CS6 files- how to continue in CC?

[Ferry35217741q903]

Hi, I have an iMac with High Sierra OS. I want to purchase a new Mac, with higher OS- but all my files are created in Adobe CS6- (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) -how can I continue to work on those file (in CC?) - or am I loosing my decade long jobs?

[Conrad_C]

The current Creative Cloud versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign open old versions. I have opened Photoshop and Illustrator files I created in the 1990s.

[Ferry35217741q903]

Thank you, though I have now iMac with HIGH SIERRA OS, which is fine with CS6 -In a new Mac though, -with CATALINA OS- will I be able to continue working on those Adobe CS6 files in any format? - or am I loosing my decade long jobs?

[Conrad_C]

Thank you, though I have now iMac with HIGH SIERRA OS, which is fine with CS6 -In a new Mac though, -with CATALINA OS- will I be able to continue working on those Adobe CS6 files in any format? - or am I loosing my decade long jobs?

By @Ferry35217741q903

First, you are not going to lose old documents. As I said earlier, newer versions, including the current versions, can open older documents.

However, your Creative Suite 6 (CS6) versions might not run in macOS 10.15 Catalina. That is the version where Apple started modernizing and increasing security of more code, creating more incompatibilities with older software. InDesign CS6 is definitely not compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina. 

[Ferry35217741q903]

Thank you for the reply.
If I understand correctly- I will be able to open the CS6 files on Catalina
OS, (by CC) - and then convert and work on it with the CC version?

[davescm]

There is one exception on old file compatibility and that is 3D. If your files use 3D functions you may have trouble editing those in the most recent CC versions where 3D functionality is removed. At present you can still download and use v22.2 (Photoshop 2021)  for those files which need 3D elements editing.

Dave

[Conrad_C]

Thank you for the reply.If I understand correctly- I will be able to open the CS6 files on CatalinaOS, (by CC) - and then convert and work on it with the CC version?
By @Ferry35217741q903

In theory, yes. But in practice, today the Creative Cloud installer does not provide a Creative Cloud app version that’s compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina. 

The reasons are:

1) Adobe, like Apple, only provides update support for the last three versions of macOS, which are currently macOS 14, macOS 13, and macOS 12.

2) Adobe provides installation and support for only the last two major versions of Creative Cloud apps, which are currently the 2023 and 2024 versions. But the 2023 versions support (generally) macOS 13, 12, and 11.

So, for example, this year, the oldest version of Photoshop that the Creative Cloud installer offers is Photoshop 2023, but that requires a minimum of macOS 11, and cannot be installed on macOS 10.15.

If you want to get a Mac and run Creative Cloud software on it for as long as possible, the only practical option is to buy the most recent Mac you can afford, so that it will be usable for the most years. Every year, when Apple and Adobe release a new major version, the minimum requirement for both companies advances by one year, so the older the Mac, the sooner it will not be eligible for updates from Apple and Adobe.