RickL Loc: Vail, Az

Affinity photo. Easy to install, 49.95 one time fee, no monthly charges

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

I would just upgrade to Adobe CC worth the cost/MO $10 and all the latest updates

joanloy Loc: St. Louis, MO

I have never had a problem getting to speak to someone at Adobe. 2 days ago I updated Photoshop, Lightroom, and Camera Raw. Photoshop would not load because of an error caused by a dll file (probably in a plugin). I called Adobe, immediately go to tech support, and the problem was resolved.

whitewolfowner

I agree; their programs are great IF you can figure out how to use them but their service sucks big time. To me they should come with an instruction book. Adobe's pants are way to big for their own good and some day, someone will come along and put them out of business. If they cannot find the problem they themselves created with your copy, then in my book, they owe you a new disk. They have literally stolen from you what you paid for. Did it come to you with a date that you could not use it anymore? I would talk to your Attorney Generals office, if they are worth anything.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I can't tell you how many times I've had to buy a new computer and when I do there's always some software that has to be updated. ALWAYS. So suck it up and get a newer version of Lightroom or subscribe to CC. I even upgraded my computer once and then a scanner that I paid a lot of money for didn't work. It happens. It's called obsolescence.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Upgrade to Lightroom 6 (maybe LR5 has a compatibility issue with a newer computer, though I have never heard of any).

If you buy LR6 direct from the Adobe website, there actually is an upgrade price available... though it's well hidden. The only place it's mentioned is in a little pull down "version" menu during the checkout process. It saved $50 ($90 instead of $140).

If you've used LR5 for five years and we assume you'll get about the same "mileage" out of LR6... "renting" LR CC at $10 a month would end up costing $600, versus buying the upgrade version of LR6 for $90. There are some slight differences between LR6 and LR CC, but not all that much. (Of course, when you rent LR CC you also get Photoshop CC... Plus, who knows, you might upgrade in less than 5 years.)

Bob Boner

Since LR and PS used to come out with new versions about every 18 months, the rental is cheaper. To keep your cameras current with the older versions I would average upgrading LR and PS about every other year. With the rental, you get new features as soon as they are available.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

The problem with using LR5 forever, is that eventually it won't work for you any more. Why? Because you no longer receive updates that makes it work with your new camera. Of course, you may also still be using a camera you bought 4-5 years ago...

I was using Elements 9, and when I got my first DSLR, it could not read the RAW files. So I switched to LR4. That worked well for me for a while, I didn't care about the upgrades. But early last year I went for the Adobe CC subscription because I wanted to learn PS. Last fall I bought a new camera and never experienced any problems using LR because it is ALWAYS being updated with something, including compatibility for recently introduced cameras.

If you appreciate the organizational tools and the editing capabilities of LR, you really ought to go for the subscription. I have always found their customer service to be helpful, and the wait times are not too long. My only gripe with Adobe has been the lack of good, clear instructions about how to use LR and PS. But that actually has improved over the last few years. You won't have to worry about that, because all you would have to learn about are the newer features.

Just my opinion.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Ohforheavensake. Just bite the bullet and subscribe to the Adobe CC Bundle of Bridge, Lightroom, and Photoshop. It will always work with your new Mac or PC, and will always be up to date.

OR, buy Affinity Photo from Serif. On a Mac, Photos is your LR substitute and Affinity Photo is a reasonable and cheap Photoshop replacement. I'm sure there are other catalog-like programs for Windows to go with the Windows version of Affinity.

Re: LR5 --- it is ancient history. They call applications SOFTWARE because they are meant to be updated, upgraded, or replaced frequently.

I see folks on here all the time, wondering why their six-year old computer or printer or software won't work with something new...

You are luck if an operating system lasts five years. You are lucky if a PC lasts three years, or a Mac lasts five years. You are lucky if a software version lasts 18 months before a paid upgrade!

You have to be *very* careful to match equipment vintages with software vintages and operating system vintages if you want to keep them working together...

Does Anyone Remember:

AppleTalk or Novell Netware?
dBase, Superbase, or FoxPro?
5.25" floppies?
Zip and Jaz drives?
Dot matrix printers?
Parallel ports, serial ports, and SCSI?
NetScape Navigator?

The sands of time have washed over all that, and much, much more. I still have a working 3.5" floppy disk drive, but all my Dad's old disks have lost their magnetic data...

whitewolfowner

Not true. All you needed to do was convert your cameras RAW files to DNG files and they would work.

whitewolfowner

Burk, I looked into Affinity and it is not a photoshop replacement, but more a replacement for photoshop elements.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Except that Elements is incapable of editing 16-bit files, and Affinity works in 16 bits. It does a lot more than most $100 software, for less than $50.

ewforbess Loc: San Antonio, TX

I don't see it mentioned often, but I have been very pleased with Affinity Photo since purchasing it earlier this year. It looks and feels a lot like Photoshop, but without the subscription, and it was very affordable. Being able to use Photoshop plug-ins is nice as well.

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

uhmmmm, you and many are among the one god group... praise be Adobe and it sons PS and LR. When you said "I looked into Affinity" were you looking for the soul as Baby Bush looked into Putin's eye and said..."he is a good man." Have you used Affinity and done a one to one comparison ... if so what was lacking.... If not hands on, then how can you with such assuredness proclamation in an authoritative way "NOT A PS REPLACEMENT".... WOW.

A review, one of many disagree with you... perhaps working hands on rather than intuitive feeling has warped their conclusion, what do you think?

"Our Verdict ... Designed from the ground up for Macs, this is a fast, efficient and a genuine Photoshop alternative. It's also remarkable value, and will appeal to those who aren't persuaded by Adobe's subscription model."
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/graphics-and-media-software/image-editing-software/serif-affinity-photo-1295010/review

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Retain your knowledge and use Elements ......