How to move LrC 13 catalog to LrC 12.3 version

[oldpiefke]

Due to the current situation of LrC13.x in use on Apple MACPro with macOS12.7.2 I would like to go back to LrC ver 12.3

What would be the best way, does mean with minimum of data losses.

What I understand till now is : I will loose new keywords, new picture collections and I have to import all new photos. New does mean all actions I have done since the use of version 12.5.

Till now I have not found deeper descriptions for this action, but would like to go this step.

Thxs for any helping hand

Best regards

FJ

[Rob_Cullen]

Your understanding is correct. LrC v12 will only open a catalog that was used with v12. Catalogs are not 'backwards' compatible.

If you can accept some loss of data  (eg. Collections) then (before you revert to v12) you may be able to use the v13 catalog in LrC v13 to [Save Metadata to Files] (Perhaps limited to "newer" files added/ edited since the upgrade to v13).

Then when the v12 Catalog is re-established (from a backup?) in LrC v12 you can import the "Newer" files that will also 'import' the XMP data containing keywords and Editing done in v13 (only 'edits' that were possible in v12).

[oldpiefke]

Hey Rob,

thxs for even more clarification.

What I understand from your sytem datas, that you are working on Windows base and seems, that 13.0.2 is working with acceptable problems with regard to artifacts and others. For my system even with 13.1. is still a problem, but much less stressfull than with 13.0.2, but 12.3 works on my apple system without bugs on functions, which I am using and thats the reason I am on the step to go back, because a new MAC with macOS13 or 14 is not in my current budget.

Best regards

FJ

[johnrellis]

For the color-artifacts problem, there are three workarounds:

- Roll back to LR 12.3 and leave Preferences > Performance > Use Graphics Processor set to On.

- Use LR 13.1 and set Preferences > Performance > Use Graphics Processor to Off (this workaround didn't work in 13.0 through 13.0.2).  On older computers and smaller displays, the graphics processor usually doesn't provide much actual performance increase.

- Use Process Version 4. Note that LR will try to automatically update back to PV 6, so you have to keep an eye on it.

You may find the latter two workarounds a better compromise than rolling back to LR 12.3.

[oldpiefke]

Hey John, yes to switch off Graphics Processor works in 13.1, but all time you do development action on photos or switch to another photo the use process version switches back to version 6, does mean a lot of trouble and wasted time

Any idea, when this will be corrected?

[johnrellis]

I don't think it's likely the issue will be fixed. The underlying problem is that the old Macs that are affected have older graphics processors whose drivers are no longer supported by their manufacturers, i.e. they're not releasing new versions with bug fixes. (LR is very sensitive to bugs in graphics drivers.)

The manufacturers have already decided that it's not worth it to them to fix the bugs in these older graphics processors, some of which were models tailored specifically for Apple.

Apple could pay the manufacturers to update their drivers, but it's pretty clear Apple doesn't want to do that, considering that the manufacturers would likely charge an arm and a leg to divert their high-skilled engineers to supporting graphics processors that are used by a small, shrinking user base.

Adobe could pay the manufacturers, but that cost would get spread out across a much smaller customer base, increasing the price of LR for everyone. It's pretty clear Adobe doesn't want to do that.

Adobe could maintain two separate sets of code that uses the graphics processor, one that freezes in place the code that was used in LR 12.3 and the latest version. But Adobe has been making large investments in how LR uses the graphics processor (in response to customer demand), and most likely it's determined that the relatively small number of users on these older Macs aren't worth the large cost of maintaining two sets of code.

Windows users could just upgrade their old computer with a new, midrange graphics processor, much cheaper than buying a new computer. But that's not the Apple way. (I'm a longtime Apple user.)

[oldpiefke]

Hey John,

really much thanks for this clarifying answer.

Meanwhile I am in the middle of the way to restep my archiv with 105000 pictures. I am happy, that I have only one archiv, so its easy to reload the last pictures and its metadatas into the relevant folders. Time consuming is the reading of metadatas from the archive pictures, so that I will have in the next hours a completed old archive. Only step I have to do, to rewrite some compilations of pictures. As my archive structure is reflecting my key picture orientation I use compilations only as transient collections. Last step I have to do is to restore my keywords from the pictures imported since vers 13 archive and to but them into my keyword structure.

So summary, as long as one has goood archive structure and an updated back-up with metadatas it should be possible to go back and to collect money for a new computer to be able to follow the development steps of the application structure. 

I hope ADOBE Lightroom is making good steps ahaed with reliable failure checks till I come back with a new MAC.

ANy comment welcomed.

Best regards

FJ