P: Provide support for Linux

Report · Apr 26, 2011

Lightroom for Linux - is it possible? Most my friends and I need it, because of not using Windows and current Linux tools can't get so great instruments for raw preprocessing and organizing...

Report · Dec 16, 2015

I agree with martijn Saly. I only use windows 7 for lightroom, and i have lot of troubles with this system. I heard from many people, that windows10 is not stable now, not to mention infamous windows8.

Maybe linux share is 2%, but only on desktop. Total market share of linux on all devices (phones, tablets, desktops, laptops) is 50%+ - as android is pure linux.In servers workstations, linux has something like 70%. on supercomputers market linux share is like 99%, and windows 0%. With crappy windows quality, it's only matter of time when people will start moving to linux family.

Look at Steam, many new games are avalable on linux now, and all will be in the near future. One of the last bastions of windows domination is crushing now. I've bought myself yesterday GRID autosport yesterday, it's running great on my ubuntu machine!

I know that Adobe always have avarse to linux. But times are changing, wake up Adobe!!

Report · Dec 16, 2015

The OP comment sums the common misconceptions pretty neatly.

First to the ridiculous claim, that Linux has 2% market share. As PeterJot above pointed out, this only works for desktops. In servers, power computing etc. it's a completely different story. Not only Linux owns 70+% of server market space, Linux servers have considerably higher uptime and fail less frequently, than "alternatives". When all the computing is performed in the cloud and home devices have become just graphical front ends with high network bandwidth, guess what OS will the server processing your video/photograph editing run on? That's right, Linux. Why? Because Linux/UNIX it's the most stable and power efficient OS ever invented. So why not starting to develop for the future already? The short-sighted attitude of Adobe astounds me.

The naysayers keep spinning the same story ad nauseam. Linux has too small market share, Linux users are budget conscious et cetera et cetera.

Eventually, it doesn't matter. I don't care. I know it's nonsense and I know what I want. I'm a paying customer and to be honest, compared to my cameras, lens lineup and all the computers I own, software license fees are peanuts on the fringe of statistical error. So why wouldn't I pay for them?

I'm a paying customer and I want all the tools I am used to on Linux. Why? Because. And I care naught about what self-proclaimed market share analysts around here have to say in support of development laziness and customer feedback neglect on the part of Adobe. It won't change what I want.

The very existence of this thread and the fact the discussion keeps coming back to it over and over again proves my point. The moment I have viable alternatives elsewhere I'm dumping Adobe and all their glorious products the same way I dumped Microsoft and all their lousy products. I will not push my money to somebody who neglects my customer's wishes, if I have a choice.

Report · Dec 16, 2015

".....First to the ridiculous claim, that Linux has 2% market share. As PeterJot above pointed out, this only works for desktops...."

LOL...

and who would be using LR on these linux servers or smartphones.... or ...lol.... supercomputers?? :)

sorry but that argumentation makes no sense when we talk about how profitable a linux port would be for adobe.

LR is used on desktops.... not smartphones or server farms.

"...With crappy windows quality, it's only matter of time when people will start moving to linux family...."

i keep hearing that since IBM dropped the ball on OS/2.
"wait just a few years and linux will dominate everything... it ́s the next big thing."

dreams... nothing but dreams. :)

i mean it is FREE and still next to nobody is touching it on the desktop.
that tells you that something is wrong with linux as a desktop OS (no it is not lack of PR).

without going to deep into that topic.

personally i don ́t have an aversion against linux.
in the 90s i used it for my BBS system (first OS/2 then linux) because windows could not handle the multitasking of the dozend tools i had running.

but there is so much wrong with linux as an average joe desktop system. i don ́t even know where to start.

i know computer savy people who WANT to like linux.
but they simply hate it.
they install new distributions 2 times a year... only to go back to windows or OS X after a few weeks.

"... When all the computing is performed in the cloud and home devices have become just graphical front ends "

yeah well..... lets hope that will not happen.
at least not until we all have 10 gigabit internet.

Report · Dec 16, 2015

Did not get the future tense, did you?

With cloud, html5, etc. the trend is obvious. In the future, most of the computing for your average Joe (yourself) will be performed on cloud servers somewhere, rather than on a desktop/wearable device at home. The home device will be just a glorified display. At that point it matters how many servers run on Linux and how many run on anything else.

People are already moving to Linux family. Chrome OS is built on Linux. Same as Android. OS X is built on BSD, which is built on UNIX.

ROFL all you want.

Again, this discussion is pointless. I'm a paying customer. I want pro-grade photo editing software on Linux. The rest doesn't interest me.

Report · Dec 16, 2015

What is the status for current Lightroom CC 2015 ? Last time I tried the interface refresh was kinda buggy.

Report · Dec 16, 2015

Another vote for Linux Lightroom. I'd pay.

Report · Dec 17, 2015

> There are many versions of Linux. Which one would they support if they were ever to support any?

Typically, binaries built for Linux work on a variety of flavors and versions. But if Adobe had to pick one, I'd say, Mint. It's the most user-centric version and the easiest for a non-geek to install and use.

In fact, since Mint is free, Adobe could include it in the installer, and allow the user to optionally do a bare metal install of the OS and applications.

Lightroom (the Windows version) already demonstrably runs on Mint 17 under Wine 1.7. (Do a youtube search for "Lightroom on Mint".)

Whether to port to Linux has always been a chicken-and-egg problem. I run Windows only because my tools run on Windows. The tool makers only provide a Windows version because that's the OS I have. Someone has to decide to do something different to break the vicious circle.

Report · Jan 21, 2016

I'm a professional photographer and have been using GIMP which is excellent on Linux. I choose Linux because it's actually safer to have my shots stored on that platform than it is Windows.

Ubuntu runs much quicker too.

I'd love to have PS / LR as another option. I hate the fact it's the only thing missing from my Ubuntu set up.

Please get some Linux support going. This BS about fragmentation is nuts .. How come GIMP runs on all flavors as does Chrome. As does Libre Office etc.

Report · Jan 22, 2016

Hi Dan. Same for me. I'm also a professional photographer, and also a webdesigner. I worked with both Windows and Apple for years, but switched to Linux about 8 years ago and never want to go back. It's a great system and also great to be sitting behind a computer instead of a machine that is always telling you 'Look at how pretty I am! I'm Windows, or I'm Apple!'
I also would like to have LR as an option, although I'm now using Aftershot Pro which is also really good. Nevertheless, ity's always nice to have a choice :).

This was my first setup by the way: https://www.jacktummers.nl/ubuntu-stu... (in dutch, so you would have to translate it, if you want) At the moment I'm using Linux Mint.

Report · Jan 29, 2016

I think the fact that Linux does not have enough place in the market share because its users are low is not a solid argument. It is like the 'chicken and egg' argument of which came first. I think Linux users would increase if there were more mainstream software available. People love Mac and claim they are more stable and Adobe products run 'faster' on those systems. I think Adobe on Linux would outperform them all. I think when Linux changes to using Wayland or MIR that this will much more possible and easier to develop. I would definitely switch from Windows 10 to use Ubuntu if Adobe products were available. They are making Photoshop for the Chrome OS, I think it can be done for Linux too. Are there really that much more Chrome OS computers being used than Linux?

Report · Feb 24, 2016

Well, fair is fair, ChromeOS is essentially a very expensive browser. And making something for ChromeOS is OS-agnostic: you're developing for a browser, not for an OS.

But it does prove that Adobe is able to develop for platforms other than Windows and OSX. I should count in the mobile versions of PS and LR as well, even though they are hugely crippled in every aspect. But again, it does prove Adobe's ability. Now just for their willingness.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

So at least it's not a huge technical hurdle. It appears to come down to the willingness to invest time and capacity from within the business.

I'm not so sure Linux users would cast their vote here though. Many of them don't care about LR as long as it doesn't run on 'their' platform, and I suspect most Windows/Mac users don't either as long as LR keeps running as it does. It's a classic chicken/egg problem.

Otoh, I'm sure the same dilemma existed when Photoshop was orginally ported over to Windows, back in the day...

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Well I've been a proponent of the Lr for Linux since a very very long time. Don't remember if this thread has been started by me, there was so many to ask for a Linux port.

But the good news is that today I just don't need that. I'm using (as some professional photographers now) darktable on a daily basis which is on many aspects better than Lightroom. So why hanging there... At least give darktable a try!

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Thanks!
i saw darktable before, but didn't think that this software is mature enough.

will try it now!

Report · Feb 25, 2016

I'm using it since more than 2 years now. See what can be done with it:

http://studio.obry.net

Not bad?

See also: http://www.rileybrandt.com/2015/10/15/foss-photo-flow-2015/

And there is many video tutorials on the net. Be sure to check them, the power of darktable comes with a bit of complexity. It is quite different to what Lr does and propose for example. It has taken me some time to grasp it.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

I've tried Darktable on numerous occasions, almost with every update, but I just can't get used to the interface. I had much less trouble with getting used to Linux when switching from Windows and Mac than I have had with Darktable 😞

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Also, how to migrate my Lightroom catalogues to Darktable catalogues? Given that DT works in a similar fashion...

I haven't looked at Darktable at all yet, but I just can't imagine it's anywhere near Lightroom. Perhaps it works for you, because perhaps it does your thingies very well, but everyone uses LR in a different way, and given "linux alternatives" (so to speak) for other popular commercial software, like Photoshop->GIMP, I can't imagine it being very good even without ever touching it, sorry to say.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

darktable has a minimal Lr import. All the tags are imported and some of the development too but that's impossible to have 100% identical result. It is better than nothing... I went through this, it saves me lot of time.

Well, I've given Lr courses and was a "power" user of many Lr features. I can tell you that I have been able to develop my pictures as I wanted in dt. Again all is different, you need time to grasp such big software but for sure there is lot of power on darktable.

Now, if you don't want to change your habits stays in Lr. But that's true for everything, some people can survive some changes...

And now the amazing part you "can't imagine... but never touched it", seriously? This is free software stop guessing try it! Better than spreading FUD 🙂

And again there is professional photographers using dt, it can't be that bad.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Like I said, I'm looking at those who claim GIMP as an alternative for Photoshop, which it isn't by a very very long shot. I guess I'll give darktable a go, if it runs on Windows 😉

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Depends on what you want to do with a picture. I myself have gotten used to Gimp after working with PS for years at a design company. Agreed, it took some time and some functions are not as good as in PS, like the health brush, text and layer management, but for the rest I've begun to like it even more than PS. And it does all I need.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

Interesting, you haven't looked at GIMP nor darktable. You are using Windows, so why are you hanging around on a Linux thread? Looks just as a troll to me 🙂 If you don't like/want a Linux port, that's just fine but please let's keep this thread focused.

Report · Feb 25, 2016

I have also written a letter to Adobe to create their own Creative OS based on Linux. Something like the developers at Valve did with Steam. In the meanwhile they can crate a client like Steam that would run on Linux. I think thy can make a great deal of money by having a store and create micro transactions like so many other companies have done. There can be plugins, presets and tools, etc. Although i do like Windows 10, I would switch to Linux full-time if Adobe was offered. It is the chicken and egg dilema. Adobe claims there are not enough users of Linux platforms, but this is due to the lack of mainstream software that people are familiar with. If that changes, i think many would prefer to install a free OS without the need of anti-virus software like Chrome OS. We'll see how the future holds out.

Report · Feb 26, 2016

No, I do use GIMP from time to time when Photoshop and I don't understand each other. But as for Linux, yeah, the software I use isn't available for it so I'm not a fulltime user. But I do like Linux and all its quircks, and Lightroom happens to be one of the last few pieces of software still not available for it.

So no, not a troll, perhaps a realist of some sort 😉

Report · Feb 26, 2016

Ok ok, sorry but it is difficult to follow 🙂 You said: "for other popular commercial software, like Photoshop->GIMP, I can't imagine it being very good even without ever touching it, sorry to say." and now "I do use GIMP", so you can imagine that I'm confused 🙂

Report · Feb 28, 2016

Sorry, yes, I guess I didn't clear that up properly.

Nevertheless, Adobe->Linux would be one of the few "big ones" for folks to move to Linux. What's to gain for Adobe? That's the question. Fame, at least. And positive reviews.