Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Public Beta has 64-Bit Support in Leopard

Adobe released a public beta of Photoshop Lightroom 2.0. It is available for download from this Adobe Web page. Lightroom is the professional photographer's essential toolbox, providing one application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs.

An improved layout in the Library module allows for a more intuitive approach to image organization by simplifying the location of the features needed to find and filter photographs. A new feature called Smart Collections automatically updates collections with images that match desired criteria such as star-rating, keyword or other metadata.

Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta includes improved memory handling through
64-bit support for OS X 10.5 Intel Macs. Additional enhancements in Lightroom 2.0 beta include support for a dual monitor configuration that maximizes a photographer's workspace and can be easily adjusted to meet a particular workflow. Additionally, the Develop module has been updated to provide the ability to correct specific parts of an image without affecting other areas. Now, fundamental photographic techniques such as dodge and burn can be performed using the same non-destructive approach, allowing unprecedented control within the Lightroom program.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta is available as a 30-day trial for
free download on Macintosh. Existing Lightroom 1.0 customers will be able to test the beta for an extended period until Aug. 31, 2008 and can invite friends to take part in this trial period. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel-based processor. [Bill Fox]