redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

Needs some advice. Am an amateur(hobbyist)photographer do no printing of images etc. I subscribe to the adobe photoshop cc and lightrm classic package for 10$ a month,but rarely use photoshop cc and usually only for its cloning and healing brush features.(do not like cloning mode of lightrm)I use lightrm cc almost 95% of the time and might tweak an image in perfectly clear.(3.5) Have some of topaz also. I have the lightrm 5.7 standalone which i am not presently using. I am thinking of unsubscribing to my adobe subscription ,buying lightrm 6.0 standalone and using pse 11 which i own. What is the opinion of my fellow uhher"s on this topic?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You're not telling a good story so far with multiple redundant purchases and wondering about still more ...

Given the software you own, I'd stick with just LR5 and PSE11 and the various plug-ins. But, you've got some work in front of you as you'll need to export your LRCC work to a format that can be imported into LR5 and retain your existing effort, I believe DNG, but others can comment on the best approach.

Why are you interested in buying LR6 stand-alone? Do you have a camera RAW format that isn't supported by LR5? Going with LR6, you must not be planning for a camera change in the foreseeable future, so why buy more if you own already software that supports your equipment?

I continue to use LR5.7 99+% and I think PSE10, maybe once a month or less. It's stable (LR5.7) and does everything I need except adding text to images. For RAW conversion I use Canon's DPP for my camera, but LR5 also supports RAW directly for my model.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

You’re gonna get all sorts of responses to this, likely leaving you more confused about what to do. But, if it were me, I’d rid myself of all software titles, other than Creative Cloud, learn more about PS and carry on. Doing so puts you on a course of software perpetuity and everything you learn about the software can be used the rest of your life. Just my opinion.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Stay with LR/PS CC - it has all you need, and all you might need, as your skill level increases, to do things beyond simple cloning and clean up. The package will work with your plugins, too.

blackest Loc: Ireland

I can see you want lightroom 6 standalone since the cc catalogue wouldnt be compatible with 5.7. However as dng files or with the xmp files along side you may find you can import into lightroom 5.7 and have your adjustments, you wouldn't have the history (does it matter).

You can do a little search to find how to get lightroom cc to save the xmp file alongside your photos or within the dng files and try a test import into Lightroom 5.7 you can actually add to the lightroom 5.7 catalogue without moving it might get a little confusing if you are using both lightroom versions at the same time as any work done by one will be noticed by the other and solved by loading the changes from the image file.

If your only using the clone and heal functions of photoshop maybe you should get a trial of Affinity Photo, the inpainting brush is terrific but you should try it for yourself to see if its as good as you want. For $50 its a fair option. Of course PSE11 could be good enough.

If you unsubscribe and find you miss it i'm sure adobe will welcome you back and take your money :) You will still be able to edit the photos you have taken whilst unsubscribed.

Gerry_R

Yes, we have all got similar issues. Mainly it is the end of life of the stand alone versions, 5 and 6, of Lightroom, and new camera compatibility. But, someone on youtube came up with an extending, if not elegant solution;

Use your currently owned software plus download and use the free Adobe raw to DNG conversion tool. The combination gives you the management tools you already know, and the future proofing of new camera coverage that is needed. All without subscribing or breaking your work flow.

In addition, for those who want even more control and familiar tools, Macphun is just releasing Luminar for Windows, for around $50-60, which has most if not all the additional adjustments needed, and operates as either a stand alone program, or a plug in for lightroom.

Anyway, for my peace of mind and to avoid another steep learning curve, I'll follow this method of work.