Frequency of Lightroom Classic releases

[johnrellis]

Adobe releases a new version of Lightroom Classic every 52 days (7.4 weeks) on average.

It releases a version supporting new cameras every 61 days (8.7 weeks) on average.

It releases a new major version (12.0, 12.1, 12.2, ...) every 65 days (9.3 weeks) on average. New features (as opposed to bug fixes) are usually released in major versions only.

These averages exclude version 9.3, released on 6/16/20, 126 days after 9.2, which was at the beginning of COVID-19 as companies scrambled to adjust.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@johnrellis  I always find this chart interesting.

One new variable I would like to point out as it affects one of the reasons for tracking this information: namely "New Camera Support"

Starting in January of 2023 the Camera Raw team began a new optional release that occurs in between the major single dot releases. CR 15.1 was released in December and 15.1.1 (which was primarily for new camera support) was released in January with 15.2 scheduled for the near future. This 'bisecting' release is planned to continue through 2023 as needed to provide a bridge (small B) between the single dot releases. While this doesn't directly affect the Lightroom clients, it does affect both the CR Plugin for Photoshop and, more importantly for your data here, the DNG Converter.  I am not sure how you will want to integrate this information (if at all) as it will have a quasi-impact on your "Camera Days" statistic. 

[johnrellis]

Having the DNG Converter released more frequently will provide a much-appreciated stopgap for purchasers of new cameras.

In a previous incarnation of this chart, I used to include CR releases, so maybe I'll add that in to this version.

[DdeGannes]

What about users that do not wish to convert their raw image files from their camera to the DNG format.

The profiles necessary to support new cameras models Camera Raw / Lightroom Classic are also necessary for the DNG Converter.

[DdeGannes]

@Deleted User Flohr, you stated " While this doesn't directly affect the Lightroom clients, it does affect both the DNG Photoshop Plugin and, more importantly for your data here, the DNG Converter." 

I there a DNG Photoshop Plug-in as opposed to the Adobe Camera Raw Plug-in?

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Looks like I replied to your other post. Repeating here for clarity. "Mistyped: Corrected: Should have been: Photoshop CR Plugin"

[DdeGannes]

@johnrellis, You refer to " Versions ", maybe " Updates" would be more appropriate.

Versions are released annually LrC 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

Mistyped: Corrected: Should have been: Photoshop CR Plugin

[Thor Egil Leirtrø]

In software development lingo Major versions are 9, 10, 11, 12 etc. New functionality releases.
Minor versions / dot versions are 12.1, 12.2, 12.3 etc. Minor functionality adjustments, bug fixes.
And then you have the patch versions 12.0.1, 12.0.2 etc. Bug fixes.

[C.Cella]

Te biggest complain I have seen among users is that when a new camera is released it takes many weeks (a month or more even) to be able to use/develop the RAW files in LrC.

Reverse-engineering of the RAW is no small task, it takes time (users that buy a new camera camera at launch will be unable to use LrC but alas don't know that is not really Adobe's fault. )

How many users DO NOT know that Camera manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, etc..)  are not sharing with Adobe the new cameras in advance so it's really not possible for Adobe to make them immediately compatible with LrC upon release!?

Adobe is largely not responsible for the current situation.

This said many features, behaviors that ACR has (at today) that have never been ported to LrC.

@johnrellis 

To me a more alarming data to conside is the gap between ACR and LrC.

How man years do LrC users have to wait to get the same (super useful) features that ACR already has?!

I hate to be a thorn in the LrC team side, I totally hate it and my daily effort is devoted to help the LrC team but I can't pretend that LrC is "up to date".

.

Data at hand LrC is years behind ACR in many areas.

[DdeGannes]

@C.Cella, Stated " This said many features, behaviors that ACR has (at today) that have never been ported to LrC."

Care to share what those features might be.

[Jim Wilde]

Or maybe start another thread instead of taking this one off topic.

[Rikk Flohr: Photography]

@C.Cella 

I agree with @Jim Wilde here. This your post and subsequent posts are attempting to hijacking a thread with a different subject/topic than the OP intended. 

There is a place to request features (Ideas).  'Helping' would be to add your voice to existing requests and, if they are absent, to create them. Ultimately, their strength or need can be gauged, in part, by the community's response. Buried as a laundry list in this unrelated thread means they are lost to internal Adobe tracking. 

For review: https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-ideas/how-do-i-write-a-feature-request/idi-p/123863... 

As you continue, please remember that Adobe has 3 separate desktop applications that edit raw files (not counting Bridge and Elements).  Each application serves a specific audience who have different needs and asks. Because they share an underlying engine is not sufficient justification for 100% feature parity among them. 

[C.Cella]

@Rikk Flohr: Photography 

I am truly sorry for my comments here, I never meant to hijack or derail the thread.

@johnrellis has my sincere apologies.

I am sorry.

.

[C.Cella]

Ok.

First of all ACR engine is the engine used in LrC... everything is ported form ACR to LrC.

• ACR has no "table edits" limit so a user can keep creating Mask basically at infinite.

LrC has a "table limit" of edits doable, after that our photos reset.

So Masking is not fully usable in LrC but it is in ACR.

• ACR doesn't have slowdowns when a photo has many dab points (brush tool)

LrC gets progressively slower and unusable the more dab points a photo has (no matter the Hardware)

• In ACR is possible to full screen preview Snapshots when hovering over them.

LrC was never updated with this feature for Snapshots not History.

(Each History step in LrC is a snapshot but saved in the Catalog database)

Full Screen preview of History and Snaps is totally doable in LrC.

I FR it but it should not have bee necessary to ask for this espctially because History is a unique strong point of LrC. 

• ACR has scrub gestures to quickly change the Brush tool (similar but not identical to Photoshop)

LrC  was never given the equivalent  (I FR quick gestures for Brush Took  but nobody beside @johnrellis voted for that)

 • It is possible to easily and quickly delete Snapshot in ACR.

 • ACR has Curves in Masking!

It is luckily coming to LrC but it has been over 4 months now I believe.

 • In ACR is possible to select Point Curve when syncing and/or copying settings.

@johnrellis has implemented it for his sublime plug-in "Copy Settings"

Once again I feature requested it for LrC.

• In ACR is possible to create a Preset ticking only Point Curve.

In LrC one must edit the XMP manually...which is what I do and 99.999% of users don't know how to do.

Do you know how to do it?

• In ACR is possible to hide the following panels thanks to the eyeball icon:  individual Edits Masking, Healing Panel, Red Eye.

This means we can see a photo without specific settings in the blink of an eye.

Coming in the future hopefully 🤞🏻

• In ACR active panels are marked  with a dot so users can tell/see if a photo has been cropped, contains Masks, or Healing or Red Eye.

Hopefully coming in the future 🤞🏻

• ACR has a "Sampler Tool"

LrC was never given that.

• In ACR creating People is faster than in LrC as the "Create" button is immediately highlighted.

• In ACR when using Objects tool the overlay used is the "Colour Overlay" chosen by the use.

In LrC the Objects overaly it's a solid red colour that totally hides the selection below and makes to tool harder to use 😖

• In ACR the Objects tool is kept selected and one can add more Objects in the same corrections without selecting it over and over again.

In LrC there is a bug so is not doable...again it has been months that this bug was reported (a fix is reported for this)

• Linear Gradients can be rotated precisely by 15° in ACR.

LrC was not given the same.

I am probably definitely missing something BUT the first 3 points alone make ACR superior to LrC when it comes to editing.

@Rikk Flohr: Photography 

Please understand I am being critical with LrC but I just want to help.

.

[C.Cella]

@johnrellis 

I didn't mean to derail your thread.

While you have kept track of how frequent LrC has been updated I have kept track of how behind Lr is compared to its father ACR.