BIG Lightroom and Photoshop Changes - October 18, 2022
/Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom just got significant updates
The Photoshop Update is significant enough that there is now a new App -
The new version is Photoshop 2023 or v24.0 - The icon remains the same. In the creative cloud app, you will now have two Photoshops listed the new 24.0 with INSTALL and the existing v 23.5 with an Update button. They do this for the professionals that need time to migrate plugins and tools over from the old version to the new version and to confuse the rest of us. I would just install the new one and once you confirm it is working correctly after a few days of use, you can uninstall the old version of Photoshop.
Note when I installed the new version of Photoshop I was asked if I wanted it to remove the old versions. I did not check that box and will manually uninstall through the creative cloud app once I confirm the new version is working correctly.
And finally if opening from Lightroom you do want to confirm that it is using Photoshop 2023 now and not Photoshop 2022.
Lightroom Classic does not get a new program BUT after updating it does prompt you to upgrade the catalog. This will create a newer copy of your catalog and after a few days of use and you confirm that everything is working correctly you can delete the old catalog to save space. The dialog below is also a great time to change the name of your catalog if it has gotten cumbersome with lots of v10-v11-v12-2 stuff in the name.
WHAT’S NEW?
Lightroom -
Another BIG Masking Update - Select People, Objects, or Background in the Masking panel. Easily make precise adjustments to one or more people, objects, and backgrounds in a photo using the mask.
To Use the new feature click the Mask tool (Shift + W) and then choose one of the AI masks provided. If there are people detected in the photo Lightroom will automatically populate the People section and you can click on the All People to select all the people or pick one individual and then add additional people to mask through a secondary process. And you can select specific areas of each body to mask - maybe all the legs are in shadow or maybe the skin tones of the faces are off.
If you choose Objects Lightroom will give you a brush (default) and you quickly brush over the desired object - lightroom will then refine that selection. You can switch from the brush style selection to drawing a rectangle around your object.
The masking dialog shown above is only available before you create any masks. Once you have masks you have the extremely similar but visually different mask panel available to you.
Better Cloning Tool - This has been requested for so long!!!!!
To use you start with the Healing Tool (Q). In addition to the existing heal and cloning tools WHICH ARE TERRIBLE there is now a Content-Aware Remove tool. In the image below it is the first tool shown and now the default tool when you press Q. You use the tool by drawing over the offending object. Lightroom processes for a moment and covers the area with new content. If it doesn’t do a good job you can right click and select new source. Make sure your Tool Overlay is on Auto so when you mouse off you can see the edit without the border.
A few additional changes- Adaptive: Portraits are a group of presets in Lightroom Classic that will automatically mask and enhance portraits with just one click. Remember you can make your own versions of these.
Swap the left and right layout of the panels in Lightroom Classic. To swap, select Preferences > Interface > Swap Left and Right panel groups. Once done, restart the Lightroom Classic app to see swapped panels.
Lightroom Classic will now display the parent folder during import, by default, to help you efficiently organize and access photos.
You can now disable the Auto-advance settings during auto-import.
Photoshop -
Selection improvements that enable users to hover over, detect and make detailed selections of complex objects with a single click, creating higher quality and more accurate selections of elements such as skies, foregrounds, subjects, and hair, while preserving detailed edges.
To use the new feature click the Object Selection Tool (W) and well that’s it... the tool now just works better. You should also see more precise and accurate selections when choosing Select > Subject or Select > Sky. But, you might be like me and realize that there are options you never explored within Object Selection Tool- like the Select Subject drop-down that allows you to determine if the brains doing the object selection is on your computer(faster) or in the cloud(more precise).
You can also choose a soft or hard edge to your selection.
I covered more of this tool in a recent PEN video - Quick & Powerful Object Selection Tool
One-Click Delete and Fill selects and removes objects from images, automatically filling the removed area using content-aware fill.
To use the new feature make your selection with the Object Selection Tool and hit Shift + Delete key to instantly remove your selection. Also, while working with other Photoshop tools such as the Lasso Tool, you can right-click the mouse to access the contextual menu and select Delete and Fill Selection to remove your selection.
Photo Restoration Neural Filter (beta) helps Photoshop on the web users bring old or damaged photos back to life, using machine learning to intelligently eliminate scratches and other minor imperfections on old photographs.
To use the new feature load a photo and click Filter > Neural Filters... Find the Photo Restoration filter (at the bottom) and if this is the first time you have used it requires a quick download. There are sliders to adjust the restoration process. Combine this with the already existing Colorize neural filter and you can really bring some of these older black-and-white photos to life.
There is also a new collaborative tools for working on one image with multiple team members and the iPad version is getting the quick Delete and Fill option.
Have Questions? Just send me a quick email or use the contact form.
