Bryan Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I've got version 4 and it does what I need at present. It appears that you can upgrade even from version 1 for the same price as the jump from 4 to 5. (£56 in the UK). At some point I will probably buy a new camera, assuming Sony get their act together with crop factor mirror less, and will need to update my software then. If LR disappears into the Cloud I will probably wave goodbye to Adobe. Guess I need a crystal ball to know what the future holds. Anybody know anything that I don't about Adobe's intentions? Edit - A further thought, rumour has it that you can process any camera's output via a DNG route. Has anyone tried this and is it viable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TokyoM1ke Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 If LR disappears into the Cloud I will probably wave goodbye to Adobe. Guess I need a crystal ball to know what the future holds. Anybody know anything that I don't about Adobe's intentions? Edit - A further thought, rumour has it that you can process any camera's output via a DNG route. Has anyone tried this and is it viable? I'm curious to understand what you mean re disappearing into the cloud? It's already available via subscription (with Photoshop) via Adobe's CC. It still runs on my standalone PC (with or without an internet connection) it's just that I now pay a monthly subscription and get updates as part of the package... for both LR and Photoshop. It has not "disappeared". If it's the money, then that's a different issue but I pay about 6 pounds a month for both as a package, which does not seem too bad (a potentially tax deductible 72 quid a year). That said, Alamy not funding it for me yet! On the DNG front, my camera produces DNG files and I process them in LR and Photoshop (normally importing via LR first in any case). Not so sure about how you convert RAW to DNG for unsupported cameras (which I presume is the crux of your question). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would upgrade to LR5, better ACR for starters (depending on what flava of ACR you have in PS). Geoff is the ACR in LR5 better than in LR4? I was under the impression that it was the same, which is the only thing that makes me not bother to upgrade but instead wait for a LR6 in the hope it has some more major improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 There is a suggestions doing the rounds that LR6 might go into beta testing this spring, perhaps March or April. If there is no pressing need it might just be worth waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would upgrade to LR5, better ACR for starters (depending on what flava of ACR you have in PS). Geoff is the ACR in LR5 better than in LR4? I was under the impression that it was the same, which is the only thing that makes me not bother to upgrade but instead wait for a LR6 in the hope it has some more major improvements. I don't think there is any difference in the raw conversion - both are Process 2012. I don't think there is much in LR5 over LR4 - the automatic lens correction is often mentioned but I find myself doing this manually anyway if necessary. I didn't notice any speed improvements although some say that this is the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would upgrade to LR5, better ACR for starters (depending on what flava of ACR you have in PS). Geoff is the ACR in LR5 better than in LR4? I was under the impression that it was the same, which is the only thing that makes me not bother to upgrade but instead wait for a LR6 in the hope it has some more major improvements. I don't think there is any difference in the raw conversion - both are Process 2012. I don't think there is much in LR5 over LR4 - the automatic lens correction is often mentioned but I find myself doing this manually anyway if necessary. I didn't notice any speed improvements although some say that this is the case. thanks Then for me I can't see the point upgrading from 4 to 5 - 6 is rumoured to be on the way later this year so will wait that. I wouldn't expect LR to disappear into the cloud and not be available as a stand alone purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 By gum, thanks for the speedy and helpful replies. On cost there is an understandable difference in outlook between full time pro (Cloud sensible way to go) and retired amateur dabbler (counting pennies, minimise spend), or maybe between normal and parsimonious, and I am certainly in the latter camp! If there is relatively little to choose between 4 and 5, then little point in my upgrading, whether or not Cloud becomes the only route. I expect that I will upgrade to 6, if it remains as a stand alone product. Don't think that we have bottomed the DNG solution as yet though. I believe, maybe incorrectly, that Adobe provides a free DNG converter, which, presumably is routinely updated to take in most new cameras with a raw facility? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearl Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I found LR4 painfully slow on my system, almost unworkable. The move to LR5 couldn't come soon enough for me so I am biased in saying "upgrade". Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I found LR4 painfully slow on my system, almost unworkable. The move to LR5 couldn't come soon enough for me so I am biased in saying "upgrade". Pearl I think this would be the main deciding factor. As I said above, I didn't notice any significant difference but others have reported speed boosts. On that point, for those who use Photoshop, there are major speed gains in general and improvements in the graphics going from PSCS4 to PSCS6 and later, provided you have the right hardware. That is definitely worth the upgrade to subscription (I'm still on CS6 perpetual license no longer available). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I found LR4 painfully slow on my system, almost unworkable. The move to LR5 couldn't come soon enough for me so I am biased in saying "upgrade". Pearl For £8.57 per month or £102.00 per year Adobe now do the Creative Cloud for Photographers that includes Lightroom & Photoshop, like anything to do with PC's or Mac's its all about downloading the software rather than buying the disc. The good thing is of course, you now get all the updates, until I guess at some point the pricing goes up. It certainly makes it easier to buy, especially for the Photographer. I only have LR4, but plan to upgrade in the next two months as my Photoshop is also only 4, and as people are saying its faster, I think I need to update now, as Pearl has said, my LR4 is painfully slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would upgrade to LR5, better ACR for starters (depending on what flava of ACR you have in PS). Geoff is the ACR in LR5 better than in LR4? I was under the impression that it was the same, which is the only thing that makes me not bother to upgrade but instead wait for a LR6 in the hope it has some more major improvements. AFAIK, LR4 supports ACR7 LR5 supports V8 - raw conversion is better. Process version 2012 is misleading. http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/whats-new.html Noise sliders, spotting tools improved.... Never understand why people spend thousands on gear fixation and baulk at spending a few quid on getting better software?? interesting thanks, will check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFL Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I've got version 4 and it does what I need at present. It appears that you can upgrade even from version 1 for the same price as the jump from 4 to 5. (£56 in the UK). At some point I will probably buy a new camera, assuming Sony get their act together with crop factor mirror less, and will need to update my software then. If LR disappears into the Cloud I will probably wave goodbye to Adobe. Guess I need a crystal ball to know what the future holds. Anybody know anything that I don't about Adobe's intentions? Edit - A further thought, rumour has it that you can process any camera's output via a DNG route. Has anyone tried this and is it viable? I have been using DNG format for many years now after a bad experience (2004 or 5 ish) that a number of NEF files became unopenable. Converting to DNG when downloading is my initial workflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Ramsay Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Out of curiosity, what happens if you're a subscriber and at some future point decide to stop making the payments? Do Photoshop and Lightroom just stop working? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin P Wilson Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 As I understand it if you subscribe to CC you need to be online at least every 30 days to confirm the subscription. So yes, as Geoff says: no pay, no play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I would upgrade to LR5, better ACR for starters (depending on what flava of ACR you have in PS). Geoff is the ACR in LR5 better than in LR4? I was under the impression that it was the same, which is the only thing that makes me not bother to upgrade but instead wait for a LR6 in the hope it has some more major improvements. AFAIK, LR4 supports ACR7 LR5 supports V8 - raw conversion is better. Process version 2012 is misleading. http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/help/whats-new.html Noise sliders, spotting tools improved.... Never understand why people spend thousands on gear fixation and baulk at spending a few quid on getting better software?? This could get pedantic. The process version is not misleading really - it represents the fundamental raw converter engine - everything else is mostly just the dials and buttons on top. I don't think there is any real difference between 7 and 8 raw conversion in fact and I don't think there was any improvement in noise control. The big change was between 6 and 7 when the converter engine underwent an upgrade and there were corresponding major changes to the dials (including the wonderful CA removal tick box). ACR8 coincided with the introduction of CC but there were no great changes to Lightroom from my perspective. I do all my spotting in Photoshop so haven't appreciated the improvements in the LR tools. As above, I don't think the auto lens correction is all it's made out to be. I still have to tweak it manually if I use it at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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MDM Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Points taken. I was really focusing on Callie's query about the differences between ACR in LR4 and 5 and I don't believe there is much if any difference between the converters themselves. I fully agree with the "Never understand why people spend thousands on gear fixation and baulk at spending a few quid on getting better software??". Too much time is wasted using old software (and indeed hardware). That is why I would advocate anybody using pre-CS5 to upgrade PS as it us vastly improved under the covers. And there are also significant image quality improvements in addition to time saving in LR4 and 5 (ACR 6.8 or so and above). I just don't see a lot of gain myself in going from 4 to 5 but obviously others do. I think the real issue is that people don't want to move to subscription over perpetual licensing. I have the most recent perpetual versions and have had every version of PS since 7 and every second version before that. I certainly don't want to move to subscription but accept that this is inevitable at some point. This is the only way that Adobe can persuade (force) people to upgrade as Photoshop has already more or less plateaued out for most of us and Lightroom will eventually do so as well although there are numerous potential improvements to be made there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDM Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Clearly distinguishes those like yourself who are actually making a living from photography from those of us who are not. The fear of subscription is natural I think, as there is a worry about perpetual payment and likely price increase as against a one off payment. And if you stop subscribing you lose the program. Me, I'm totally tied into Photoshop and cannot imagine life without it. My entire image collection is in PSD format, many layered and with alpha channels, along with the raws. So one day I will subscribe again - I did last year in fact but found little enhancement for my work in CC over PSCS6 so cancelled my sub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Lowe Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I believe, maybe incorrectly, that Adobe provides a free DNG converter, which, presumably is routinely updated to take in most new cameras with a raw facility? See here.... http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=106&platform=Windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Thanks Vincent, that could provide a route to raw conversion that avoids the cloud. Re what happens to Cloud users if they cease payments, I believe that cloud LR retains some limited functionality after subscriptions end. From memory, you lose the Develop module, but still have access to the database and a cut down raw conversion. This is based upon reading some dialogue on an Adobe forum, not from personal experience, so interpret as you will. Of course the future is in the lap of the Adobe gods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin McAbee Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 I think the $9.95 per month for LR and Photoshop is a bargain. I subscribed when I first saw the offer as its a needed tool for photographers. I use Lightroom mostly but it is nice to have the latest version of Photoshop available. What other business only pays $9.95 for their main software package per month. If I remember correctly LR and Photoshop together would cost around $800 for the versions before CC and it would take a long time for the monthly payments to add up to that. Also you don't have to upgrade, you are always on the latest version. Marvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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