Shutterbug Staff

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) announced an update to the public
beta of Adobe Lightroom, an all-new digital imaging workflow solution for professional
photographers that allows them to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes
of images. The latest version adds features suggested by beta testers that allow
greater control over export size and resolution, refined metadata selection with
print output and RGB value readouts for greater editing precision.



New to the Develop module are Before and After preview tools and History features
that allow a photographer to quickly preview and track changes, more control over
the size and resolution of exported photos. A new dedicated Web module provides
a rich web content editing experience and live previews of HTML and Flash output.
Other features include resolution control in the Export module, an additional
Straighten tool to correct camera angle issues, Keyword import and export, the
ability to save module settings with collections or shoots. Auto Import or Hot
Folder support allows photographers to automatically add images to the Lightroom
Library from a specified directory.



"We'd like to thank our early beta testers, and encourage more user
participation in helping us build a final product that best serves photographers'
unique needs," said Dave Story, vice president of product development for
Digital Imaging at Adobe. "We will build upon the success of the public
beta program with the release of a Windows version this summer."



With its modular and task-based environment, Lightroom beta delivers tools for
a complete photography workflow. Leveraging industry-leading Adobe Camera Raw
3.4 technology, Lightroom now supports over 120 native raw file formats. New camera
models supported by this beta are Canon EOS 30D, Epson R-D1s, Leaf Aptus 65 and
Aptus 75, Olympus EVOLT E-330 and SP-320, Pentax *ist DL2 and Samsung GX-1S. Once
images are imported, they can be showcased via slideshows, complete with music,
as well as drop shadows, borders, Identity Plates and different colored backgrounds.



During Lightroom's public beta period modules and features will be added
or changed based on the necessity and priority within digital photography workflows.



Lightroom beta 3.0 for Macintosh OSX Tiger (10.4.3), a universal binary application
that runs on both Power PC and Intel Macs, is available for free download from
the Adobe Labs Web site at http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom.


Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4.3, 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor,
768 MB RAM and 1024x768 resolution screen. The final shipping version will be
released in late 2006. A Windows version of Lightroom beta will be available for
download this summer. Further details around pricing, system requirements and
availability have yet to be determined.
...

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling has announced the LightScribe Travel Kit that
enables users to preserve their vacation memories and add a personal touch to
their DVD and CD label designs. The LightScribe Travel Kit's DVD / CD label tips,
templates, and resources are available for free download on lightscribe.com -
just in time as people return from summer holidays.



To ensure that discs containing their travel memories stand out, customers owning
a LightScribe-enabled drive can go to the Travel Kit (www.lightscribe.com/go/create)
and download travel DVD and CD label designs, mailers, and disc sleeve designs
that reflect their favorite trip memories to share with family and friends.



With the new kit, travelers can create personalized custom designs that integrate
travel photos with text so that the discs are personalized and capture their special
memories from each unique trip. With LightScribe, photo and video CDs and DVDs
can be labeled with a memorable photo from the vacation so that the discs can
be quickly identified with a favorite visual memory.



LightScribe -- a laser DVD / CD label burning technology found in many popular
brands of disc burners, laptops and PCs -- gives people the ability to easily
burn silkscreen-quality photos, graphics, images and text directly onto LightScribe
CDs and DVDs. A simple title printed in normal mode will typically take a couple
of minutes. A fuller disc image will take approximately 15-20 minutes. LightScribe
DVDs and CDs come in gold, with CDs available in red, orange, yellow, blue and
green.



LightScribe DVD and CD label burning technology, the only widely-available embedded
disc label technology, is licensed to over 80 optical drive and media manufacturers,
software developers, media and computer brands worldwide.
...

Click to see the Photo of the Day image captured by frequent contributor Linn Smith. Your photos could be featured, too — upload your best shots today.

liveBooks, Inc., announced it is releasing new packages and new pricing under
the product name liveBooks Professional. The decision to revise and enhance
their product line is based on the experience of servicing thousands of photographers
over four years and
recognizing that photographers have many common needs which could be
addressed with a common feature set. In addition, they realize that each
photographer has their own individual needs which require the flexibility to
customize their web presence. Therefore, a robust feature set and custom
design time are included with all three of the liveBooks Professional packages
--
Unlimited, Select and Basic.

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