Photoshop CS6 & New Mac OS Update

[MKuran]

A few days back my computer updated itself to the latest OS. All has been well until now I tried to open my photoshop to work on a couple pictures for my next video and it says it has to be updated. How do I go about updateing it if I can't open it? Thanks for any help with this.

Mike K

[davescm · Accepted solution]

There are two issues here.

1. Adobe no longer makes updates to CS6.

2. If you have updated to the Mac Catalina OS, CS6 is not compatible with that OS. Only the latest CC versions will work.

Dave

[MKuran]

Nothing Like Indirectly Forcing Users To Upgrade. I needed to update my OS for my FCPX new features but then lost my photoshop and didn't even know it till today. ERRRRRR.... Thanks for letting me know....

[Nancy OShea]

OPTION #1 Revert to an older operating system on a virtual machine or 2nd computer to support your legacy CS6 from 2012.  

OPTION #2 Get a Creative Cloud Photography Plan for about $10/month for 12 months.  The good news is Creative Cloud desktop apps include free upgrades for as long as you remain a member.   No more worries about incompatibility with the latest OSs.  And you can try it free for 7 days.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography.html

Photoshop has received a lot of impressive improvments in the last 8 years.  These are just some of the newer ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIXM37H0mzs

[davescm]

Adobe has not forced anyone to do anything.

Apple have introduced a new operating system that does not support 32 bit components and introduces additional issues for some software. You chose to upgrade to that operating system. There is plenty of info across the web on Catalina's incompatibilities with existing software.

CS6 was version 13.x  Photoshop is now at version 21.x

There are three elements to the system, hardware (PC and cameras), operating systems, application software. If you upgrade any of those three you run the risk of incompatibility with the others. This is not unique to Macs, it equally applies on Windows systems. It is just that this particular OS change, by Apple, had such a wide impact on the ability of older software to run.

Dave

[jane-e]

This is the second time Apple has done this to us users, Dave. Otherwise, I agree.

~ Jane

[D Fosse]

Apple can do this, and get away with it, because Steve Jobs managed to build a brand loyalty of almost religious zeal. No, not you, Jane, and I'm sure not the majority of professional Mac users. I'm talking about the bedrock mass market, who have been promised Eternal Life and Everlasting Creativity as long as they don't stray from the community of the Righteous.

Anyone else trying something like this would be out of business in three months.

It's also why Apple can continue to operate at a profit margin in excess of 40%, which is completely unheard of everywhere else, where 12-15% is considered the most you can ever hope for. Everywhere else, that would be seen as the evil big corporation in the flesh.

Apple can do anything they want, and their users will accept it as stone tablets from the mountaintop. Only last year, with Mojave, we had a user (or maybe two, I could never be quite sure), who actually threatened with possible legal action from Apple because some of us had the audacity to point out that a new operating system might have bugs and it might be prudent to hold off updating until the bugs were ironed out. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad.

What I'm eventually getting at here, is that I'm sure all this made Steve Jobs a rich and "successful" man. But he probably did Apple a big disservice, because the whole business model is all faith and no substance. When it falls, it crumbles. And Apple doesn't deserve that, they make fine products based on a good concept - and one that has expanded and advanced industrial design by leaps. Yes, they look great. I still prefer Windows, but I want Apple to be around. I just want a more realistic version of it, minus the religion.

[jane-e]

Hi

I was wrong about this being the second time Apple has forced us to purchase new software or stay on an older operating system. I spoke to my Personal Apple Consultant this morning. This is actually the fourth time.

1. Motorola to Power PCs
   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_68000_series
2. OS 9 to OS X 
3. Power PC processor to Intel x86 processor
4. Catalina

Jane