Lightroom on Mac with Big Sur

[Jacques15B9]

Till now I used Lightroom 6 locally on my Mac. Recently I bought a new computer that runs with Big Sur and Lightroom does not even begin. The application is not considered as needing an upgrade by the system, as it is the case with Photoshop CS6.

Is it possible to upgrade my previous Lightroom 6 licence towards the last version of Lightroom Classic that works with Big Sur. Is it also possible to buy/upgrade the licence without any link to Creative Cloud that I will not use?

[dj_paige]

Yes you can upgrade to Lightroom Classic by purchasing a subscription to the Photography Plan. All Adobe software is now part of the Creative Cloud; for Lightroom Classic this is how you purchase the subscription and download it; and once every 30 days or so you need internet access to verify the subscription is paid up; other than that you don't have to use the Creative Cloud.

[GoldingD]

1. You cannot install LR 6 on a MAC with MACOS Catalina or newer. The installer for LR 6 is a 32 bit program and the MACOS will refuse that.

Also you cannot upgrade on that MACOS from an older version of LR 6 to a newer version of LR6, say from v6.3 to v6.14.

[GoldingD]

2. Do not confuse/conflate  the terminology of CC or Cloud by Adobe Marketing with the concept that the product runs on the cloud, or that you need to use the cloud (oh you need internet occasonally, but not constantly) For the replacement for your LR v6, that being Lightroom Classic.

This was a bit of Adobe Marketing stupidity.

[GoldingD]

3. Do not confuse the following bit of Adobe software (some would say App) with needing constant internet access or cloud usage

Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop App.

When you purchase a subscription, that little app is used to download/install/update the programs. It replace tne old installer code.

It is used to:

• Download/install/update/upgrade
• Authenticate license
• Activate programs on computer
• Deactivate programs on computer
• etc

P.S. tyically, do not sign out from that app, doing so deactivates the programs, signinng back in activates.

[GoldingD]

4. Be careful when selecting a Adobe Plan. Those Adobe Marketing dolts fouled things up. And they doubled down on it.

You will see a plan Called Lightroom. You probably do not want that one. You probably want the Photography Plan. The Lightroom Plan only includes what they now call Lightroom. That is not the Lightroom you are used to. What you are used to is now called Lightroom Classic. Their is no plan with just Lightroom Classic. The Photography Plan includes Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Bridge, Adobe Camera RAW (for the PS) and some odds and ends.

The Photography plan comes in 2 options, 20GB, and 1TB of cloud storage, that you may or may not want to use.

Lightroom Classic is the program you are used to. It uses a catalog placed on a hard drive, it uses photos stored anywhere but typically on a hard drive. It runs on your computer.

Lightroom, aka Lightroom Cloudy, or sometime by Adobe Techs as Lightroom Desktop runs on a computer, but stores/uses a Album on the cloud, images on the cloud. Has less capability. Also known to us old farts as LR POS. Useful if you want to sync to the cloud (be careful)

[GoldingD]

5. Be aware that Adobe has had a major foul up with LrC v10, and still v10.1 on various MACOS. Not everyone is having issues. Some have to roll back to LrC v9.4.