Windows 7 users having to move to GIMP?

[Irate]

Lightroom Classic CC requires Windows 10 according to Creative Cloud software. I run Windows 7, and have no plans to ever update to Windows 10.

Does that mean I won't get any more updates to Lightroom? Or can I get updates to some other version of LR - I'm confused by the multitude of LR and PS versions I can choose on Creative Cloud. The only reason I sometimes boot to Windows is CC, and if that's not updated I might as well move to Linux for good.

[Nancy OShea · Accepted solution]

If the latest version of CC [insert name of software here] is not compatible with your computer's OS, you will not have the option to install it.  Instead, you will have the option to install an older version that is compatible with your computer.  That is why we have access to multiple versions of CC software.  See links below.  Windows 7 is still supported by some apps and not others. 

OS support for CC 2019 apps

Despite what some people think, I prefer to wait on upgrades until I'm sure it will suit my workflow.  For this reason, I'm still using Photoshop 2017.  I also have older versions of Illustrator and Dreamweaver for when I need them.

[Per Berntsen]

Lightroom Classic is compatible with Windows 7. See Lightroom Classic CC system requirements

But the cloud-based Lightroom CC requires Windows 10.

[Irate]

Seems like LR CC and Classic CC are two different softwares. Who was the marketing genius who came up with this morass of versions?

[John Waller]

Agreed about the naming of Lightroom Classic CC and CC, made even worse by the fact that Classic CC was formerly known as Lightroom CC before the two versions were conceived.

There was huge debate about this when they were released back in Oct 2017. Adobe witnessed the discussion but nothing changed.

Sometimes seems like Adobe Marketing lives in a different world to the rest of us and could not foresee - or did not care about - the inevitable confusion it would cause.

[Abambo]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/John+Waller  wrote

Sometimes seems like Adobe Marketing lives in a different world to the rest of us and could not foresee - or did not care about - the inevitable confusion it would cause.

...or the confusion was intended!

As I see, now the add on CC has been lost too, so there is now "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" and "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic"

But to come back to the original question:

Windows 7 will be phased out by Microsoft and yes, more and more Adobe programs will drop support for Windows 7 and 8. Even with Windows 10 there are early releases that are no more supported. But thanks to Microsoft's new policy to upgrade automatically the OS, there will be practically no outdated Windows 10 systems on the net.

As with Windows 7: Soon after Microsoft drops the security updates, you should change the OS or you will be a target like the XP computers have shown some months ago.

[John Waller]

I'm confused by the multitude of LR and PS versions I can choose on Creative Cloud.

There's one version of Photoshop and two versions of Lightroom, each bundled slightly differently in various plans:

• Photoshop CC (same one in every plan)
• Lightroom Classic CC (desktop based with local catalog) - runs on Win 7 and Win 10
• Lightroom CC (cloud based photo service, no catalog) - Win 10 only

[Irate]

Thanks, that clears it up!

Seems like I don't have the bug reported elsewhere, as I was able to sync my LR mobile photos in the cloud with my LR Classic CC software.

So no need to move to GIMP just yet.