Questions & Answers about the Lightroom Classic CC

Adobe announced some exciting Lightroom news yesterday.  I am sure you have questions and we have ANSWERS!

Will my Pretty Presets work in Lightroom Classic?

Yes!  The same Pretty Presets you have been using in Lightroom 4, 5, or 6 will also work in the new Lightroom Classic update Adobe released yesterday.

Why are you calling it Lightroom Classic?

Well, along with the new updates announced yesterday, Lightroom also got a name change.  The desktop version that we all have been using for years will now be called Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.  I'll still call it Lightroom.

The slightly confusing part comes because Adobe also announced a new app to replace and enhance Lightroom mobile and it is now called Lightroom CC.  I worry this has the ability to confuse people. 

Just know that if you were using Lightroom 4, 5, 6, or CC before, the update to your current version of Lightroom is now called Lightroom Classic!

Is there a new stand-alone Version of Lightroom I can purchase?

No.  If you want the newest version of Lightroom you will need to purchase a subscription plan. Adobe will provide small camera updates to Lightroom 6 through the end of the year.

We've seen the writing on the wall for years as Adobe has moved all their software to a subscription-based model. Lightroom's time has finally come!  I love the Photography subscription plan and that it gives me the latest versions Photoshop and Lightroom immediately for one monthly fee.  Easy!

I am scared to upgrade.  Will I lose all my presets and editing?

No.  That would be really dumb of Adobe to mess with all your work like that.  Upgrading is a pretty smooth process.  Your current Lightroom Catalog will be updated and you shouldn’t lose any of your presets.

THAT BEING SAID, I would recommend that you backup your Lightroom catalog and all your Pretty Presets in case of any glitch.  We have tutorials for doing both those things on our site: Backing Up Your Catalog and Backing Up Your Presets.  In addition, here is a great post on How to Update Lightroom Successfully.

It sounds like there are now TWO Lightroom's.  Which one should I be using?

This is the BIG question, right?!? Most likely you will continue using Lightroom Classic—especially if that is the one that you have been using previously.  Professional photographers with a folder-based workflow and their images stored on multiple hard drives will probably find it hard to migrate everything they are doing to the cloud and the new Lightroom CC app just now.  What will I be doing?  Just what I stated above!

Lightroom CC will be a great option for the phone photographers and even the hobbyist and amateurs who really value a mobile/cloud-based workflow.

However, Adobe has really stepped up their game with the release of Lightroom CC.  The improvements over Lightroom Mobile are fantastic and the fact that it syncs across multiple different platforms is so smart.  For the first time, I can see my workflow moving cloud-based in the future.

Look for more posts about Lightroom CC here soon!