Lr I will switch), then I ordered the ISO KB cover, now I have to wait around 10 days to get it from USA to Slovenia where I am living. I will come back to you to give you the final result, could be helpfull for some azerty users, we’ll see! Have a nice day. Pierre
Dear LR Queen,
Kindly help! Last night I wanted to clear up some files and make space on my computer so I deleted some destination folders from LR 5.4. I cleared up the recycle bin too. This morning when I am trying to import files to LR 5.4, its not allowing me. Looks like I have mistakenly deleted some setup files. My question is how do I fix it? If I can’t, can I uninstall and reinstall LR 5? Would it still allow me to do it with same Serial number though its the same computer? I don’t want to make any more mistakes so kindly help! I use Windows btw. Thanks in advance!!
When you say it’s not allowing you to import, what’s happening exactly? Does it give you an error message?
Well here is what exactly happens. I go to FILE – Import to choose images to import. I choose FILE –> IMPORT PHOTOS & VIDEO–> the box opens & I select a source –> my option as COPY AS DNG–> then I choose the folder with the images I want to import. When I do that, instead of showing activated check box, its automatically gets deselected and does not allow me to choose the images to import. ALL PHOTOS box is checked but the images looks like deactivated and does not allow me to choose them for importing.So I assume I have deleted some set up file so wanted to reinstall the software completely. Is it possible to just uninstall LR and then reinstall back into the same computer? I have Serial number and CD with me.
I think I got the solution :). Sorry 🙂
Ah, well done!