It’s Here: Direct Lightroom Import on iOS 13.2

Adobe released updates to the Lightroom ecosystem today which finally brings the ability to import photos directly from a memory card or camera to the Lightroom library, bypassing the iPad’s Camera Roll or Files app. I’ve been waiting for this feature since the first version of Lightroom on iOS.

The Lightroom Queen blog has more information about what’s in the latest updates: What’s New in Lightroom (Cloud Service) December 2019 release?

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It’s Coming: Direct Lightroom Import on iPad and iPhone

Since the release of iOS 13/iPadOS 13, the options for importing photos directly from a camera or memory card reader have increased, letting you import to the Files app or the Photos app. Now, Adobe has previewed an upcoming version of Lightroom Mobile that allows you to import photos directly into Lightroom on the iPad or iPhone. Adobe hopes to release this version by the end of the year.

9to5 Mac has the story: Adobe previews direct photo import coming to Lightroom on iPad.

And here’s Adobe’s video:

2019 Guide: Apple iPad Pro for Photographers

Are we there yet? Can an iPad replace a laptop for photographers? I’ve been asking this question since the first iPad was released, and every generation gets a step closer to that ideal. The current iPad Pro is tantalizingly close: the hardware is there, but the software still has some catching up to do.

Over at DPReview, I’ve published an in-depth look at using the iPad Pro for photography. Check it out and let me know if you agree in the comments below.

Read it here: 2019 Guide: Apple iPad Pro for Photographers.

[Photo by Dan Bracaglia]

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Bypass the Camera Roll in iOS 13

At Apple’s WWDC Keynote today, previews of iOS 13, macOS Catalina, watchOS 6, and even a new iPadOS were shown to whet developers’ appetites and upcoming caffeine levels between now and fall, when these versions will be released.

One thing in particular stood out for me, given my history with the iPad and photography: we won’t be forced to import photos directly to the Photos Camera Roll, as has been the case since the release of the first iPad. Images can be copied to the Files app, which supports reading any USB, SD card, or hard drive. The import process will allow you to review photos before copying them, including raw files. Or, image files can be imported directly into an app such as Lightroom Mobile. According to the iOS 13 preview, the latter will require developers to tie in to the Image Capture API.

Why is this a big deal? Until recently, you had to live with two copies of the same imported image on your device: the one in Photos, and then one imported from Photos into your photo editor/organizer of choice, dramatically reducing your free storage on the device. At the beginning of this year, a novel solution emerged using the Shortcuts feature in iOS 12: after importing images, the shortcut ran an automation that imported them into Lightroom, and then deleted the original copies from the Photos library. It works, but it’s far from elegant.

The Photos app under iOS 13 gets some interesting enhancements, like a refreshed UI, more editing controls, and the ability to edit video using the same controls. But right now, I’m feeling a definite sense of “finally” at this one change.

https://twitter.com/jeffcarlson/status/1135609868457455616

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PhotoActive Episode 40: Geotagging with HoudahGeo

New PhotoActive episode! We welcome Pierre Bernard, developer of the Mac application HoudahGeo, to talk about geotagging and how it’s beneficial for photographers (or even folks on vacation). Take a listen and subscribe to the podcast here: Episode 40: Location Exploration with HoudahGeo.

Houdah is also the sponsor of this episode, and in the show notes, you can get HoudahGeo for 30% off!

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Lightroom CC Mobile Review

When my editor at Download.com asked if I could write a review of Lightroom CC Mobile, I figured it would be an easy assignment. I’ve used the mobile version of Lightroom since before the first version was released, publishing an ebook that coincided with the software’s introduction, and have written extensively about the software as it’s evolved.

Well, 2700 words later, the review is now available. There was a lot to say, because the software has grown a lot since that initial version. I cover its organization, editing, and sharing features, and point out areas of frustration and suggestions for the future. This review looks at just the iOS version.

Take a look here: Adobe Lightroom for iOS Review: Industrial-strength image-editing tools on your iPhone or iPad.

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Using iOS Shortcuts to Import Photos into Lightroom CC Mobile

An ongoing frustration with the iPad photo workflow is that everything must pass through the Photos app. If you use another app such as Lightroom CC for iPad or iPhone, you end up with duplicates of everything: the copies of your images in Lightroom, plus the ones that were originally imported into Photos.

A recent update to Lightroom on iOS added compatibility with Shortcuts, Apple’s architecture for automating all sorts of things. In this video, Brian Matiash shows you how to configure a shortcut that takes the previous import into the Photos app, imports those images into Lightroom, and then deletes them from Photos.

Affinity Photo for iPad Review

As someone who’s been using the iPad for editing and working with photos since the very beginning, even I was surprised by how capable Affinity Photo for iPad is. The power of the iPad Pro makes a big difference, yes, but Serif has delivered a full-featured image editor that doesn’t feel compromised.

Over at DPReview, I review Affinity Photo for iPad and give it high marks. Go check it out: Affinity Photo for iPad Review.

We’ve come to expect less from iOS software on the iPad compared to desktop applications because, in most cases, they’re mobile—and “mobile” has traditionally meant “limited.” A lot of that has been due to hardware: even as the iPad’s main processors improved, most models included a minimal amount of RAM that made it difficult to pull off operations expected of a modern image editor, such as smoothly dealing with many layers and real-time effects.

The arrival of the iPad Pro, along with a commitment in iOS to take advantage of the hardware, has opened the door for more powerful applications. One of those apps is Affinity Photo for iPad, a full-fledged image editor that doesn’t feel as if the developers had to remove features from a whiteboard to make the app a reality.

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How to Safely Clean iMovie Files from iPhone or iPad

Even though iOS devices are (finally) more generous with storage, it’s all too easy to fill them up. Recently when I was looking for old data to expunge, I realized iMovie for iOS was hogging about 3 GB. If you also have old projects just taking up space, I wrote an article for Macworld about how to safely export and delete them so you don’t lose the ability to edit them later.

Read it here: How to safely clean iMovie files from your iPhone or iPad.

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iPad Pro Is Now a True Photographer’s Tool

Has the iPad Pro finally become a true photographer’s tool? A year and a half ago, with the release of the first 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it was so close… but there were still some significant limitations.

Now, with the latest iPad Pro models, I think we’re finally there. Improved hardware is part of the story—USB 3 speeds at import, finally, for both sizes—and software is catching up. And the possibilities that will come with iOS 11 in the fall are still more intriguing.

At Macworld, I explain in more detail: The iPad Pro: Now a true photographer’s tool.

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