Lightroom Classic CC 8.0 has been released today. This isn’t an 8.0 in the conventional sense, because it’s now subscription software instead of single payment. New features have been released every couple of months, rather than having to wait for a single 8.0 release. In the last year, we’ve had:
- 7.1 (December 2017) – new AI-based Auto
- 7.2 (February 2018) – performance improvements, folder search, favorite folders, filter for edited/unedited photos
- 7.3 (April 2018) – brand new Profiles system, large preset preview, face recognition improvements
- 7.4 (June 2018) – folder color labels, hide profiles/presets, auto stack after merging
- 7.5 (August 2018) – Book module improvements incl. custom book templates, new book styles
and a mass of mobile and Lightroom CC improvements, as well as smaller features
These days, version numbers are only used for technical support and checking that you’re on the latest version, so Adobe is likely to bump the version number about once a year.
This release does not upgrade your catalog format, so you can roll back to 7.5 if you need to. It uses the same preferences file (Lightroom Classic CC 7 Preferences.agprefs / com.adobe.LightroomClassicCC7.plist), so you can treat it as “just another dot release.”
This release has some major improvements for Canon tethering, a new Depth Range Mask, as well as bug fixes and new camera/lens support. The entire Lightroom CC ecosystem has also been updated.
Updated System Requirements
macOS 10.14 Mojave is officially supported in this release.
Support for macOS 10.11 El Capitan and Windows 8.1 has been dropped in this release, so the team can focus their testing efforts on the most widely used platforms and use new features found in more modern operating systems.
If you’re on Windows 10, you’ll need v1703 or later, which just means you need to have installed Windows Updates at some time in the last 18 months.
Video Support Changes
HEVC format videos (Apple’s new format) is now supported, but only on macOS 10.13 High Sierra and macOS 10.14 Mojave, and on iOS 11/12. It’s not yet supported on Windows.
The legacy AVI video format is no longer supported on macOS, but AVI files already in your catalog will still play in a separate window. You just can’t import new ones. They continue to be supported on Windows.
Canon Tethering Improvements
Canon tethering has been updated to improve reliability and performance, and two new checkboxes – Disable Auto Advance and Save a Copy to Camera – have been added to the Tether Settings. You can also now select the shutter speed, aperture, ISO and white balance from the Tether window instead of having to go back to the camera. 
Depth Range Mask
Already available as a Tech Preview on the iPhone version, the Depth Range Mask allows you to access the depth information in some HEIC format photos, to help you quickly make a selection. To benefit, you’ll need an iPhone with dual cameras (7+, 8+, X, XS, XS Max). You’ll find the Depth Mask Controls in the local adjustment tools, along with Luminance Range Mask and Color Range Mask.
Process Version 5
The Process Version has been updated in order to improve Dehaze and purple noise.
Moving Dehaze to the left could have some unexpected results in earlier versions, like the strange yellow shown below, and high ISO photos could turn purple in the shadows in some circumstances, but these issues are fixed in PV5. You don’t need to update your existing photos unless they exhibit one of these issues.
Single-Step HDR Panorama Merge
There’s a new Photo Merge > Merge to HDR Panorama command to merge exposure bracketed images in a single step, instead of having to merge the HDR files and then merge into a panorama.
New camera support:
- Canon EOS R
- Fujifilm X-T3
- Nikon COOLPIX P1000 (preliminary support)
- Nikon Z7
- Panasonic LUMIX DC-LX100 II
- Click to view the full list of supported cameras
Tethering for new cameras:
- Canon EOS 2000D / Rebel T7
- Canon EOS M50
- Click to view the full list of cameras supported for tethering
New lens profiles:
- Canon EF
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM
- TAMRON 17-35mm F2.8-4 Di OSD A037E
- Canon RF
- Canon RF 24-105mm F4 L IS USM
- Nikon F
- TAMRON 17-35mm F2.8-4 Di OSD A037N
- Parrot
- Anafi 23mm F2.4
- Sony FE
- Venus Optics Laowa 15mm F2 Zero-D
- Click here for the full list of available Adobe Lens Profiles
Bug fixes:
There are loads of bug fixes, but Adobe hasn’t published a list this time.
How do I update?
To update, go to Help menu > Updates or click the Update button in the CC app. The update servers take a while to push the updates around the world, to avoid overloading the servers. You can also open the Creative Cloud app, click the … icon (top right) and select Check for Updates to give it a nudge.
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Is the book updated?
The eBooks for Adobe Lightroom Classic – The Missing FAQ are already updated for these changes, and available for download in the Members Area for current Classic Premium Members.
The post What’s New in Lightroom Classic CC 8.0 (October 2018)? appeared first on The Lightroom Queen.