Why Buy Lightroom 6 Now?

[Mike Farley]

Yes, perhaps I really am crazy. On the day that Adobe has announced the demise of Lightroom 6, I have just bought a copy. What is more, at present I have no intention of using it and might never do so. Mad or what? Maybe, but you might want to do the same.

As a committed Lightroom user, all the digital images I have ever taken are stored in a Lightroom CC catalog. That is a lot of photos and represents a considerable investment of time and effort both in building the catalog and learning the software. I cannot know what is going to happen in the future, but if I ever stop paying my Creative Cloud subscription I will lose the capability to process my images. The Library function will still work, but I will probably not be able to readily transfer the software if I upgrade to a new computer.

My Lightroom 6 purchase is an insurance policy so that whatever Adobe decides to do, I will have the option to continue with more or less the same capability as I do now. Lightroom CC has a few functions which never made it to the standalone version, but I can live without those if necessary. If I buy a new camera which is not supported, I will have the option to use the free DNG converter. I also still have my Photoshop CS6 licence for those images which I cannot process entirely in Lightroom. Adobe is not stupid and they will not want to leave its customers in the lurch so they go elsewhere, but it is very clear that they will be "encouraging" those customers by whatever means it can to migrate to more online services in a bid to increase revenues.

I do not know for how long Lightroom 6 will continue to be available, but it is a pretty sure bet that it will not be on sale within a few months. If you want the option, buy it now is my advice.

[davidb]

Mike

I don't know which computer you intend to install LR6.x on - Windows PC or Apple MacBook - but you'll need to be wary of MacOS. LR6 might work with 'Sierra' but 'High Sierra' is promising a lot of changes that might turn your LR into a pink elephant!

I've found a CD version on Amazon for £110 which I might get later if finances allow.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00M3YAIC6/ ... J02V&psc=1

[Mike Farley]

I don't know which computer you intend to install LR6.x on - Windows PC or Apple MacBook - but you'll need to be wary of MacOS. LR6 might work with 'Sierra' but 'High Sierra' is promising a lot of changes that might turn your LR into a pink elephant!

A good point. Despite being advertised as 64 bit, I understand that some Adobe software still has 32 bit components. Currently that is not an issue. If I had to, I would install LR6 on my Windows desktop machine, rather than my MacBook Pro laptop. If Microsoft were to implement its own no 32 bit policy, I would have to have a PC running an earlier version of Windows.

Thom Hogan recently wrote about the forthcoming macOS 32 bit armageddon in respect of photographic applications and undoubtedly there will be other commentators on the Internet - http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/s ... ition.html.

Incidentally, macOS updates appear to be excellent at breaking existing software: http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/s ... ility.html.

[davidb]

Incidentally, macOS updates appear to be excellent at breaking existing software: http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/s ... ility.html.

I haven't yet updated to macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) - I'm concerned for precisely the reason you gave. Also the AppStore isn't showing it as an option.

(I've just checked - it's available as a download but not on the "update tab")

[Mike Farley]

I have cancelled my order for Lightroom 6. Lightroom Classic CC creates a new Catalog which us unlikely to be compatible with older software. While I can retain a copy of my last Catalog before the update to LRCCC, I would have no backup for my newer work. Fortunately I had opted for the disk version, which Amazon has on backorder, rather than the instant download for which there would have been no refund.

Adobe's recent move has created a lot of uncertainty and I do not know if I will be sticking with its software (and services) longer term. Migrating to another application would be an upheaval whatever happens, but it is better to make any financial investment in whatever I use going forward rather than try to preserve aspects of the old one.

[Mike Farley]

There will be one further update for LR6, which will arrive later this year. After that, the product becomes unsupported. As DPReview points out, it should remain viable but an operating system update could cause issues. Adobe will not issue any bug fixes.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/852411990 ... f-the-year

LR6 users have a more immediate decision to make than those who subscribe to Lightroom Classic, which Adobe will continue to support for the time being at least. A purchase of a new camera which is introduced after this year will necessitate the use of the free DNG converter to create Raw files which the application can process. That is less than ideal. There is also the constant threat that the software could stop working if either Microsoft or Apple make an incompatible change to their operating systems. The most likely time when that will happen is when there is a significant upgrade, with Mac users being particularly susceptible when Apple releases its annual update. It is not unknown for that event to create problems with existing applications and Apple is unlikely to issue a fix if it does not believe it is at fault.

Most LR6 users will be those who want to own their software outright rather than subscribe for it. Little by little, Adobe is making that option more difficult.

[Iggy]

Thanks for alerting us to buying LightRoom 6 now.
I finally took the plunge today, and purchased LightRoom 6 with a CD as I like to have my software on disk. Amazon and PC World/ Currys no longer have the CD option, so had to purchase it from John Lewis on line as the Croydon Branch don't carry it.
Will I ever use? I did buy a couple of books too but only time will tell.
I do have Photoshop 6 that I try to use with the help of YouTube sessions.
It is just pressure of time that does not leave me a lot of time to work on images.
Iggy

PS: I guess I should also download Google's Nik Collection too on both my laptop and my desktop.

[davidb]

Nik Collection? Try here …

https://www.google.com/nikcollection/

[Mike Farley]

Nik Collection? Try here …

https://www.google.com/nikcollection/

I am not sure that is going to work. DxO acquired the Nik Collection from Google recently. It remains free for the time being, although a new version is due out next year. Try this link:

https://nikcollection.dxo.com

Anyone who runs macOS and has High Sierra installed will need the later version from March 2019 as the original software is 32 bit and Apple is terminating support for such applications.

[Mike Farley]

I finally took the plunge today, and purchased LightRoom 6 with a CD as I like to have my software on disk. Amazon and PC World/ Currys no longer have the CD option, so had to purchase it from John Lewis on line as the Croydon Branch don't carry it.
Will I ever use?

Iggy

If you are running macOS and have not yet unwrapped your Lightroom package, you might want to read this:

http://www.dslrbodies.com/accessories/s ... ition.html

Lightroom 6 itself is 64 bit, but some of the ancillary code is not. Adobe's latest move has created an opportunity for other suppliers and it is likely that we will be seeing Lightroom competitors appearing over the next year or so. One such is Luminar from Macphun (which is rebranding itself as Skylum at the start of 2018). If you are not already familiar with Lightroom, it might not be worth the effort to learn on a version which will shortly become unsupported.

If you read back through these posts, you will note that I cancelled my order for Lightroom 6. My circumstances are different to yours, but I concluded that I would be better saving my money and seeing what transpires. Any company which wants to succeed will make it as easy as possible for existing Lightroom users to migrate to a new application.