Goodby Lightroom? I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions: 1 Best alternative? 2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

jm76237

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions:
1 Best alternative?
2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

jm76237 wrote:

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions:
1 Best alternative?
2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

Before you leave find out which competitors have been around as long as Adobe. Experience makes a big difference.

Bill_de Loc: US

jm76237 wrote:

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions:
1 Best alternative?
2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

Nikon NX Studio - Free from Nikon will handle them.

Or just delete them and use .jpg files.

---

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bill_de wrote:

Nikon NX Studio - Free from Nikon will handle them.

Or just delete them and use .jpg files.

---

I use the OEM editor 90+% of the time.

(I only delete RAW files when I don't want the image.)

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

You might want to consider several administrative actions before calling Adobe.

1, Download candidate software and test -- one at a time -- for the full duration of their free trial periods.

2, Seek a new tool that can ingest the XMP side cars and / or a DNG export of all your existing images now edited inside LR.

2a, If needed, update your LR catalog to generate XMP sidecar files. All the generation process to run to completion for all images.

3, Consider exporting full-resolution JPEGs of all your historical images representing the current and full-edited status of the image. This is a duplicate of item #2, but addresses any possible transition issues of migrating the Adobe / LR edit data into a new tool.

4, Your NEF files should migrate directly into your new RAW editor, something to be confirmed in item #1. Items #2 and #3 seek to avoid losing all your existing edits on those files, item #2 migrating the edit instructions, if possible, and item #3 migrating the edited results.

Ysarex Loc: St. Louis

jm76237 wrote:

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions:
1 Best alternative?
2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

Lightroom's combination of DAM functions + parametric editing (and given that PS is included in the package) is unique such that there are no alternatives of near equal ability. You can get the various functions that an LR subscription offers by purchasing ala-carte apps.

The closet you can get to LR is probably Capture One. It's editing abilities rival LR and/or surpass it but it does not compete with LR's DAM functions. C1 does supply a database (catalog) which you can use or not as you prefer. Otherwise there are numerous organizer apps available like DigiKam or Excire.

To replace PS many C1 users pick up Affinity Photo as an inexpensive but very good raster editor.

Another high-end editor that rivals the editing capabilities of LR is DXO-PL6.

Also in the running, ON1, ACDSee, DarkTable, SilkyPix.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

jm76237 wrote:

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR.

2 questions:

Why? Is it the cost? That seems to be the primary reason people consider dumping LR.

I don't believe it's enough to just state that you are dumping something considered useful by so many. If you have a good reason, let us know. It might convince someone else. Or it might enable someone else to get you to reverse your decision.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

2 questions:

Why? Is it the cost? That seems to be the primary reason people consider dumping LR.

I don't believe it's enough to just state that you are dumping something considered useful by so many. If you have a good reason, let us know. It might convince someone else. Or it might enable someone else to get you to reverse your decision.

Prompts these questions:
What does it do that other editors don't do? Does everyone need everything it might do?
Does everyone need those functions? Or do people just like to have them available?
How may simply use it because the big boys are using it?

Bill_de Loc: US

DirtFarmer wrote:

2 questions:

Why? Is it the cost? That seems to be the primary reason people consider dumping LR.

I don't believe it's enough to just state that you are dumping something considered useful by so many. If you have a good reason, let us know. It might convince someone else. Or it might enable someone else to get you to reverse your decision.

If you use 10 of 100 features of a program you pay for, but can get those 10 for free, why would you pay for the 90 you don't use? I used PS for many years, starting when it came on floppy disks. It is a great system that outgrew my needs. If I subscribed to PS I would be throwing away $10/month.

---

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bill_de wrote:

If you use 10 of 100 features of a program you pay for, but can get those 10 for free, why would you pay for things you don't use. I used PS for many years, starting when it came on floppy disks. It is a great system that outgrew my needs.

---

Exactly.
I have three stand alone editors that I can use. One is from 2003, works great.
They do what I need (DPP mostly), so why get LR?
I did get Elements, but it turns out I don't really need it.
(I don't use catalogers, and each one of the three has a cataloger.)

Oh, wait, the pros use it so it must be great.

Bill_de Loc: US

Longshadow wrote:

Exactly.
I have three stand alone editors that I can use. One is from 2003, works great.
They do what I need (DPP mostly), so why get LR?
I did get Elements, but it turns out I don't really need it.
(I don't use catalogers, and each one of the three has a cataloger.)

Oh, wait, the pros use it so it must be great.

You do realize that keeping your pictures in a catalog prevents fading!

---

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Bill_de wrote:

You do realize that keeping your pictures in a catalog prevents fading!

---

But it has to be archival quality!

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Longshadow wrote:

I use the OEM editor 90+% of the time.

(I only delete RAW files when I don't want the image.)

b top gun

Whatever floats your boat...I like Nikon NX Studio, it does what I want and it handles Nikon NEF nicely, even those from my D300 days. I especially like that it handles my D850 NEF files. I do not do a lot of post processing, mainly cropping and some exposure tweaking.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

jm76237 wrote:

I am thinking of dumping my subscription to LR. 2 questions:
1 Best alternative?
2 What do I do with all my NEF files?

1. Best alternative? There are so many. All of them do the basic RAW processing.

2. Lightroom doesn't entirely quit when you cancel. Only three important things quit. You stop getting updates, the Develop module stops and the Map module stops. You can still do Export, Print and much more. Adobe does not ruin your photographic collection of image files just because you quit paying.