Can I install Camera Raw 11.1 or later to Lightroom 6?

[DJRowley]

Windows 10.  I have Lightroom 6.9, which is showing Camera Raw 9.9.  I know I can't upgrade Lightroom any more, but I was expecting to be able to continue to update the camera profiles.  I hadn't checked for years and it didn't matter that the raw profiles were out of date, but I now have a Pixel 6 phone which takes raw images.  Lightroom is not coping with them.
I've installed Camera Raw 14.3 on my PC and it's showing in CC Desktop, but Lightroom still shows Camera Raw 9.9.  I need at least 11.1 to get the Pixel 6 profiles.
Is this going to be possible?  I have been on to Adobe Chat but they say my application is no longer supported and tried to sell me the cloud service, which I don't want.

[dj_paige]

You certainly can download later versions of Camera Raw. But, it will have no effect on Lightroom 6.

Maybe what you want is the Adobe DNG Converter, which allows newer file format RAWs to be converted to DNG, which can then be imported into your LR 6.

[DJRowley]

Thanks.  To confirm, Lightroom can display the images - the format of the Pixel 6's raw images is DNG.  But they look washed out in LR6 so I assume I'm missing a profile for the camera.  I had assumed this would just be a quick upgrade to the camera profiles. 

[DdeGannes]

The last update to Lightroom 6 was released in Dec 2017 and Adobe indicated there would be no further updates. The only option is upgrade to the Adobe Photgraphy plan which is available by subscription. That plan contains Lightroom Classic and Photoshop, and thaACR Plug-in for PS.

[dj_paige]

Thanks.  To confirm, Lightroom can display the images - the format of the Pixel 6's raw images is DNG.  But they look washed out in LR6 so I assume I'm missing a profile for the camera.  I had assumed this would just be a quick upgrade to the camera profiles. 

By @DJRowley

Incorrect.

In fact, washed out images are probably due to you not setting the right settings for shutter speed and/or ISO in the cell phone's Camera app.

Or ... if that's not it ... you will need to create your own editing — maybe even creating a preset(s) for this camera.

[DJRowley]

I don't believe it's a fault with the photos.  They look magnificent on the phone's OLED sceeen and they display well in other applications.

I've got all my thousands of photos catalogued in Lightroom and I wasn't expecting to have to change.

[dj_paige]

Most phones and most cameras display a processed (perhaps even a heavily processed) JPG on the screen. The RAW is unprocessed, and so it looks different, and you must process it in Lightroom 6.

[JP Hess]

The Camera Raw plug-in has no effect on Lightroom. All that technology is part of the Lightroom program. Camera Raw is part of Photoshop and is integral in the transfer of images from Lightroom to Photoshop. If you subscribe to the photography plan Lightroom Classic is delivered via cloud, but it is installed locally on your computer just like Lightroom 6 was and runs locally, in case that is your concern. However, if your concern is that you don't want to pay a subscription fee then there is no alternative.

[DJRowley]

I don't really want to pay for yet more could storage.  I've got quite enough already and photos are not special - they're backed up along with everything else.  I'd rather not have a special storage service just for photos.

But I'll have to think about it.

[dj_paige]

You describe Lightroom Classic as a "storage service", but this is a small portion of what Lightroom Classic is, and you don't even have to use it as a "storage service".

Upgrading to Lightroom Classic may not provide a camera profile that makes the image appear better, I don't know about your phone. Lightroom Classic does not have special camera profiles for my cell phone's DNG photos.

So, yes, please think about it, but also please be aware that I don't think it solves your problem.

[JP Hess]

I think you might have a slight misunderstanding about "cloud" storage. It isn't just about cloud storage. It's about a cloud delivery system for your Lightroom applications. Lightroom Classic is the upgraded up-to-date version of the Lightroom you have been using. It is delivered via the cloud, but it is installed locally on your computer, the catalog is local on your computer, the images are stored locally on your hard drive, and Lightroom Classic functions much the same as Lightroom 6 functions. You do have the option, if you choose to do so, to share collections of images of smart previews to the cloud. But that is entirely up to you. It's not a question of needing or using a lot more cloud storage. The cloud is simply a system of delivering your Lightroom applications and keeping your Lightroom up-to-date. If you choose to utilize the cloud to share images with others, that is an option that is entirely under your control.

[Lumigraphics]

Please read this:

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/lightroom-6-end-of-support.html