It is about that time, and Adobe Systems will soon be announcing Photoshop Lightroom 6. For those who have been with the program since Lightroom 1, they have seen the program evolve from rudimentary to indispensable. While there are a number of amazing tools such as Nikon CaptureNX, OnOne Photo Suite, Topaz Labs, and MacPhun, Lightroom has the largest recognition and scale in the field of photography. When a new version is announced, everyone must pay attention.
I have witnessed the impressive maturation of Lightroom from it’s initial edition to Version 5. What were once massive updates have become more subtle as Adobe adds more fit and polish to an incredibly full-featured product. That being said, here are my list of updates, dream, and wish-list items I would love to see if Lightroom 6.
- Automatic dust spot detection. Adobe added a great contrast filter that allows you to detect even hard-to-find dust spots. Now, I must admit, I use my cameras so much that I am often stuck with a dirty sensor in between cleanings.
- An update to the 2012 Process. The upgrade from the 2010 Process to the 2012 Process was significant (who remembers the Recovery slider?).
- Better plug-in integration. One of the greatest features of Lightroom is the non-destructive editing. Your edits in Lightroom do not tough the raw file until you export an image. However, if you are using a plugin (such as Nik Software, MacPhun, OnOne, Noiseware, list goes on), you are required to make a separate tif file. I feel this ruins some of the Lightroom aesthetic when you are making a separate file. I would love to see plugins handled more like Adobe Photoshop Layers and Layer Masks in the Lightroom database.
- Seamless editing with Adobe Photoshop. This issues follows a similar issue to the way Lightroom plugins. When you want to use Photoshop for those final edits out of Lightroom, you must export to a PSD file. It would be great to be able to edit in Photoshop right out of Lightroom, and return with those edits intact, all without creating a separate file.
- Larger image cache. Adobe currently has a 50gb image cache maximum, and the default is much smaller. For those working with heavy image loads, particularly wedding and event photographers, initial images load slow. Storage is cheap, and being able to increase the image cache would be a huge help.
- Improved batch editing. This would save wedding and event photographers a lot of time. While you can do some minor batch editing, a full featured batch editing feature based on user preferences and the histogram would be useful. This is much different than the autotone, which uses an Adobe-specified profile. This would be able to set by user.
With the Lightroom 6 announcement coming soon, many of these features may be slated for the next version, or something we may see in the future in Lightroom 7, 8, or beyond. In the meantime, I can’t wait to see the next edition of Lightroom and what it does for all of us in the photography field.
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.