It’s probably well known, that I have a love/hate relationship with Adobe. Well, not all Adobe, just Lightroom in particular. It’s a product that I love to hate.
And to be fair, it has managed my library for the past 10 years or more, so perhaps it should be a more of a tolerant relationship.
And no, I’m not going to highlight each of the niggles that I have. Just I’m always on the lookout for a better library manager. But recent changes to the suite has caused me to perhaps reconsider my position.
I’ve never been enamoured by their raw converter, much preferring Capture One, Raw Power, or DXO and even Nikon Capture/Studio (in no particular order) to deal with my NEF file conversion.

However some recent changes seem to me to have finally given me the result I was looking for at import. All good.

I’ve often said about the enhancement of images, (these days euphemistically called ‘post-processing’) that I’d happy with a copy of Photoshop 5.5 with its clever—then released—Masking Layers, Brushes and Curves tool for just about all the changes I need to make. (ps. I try not to spend hours in front of screen, pulling first this or then that slider, hoping to produce a prize-winner out of something that I’d normally send to the Trashbin.)

When I was travelling extensively PS5.5 running on a little Libretto Toshiba notebook did all of the heavy lifting for me. And given the size of the Libretto (it was only just a little larger in size to an Iphone 15 Max) just fitted in one palm, it wasn’t a bad effort. (How times change)
And I was much happier to move to the first Macbook Air with a decent size keyboard.

But… Back to Adobe
Lightroom in particular.

To keep up with the latest and greatest, of course, Adobe have introduced several AI components into the Lr suite. One of which is the Generative AI Removal tool. Swipe over the ‘offending’ intrusion into the perfect composition, hit the “Apply Button” pause to take a breath, and there before your very eyes like some magician’s trick, ‘it’s’ Gone… And just to be sure, new buttons offer three. (Count them. 3 ) choices of result.

Wannaseehowitworks? Well I did too.

As it turned out while I was working with some Spiny-cheeked Honeyeaters on boxthorn (see last week’s post) a clever little Sparrow landed on the bush just in front of my moment.
Yep, I could have cropped around it, and neither you or I would have had to wade all the way down here, But I thought. Why not?
Why not indeed, so.
I did.

With and Without Sparrow. Version #1 with some space under the bird and a clever addition to the branch

Version #2 filling in the space. Version #3 creating a nice branch that can support the bird.
You can click on the pics to get a full size view of each pair.

I know. Scary.
And of course no one is every going to believe anything else I post again. 🙂
Some, suspicious that we are, might even be wondering. Did he actually paste the Sparrow in from another shot? 🙂

Like many of the ‘new’ features using AI, personally I don’t find the need compelling. But for those days when the wind is howling outside, the rain is pitching down and I’ve crawled out from under the doona long enough to make a cup of the Earl of Grey, it does while away a bit of time.

Here’s to some warm sunny Spring days soon.