Offers new features and improved performance.

By Jeremy Gray, Mar 16, 2021 | Original DP Review article here.

Adobe has announced updates for Lightroom, Lightroom for mobile and Lightroom Classic. Lightroom desktop (version 4.2) and Lightroom for mobile (version 6.2) include numerous new features, Apple ProRaw support and additional enhancements. Meanwhile, improved performance is the primary update to Lightroom Classic (version 10.2).

Looking first at Lightroom desktop (4.2), the software features a new personalized feed. The ‘For you’ tab in the ‘Learn’ and ‘Discover’ sections now feature in the desktop version of Lightroom. From here, users can access guided tutorials and interactive edits, which are specifically curated for individual users. For more information about this feature, click here.

In both Lightroom desktop and Lightroom for mobile, Apple ProRaw images are now supported. When you import images shot using Apple ProRaw, they will be automatically imported using the new default from now on. The new profile support results in images that better match your in-camera experience. Apple ProRaw is available on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max devices running iOS 14.3 or later and promise greater creative control when editing.

Learn about major new features and enhancements in the June 2021 release of Lightroom Classic (version 10.3).

Super Resolution

Super Resolution enables you to get the most out of your images by intelligently improving image quality while maintaining sharp edges and color accuracy. Powered by AI technology, Super Resolution increases the width and height by 2x each for a total of 4x pixels. This is perfect for making large prints or simply improving the quality of any image, even ones that are cropped super tight. The feature supports most file types including JPEG and TIFF.

1. In the Library or Develop module, select the image that you want to enhance.
2. Control-click (on Mac)/right-click (on Windows) the image and select Enhance from the content menu.

   You can also choose Photo > Enhance, from the menu bar.

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3. In the Enhance Preview dialog box, select Super Resolution. The estimated completion time to enhance the image is displayed at the bottom. Once enhanced, click and move the cursor to see other parts of the image. You can also hold the cursor to see the before and after effect on the image.

   The zoom-out icon in the lower-right corner of the preview allows you to view the full image.

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4. Click Enhance to create an enhanced DNG version of your image.

   Note: The enhanced image is saved as a new DNG file with the filename in this format: ‘Original filename-Enhanced.dng’ and is placed next to the source image.

For more information, see Improve image quality using Enhance.

Tethered Live View for Nikon

Available for select Nikon cameras

See exactly what you are shooting in real time while tethering with Lightroom Classic’s new live view for Nikon cameras. When active, the live view from the camera will appear in a separate resizable window with the option to rotate the orientation. Feature focus control buttons will also appear in the tether bar, including Auto-Focus.

Follow these quick steps to turn Live View on:

1. Connect a supported Nikon camera to your computer and launch Lightroom Classic. Live View support – Nikon cameras

   The following Nikon camera models support Live View in Lightroom Classic:

   • Nikon D850
   • Nikon D500
   • Nikon Z6
   • Nikon Z7
2. Choose File > Tethered Capture > Start Tethered Capture.
3. Specify the settings in the Tethered Capture Settings opened dialog box.
4. Click OK. The Tether bar appears after Lightroom Classic detects a camera.
5. Click Live in the Tether bar to start Live view tethering.
6. While in the Live view, adjust the focus of your camera from the Tether bar using the Focus Control buttons.
   • Click the AF button to turn on/off the Auto Focus mode.
   • If the Auto Focus mode is disabled, use the and buttons to control the focus manually.

For more information, check out Tethered Live View. For the list of supported Nikon camera models, go to Live View support – Nikon cameras.

Native support for Apple Silicon Computers

Starting with version 10.3, Lightroom Classic runs natively on Apple Silicon devices for the optimal experience and performance. Tethered Capture is supported on Apple Silicon devices under the Rosetta emulation mode. For more information, see Tether support on Apple Silicon devices.

Support for new cameras and lenses

For a full list of supported cameras and lens profiles, see these resources:

• Supported camera models
• Supported lens profiles

Other Enhancements

Faster Metadata Management

With this release, you will experience performance improvements while selecting and updating metadata for multiple images.

File location changes for Develop Presets

With this release, the following changes have been made in develop presets:

File structure

• Any newly created develop preset will now be stored at the following locations instead of the existing hierarchy-based file structure.
  • macOS – /Users/[user name]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings
  • Windows – C:\Users[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings
• This will not impact the file structure of the existing presets stored on your system.

Note:

If you’ve enabled the Store Presets With This Catalog option in the Lightroom Classic preferences, the presets files are saved at the following location:

macOS: MacHD/[catalog location]/[catalog folder name]/Lightroom Settings/Settings

Windows: C:\Users[user name][catalog location][catalog folder name]\Lightroom Settings\Settings

PROCESS VERSION

• Lightroom Classic will not show any warning if the Process Version option is not selected while creating or editing presets.
• The Process Version option will be auto-selected if a related setting is selected.

Premium Presets

The new premium preset packs are now available in Lightroom Classic.

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In terms of user interface changes, Lightroom desktop (4.2) and Lightroom for mobile (6.2) add the ability to view combined notifications in the Activity panel. On desktop, users can also now mute settings on a specific panel. If you want to view an edited photo without a specific panel’s setting, you can long-press the eye icon to mute a specific panel. On Lightroom desktop, there are new filter options to view edited or unedited images. On Lightroom for mobile (Android), you can now more easily tell when you’ve made edits in a panel thanks to a new ‘dot’ icon.

On macOS, Lightroom Classic (version 10.2) promises improved performance when navigating through images in your filmstrip, using the Library Loupe, Develop and Compare View features. Scrolling through the Library grid is also smoother. On macOS and Windows, common batch editing functions, including Copy+Paste, Sync Settings, Quick Develop and Auto-Sync, are said to be noticeably faster in the latest version.