Another update from Adobe for Lightroom Classic.

Some details curtesy of teh Lightroom Queen:

1. All Versions: Keyword Sync! Yes, between the Cloud Ecosystem and Classic! How long have we been asking for this?! As well as our June release blog, see our special post How do I sync keywords?

2. Classic:  new native duplicate detection added

3. Classic & Desktop: Assisted Culling refinements and additional options with faces

4. All versions: dramatic improvement in Subject Masking (see example below)

5. Classic: Denoise now uses the Apple Neural Engine (vast speed improvements!)

6. Desktop: interactive Histogram added

7. iOS, iPadOS & Android: Quick Actions - Blemishes adds new manual touch-up to Skin

8. iOS & iPadOS: Map View and Editing

9. iOS & iPadOS: Keyboard Shortcuts (our list updated)

10. Desktop: Custom Color Labels

11. Classic: Filter/Smart Collection Updates

12. Classic: Canon tethering has been rewritten as a native plugin

13. Desktop: Topaz AI Sharpening

And then ChatGPT tells that version 15.4 brings:

1. Native Duplicate Finder

This is probably the headline feature for photographers with large catalogs.

Lightroom Classic can now identify duplicate images using image fingerprinting rather than just filenames, helping find duplicates even if files have been renamed. For people returning from dive trips with multiple backups and card copies, this could save a lot of catalog cleanup time. (Reddit)

2. Improved Assisted Culling

Adobe's AI-assisted culling is now out of beta and has improved facial analysis, including better detection of blinking and closed eyes in group shots. It's primarily aimed at event and wedding photographers but can help sort large image sets more quickly. (Digital Camera World)

3. Better Select Subject Masking

The latest Select Subject model handles difficult edges more accurately:

• Fine hair

• Complex outlines

• Overlapping subjects

• Intricate details

Adobe also added finer control for subject-mask refinement. (Digital Camera World)

4. Faster AI Denoise on Apple Silicon

If you're on an M-series Mac, Adobe has optimized Denoise to use the Neural Engine more effectively, with reports of significantly faster processing times. (Reddit)

5. Windows Performance Improvements

Adobe specifically worked on brush and masking responsiveness for Windows users, addressing some long-standing lag issues when using adjustment brushes and masks. (Reddit)

6. AI Edit Tracking

Lightroom continues expanding its handling of AI-powered edits, including better identification of images containing AI edits and prompts to update AI processing when required. (Adobe Help Center)

For underwater photography

The updates I'd care about most are:

1. Duplicate Finder — great after a liveaboard when you've copied cards to multiple SSDs and accidentally re-imported folders.

2. Improved Select Subject — useful for isolating divers, fish, turtles, or subjects against busy reef backgrounds.

3. Faster Denoise — especially valuable if you're shooting high ISO on wrecks, caves, or darker UK dives.

For someone shooting an OM-1 or similar underwater setup, I'd say 15.4 is more of a workflow/performance release than a major editing release. There's nothing as transformative as when Denoise or Reflection Removal first arrived, but the Duplicate Finder alone may be worth the upgrade if you manage large dive-trip catalogs. (Reddit)

You may have read or seen pictures of the fire that broke out in the Maldives on the Emperor Explorer liveaboard on 9 May. My partner and I were on it as part of a group of 25. Like many members, we’ve been lucky enough to have been on lots of liveaboards.

During the pre-departure safety briefing we were given the usual advice:  under no circumstances, if fire broke out, were we to return to our cabins to collect stuff. Head immediately to the muster station by the dive platform; put together a grab bag in case of emergencies: passport, phone, medication. All sensible stuff. Heard it all before.

After 6 days of diving, relaxed and happy, we returned to the harbour at Hulhumale around midday. Moored up, the usual ritual of gear washing and packing. We were to disembark at 7am next morning. At about 4.30pm we assembled on the sundeck for the classic group photo. A few of our group of 25 then left on the vessel's dhoni for a shore visit.

A few minutes later, enjoying the view from the sundeck, we heard the fire alarm. False alarm obviously but we began to make our way slowly to the rear of the sundeck and down the stairs. Laughing and joking. There was a smell of smoke and burning. Odd.

Down another flight of stairs to the muster station to see several of the crew with fire extinguishers. So there was a fire. It didn’t seem a big deal and the crew would soon have it under control, of course. Crew members running past us with more fire extinguishers, a kitchen hand went by with a bucket filled with kitchen scraps - so obviously the fire was not a major issue if the kitchen was still operating.

The scraps went into the ocean, the bucket joined many others being filled with water..... then flames shot out across the dive platform. This was real. Shouts for pumps. Crew running. Guests and crew yelling for neighbouring boats to come and pick up passengers. One dhoni approached cautiously and nudged its bow into our starboard stern. The Cruise Director yelling everyone to get off the boat and on to the dhoni.

It took seconds to vault, leap, jump on board. The dhoni pulled away quickly. Within 2-3 minutes the whole of Emperor Explorer was engulfed in flames. Some of the crew leaped off the bow of the boat into the ocean.

Everyone survived the experience. Not one I’d recommend.

So what is the point of recounting this tale?

Firstly, if you hear the alarm on a liveaboard PLEASE do not be tempted to yawn and turn over. Move. Curse afterwards if it's a false alarm. And give thanks.

Secondly, resist the temptation to nip back to your cabin to collect your valuables or that grab bag. I thought about it, saw a bit of smoke in the salon that led to our cabin and decided not to try. I would not have got out. Do not try and get your stuff. Get Out.

Third, on a liveaboard with large amounts of fibreglass and combustibles, the speed that fire moves is breathtaking. The smoke generated is thick, black and choking. Do not try to go to your cabin to get your stuff. Yeah, I know, I’ve made that point already. From whiffs of smoke to utter conflagration was something like 8 minutes. Fire can rage in places you can’t see.

We lost all our camera gear, all our underwater camera stuff, all our dive gear, passports, iPhones, iPads, chargers, clothes, bags, cash. Everything.  If we had returned to our cabin we could have lost our lives.

It took a week to get emergency travel documents and get everyone in the group heading home. The Emperor team in Male were terrific: shoes, clothes, money, food, accommodation, mobile phone and credit were all whistled up. Thanks Ana and Jordy. Impressive performance.

Permit me to make one final point: do not go back to your cabin to get your stuff. Get Out.

Don’t ever say you have not been warned.

There's yet another update to LR Classic - to version 15.3.

According to the Adobe website, this includes background Al feature processing, performance improvements, a new Al culling model, PSB file sync support, film-inspired presets, support for opening images in Firefly Boards, support for newly released cameras and lenses, bug fixes, and more.

Hard to keep up with all the updates!

Nikon announced on 31 March a firmware update to v5.32 for the Z9.

Nikon's Download Centre explains the update does the following:

• • Changed the way the aperture was adjusted on a lens when the standby timer expired.

• • Fixed an issue where the camera would sometimes stop responding if a picture was zoomed in during filtered playback while FTP upload was in progress.

A link to the firmware is here:

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/589/Z_9.html

An update to LR Classic was made available today. This is to v15.2.1.

According to the usual blurb, this update includes "critical fixes".

This has loaded without a problem on my Mac system

Not sure if this truly a landmark or not, but thanks to all the activities of members, the 23,000th Waterpixels post was recorded today.

Yet more updates to Lightroom were released on 20 February.

LR Classic to v15.2, Desktop to v9.2 and Mobile to v11.2

Brief highlights (courtesy of The Lightroom Queen)

Assisted Culling (Classic & Desktop) - improvements for Group shots
Send/Share to Firefly (Classic & Desktop) - you can add a prompt to edit the photo using a variety of AI models.
Topaz Gigapixel / Generative Upscale (Desktop) - an alternative method to using Super Resolution.

Crop (iPhone and Android) - there are new pop-ups for social media aspect ratios.

Oxnard, California – February 17, 2025 – Ultralight Camera Solutions (ULCS) has released three new accessories designed to solve recurring challenges in underwater photography: the Camera Dome Weight Trim Kit, the Stabilizing Plate for Video and Still Photography, and the AC-AQD04 Quick-Release Adapter.

All three products were developed in direct response to requests from dealers and photographers who identified specific gaps in the underwater camera accessory market.

"We had dealers asking for these solutions," says Ken Kollwitz, Owner of ULCS. "These products exist because people kept running into the same problems, and there weren't good options available, or the existing options had significant drawbacks."

Camera Dome Weight Trim Kit: Adjustable Trim for Any Dome Port

The Camera Dome Weight Trim Kit addresses a fundamental challenge in underwater photography: achieving proper balance when using dome ports of different sizes and materials.

Acrylic dome ports create upward buoyancy, causing the front of the camera housing to rise underwater. Glass dome ports, particularly larger ones, add significant weight to the front of the housing. Both conditions affect a photographer's ability to maintain proper trim and control.

The ULCS kit mounts to the bottom of a camera housing and allows photographers to add adjustable weight where needed. The design accommodates different dome sizes and materials without damaging the protective rubber pad on the camera housing base, a problem that occurs with similar products from other manufacturers.

"Only one other brand offers a comparable solution, but it destroys the rubber pad on the bottom of their housings," Kollwitz explains. "We wanted to give photographers using different camera systems an option that works without causing damage."

The adjustable design allows photographers to customize the weight configuration for their specific dome port setup. Price: $129.95 USD.

Stabilizing Plate: Keeping Camera Systems Steady During Deployment

The Stabilizing Plate for Video and Still Photography provides stability for camera systems during staging and deployment, particularly on boats in rough conditions.

Heavily rigged underwater camera systems, with multiple strobes, arms, and accessories attached, tend to tilt and rock when placed on deck, increasing the risk of equipment damage and complicating pre-dive preparation.

Kollwitz identified the need for this product after observing the challenge repeatedly in the field. While other manufacturers offer similar stabilizing solutions, the ULCS plate is designed to be more universal in application and priced lower than competing products. The plate works with both video and still photography configurations and accommodates a range of camera housing sizes. Price: $177.95.

AC-AQD04 Quick-Release Adapter: Simplified Equipment Changes

The AC-AQD04 is a 4-inch quick-disconnect arm designed for fast, one-handed attachment of underwater lights, strobes, snoots, and other equipment.

The adapter features a push-button release mechanism and compact design that streamlines underwater photo and video setups. Built with fewer moving parts than competing quick-release systems, it can be operated with one hand and is fully serviceable for field maintenance and repair. "There are other brands making similar products, but ours has fewer moving parts, can be used with one hand, and photographers can service it themselves," says Kollwitz. "We also plan to use this as a starting point for other quick-disconnect products."

While designed primarily for underwater photography, the AC-AQD04's simple, reliable mechanism makes it potentially suitable for applications beyond diving. ULCS has provided samples to professionals in the cinema industry for evaluation. Price: $44.95.

Field-Tested by Underwater Photography Professionals Andrea Michelutti, underwater photographer and ULCS Brand Ambassador, has been testing the new accessories in real-world shooting conditions to validate their performance and functionality.

All three products are now available through authorized ULCS dealers and at ulcs.com.

Retra have made a firmware update available through the usual download App channels including now the Google Play Store for Android users. This is for the Pro Max II. The update primarily allows the new App to connect to the Maxi strobe.

The update also adds a Pilot Light Toggle Function.

The firmware update includes v2.17 for the Pro Max, v2.4 for the Prime+ and v2.4 for the Pure.

It also includes v4.2 for the ProX/PrimeX (renamed 3.13) and firmware 4.5 (renamed 4.3) for PRO/Prime 2nd generation.

Nikon have announced a firmware update to the Z9.

Version 5.31 now available from the usual Nikon Download Centre.