Replacing Lightroom 6...

I want to replace my Lightroom 6 with something also non subscription, which is similar, and in particular can import directly from the camera via usb cable, because I don't like taking cards out. I mainly use Sony A7RIII, and A7III cameras, and would appreciate any suggestions you might have. Quality of results being quite important to me as well.

What is your motivation for replacing LR6? How does it fall short of what you want to do?

 

I have the Adobe Photography (Lightroom/Photoshop) subscription so I've not really tried out alternatives to LR. Having found a reasonable alternative for Photoshop, I did look around 1-2 years ago for a Lightroom alternative. At the time, I didn't find an alternative that met my requirements. Maybe things have changed since then.

 

I'm not sure whether there is a 100% replacement for LR in one alternative App. Personally, I doubt it. There may be replacements by using a couple of different Apps.

So it's worthwhile breaking down the LR6 functions that you really use and that you want to replace. Just for example:

- Viewing Raw digital images

- rating/tagging images in various ways

- selecting images and culling others

- correcting, enhancing and editing images

- exporting images to various formats with a range of options

- etc.

 

LR is of course famous for its 'non-destructive' editing tools. So in LR you can always go back to the 'original images and process/export them differently. As far as I know, edits are stored in the (proprietary) Lightroom catalog. The same applies to most (but not all) Lightroom ratings and tags. So it's likely that you would need LR6 to fully maintain any archive that you may have. You could use alternative apps going forward.

 

If you google "Lightroom alternatives", you'll get quite a few results. Here are just a few:

 

- Have Camera

- Digital Trends

- TechRadar

 

I hope users of these Apps will weigh in on their experience.

 

Mike4

What is your motivation for replacing LR6? How does it fall short of what you want to do?

 

I have the Adobe Photography (Lightroom/Photoshop) subscription so I've not really tried out alternatives to LR. Having found a reasonable alternative for Photoshop, I did look around 1-2 years ago for a Lightroom alternative. At the time, I didn't find an alternative that met my requirements. Maybe things have changed since then.

 

I'm not sure whether there is a 100% replacement for LR in one alternative App. Personally, I doubt it. There may be replacements by using a couple of different Apps.

So it's worthwhile breaking down the LR6 functions that you really use and that you want to replace. Just for example:

- Viewing Raw digital images

- rating/tagging images in various ways

- selecting images and culling others

- correcting, enhancing and editing images

- exporting images to various formats with a range of options

- etc.

 

LR is of course famous for its 'non-destructive' editing tools. So in LR you can always go back to the 'original images and process/export them differently. As far as I know, edits are stored in the (proprietary) Lightroom catalog. The same applies to most (but not all) Lightroom ratings and tags. So it's likely that you would need LR6 to fully maintain any archive that you may have. You could use alternative apps going forward.

 

If you google "Lightroom alternatives", you'll get quite a few results. Here are just a few:

 

- Have Camera

- Digital Trends

- TechRadar

 

I hope users of these Apps will weigh in on their experience.

 

Mike4

 

Thanks Mike, Well my primary motivation for wanting to change is the hassle I encountered when putting Lightroom on a new pc. I was forced to register it again by the dvd which caused the software to think I had a fake copy. Then when I straightened that out via phone with adobe my LR software wouldn't update to the 6.14 which was one of their last, and included my camera. Finally Again, I got them on the phone, and they gave me a link to get the 6.14 which I did have previously. It seems if you try to update your LR via updates it tells you you have the last update, but you don't. My thinking is that they're playing games with people that own their copy of LR, but who knows. I've also read on line that some are encountering bugs in their copies because Adobe hasn't paid other companies lic fees to keep LR operating properly. I haven't experienced any of that so far, but who knows what's next.

Ran into the same snags when installing LR6 on a new laptop recently. Any chance of sharing the link for updating to 6.14 that you squeezed out of Adobe? They seem intent on burying the last standalone version of LR.

I thought LR 6 can import from cameras?

I thought LR 6 can import from cameras?

It can, that's what I like about it. Read what I wrote to Mike for why I want something else.

I have noticed that people are moving to Capture One from Lightroom. I personally have used Capture One, but not enough to say too much. It is technically the superior product AFAIK. I use DxO and I'm happy with it. All I ever want or need to do is the basic corrections. DxO also supports a heap of sensor and lens combinations.

Any chance of sharing the link for updating to 6.14 that you squeezed out of Adobe?

The link was recently (12/31/20) shared on one of the well-known rumor sites. Here's what they wrote:

 

The update was also in the past general hard to find, because the 6.14 update file for Windows was called “Lightroom_6_LS11.exe” so there was never any info that LS11 means Lightroom version 6.14

 

Here is the last working download link to get the full Lightroom 6.14 for Windows with the file named “Lightroom_6_LS11.exe” from the adobe.com domain: http://prdl-download.adobe.com/Lightroom/60BA1251F1BC48B8B82B1B63AE8E620E/1552643270580/Lightroom_6_LS11.exe

 

Apple version: http://prdl-download.adobe.com/Lightroom/60BA1251F1BC48B8B82B1B63AE8E620E/1552642986882/Lightroom_6_LS11.dmg

 

The download is 1.19 GB and is the standard Adobe Extractor, file version 1.0.5.1, product version 1.02. It could be that the setup starts with LR CC, but if you use the LR 6 license key, it will install the LR6.”

At the time of this posting, the links were still active. I did not test the installation but saw that the size of the current download is substantially larger than if has been in the past (some 1.2 vs some 750MB)

The link was recently (12/31/20) shared on one of the well-known rumor sites. Here's what they wrote:

 

The update was also in the past general hard to find, because the 6.14 update file for Windows was called “Lightroom_6_LS11.exe” so there was never any info that LS11 means Lightroom version 6.14

 

Here is the last working download link to get the full Lightroom 6.14 for Windows with the file named “Lightroom_6_LS11.exe” from the adobe.com domain: http://prdl-download.adobe.com/Lightroom/60BA1251F1BC48B8B82B1B63AE8E620E/1552643270580/Lightroom_6_LS11.exe

 

Apple version: http://prdl-download.adobe.com/Lightroom/60BA1251F1BC48B8B82B1B63AE8E620E/1552642986882/Lightroom_6_LS11.dmg

 

The download is 1.19 GB and is the standard Adobe Extractor, file version 1.0.5.1, product version 1.02. It could be that the setup starts with LR CC, but if you use the LR 6 license key, it will install the LR6.”

At the time of this posting, the links were still active. I did not test the installation but saw that the size of the current download is substantially larger than if has been in the past (some 1.2 vs some 750MB)

I looked in my Windows download folder for my version of 6.14. I downloaded Lightroom_6_LS11 on 8/10/16, application, 761,879KB. My previous update was version 5.7 done on 11/26/14: Lightroom_5_LS11_win_5_7 a[plication and was 976,048KB.

 

I suppose I could send you the file. But you'd be better off downloading from Adobe.

 

I hope this helps.

I suppose I could send you the file.

I'm fine, thanks. I have a bunch of LR installation files stored away but I do not use LR6 anymore. I am not particularly fond of LR as I have no need for its database-functionality and find using the software clumsy and not worth the hassle.

 

Capture One, DxO PhotoLab, and On1PhotoRaw are alternatives I dabble with occasionally - but my main program remains photoshop.

Bingo! Many thanks, Dieter, for the 6.14 link.

When so many applications are touted as being "as good as Adobe," there must be a reason. Adobe products are the sine qua non products for photo/video production. I wasn't a big fan of "rented" software at first, but on close examination the cost of ownership is less than what I paid for sesquiannual updates, and I have access to the entire library of applications, compared to the 4 or 5 I use on a regular basis.

 

Adobe's photographer's package only costs $10 per month, and is all I need for travel with a laptop. The full package is $50/mo, which I keep on my desktop and a second laptop.

 

With mature, actively supported products you get more than features. You get consistency and longevity. Furthermore, Adobe offers an incredible amount of data mobility between products, including drag-and-drop. I've used many "as good as" programs over the years, only to have them downgraded or dropped. All the time and effort needed to become proficient is down the tubes. Life is too short for that kind of waste.

 

Lightroom has come a long way since version 6. The editing tools are very close to those in Photoshop, and in some cases better. Don't sneeze at its database capability either. Organization is the key to management, and Lightroom makes that easy, at least for single users. I copy my images to folders on a hard drive before importing them to Lightroom. That way I have complete control over the data structure, which is the basis for a relational data base. Lightroom does the rest. On the average, I can find a particular photo from nearly 200,000 taken in the last 20 years in a matter of minutes.

When so many applications are touted as being "as good as Adobe," there must be a reason. Adobe products are the sine qua non products for photo/video production. [...]

 

That reason is in large part that Adobe was the first.

When another program is touted as 'as good as', it very well might indeed be. I wouldn't say there is nothing besides Adobe.

Edited January 7, 2021 by q.g._de_bakker

A Delorian may be better than a Chevy, but will you still be able to find parts in 5 years? (or afford them).

 

Amateurs seldom place much value on the time it takes to become proficient with a program. Perhaps that is okay if you are young enough to trivialize the 100 hours it might take, and especially if you don't have clients calling the next day on the status of of of a job.

 

The expression, "Time Is Money" seems out of date when it's your time and someone else's money. At my age, I could use more of both.

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