Lightroom Update Proves Need To Know Your Users

We can all put down our torches and pitchforks, as Adobe has thankfully issued an update–only a month after a previous version update–to undo some of the damage it did to its popular photo editing tool Lightroom. The public outcry over some of the changes was loud, and luckily, effective.

One of the chief complaints with the new version had to do with how photos were imported, but it’s something that the company says is still not as streamlined as it could be. However, this effort to make the process easier and more intuitive for new users only managed to derail some long-time fans.

This is hardly the first time a software company has had to undo a new version. Microsoft has a long and practically humorous history of releasing software to poor public reception (Vista? the pretend Mojave operating system that was really Vista in order to prove how great it is?), but its recent debacle with the “checked box” that forced consumers to update to Windows 10 left more than a few users vowing to go Mac or Linux. Even companies like Apple and Amazon have made dramatic changes in the past that were met with less than enthusiastic response, prompting follow-up repairs.

Of course, there’s no point in releasing an update with adding a few enhancements to make it worthwhile. With Adobe’s recent consumer-focused fix, some other changes went further to make the software even better. According to Stephen Shankland for CNET, “The Lightroom update also adds support for raw photo files from new cameras like Sony’s RX1R II and Canon’s EOS M10, PowerShot G5 X and PowerShot G9 X. It also can automatically correct lens problems with Apple’s new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Zeiss’ new high-end Milvus line for Canon and Nikon SLRs, and Canon telephoto lenses used with a 1.4x focal length extender to enhance their telescopic power.”