New Lightroom Mobile is only available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud photography program.

Adobe has released Lightroom Mobile, an iPad app that extends the desktop version of Lightroom. Adobe is stressing the app’s synchronization with the desktop, but Lightroom Mobile also offers editing tools.

Features included in the iPad app include non-destructive editing, ability to work with photos offline, and what Adobe calls Smart Preview, which extends desktop editing capabilities to the tablet. Adobe says an iPhone version of the app is on the way; there is no work about Android or Windows 8 versions.

Lightroom Mobile is only available as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud. The least expensive option is the Photoshop Photography Program, which includes Lightroom 5, Lightroom Mobile, Photoshop CC, and a public portfolio on Adobe’s Behance website, for $9.99 per month. Existing subscribers to any Creative Cloud plan that includes Lightroom can have access to Lightroom Mobile at no extra charge.

What do we think?

The ability to synchronize photos across platforms and to edit in mobile is not new; Google, Apple, and Microsoft users can work with their files on both desktop and mobile devices. The differentiator here is the synchronization of the Adobe toolset. Photoshop and Lightroom are still the go-to tools for professionals, and adding mobile to the mix is a welcome and necessary extension of the tools.