The Lightroom cloud ecosystem has been updated today, with updates for Windows & Mac (6.3) and iOS & Android (8.3). (Lightroom Classic has also been updated.) There are some enhancements, a new camera and various bug fixes.
New confirmed bugs in April release…
Versions don’t show in the Desktop Versions panel (but are safely stored).Fixed in 6.3.1, now available.- Graphical Watermark not visible on image in dialog but is visible in Export preview
Desktop – AI Denoise
The big news in this release is the new Denoise tool, which uses AI to reduce noise while retaining more detail. The results are stunning!
Itching to give it a try? Select one or more photos, right-click and choose Enhance. You’ll also find it under the Photo menu, or as a Denoise button in the Detail panel. You can vary the strength of the effect with an Amount slider.
Like the other Enhance tools, the resulting file is saved as a large DNG. How long it takes to run will vary depending on your system specs, for example, the same image took 9 seconds on my recent desktop computer, but 3 minutes on an old laptop. It takes full advantage of the GPU, so if you use it frequently, a high spec graphics card will be a real time saver.
Initially, Denoise is limited to mosaic raw files from Bayer and X-Trans sensors, but support is likely to be extended to other file types in the future. For now though, it won’t work with rendered files (e.g. JPEG/HEIC) or with raw files that have already been demosaiced (for example, sRAW or ProRAW.) If you’re an iPhone user, it does work with the raw files created by Lightroom’s camera but not the linear DNG’s created by Apple’s camera app. It automatically applies Raw Details, but can’t be used at the same time as Super Resolution at the moment.
Eric Chan, the senior engineer responsible for developing Denoise, has written a blog post which is well worth a read.
Desktop – Masking enhancements
In the Masking tool, the Tone Curve is now available with the other sliders, and People Masking now has two new options, Facial Hair and Clothes.
Desktop – Video enhancements
There are some notable improvements to video editing. On the desktop, videos can now use the Auto button, as well as B&W Mix. (B&W Mix is also now available on iOS.)
The interface for the Trim tool on the desktop has been updated so you can set the Start & End Times numerically.
And a really helpful feature, you can now save individual video frames as separate photos. The Save Video Frame option in the right-click menu saves it to your Lightroom Library, or Current Frame under the Share button saves to the hard drive.
Desktop – Copy/Paste Interface
The Copy/Paste tools have been made easier to access, with a new button under the photo preview. They buttons automatically switch between copy and paste, depending on whether there are already settings on the clipboard. The X clears the clipboard, and the cog shows the Copy Settings dialog.
Desktop – Content Authenticity Initiative
You may have heard of the Content Authenticity Initiative. It’s a group of more than 200 companies who are working together to fight misformation by adding verifiable, tamper-evident signatures to images. This allows anyone to trace the history of an image, including how it’s been edited, to help verify its authenticity. You can learn more about it at https://contentauthenticity.org
The ability to add Content Credentials has been available as a beta in Photoshop for a while. Now, if you enable the Tech Preview in Preferences, you can also add them when exporting from Lightroom.
Android – Versions & Reset
On Android, the Versions and Reset buttons have moved. They used to be at the end of the Edit toolbar, but now they’re combined with the Undo and Redo buttons. Tap on the Versions/Undo button at the top of the screen to show the menu. (The button itself switches between a Versions and Undo icon, depending on whether there’s anything to undo.)
Other smaller additions
- Desktop – The Filmstrip can now be resized and it automatically centers the selected photo.
- Desktop – In Preferences > Interface, you can now turn off the pop-up tip dialogs.
- Desktop – The offline warnings are now less intrusive.
- Windows – Smoother scrolling performance in the various Grid views.
- Windows – Proxy PAC (Proxy Auto-Config) is now supported.
- iOS 8.2.2 – Add Border & Share is now out of beta.
- Android 8.2.3 – AI-based masks now auto-update when pasting.
- All – 3 new Premium presets have been added to the Adaptive: Portrait group.
New camera support:
- Google Pixel
- Google Pixel 4a Front Camera
- Google Pixel 4a Wide Camera
- Google Pixel 5a Front Camera
- Google Pixel 5a Wide Camera
- Google Pixel 5a Rear Ultra-Wide Camera
- Google Pixel 6a Front Camera
- Google Pixel 6a Wide Camera
- Google Pixel 6a Rear Ultra-Wide Camera
Click to view the full list of supported cameras
New Lens Profiles
Many compact and mirrorless cameras have built-in lens profiles, but other cameras use lens profiles to correct for lens defects such as barrel/pincushion distortion and vignetting. New profiles are added with each Lightroom release. Click here for the full list of available Adobe Lens Profiles.
Bug Fixes
As always, the engineers have been working hard to fix bugs. Adobe only publishes the ones that were reported by users:
- [Desktop]: Lightroom installing failure on Mac OS Ventura (NL & PO Languages)
- [Desktop]: Waiting for Settings issue
- [Desktop]: Translation error (Korean)
- [Desktop]: Local storage mismatch
- [Desktop]: Assets stuck syncing into panel notes: “NeedsDevelopXmpDownloaded”
- [Desktop]: Brief appearance of Legacy panel when clicking on items in filmstrip
- [Desktop]: Profile Amount Slider isn’t visible in Tutorial
- [Desktop]: Learn Tutorials using Guided Upright Tool appears to fail after tool selection
- [Desktop]: Brush cursor disappears when pressing alt key
If you find a bug, click here to learn how to report it to Adobe.
How do I update?
To update, go to Help menu > Updates or click the Update button in the CC app. The update servers take a while to push the updates around the world, to avoid overloading the servers. You can also open the Creative Cloud app, click Update on the left, then click the … icon (top right) and Check for Updates to give it a nudge. To update on mobile, visit the App Store (iOS) / Play Store (Android).
Is the book updated?
The eBooks for Adobe Lightroom – Edit Like a Pro are already updated for these changes, and can be downloaded immediately after purchasing. If you already have a current Lightroom Cloud Premium Membership, the updated eBooks are available for download in your Members Area.
Since the last update, there’s a black gap between the right sidepanel and the buttons. Hope this get fixed soon…
A fix is coming shortly for this.
I updated my Apple iPad Lightroom using the App Store. I was disappointed that the masking tools still do not include People, Background, and Object. Do you have an idea of when these will be available?
As always, thank you for the detailed information on updates and on how quickly you update the books.
Sadly I can’t comment on anything that’s not released, sorry.
I understand. I’m just expressing my frustration. I’ve added my suggestions to Adobe along with a lot of other people.
FWIW, they generally try and add features on Android at the same time as iOS, and make them compatible with all supported devices. Although iPads are powerful, a lot of Android devices don’t have the power to run these kind of AI-based tools.
As a fall-back, the initial Sky/Subject masks can be run in the cloud on low spec Android devices, so I suspect they’ll try to do the same for the other AI masks… but that adds a layer of complexity.
Presets for these tools use simpler tech (e.g. whole person rather than specific body parts), so they may be a good workaround for now.