LR6 on Mac [Catalina]

[Johan5DB2]

I can see that other threads on this topic has been conveniently locked, so let's start a new.

Today I learned that I can't install my LR6 on my newly bought replacement mac using Catalina. My old has Catalina and it works just fine so it is so frustrating.

The adobe support people has been told to communicate that this is Apple's fault and I need to talk to Apple support?? As if Apple make the decision about Adobe products and as if it comes like a suprize to Adobe that there will be new MacOS versions?

The only solution offered is paying $10/months for a LR subscription which also happens to run great on Catalina. Such a coincidence, right?

Adobe, you can handle this so much better and use it as an opportunity to lure me into Creative Cloud instead of this aggresive/forcing approach which is only driven from a hope that I will go from giving you 0 to $10/m for a product I have already paid you for, that works and I only use occasionally.

So dear Adobe, instead of signing up for the subscription, I today checked our enterprise subcriptions at work and I have found 3 that can be cancelled already in January/February.

[John Waller]

>>>My old has Catalina and it works just fine so it is so frustrating.

The only way to run LR6 on Catalina is to upgrade a Mac with LR6 already installed. I presume that's what you did. As you have discovered, there's no supported way to install LR6 on Catalina.

>>>The adobe support people has been told to communicate that this is Apple's fault and I need to talk to Apple support?? As if Apple make the decision about Adobe products and as if it comes like a suprize to Adobe that there will be new MacOS versions?

Understand your frustration but that's an incomplete picture. LR6 was released back in 2015 when 10.11 El Capitan was the Mac operating system.

Since then we've had several major Lightroom and Mac operating system upgrades. Apple finally dropped 32 bit support entirely in Catalina in 2019 which affected lots of earlier software versions including LR6. Yes, it's unfortunate but it was an Apple decision.

Like all software vendors, Adobe themselves were forced to make all their products 64 bit - a major task - which they have completed with current versions of Lightroom. So, the only way to run Lightroom on Catalina is with a Cloud subscription.

You still have the option to downgrade your Mac to run 10.14 Mojave and using your paid-for LR6.

[Johan5DB2]

It is like if my car dealer comes back to me "Yes I know you bought the car with cash but I now want you to lease it as well".

Saying that LH6 doesn't work on 64bits Catalina is simply laying. I have always run it on a 64 bits and is still doing it without issues and browsing the web, I am not alone. I don't ask you to support LH on Catalina, I just want to be able to continue to use the product I have paid for and that is completely functional to run on Catalina.

[Johan5DB2]

Another thing I can't wrap my head around is why you have not used this opportunity to lure customers like me into Creative Cloud. You have the product there, we already supported your revenue so instead of loosing us, give us just access to LH in Creative Cloud. If you trust the quality of your product portfolio, you will be able to convert us over time to subscriptions customers.

The way you are behaving now makes people like me dislike and distrust Adobe, start use another product than LR and in my case also cancel enterprise subscriptions that are not essential for the business I am at.

[John Waller]

Thanks for your further thoughts but it won't change anything.

You already have your answer. Stay with Catalina and subscribe to a Cloud plan or stay with LR6 and downgrade to Mojave.

By the way, you are not talking to Adobe here. These are user to user forums so you're talking to volunteers and fellow Adobe users, just like you.

[Johan5DB2]

That puts some perspective on when the word "we" is used in these conversations. It is easy to expect that to be refered as "we adobe" and not "we john". 

/ ex adobe user

[GoldingD]

No No No.

Bit of a misunderstanding

Yes LR6 is 64bit, so yep can sort of run on Catalina, Big Sur

but

No, the installer is 32 bit

So you cannot run the installer on Catalina, Big Sur. So you cannot install LR6 on Catalina.

If LR6 is on the MAC before updating to Catalina, it works

Theoretically if you Roll back Catalina to Mojave, the installer would work

HOWEVER

Do not bother LR6 is even more broke now.

See:

https://petapixel.com/2020/12/24/adobe-lightroom-v6-is-falling-apart/ 

As you know, LR6 keeps falling apart more and more, Mapping gone, Face Detection gone, install on Catalina gone. 

Adobe has no intention of providing a new installer, they have no intention in paying Google for the mapping for  non subscribers, they have no intention on buying a third party DLL to get face detection working again. They have been very blunt about not supporting v6 and older.

[Johan5DB2]

Thanks GoldingD,

I am only using LR6 as photo organizer and it still works great for that. I do all other editing outside the Adobe family so for my purpose, LH6 is still fully functional.

But I hear what you say though, it is just a matter of time before it collaps. It is a very valid perspective.

[GoldingD]

Next up for MACOS will be Apple absolutely insisting on certificates from software providers to allow software to run at all . Many thought this would occur with Big Sur. Apparently not yet. When that happens, many companies, not just Adobe will baulk at supporting non current versions. It will be a money issue with them.

Microsoft appears to indicate they are not going the Apple way as to banning 32 bit apps, but that will eventually happen. No word on insisting on certificates.

[JP Hess]

If you're only using Lightroom for its organization capabilities then it's no wonder you wouldn't want to subscribe. You haven't grasped the concept of what Lightroom is all about and what its capabilities are. Lightroom customers were warned well in advance that Lightroom 6 was going to be the last standalone version, and that it would become unsupported. Operating systems continually change, and current versions of software must evolve accordingly. It's unrealistic for you to come to this forum expecting to find allies when you're using antiquated, outdated software that is no longer supported by Adobe and is probably not used by any of the participants who are responding to your perplexing and years old complaint. Lightroom 6 is history, ancient history. We are all just users who have told you the facts that you don't want to read. You have been told what you need to do to reinstall the software. You will have to install an older OS at least long enough to install Lightroom 6. If you don't want to do that then you will have to decide what you want to use to organize your images. It really is that simple.

[Johan5DB2]

Thanks JimHess for objectification and your productive answer as yet another Adobe Professional. I am also sorry to interfer with your community here with another point of view and having different expectation. 

You seems to be confused of the difference between unsupported vs blocked, last version vs non-functional version. Companies stop supporting legacy product/versions all the time but it is rare to disrespect excisting customers the way Adobe does. 

I am happy for you that LH is still a place for you to learn and excel in your editing. 

[DdeGannes]

Just so we can have some clarification this is a user to user forum so responses you receive are usually from users like yourself. So unless you see a "Staff" designation next to a responders name they are not Adobe Staff.

So a designation like Adobe Community Professional is only an indication of ones experience about the forum product and level of assistance provided to other users over several years. So Jim is just a very helpful participant in the forum.

So he is not an "Adobe Professional or Employee".

Ok so I have done a little test, I run Parallels Desktop on my iMac as I have some Windows Apps that are not available on macOS but are vital to my workflow. I have a Licensed version of Lightroom 5 which I installed a short while ago and it installed without any problem. I reached the stage to create a new Catalog and I did not proceed since there was no need to do so. I never used the Licensed version of Lightroom six but just moved to the subscription version since I wished to use the Cloud sync and sharing features.

 Suffice it to say that I am pretty sure Lightroom 6 should also work on my iMac using Parallels Desktop. So this is an option which you can consider.

So what more can I say, Apple is Apple they do not listen or talk to anyone, they sell their product and software apps and put them to rest when a new replacement is born. No one else is relevant!

[JP Hess]

I am NOT an Adobe professional. I have no connection whatsoever with the Adobe company. I don't know any Adobe employees, have never met an Adobe employee. Adobe has not "blocked" anyone from using Lightroom 6. The problem has been created by Apple and the way they have implemented their new operating systems. There IS a way for you to install Lightroom 6 if you want to revert to an older OS long enough to install it. Or, as DdeGannes has suggested, there are other ways to run older versions on your system if you decide you want to do it. When you want to use outdated software you have to be creative on how to make it work. I think it's unrealistic and unreasonable to expect a software company like Adobe to concern themselves about making old software that is out of production remain compatible with operating systems that weren't even conceived when the software went out of production. You have a right to disagree with me, just as I have a right to express my opinion.

[Johan5DB2]

Maybe GoldingD and other sources on internet are wrong and you are right, Adobe Community Professional Jim. It looks though that LH6 is 64bit compatible but that adobe has simply not updated the installer. Without an installer, it doesn't matter if the app is functional and fully paid for. I can't find a better word than blocking.

[JohanElzenga]

This conversation makes it clear why other threads like this have been locked. This rant is just a repetition of what has been said over and over again. First of all that ship has sailed. You can rant as much as you like, but it won't change a thing. Lightroom 6 is no longer supported, period. Adobe is not going to update the installer. And secondly you are barking up the wrong tree. This is a user to user forum. The people in this forum, including Adobe Community Professionals, are not Adobe staff and do not get paid by Adobe. They cannot do what you want, even if they wanted to do that.