Lightroom Mobile for Android Users?

[bnalley]

Hey there,

I'm curious as to whether or not the app will be ported to Android. Adobe say that the iPhone app is coming soon but never mentions Android.

[Geoff the kiwi]

LrM for Android is in the pipeline and will be ready when it is ready…… I think their is a fair indication of a mobile support timeline. It is here and now and other OS's will be added along the way… just like more cameras are added. Quite simply the OS used to launch is the most widely used with Lightroom and so it all makes sense….

[TysonB]

"ready when it's ready, but we won't give you any specifics"

Yep. Sure. I'll say it again, the fact that the small screened iPhone got LrM before large screened Android tablets means that Adobe can't be too serious about Android development.

"OS used to launch is the most widely used with Lightroom"

Most widely used with Lightroom, or most widely invested in by Adobe executives?

[Geoff the kiwi]

What is your beef? You have had your questions answered reasonably by a variety of people including the Product Manager yet you still are in denial of reality. Maybe you should move to iPhoto that might work for you…. oh sorry that is Mac….. Picasa has some great features that may fit your profile, it comes in PC I understand...

[TysonB]

Go EAD, Geoff.

If you look back, you'll see that NONE of my questions have been answered.

I'm in denial of nothing, the reality is that there is currently no support for LrM for Android, and given all the information that is available to us, it is fair and reasonable to say that Android users are not being supported at all.

THAT is the reality according to what questions have been answered.

[Timothy.Spear]

TysonB,

Actually I think you have received answers to your questions. But you do not like the answers.

Adobe specifically stated that market research determined the order for the platforms, but they were unable/unwilling to release the market data.

Adobe like many other software companies after getting burned on release schedules has largely moved away from any public comments about a schedule. Now Adobe and many other companies only commit to features and support in a specific release and the order of the releases. Not to a release date.

They have committed to supporting the android platform.

On the flip side, until it is released, it is just vaporware

Tim

[john beardsworth]

TysonB wrote:

"OS used to launch is the most widely used with Lightroom"

Most widely used with Lightroom, or most widely invested in by Adobe executives?

When I recently looked at visitor stats for my Lightroom site, 60% of mobile visitors used iPads, 23% iPhones, and the top Android device, a Galaxy, accounted for just 3%. These statistics were almost identical to two other Lightroom sites. Given such numbers, how would you prioritise your development efforts?

[TysonB]

Well given they we're taking about a product, not just visits to a website, and given that Android has a 60-something percent market share versus 30 something pervent IOS (I can't find the exact article I was reading yesterday documenting this anymore, sorry), I think it's very obvious where I would develop first if we were talking about sheer numbers.

[Geoff the kiwi]

Ah so your market research that you can't remember where you saw it is more

thorough and focussed on Lightroom users than Adobe's own research on the

matter..... mmmmm

[TysonB]

Hi Geoff, I get that you don't like me, and that you have some kind of superiority complex, but believe it or not: yes, I can't find the website this morning that I was reading late last night. It's not like there's more than, what, a hundred? A thousand websites? Maybe more? And of course if you took your time to get off your high-horse and did any kind of research yourself you'd see I'm right.

So stop trying to insult me and belittle me when you've contributed nothing.

[john beardsworth]

You'd have to be a masochist to visit any of those Lightroom-oriented web sites if you weren't a Lightroom user. I challenge you to find more reliable indicators of what platform is most common among Lightroom users.

[thdawkins]

I think one of the issue that should noted is that most of the Adobe creative cloud tutorial made by adobe creative cloud evangelists all use Mac Computers and hense they also use IPADs etc so therefore easier for them to do the iOS first so all these evangelist can give feedback on it as well before they actually released it.  My wife has hinted that she may get me a Galazy Note Pro 12.1 for my birthday, and it would be nice to able to have LrM available for it. But I have happy at the moment doing my Photography work on my desktop.  Will not go back to Ipad unless they add expandable storage like Android phones and tablets have.

[radiomaven]

I am one of the 200,000 (according to Adobe) currently users of Lightroom Mobile on the iPad. But I really want to have it on my Android tablet also. Heard that Adobe announced that it would be out before the end of the year?

Sidenote analogy: Market share is like "yards gained" in a football game.  "Profit" is like the final score.  Which would you rather have to be bigger?

[TheHoaryHound]

Good point doublenegative.  Although market share is still important because it leads to future profits and creates lock in. My own gut feeling is that most "creatives", especially creatives with influence in the marketplace, use Apple products. As an Android user I'd sure like to see Adobe at least say SOMETHING about the schedule. How hard would it be for them to show a little respect?

[Timothy.Spear]

They did. Android is in the release path. Beyond that, if they give a target date, and miss it they will get hammered bad. If they give a date far enough out in the future that any issues they run into can be resolved and fixed before release, they get hammered because it will take so long....

Basically, users who do not understand software development and the associated complexities have made it so that no company really wants to give a release date until they are way passed beta and in final release candidate testing if they are doing releases on functionality. (The opposite also works, look at Ubuntu they release on a regular schedule but only include what is ready. If it is not ready it gets pushed back a release).

Tim

[RikkFlohr]

There was a request for potential beta-testers made last week: Lightroom Mobile: Support for Android

That said: Adobe and most other companies never give anything more than a vague notion of release schedule, dates and versions.

[TheHoaryHound]

Thanks Rick... I've applied to the beta program.

What you said about other companies not providing a heads-up on software paths, etc... that may be true in many cases.

However, I think that Adobe has (or, should have) a very different relationship with its customers than do those other companies.

For example, I use gmail from Google.  However, I don't really consider gmail to be a critical link for my business.  If gmail suddenly changes, or drops support for my device (which, of course, Google would never do), there are dozens of alternatives for me.  Also... I pay exactly nothing for gmail.

On the other hand, both Adobe LR and Photoshop are expensive products. More importantly, they are an integral part of my workflow and not easily replaceable with another product.

So...given those rather significant (in my opinion at least) differences, I still feel that Adobe should keep its customers apprised of what's coming down the road. That way we can plan for the changes.

THH

[Timothy.Spear]

So, do you have the same special relationship with Intel for a new processor, or Apple for a new Mac, or Microsoft for a new Windows version. I mean, they are critical to my workflow, I need to know....

The argument can be applied to almost any area of software or hardware. But no industry seems to get special treatment from its customers; therefore it is in almost no companies interest to be more specific.

Tim

[TheHoaryHound]

It would be fun to see what would happen if Intel came out with a new processor with new features but didn't support, say, Dell Computers, and wouldn't give out any info on when the support would arrive.  Everyone understands that software needs to be released in a logical way and that companies like Adobe are trying hard to get it right. My issue...and the issue probably for the many dozens who have replied to this thread...is about communication.  Many people just want to have a rough idea of the schedule so they can plan purchases, etc, around that.

As far as commercial software companies giving their customers a heads-up on feature timelines, I can think of few right off the bat. I'm sure there are many, many more.

For example, AutoDesk (CAD Software), ESRI (GIS Software)

[Timothy.Spear]

For ESRI, I have never seen a schedule announced until beta. The will show

preview releases our discuss planned features but no schedule until beta. I

have attended a number of ESRI conferences

For Autodesk, got me. I do not use it.

My fundamental point still applies. Oh, Intel has not released a

schedule....

Tim

[KVL_NY]

I'd like to throw in my late comments.

1 - Background: For professional photography use, I primarily use Capture One Pro.  I like Lightroom for certain things but my workhorse app is Capture One, and that comes with a mobile app called Capture Pilot, and that works only on iOS as well with a Android web connection. However, I've never seen anyone use the mobile app on iOS for any real workflow.

2 - If Lightroom never came out with an Android version or even iOS, it wouldn't bother me.  My mobile platform is Android, but I don't rely on it for work with image editing or processing or sharing.  Seems more of a novelty at this stage.

3 - Why not embrace iOS as the first real beta group?  Overall, I would prefer to know that a application has been tested in the field and improved upon before it gets to Android.  Why not let Apple do all that for me.  Either way, the ultimate goal is to provide a product that works well, designed well, and does the job it's meant to do efficiently.  There are no benefits for being a first user, unless you need to say you were first for bragging rights.  But most working photographers I know wouldn't give a crap about that stuff.  Eventually all this will be for all platforms - may be - or they might kill it because no one is really using it seriously, or another product like Capture One will take the marketshare.

[Moredsir]

At least Adobe could stop sending me emails telling me I have new features added to my membership when I do not, and they know it! Leave Android users  out of the initial release for 9+ months (even if there are far more of us), but don't then taunt us with what we can't use!

Then again, Adobe don't give a damn. I was lied to by their sales rep who told me I could continue to use Lightroom and PS after the first year of subscribing if I cancelled my sub at that time, I asked the question twice to be sure, they then lied that they would provide me a log of the conversation (except I did think to save it myself), and despite 5 emails trying to chase this up I have had zero response.

Anyway, the only reason I want LR mobile for a decent photography app on Android that handles RAW (.ARW in my case) well and it would be very nice to be able to use my LR develop presets to quickly produce JPGs when travelling.

[DdeGannes]

Quote "Anyway, the only reason I want LR mobile for a decent photography app on Android that handles RAW (.ARW in my case) well and it would be very nice to be able to use my LR develop presets to quickly produce JPGs when travelling."

This is not even available with Apple products. Lightroom Mobile cannot import or process raw files.

[floatingby]

DdeGannes wrote:

This is not even available with Apple products. Lightroom Mobile cannot import or process raw files.

Why? And what is it used for if it can't even do this?

[DdeGannes]

Lightroom mobile is used to sync photos from your Desktop / Laptop computer with your mobile devices iPhone iPad via the Adobe Creative Cloud.

The full functional Lightroom is not available for those devices, which only use the limited functions of Lightroom Mobile.

[RikkFlohr]

Lightroom mobile for Android phones now available