If you’re a photography enthusiast who’s been coveting Adobe’s Lightroom software, but don’t want to fork over the hefty price tag, there may be good news on the horizon. A free version of the software is in development and could be released as early as this year. Adobe has been tight-lipped about the project, code-named “Project Astoria,” but it seems to be a direct response to the growing popularity of rival photo editing software, such as Apple’s Photos app and Google’s Photos service. While these free alternatives offer some features that Lightroom lacks (such as automatic photo organization), they’re not perfect and can’t do everything that Lightroom can. If Project Astoria is released as a free download, it could make a big dent in the market share of paid competitors. It’ll be interesting to see how Adobe responds to this challenge and whether or not they continue to develop and improve Lightroom at the same pace as their paid counterparts. ..
