Days since Apple's release of Aperture 2.1 with its new-found support for plug-ins from third-party developers, Adobe has hit back with the release of a free public beta of its in-development professional photography application, Photoshop Lightroom 2.0.
Photographers are being invited to download and use a 30-day limited time version of the software. Customers who already own a registered copy of Lightroom will be able to use the beta software until August 31.
Key features within the upgrade include dual-monitor support, localised dodge and burn tools and - and it's a big and - support for 64-bit computing on Mac OS X and Vista.
Additional improvements include a redesigned and easier to navigate layout in the Library module and a new Smart Collections feature which helps users find images matching criteria such as stat-rating, keyword or various other forms of metadata.
