A New Lightroom and a Faster One

A Tale of Two Lightrooms. So what did we get?

The program we know as Lightroom has been rebranded/split by Adobe into two products. A fully cloud-based service and the standard desktop version (the one you're used to), now called Lightroom Classic. While Lightroom is now in the cloud, changes to either can be synced between programs. Watch the video below to learn more.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNBpWGJE5VMQuick Tip: If you are having trouble seeing the updates open the Adobe cloud program in your taskbar. Sign out of the program, then sign in to see the new updates.

A New Lightroom

A big update to the existing Lightroom web platform, we've got a cloud version of Lightroom for desktops, tablets, and phones. Image editing you want but in a simplified package that Adobe made for you to use on all your devices. This new Lightroom is a streamlined version that's simpler to use and ready for on the go work.

• Cloud Storage with Lightroom CC storing all your full-resolution photos, including RAW files, safely in the cloud (1TB of space comes with the plan, more is available).
• Adobe Sensei - No more keywording, or at least less, with a smart search using machine learning to find your photos. Want a bridge photo you took? Type in a bridge and all your bridge photos pop up, no work required.
• Sharing tools to push photos out to social media like Facebook or build a web gallery in a snap.
• Instead of a library photos will be stored in albums, think of this as collections in Lightroom Classic.

Lightroom Classic

The "New" Lightroom Classic is the same Lightroom you're used to, but with massive speed boost! After taking suggestions from users Adobe has overhauled Lightroom into a much speedier program, especially in the Develop module. (my early testing shows a significant increase in speed for some tasks while others remain fairly slow)

• Better, Faster, Stronger
  • Faster loading time
  • Faster import with "Embedded & Sidecar" option
  • Faster Smart Previews
  • Faster Switch to Develop
  • Faster Rending Images
  • Faster Scrolling images
  • Faster brush rendering
  • JUST FASTER... FINALLY

ONE NEW FEATURE

• New Edge Refinement - New quick selection masks for local adjustments using color and luminance range masking. Color masking lets you select a range of color, luminance lets you select by a certain brightness.  Watch the video above to see a demonstration of the new  masking.

Photoshop

Everything gets updates today. New easy access for LR photos, a new pen tool, tips and more:

• A new Learn panel, the first big step for those new or just starting with Photoshop with step by step tutorials for tools and basic editing. They've also included new tooltips with little images and animations to help you along.
• Lightroom photos will pull your photos from the cloud directly into Photoshop.
• Copy and paste multiple layers in one go, keeping their order and location.
• Support for 360 Degree image editing and Apple HEIF
• Curvature Pen Tool - For those that hated the pen tool, Adobe has a friendlier pen tool to get the curves you need.
• Brush updates with new management, stroke smoothing to prevent jitters, and more brushes.
• Photoshop also gained a slight performance boost. As well as Adobe improving all their algorithms for cleaner lines, better filters, upscaling, and more.

Adobe Plans

Lightroom comes in three flavors now. The regular Creative Cloud Photography Plan stays the same price but now gains 20GB of cloud storage. Existing Creative Cloud Photography Plans can switch to the new 1TB plan for more cloud storage and get $5 off for the first year.Despite the fact they promised they wouldn't,  Adobe Standalone products are gone with Lightroom 6 as the last version. This was the Lightroom software packaged separate, not requiring the monthly charge and did not include Photoshop. The current standalone software will get an update for the Nikon D850 at the end of the month with camera support updates for this year only.All-in-all it's an extensive update to existing programs, and new ones as well. The biggest improvement, being the speed boosts with Lightroom Classic people have been asking for since last year. The new Lightroom cloud system is an interesting update and we'll have to see what happens as Adobe continues to work on the platform.  

Lightroom CC plan

• Lightroom Cloud Only
• Adobe Spark
• Adobe Portfolio
• 1TB of cloud storage
• $9.99/mo

Photography plan

• Lightroom CC
• Lightroom Classic
• Photoshop CC
• Adobe Spark
• Adobe Portfolio
• 20GB of cloud storage
• $9.99/mo

Photography plan with 1TB cloud storage

• Lightroom CC
• Lightroom Classic CC
• Photoshop CC
• Adobe Spark
• Adobe Portfolio
• 1TB of cloud storage
• $19.99/mo ($14.99 for existing accounts)

Polaroid Pop: Instant Prints with a Digital Twist

The classic Polaroid photos of the past have returned with the Polaroid Pop. A 20MP digital camera with 1080P video and an instant mobile printer. Including a 3.97-inch touchscreen with the option to fix photos and use filters before printing. The ZINK printer like the Polaroid Snap uses heat to activate ink on the prints making your standard looking Polaroid in under a minute.As a bonus, it also connects via WiFi or Bluetooth to act as a mobile printer for your smartphone. If you wanted, technically using your DSLR's mobile connection you could print from your camera to this one on the go!The Polaroid Pop will be available around Christmas time in a variety of colors for $200, 10 Zink prints will be $10.

Press Release:

Polaroid Introduces the New Polaroid Pop Instant Digital Camera andPolaroid Hoop Wireless Home Camera

On Display at IFA 2017, Polaroid’s Newest Innovations Offer a Modern Take on the PolaroidInstant Digital Camera and Peace-of-Mind for Simplified Home Security

NEW YORK, August 30, 2017 – The Polaroid brand today announced the release of its newestinnovations in photo and home security taking over the holiday season - the Polaroid Popinstant digital camera and Polaroid Hoop wireless home camera. The Polaroid Pop combines asleek, modern design and digital technology with 3.5x4.25” border prints. The Polaroid Hoophome security camera stays true to the Polaroid brand DNA elements, including simplicity,elegant design and the mission to make new and exciting technologies accessible to theeveryday consumer.

“The Polaroid Pop instant digital camera and Polaroid Hoop home security camera initiallydebuted at CES 2017 to much fanfare,” said Scott W. Hardy, President and CEO of Polaroid.“We’re excited to have these products on display at IFA and showcase them to the Europeanmarket. For 80 years, Polaroid has been committed to providing consumers with the latestimaging technology that enables them to easily share their lives. The Polaroid Pop and PolaroidHoop offer modern takes on this idea for every aspect of consumers’ lives.”

Polaroid Pop Instant Digital CameraAs the all-in-one solution for capturing and sharing images on-the-go, the Polaroid Pop instantdigital camera enables users to shoot and instantly print full color photos as 3.5x4.25” Polaroidborder prints. Edit and enhance photos before printing with creative filters, digital stickers and adraw feature that gives the ability to write or draw at the bottom of the photo. The Polaroid Popquickly and easily connects to a mobile device using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing users to savephotos taken with the camera as well as print photos saved on a mobile device.

The Polaroid Pop instant digital camera will have a MSRP of $199.99; a 10-pack paper will havea MSRP of $9.99. Additional features include:

● MicroSD card slot to support up to 128GB of storage● 3.97-inch touchscreen LCD for framing shots and navigating the camera’s menu● 20-megapixel CMOS sensor● Built-in dual LED flash for high quality images, image stabilization● 1080p full HD video recording capability

The Polaroid Pop instant digital camera uses the revolutionary ink-free Zero Ink® Printingtechnology developed by ZINK. The ZINK-enabled printer uses heat to activate and colorizecyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals embedded in the paper. The result is full-color, highquality, long-lasting and smudge-proof images without ink cartridges, ribbons or toner. The3.5x4.25” photo prints in just under a minute so consumers can instantly share the photo withfriends and family.

Polaroid Hoop Home Security CameraThe Polaroid Hoop home security camera offers 1080p high-definition video resolution and a140-degree lens with a wide-angle view to maximize coverage. The Polaroid Hoop is simple toset up with an easy-to-use app available for Android and iOS. The Polaroid Hoop will have aMSRP of $179.99 for the indoor camera and $199.99 for the outdoor camera.

● Stylish and Sleek - The affixed base of the Polaroid Hoop home security camera can beplaced on a shelf or table or be easily mounted to a wall or ceiling.● Indoor or Outdoor - The camera is available in two models, indoor and outdoor, with aweatherproof construction on the outdoor version to withstand the elements.● Grouping - Users can install several throughout their home and monitor and accessfootage from one app. Cameras are grouped together and labelled to easily capture andidentify events in specific areas of the home, or schedule recordings in a particular area.The primary account holder can assign, manage and share access to specific cameraswith friends and family.● Intelligent Monitoring and Alerts - The Polaroid Hoop offers advanced monitoringcapabilities that detect events and automatically alert the user via the app and pushnotifications. Users can set specific zones and only trigger an alert should anythingchange within that area of the frame. The Polaroid Hoop also leverages a proprietaryalgorithm that over time can learn to distinguish between normal daily events and thosethat occur unplanned.● Storage - When the camera detects an event, it automatically records the footage for theduration of the event and sends a push notification to the user’s smartphone to view thefile locally on an optional microSD card or store in the cloud for up to seven days for free.

The Polaroid Pop instant digital camera and Polaroid Hoop home security camera weredesigned in partnership with renowned design firm, Ammunition, the studio that was also behindthe Polaroid Zip instant photoprinter, Polaroid Snap line of instant digital cameras and PolaroidCube and Polaroid Cube+ lifestyle action cameras. Led by industrial designer Robert Brunner,Ammunition has partnered with award-winning consumer brands including Adobe, Beats by Dre,Square, Lyft and Williams-Sonoma.

Offered by C+A Global, an authorized Polaroid licensee, the Polaroid Pop instant digital cameraand Polaroid Hoop home security camera will be available at retailers throughout the UnitedStates starting in October 2017. Both products will also be on display at IFA 2017 in Berlin,Germany, September 1-6 in hall 11.1 booth #130. To learn more, please visit polaroid.com

About PolaroidPolaroid is one of the world’s most trusted, respected and recognizable brands, with a rich80-year history built primarily on Polaroid instant cameras and film. The company’s completerange of products was designed to deliver the fun, instant gratification and creative freedom forwhich the brand has long stood. Today, the Polaroid Classic Border Logo, rooted in the instantphoto sharing that Polaroid pioneered, is the mark of genuine Polaroid branded products. Formore information, visit Polaroid.com.

Polaroid, Polaroid & Pixel, Polaroid Color Spectrum, Polaroid Pop, Polaroid Hoop, PolaroidCube, Polaroid Zip, Polaroid Snap and Polaroid Classic Border Logo are trademarks of PLR IPHoldings, LLC, used under license.

Just Announced: Sony's A7 II - faster autofocus and image stabilization

I reviewed the Sony A7 in April of this year - found it to be a lovely camera but suffered from slower AF and a small lens selection, unless you use adapters which causes focus to get even slower.   Since then I have reviewed the Sony a7r (36MP) and the Sony a7s (Amazing low light capabilities) along with the Sony FE mount to EF mount Metabones adapter that will provide access to all of my Canon lenses.    A complaint that is common across these sony A7 bodies and the more DSLR like A77 is lack of lenses - Sony now has something like 5 full frame bodies currently on the market and about 10 lenses that work natively (no adapters needed) with those bodies. Not a good ratio when you compare to Canon or Nikon.  But! the new Sony A7 II offers in body 5-axis image stabilization, this opens up greater possibilities with using older lenses and increases the catalog of lenses.

Sony A7 II Specs (Same as Original)

• 24MP Full Frame Sony Sensor
• 117 phase detect and 25 contrast detect points
• 5fps continuous shots
• Same Battery providing about 350 shots

Sony A7 II Upgrades:

5-Axis in body image stabilization. This is similar to what Olympus offers in their micro 4/3 series and I love the capabilities. Sony claims up to 4.5 stops of stabilization. Added benefit of making handheld video wonderful with any lensFaster AF - 30% improvement in the a7 II's AF speed and 1.5x better tracking performance than the original Sony A7Slight redesign to the body providing a deeper grip and more DSLR like feel.XVACs codec for video at 50MBPS and support for S-Log2 profile for better grading control of video in post Should be shipping in early December in Japan - not clear when it will be available here in the US.  Sony Product video showing the A7 Mark II Image Stabilization in action -