What is the difference betweeen Photoshop 2020 and Photoshop CC

[NewtonLightcatcher]

I have creative cloud, why do I have 2 photoshops CC and 2020  which should I use?

[S_Gans · Accepted solution]

Photoshop CC was the original version of Photoshop that came out after the CS versions were out. After the introduction of CC's, they started distinguishing versions by release year. 2020 is far more recent than CC

[Chuck Uebele]

Use the latest version if it works well for you. You can delete the others, if 2020 work well. They just dropped the CC in the name. No real change other than a new version.

[Nancy OShea]

Older versions can be useful if you need a deprecated feature or plugin that's no longer supported.  It's also good to have in the event that the upgrade doesn't work so well for you (it happens).  The point is, you have choices. 

• You can turn off automatic updates from your CC Desktop App and upgrade manually when you're ready. 
• You can delete old versions when you upgrade.
• Or you can keep old versions when you upgrade.

[NewtonLightcatcher]

So what I am seeing is I have old and new versions of Photoshop. It is odd that I still get updates for the CC version I started using, when  I guess I should delete all but the newest Photoshop 2020 and get used to it.

[John Waller]

>>>So what I am seeing is I have old and new versions of Photoshop.

A few years ago, Adobe used to remove old versions and leave you with just the newest version. That caused an outcry from people who were not ready to upgrade or needed older versions for old plug-ins and other reasons.

Now Adobe installs new versions side by side with older versions and leave it up to the user to decide when to uninstall older versions.

[savagequest]

This just happened to me, I did an Update All and now I have 2 separate versions of Photoshop on my machine. 

MAC OS 13.5.2  – Photoshop v 24.7.1 & Photoshop v 25.0, no other title, and one is not Lightroom, they both open and I can work in either one.  So, which one do I use, this is the MOST confusing thing I've ever seen a seasoned software developer release to users!  I'm Assuming to use the 2024 v 25.0 and uninstall the other?? 

[Nancy OShea]

You can remove the old version by hitting the uninstall button in Creative Cloud Desktop app.

I typically keep my old versions until I'm certain that I'll never need them again.

Sometimes updates interfere with older plugins and/or workflows.  I like to err on the side of caution before I commit to removal.

[savagequest]

Thank you! That's a good idea. This is the first time something like this has happened on my end and I was both shocked and confused.  Personally, I think AI has begun the take-over at Adobe and they might be unaware, lol! 

[Nancy OShea]

It's not AI.  It's based on selected choices in your Creative Cloud Preference Settings. 

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/uninstall-remove-app.html

[savagequest]

Sorry, that was supposed to be a joke, ha-ha.  

I've uninstalled the older version which I knew how to do, I don't see settings that stop CC or myself from installing the same app twice (or older versions) which is probably why this happened. I believe a while back I set all my Adobe apps to Keep Settings & Preferences + Remove Older Versions, however, that setting might have been left unchecked from a recent update to CC itself.  🤔

Thanks for all your help!

[Gulshan212]

Yes, Photoshop 2020 is a specific version of Adobe Photoshop which was released in 2020 where Photoshop CC, where CC stands for creative cloud, is the subscription base version that gives you access to the latest version of Adobe Photoshop.

One main difference between both of them is Photoshop 2020 is a standalone version with one time purchase, while Photoshop CC will be available after a subscription service.

Thanks

[D Fosse]

@Gulshan212 That's incorrect and misleading. You must be confusing the legitimate Photoshop with the illegal pirated versions out there.

Read Nancy's posts again.

[Nancy OShea]

@Gulshan212,

I think you're confusing ELEMENTS with Photoshop. 

PS & PR Elements are standalone software that can be purchased for under $100.  They're aimed at consumer-level users & hobbyists who don't need all the bells & whistles available in pro-level Photoshop or Premiere Pro.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/buy-elements.html?