It's also Adobe's first application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") computers with Intel processors. Additionally, Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with large scale images, says Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Lightroom and Camera Raw at Adobe.

He adds that the enhanced Library module in Lightroom 2 helps streamline and accelerate photographers' workflows. The new version has the ability to visually organize images across multiple hard drives, as well as a Library Filter Bar. The Suggested Keywords feature is designed to help photographers keyword their images by making intelligent suggestions based on their own previous efforts. New dual-monitor support allows users to expand their workspace.

In the Develop module, the new Local Adjustment Brush lets photographers fine-tune specific areas of an image to precisely adjust color, exposure and tonal range without affecting other areas of the image. The new Graduated Filter expands the toolbox in Lightroom, allowing for edits to larger areas by applying gradually diminishing or increasing adjustment effects such as exposure, clarity, and saturation, alone, or in any
combination.

Lightroom 2 also lets photographers print more efficiently by quickly arranging photos of multiple sizes on one or many pages with flexible and customizable templates to maximize paper and ink. Intelligent algorithms automatically determine optimal sharpening for screen or print. Developers can further extend the Lightroom workflow with Web, Export and Metadata Software Development Kits available at the [url=http://www.adobe.com/devnet/]Adobe Developer Connection[/url].

New raw technology in Lightroom 2 gives photographers access to flexible camera profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer. To minimize surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing from their favorite camera, while also providing the ability to create highly customized profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are available for immediate download on [url= http://www.adobe.com/devnet/]Adobe Labs[/url] for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.

The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is available now through the [url=http://www.adobe.com/store]Adobe Store[/url] in English, French and German with the Japanese language version planned to be released at a future date. The estimated street price is US$299 for new users with an upgrade price of $99 for registered users of qualifying Lightroom customers.

Recommended Mac system requirements are Mac OS X 10.4 or higher, at least 1GB of RAM and a 1024 x 768 resolution screen.

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