P: Support for HEIC file format (Windows)

[ebigmac]

Support for HEIC file format was included in Lightroom CC but still is needed in Lightroom Classic.  When will it be added?

[HEIC image support was added to LR 7.4 (for Mac OS 10.13 or later) and LR 7.5 (Windows 10).  (We're now at LR 8.2.1.) See https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/kb/heic-files-support.html.  

- John Ellis]

[michaelg11276540]

The fact this didn't make it into 7.2 is VERY disappointing Adobe. Just hard to reconcile 8 months since the iOS 11 beta where this first became the clear direction for iOS photo & video formats. Adobe dropping ball.

[john beardsworth]

30 votes.... Maybe it will become a widespread image format among LR's target userbase, but should one expect Adobe to rush to adopt every feature that Apple add to iOS? Where it makes sense, they do - eg they take advantage of the ability to shoot DNG .

[Cortig]

Well... Yes.
I would expect them to adopt as soon as possible the new image formats being adopted on widely popular mobile phones.
The fact that they did in Lightroom CC a little while ago speaks to the fact that they do believe it’s important to them too. It just looks like they’re investing most of their efforts in the development of Lightroom CC while Lightroom Classic CC is becoming more and more of a second class citizen. I think it’s a dangerous strategy since Lightroom CC doesn’t fit everybody’s needs and some customers like myself might end up migrating to the competition (I’m looking into it, because I’m becoming more and more worried about the future of Lightroom Classic CC).
New lenses and camera bodies are added to the app on a regular basis, why not image formats? It’s not a technologically outrageously complicated thing to do and the number of apps that already support the new format illustrates this too.

[john beardsworth]

30 votes - the phones might be widely adopted, but aren't LR users preferring higher quality formats? We'll  be able to tell what future Adobe plan for Classic based on more important things than their rushing to support a single image format. Fix the bugs, then support it.

[michaelg11276540]

The comment about 'preferring higher quality formats' is missing the mark. The core issue is that MANY photographers shoot photos with their iPhone AND their traditional cameras. I just got back from New Zealand where I shot many photos with my iPhone X and my Sony A7R3. For storage optimization reasons, the new HEIF/C formats are fantastic. Lightroom Classic CC is my main photo DAM and all those iPhone photos are just black squares. As pointed out already, Adobe isn't 'evaluating' these formats as they ALREADY SUPPORT THEM IN L-CC AND PHOTOSHOP. They just haven't released support for LC-CC. Adobe pushed us Classic users into subscriptions by promising fast and timely updates 'now that you are on a subscription plan.' But dragging their heels on the default photo format for the what has become world's biggest camera installed base is just plain insulting.

[msp_guy]

@john (1) That's not the point, it's not a special/new feature or functionality. LR continually adds supports for new cameras (D850, A7R3, and on and on) and yet this camera, which is the most used in the world, is not having support added for its file type. That's crazy. (2) If you think LR users don't care about having their iphone pictures supported/in the same catalog, I'm guessing you also worked for a camera company in 2010-2011 and argued that mobile photography will never kill point and shoots. <shakes head>

[Mr. Dmitry]

They just don't care about the needs of users. It has been always like this. They even don't have bug report system - only this place where users can to weep with each other about issues that they experience.

[john beardsworth]

As Victoria explained before me, they hit bugs supporting this format. At least, unlike psb, you can get the files catalogued. But when you think how many iPhones are out there, only 30 votes indicates it's not a huge priority for customers.

[Lumigraphics]

Most customers don't know this site exists.

[Cortig]

@john. Victoria’s post was from a  month ago. The disappointment (at least for me) comes from today’s release that’s still not addressing the issue. And since the 7.2 update just came out today, it’s a bit premature to say that 30 votes (within a few hours of the release of the update) is not significant IMVVVHO.

[john beardsworth]

A month is not long, and we don't know the details of the bug. It was 30 votes before today's announcement, no more since.

[Cortig]

@john. I voted just a couple of ours ago myself after searching for info on the matter, and the counter was at 25.

[Mr. Dmitry]

Usually, only 1/1000th user reports the issue. But because Adobe is so disrespectful to users that they don't have bug reporter, I think, only 1/100,000th user reports the issues to Adobe here. 30 votes means 3,000,000 users have the same problem. At least.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

> Adobe is so disrespectful to users that they don't have bug reporter

Dmitry, have you considered it a slightly different way? Most bug report forms are a black hole. You never know whether anyone else has the same problem, let alone whether there's a workaround. But Adobe have been willing to make their bug reports completely public, and let us discuss them and vote on them. 

Whatever the numbers, whether it's 1/1000 or 1/100,000 users who report a bug, seeing the numbers in relation to other bug reports still helps prioritize (after all, only 1/1000 or 1/100,000 would have reported the other issues requests too).

[Mr. Dmitry]

1. You don't provide official responses here. So, that's not better than conventional bug reporter.
2. Prioritizing is not enough. You must fix all popular issues - not only the top of them. Especially, when we are speaking about SUBSCRIPTION. Users purchase working software during some period of time - not only on the moment of purchase. They pay you money, you spend them but don't give working product to users. That sounds even like a scam.

[J453]

Solved Issues: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/categories/photoshop_family_photoshop_lightroom?topi...

Implemented Ideas: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/categories/photoshop_family_photoshop_lightroom?topi...

[Mr. Dmitry]

The list of solved problems shows that you fixed not popular issues but omitted popular like this. There is no logic in that.

[Mr. Dmitry]

Another sample of EXTREMELY ANNOYING issue that was just ignored here: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/topics/look-on-the-crop-straighten-tool-doesnt-remai...

[J453]

That prior link is sorted by most recent. Here's sorted by me toos: https://feedback.photoshop.com/photoshop_family/categories/photoshop_family_photoshop_lightroom?topi...

[Mr. Dmitry]

I can see only 23 more popular issues there from 995. That's 2%. So, why are you ignoring this issue?

Also I can see that you fixed only 995 issues during last 7 years. That's 142 issues per year. Or 1 issue every 2 days. How many developers do you have? It looks like not more than one. And how many money do we pay you? What are you doing with them? Just hire at least 100 more developers to help this one poor soul who is doing all the job!

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

There's a really good team of engineers Dmitry. You can see their names in the About screen. Throwing more engineers at the problem doesn't really help, because it's really complex code and someone has to explain it all to new developers. You should see the list of other issues they fix, in addition to the ones reported by users... it's a really long list every release. Everything just gets prioritized. We can all wish for "more fixes" but the more fixes they put in each release, the higher the risk of creating new bugs. It's catch 22.

[garyrowe]

john beardsworth - you act as though every LR user looks in this site. Personally, I expect most hardly even know it's here. And of those that do, there are those who came here to only see people reporting problem after problem, and mos likely thought it probably serves no actual purpose except to be a place for people let off steam. If Adobe were to actually use the number of votes here to prioritise their development, that would be crazy.

I just wish they would stop messing us around and get a stable platform in place, and then give us the functionality we've been asking for for ages along with supporting the new cameras/formats as they come out.

Sadly, from a lot of the issues I've been experiencing with v7 it looks as though they've resorted to trying to cut out repeating bits of processing by trying to remember what they have already displayed/processed (and so not have to redisplay it), but sometimes losing track of what's what and ending up with wrong/old data still onscreen. If true, then that'd be a real sign of desperation.
Sadly, they may be suffering from massive technical debt, and I just hope that LR 7 isn't already on its last legs.

[garyrowe]

Victoria, yes it takes time to train as team ... but LR has been around for a long time!!!

[msp_guy]

At the end of the day, it didn't ship in 7.2. Hence, we can all agree it was not prioritized. Now, people can differ on whether that lack of prioritization was reasonable or bat-sh*t crazy. I know which side I fall on and have no doubt I'm right. Others may feel differently. The fact remains that the iphone has (100? 1000? 1M?) times as many users as the latest Nikon/Canon/etc camera, yet those new raw formats get supported quickly and HEIF/HEIC has not. Those who don't like it can vote with their wallets, which is what I'm very close to doing.

[Victoria Bampton LR Queen]

> If Adobe were to actually use the number of votes here to prioritise their development, that would be crazy

Actual votes numbers would be useless, no question, but the percentage of votes on each feature is surprisingly representative of the general feedback. Of course, they don't JUST use this forum. They talk to real people, they talk to influencers who are constantly talking to real people, and they do other research, in addition to the votes here.

Yes, there's technical debt to pay back, but believe it or not, I don't think LR7 is on its last legs. The engineers are more fired up and enthusiastic than I've seen in years. And I've been watching closely for years.