azphotog Loc: Arizona

I have been using a CD version of Photoshop identified as CS6 on a MacBook Pro for at least 4 years. I recently upgraded my OS to Big Sur and now my photoshop will not run. Adobe says I have to go to the monthly subscription, which I do not want to do.

Some where I heard that the latest version of Photoshop Elements' features will be very close to what I had in CS6. Can anyone confirm this. Will my catalog be used?

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Photoshop Elements is great. One of the good things is a free trial. Use it for a couple weeks and see if you like it.

Rethink the subscription. Compared to what we used to think about the cost of film, it is a cheap steal.

What catalog did CS6 use? Was it Bridge? That is available for free.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

You have an option to downgrade Big Sur and CS6 should work.
Step 1: Back up your Mac. This process to downgrade your Mac will erase macOS Big Sur from your hard drive entirely. ...
Step 2: Create a bootable drive of macOS Catalina. ...
Step 3: Erase your hard drive. ...
Step 4: Reinstall macOS Catalina. ...
Step 5: Restore settings from an earlier Time machine backup.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

CS6 is just an earlier version of Lightroom. It is the catalog program.

I held out on the subscription for a long time. Caved about a year ago. Very impressed by the many benefits it offers. Well worth the price.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

If you do not use 16 bit it should basically work

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

The best solution is one you are not open to. PSE is ok, but if you want to remain up to date, you will need to purchase again when a new version is released, which is every 12 months. PSE is a subset of Photoshop CC, and depending on what features you used on a regular basis in CS6 you may find it adequate or you may want to just rethink your aversion to payment plans. Either way if you want to stay current you gotta pay.

The other advantage of the subscription is that you get Lightroom, which, once you get past getting used to using a true catalog and understanding it's benefits, will most definitely shorten your screen time. Adobe has close to 10M subscribers - they must see some benefit.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I wasn't fond of the subscription plan but faced the same situation as yourself. I ended up purchasing a new mac and the subscription. Personally, I didn't have a choice. I've written far too many actions and presets, along with modifying some code to work the way I wanted it to work for my needs. With that much time and effort involved, I wasn't going to give up using Ps. However, your mileage may vary depending.

Your choice of Elements is a good one.
--Bob

Bill_de Loc: US

Elements is not a replacement for PhotoShop, depending on how you use Photoshop. I went as far as Photoshop CS5, and when they went to the subscription plan I tried a trial version of Elements. I never did sign up for the subscription. Elements has worked for me. Elements also has a pretty good catalog. Many people do not have a need to upgrade every year, but if and when you do upgrade Elements you can usually find it for $69.95.

That said, I am not really into post processing except for prints I plan to hang. The best thing anyone can do is to base a decision on their needs, not the needs of your neighbor.


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Canisdirus

Get GIMP. Free source program, and can do a lot of things very very well.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

This is completely untrue. Photoshop CS6 is NOT a catalog program, nor is it an earlier version of Lightroom. It is the last Photoshop Extended software to come out on disk before the Creative Cloud advent. It has Bridge with it, which will catalog photos, but no-where near as well as Lightroom.

Lightroom is a standalone package with Adobe ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) as its main work engine. ACR is also a component of Photoshop CS6.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

The downside of Elements is 8-bit tools, and though you may not like the idea of a subscription, PS/LR is a bargain at 9.95/month. Not sure what body you’re shooting, but I’d just add that for Fuji, Capture One is my PP of choice instead.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

"Adobe has close to 10M subscribers"

This article says it is 22M! It also points out that there were 12.8 million CS6 users when they switched to the cloud. So by eliminating the upfront cost, keeping current and providing a stream of new features they are close to doubling their user numbers.

Adobe releases financial data in annual reports. I've never found a company report of actual subscriber numbers.

https://prodesigntools.com/number-of-creative-cloud-subscribers.html

Tomscotto

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Great analogy about the cost of film & developing!

Bill_de Loc: US

Keep in mind that you didn't have to spend as much on cameras. Improvements to film have been replaced by improvements to sensors.

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Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

Lets not forget one thing here. If you go with the Adobe monthly ransom, you also have to be on the internet so that it can spy on you and check in every now and then to make sure you are paying the ransom. If Adobe can not access your computer, after a certain time period, Photoshop will just stop working on your computer, even if you are paying the monthly ransom. And, if you decide to stop paying the monthly ransom, you will be shut out of using your Photoshop programme for ever more unless you once again begin to pay and pay and pay and pay, nor will you be able to view any of your Photoshop saved images. Only your tiffs or jpegs etc. Furthermore, any Photoshop actions you created over time will no longer be able to be used. So it is not as rosy as some seem to think, unless you believe everything they tell you about the cool-aid.

For those not needing the very latest upgrades each month, and older copy of CS6 will allow you to do almost everything you could wish for in standard photoshop editing. For many of those using the monthly ransom CC version, they are paying for things that they probably will never need or ever understand how to use.

Then again, some people seem to think it is a good thing to lease a vehicle and pay out all that money each month plus the initial high down payment and then be forced to think every trip they want to drive in case they run over the max miles allowed. And then at the end, all that money they paid out, they have to give the car back and have nothing to show for it. Others prefer to buy a car and own it for as long as they wish to keep it and use it as little or as often as they want to, without paying a penalty for a higher use. Then one day they can sell that car and keep the money and use it towards the purchase of another car that they will be able to actually own.

Another thing to bear in mind is the fact that all may seem good right now with renting from Photoshop but one day you may no longer have the cash flow you do right now and Adobe can put up their pricing and you will be forced to keep paying what ever they feel like asking, or you will be shut down for ever. I still get all the features I need to editing with the CS6 version. I also have On1 software, which I own and not rent and Topaz Labs, which again, I own and do not rent. And between them all, I can do everything I ever want to with a photo.

Don't get me wrong Adobe CC is great and has amazing features and functions but so much of the higher end things are only used by pros who need those things every day, I just don't see why the basic Joe public hobby editor needs to also pay for those same advanced features and function, if they will never use them.