Adobe adds cross-platform photo editing for Creative Cloud users
Photographers who use Adobe's Creative Cloud suite of graphics apps are getting some love today. Both Photoshop and Lightroom have been updated to improve synchronization of photo workflows between compatible devices (ie. the Mac and the iPad). You can edit a photo on one platform and watch the changes show up on the other side; while this was already in the iPad app. now there's a feature-equivalent iPhone version of Lightroom for even more portability.
To make this power more accessible to pro and enthusiast photographers, there's a new Photography plan for Creative Cloud -- launching today -- that includes Photoshop CC, Lightroom for desktop and iOS, and more for US$9.99 per month. Adobe is presenting the whole shebang in a live webcast today at 1pm Eastern.
There are some really important developments here, so let's dive right in.
Photoshop CC
Photoshop's new features include perspective warps, new motion effects in the blur gallery, improved focusing routines and improvements to the content-aware tools.
LightRoom 5
Meanwhile, Adobe has now supplemented the three-month-old iPad version of Lightroom with a build for iPhone. Both versions let you seamlessly edit photos with sync between all your iOS devices. Lightroom now synchronizes star ratings and sort order between the desktop and mobile versions, as long as you're running Lightroom 5.5 or better on the desktop. The iOS Lightroom app is free but requires a Creative Cloud subscription to work.
Photoshop Mix
Adobe also released a new iPad app called Photoshop Mix, which lets you open images from your camera roll, the Creative Cloud, Lightroom Mobile or even Facebook. It's like a lite version of Photoshop that's been redesigned for the iPad.
Most of its operations are carried out on Adobe's cloud servers, which let you open PS documents, individual layers from PSDs and images from Lightroom Mobile. You can perform sophisticated edits on your iPad, including computationally intensive operations like content-aware moves and fills. The resulting changes will be available in Photoshop on your Mac or PC. Likewise, changes made on the desktop will appear in Photoshop Mix.
The app has dozens of presets for quick edits, and a host of sophisticated tools that you would not expect to find in an iPad app. Your work can be saved back to the Creative Cloud, or to your local camera roll. Photoshop Mix is a breakthrough for photographers who want to do heavy editing on their iPad. You'll find more details on the app on the Adobe website.
Integration
Adobe provided me advance versions of Photoshop Mix and the new Adobe Lightroom for the iPhone. Everything worked as expected. I loved performing sophisticated edits on my iPad and then seeing them reflected back in Photoshop on my Macs.
Adobe's aim is to let customers work on images no matter where they are or what device they're using. Meanwhile, Apple will make it easy to shuffle data between iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. When you sit back and consider it all, a lot of little breakthroughs add up to a significant change in how and where we work with photos.
Pricing
All these new apps and services are available now. The Photoshop and Lightroom updates are handled through the Creative Cloud updater. Photoshop Mix and Lightroom Mobile for iPhone and iPad are in the App Store and do require a Creative Cloud ID/subscription, but there is no additional cost for any of the apps or updates. The Creative Cloud Photography plan is available at US$9.99 per month and includes Photoshop CC, Lightroom desktop and mobile versions, access to Creative Cloud Learn and ongoing feature updates and upgrades. If you are already enrolled in the original Photoshop Photography plan bundle, you are grandfathered in to receive these new apps and features.
This new level of features and services from Adobe is going to appeal to professionals and serious photographers. Take a look at what is on offer (or join the webcast today) and see if it fills your needs.
