Posted by
andybeel
17 Comments

Lightroom 5 has arrived or not, at a cost

Tourists in BathAs many of my readers will know I am enthusiastic about Adobe Lightroom. Lightroom came of age with version 4.

So now that Lightroom 5 has been released what does it do for users of Lightroom 4? That all depends on the operating system your computer uses.

When the Lightroom 5 Beta was released it supported older operating systems back to the Vista OS. Now the full version of Lr 5 was recently released it is only supported for Windows 7 & 8. Mac users will also need to check which operating systems are supported before buying Lr5.

A thought occurred to me after the waste time of downloading the 820mb file, trying to install it, and contacting Adobe to get a refund. That was all I need to do to have the benefits of Lr5 is to continue to use the beta version. This proposal will not be possible as the beta version will stop working on the 30th June.

I could upgrade the OS which would wipe all the programs on the computer, I would need to buy a few new version of Lr as LR4 would not be present to upgrade. What a mess.

So now Adobe has managed to alienate me as a client for Photoshop and Lightroom, well done Adobe that makes good business sense.

For those of you who are thinking about getting CS6 through the Adobe Creative (Accounting) Cloud for £17.58 per month (£210.96 per year) for a single App. Why would you give Adobe approximately 100% more money if the you bought an upgrade every 18 months. £17.58 x 18 months = £316.44. A Photoshop upgrade was around £165. If the price had been fixed at say £10 per month then that would have seen to be a far more equitable deal.

A big hello to all the new followers of my little blog this week. I am sorry your experience of my blog started with a frustrated moan.

(c) Andy Beel FRPS 2013

http://www.andybeelfrps.co.uk

17 responses to Lightroom 5 has arrived or not, at a cost

    • andybeel says:
      Author

      Hi I can see why Adobe have gone down this road as it makes sales forecast extremely easy if your clients pay you regularly in advance, I wish all mine did. Andy

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  2. Adrian Lewis says:

    Hi Andy! I’m not a Lightroom user, in fact I’m barely an Adobe user – I use Nikon’s Capture NX2; and also Photoshop Elements as a platform for Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 2 plug-in. But paying per month for an image processing programme is anathema to me – its just Adobe making cash – in much the same way as Microsoft sought to restrict resale of its (?) Xbox computer games.

    I think I read that Adobe’s one-off payment programmes will continue to be available, but will no longer be updated. Well, two thoughts come to mind. Since these programmes are already so comprehensive and sophisticated, does not having them updated really hurt? And also, if Adobe gets awkward in this way, I know that Nik Software has excellent, one-off payment products ready and available – eg SEP2!

    By the way, good to see some familiar names on your Blogroll, especially Fabrizio Quagliuso and Michael Kenna!

    The builders have finished work chez nous. We are still in a terrible mess but I will be in contact next week re meeting up. Adrian

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    • andybeel says:
      Author

      Hi Adrian as you an probably tell I am getting round to replying to a load of comments. I am glad that Adobe have announced that Lr will not go in to the cloud.

      I am always frightened to look at Mr McKenna’s website it always make me think I should give up because he is so brilliant.

      See you soon. Andy

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  3. christian says:

    Thanks for this ‘heads up’ Andy. I am still using CS4 and had hoped to switch to Lightroom when and if….

    It really does seem Adobe wants to only work with high powered design and photo ‘agencies.’

    Since adding Nik filters to my ‘repertoire’ I must have to admit that I used PS very little, except of course, to run Nik filters.

    This whoe forced upgrading strategy across the digital spectrum really leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

    However, I do think that smaller companies will jump in where this gigantic void is now being created.

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    • andybeel says:
      Author

      Hi Christian I will be doing a post shortly about what is new in Lr5 and my advice would be if you do not have to upgrade wait until Lr6 comes out.

      Backwards comparability is always going to be an issue for every software developer. What really annoyed was the beta work with Vista, but not with final release. For me to fix upgrade my laptop and software will be $1000. Andy

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  4. Paula says:

    Adobe..how disappointed I am ..and your story, Andy only adds to my sadness.
    But: NOW what?

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    • andybeel says:
      Author

      Hi Paula for you Elements or Lightroom that will not be in the cloud, I think is way a lot of people will go. Speak soon. Andy

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  5. Peter Webscott says:

    Hi Andy,
    That’s appalling! Adobe really seem to have lost their way. Are they planning to put Lightroom in the cloud too? That way they’ll finish the job and alienate everyone else they haven’t yet managed to.
    Peter

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  7. Lesley Ann says:

    Indeed what mess! As Adrian says we are going to have to move towards the standalone guys of topaz, oneOne and Elements which are getting more and more sophisticated.

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  8. athyfoto says:

    Hi Andy, I too am disappointed by Adobes decision to change their business model from perpetual licenses to subscription based access. For a business user the subscription model can make a lot of sense. Access to ALL Adobe’s software, updated automatically as and when they are available rather that wait for the next iteration of a particular program to get the new features.

    I do not have a business, I use PS CS6 and LR5. The download and update process of LR5 was a quick and easy process, as it has been every time I have upgraded it since I owned v1.0. I now have perpetual licenses for these two programs and I will use them even though they will not receive any further upgrades. They fulfil my needs as they are, so the losers will be Adobe because I won’t be shelling out for further upgrades and I won’t be going over to PS CC or Lightroom CC.

    You said you are very enthusiastic about LR, well you still have it. Regarding your point about losing LR4 if you upgrade your OS and therefore not being able to upgrade, if you bought LR4 direct from Adobe then it is on your Adobe account to re-download and install if you ever lose it so you would be able to re-install it on the new OS then upgrade to LR5.

    I am glad I got LR5 if only for the feature that allows me to make ‘Smart Previews’. My Master Catalog images are stored on network drives, Smart Previews mean I can access, modify and process my images ‘offline’ and when I next connect to the network drives any modifications carried out offline are synchronised to the online files automatically.

    I have been so mad at Adobe recently for the change in direction they are pursuing and at the same time very happy with the software I have from them that it gets very frustrating. There is always the option that I could go back to using film and re-open the redundant darkroom. I wonder if that would work out to be more expensive than going over to using CC??? 🙂

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  9. andybeel says:
    Author

    Hi Frank I agree for business the could makes sense. My first reaction to the Vista fiasco was to wait until Lr6 is released before I upgrade. But as my business is selling how to in Lightroom I will just have to bite the bullet at least, as my laptop is Vista as well.

    Thanks I have a disk for Lr4 when I do get a new laptop that can upgraded.
    Andy

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