Adobe adds lens profiles to Camera Raw 6.1 for Photoshop
updated 11:55 pm EDT, Thu May 13, 2010
Adobe reintroduces cameras to compatibility list
Adobe has released a final beta version of its RAW photo processor updated for Photoshop CS5, Camera Raw 6.1. The plug-in allows Photoshop to process and prepare RAW camera captures, which is proprietary image data that bypasses typical in-camera processing to allow advanced photographers to run the processing later under ideal circumstances. The plug-in provides Photoshop users with a way to adjust a RAW image's white balance, exposure and sharpness, or fix distortion, vignetting and contrast, with much more adjustment latitude than working from a camera JPG.
Camera Raw 6.1 adds support for Canon's EOS 550D, also called the Digital Rebel T2i or EOS Kiss X4 Digital. The Sony A450, Panasonic G2 and G10, Olympus E-PL1 and E-600, Leaf Aptus-II 8 and -II 10R and Kodak Z981 are also new for the v6.1 update.
The latest version adds more lens correction functionality -- It can apply profile-based corrections for geometric distortions such as pincushion and barrel distortion, chromatic aberrations and vignetting. It provides manual options for geometric distortion and also offers horizontal and vertical perspective transformations. There are a number of preset lens profiles included in v6.1, while Adobe's Lens Profile Creator allows users to create new profiles for lenses not included in the release.
Aside from the expanded functionality and camera support, the update also offers performance enhancements and a bug fix that addresses stability problems when opening certain RAW images in v6.0.
Alongside the Camera Raw 6.1 update is Adobe's standalone RAW converter, Adobe DNG Converter 6.1 (direct download link). It transcodes proprietary RAW files into Adobe's open-standard DNG RAW format, which works with the Camera Raw plug-in for any Photoshop CS version.
All but the Olympus E-600 were supported in Camera Raw 5.7, Photoshop CS4's last Camera Raw release, and were reintroduced in Camera Raw 6.1. Developers had locked Camera Raw 6.0 prior to Camera Raw 5.7's release due to Photoshop CS5 development.
Camera RAW 6.1 works with Adobe Photoshop CS5. Users of older Photoshop CS versions can use the DNG 6.1 converter to process RAW files to DNG before using earlier Camera Raw plug-ins to process the files.
