An update to make Lightroom 1.2 fully compatible with Leopard Mac OS X 10.5 should be available mid-November, Adobe has announced.
Photographers can continue using the photo management software in Leopard without too much issue, however the current version of Lightroom 1.2 is not fully compatible with Apple's new operating system, the company said.
Adobe recommends that users refer to a list of known compatibility issues published on Adobe's Lightroom Journal Web site before deciding whether to use the current version of Lightroom with Leopard. It also issued this warning:
"The interaction between Leopard's Time Machine and Lightroom's catalog files is unknown at this time. Running Time Machine backup or restore operations while Lightroom is in use is not recommended until more information can be obtained," Tom Hogarty, Adobe Lightroom Project Manager, said in a statement.
Most of the Lightroom/Leopard compatibility problems involve visual issues with the interface rather than functionality. For example, users may have to open and close left-side panels to get the Develop module to display properly. Other glitches are more serious, such as the Print module not loading at all for some Leopard users.
Adobe stated previously that its Creative Suite 3 versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks are safe for continued use in Leopard.
While not directly related to the use of Adobe Lightroom, photographers commonly dealing with frequent backups and file sharing should also be aware that Leopard's Time Machine will not support AirPort Extreme's AirPort Disk. This is the feature that allows users to plug an external hard drive into AirPort Extreme and share its files over a secure network.
