UKC

I’m in a rescue mode position this week having had significant pc problems, so looking to future options on a new computer. Not sure how fully I can recover stuff (as least 2 if not maybe up to 5 programs I’ve got licenses for are not now available to download so I may have lost them for the future and the use of the files that go with them).

Photography though- photo cataloguing and minor processing I have been using Lightroom 6 (previously 5; both perpetual licences) till now. I’ve never needed so far something like photoshop or the other options and online storage, etc, that’s all amalgamated together, hence why I don’t immediately just think of going for the Adobe photo plans though that may change once I learn more on post processing. I was hoping to use LR6 for a few years yet if I could. Separate back up of photos and LR catalogue.

Couple of questions:

Has anyone successfully transferred LR 6 to a new pc following Adobe’s removal of the download from their download section? If so, any comments please? I gather from a search it is possible still to transfer to a new computer, though maybe beyond my IT abilities if too complex!

What other alternative cataloguing suggestions have you tried and can recommend for me to consider please? Of course, I may need other software in addition for other functions that LR 6 does, and if you have suggests for that too it would be great to hear.

Many thanks.

You may be able to find the software you need on Torrent sites. However this comes with obvious scary and real security issues of malware, spyware, and ransomware. I stopped acquiring software 15 years ago

I'm still using my Lightroom 5.7 and getting a new lease of life from it by learning how to use other software I bought as plug-ins to edit my photos while in Lightroom. I can't rate Luminar 4 highly enough with its ability to exceed my humble editing skills with a few sliders.

I've never been successful in restoring software from files dragged from one computer hard drive to another and getting them to operate as normal. Pirating would be a doddle if this was possible.

I've dabbled with Darktable, a free software that's similar to Lightroom for catalogues and light editing. And I've had some success using GIMP for a bit more photo editing. Its got a massive learning curve but this is helped with excellent YouTube tutorials on what ever you are trying to create.

As for Lightroom Catalogues, I must be in the minority because I don't keep one at all, or even attempt to maintain one or build one. I rely on a file structure of my original photos. I have a Year Folder which then has individual folders of what ever I photograph on the day with a folder name including the date the images were taken. An example would be "Climbing Gimmer 17-2-22". I would use Lightroom to tag every single image that I own with useful descriptive words, such as subject, location, relevant objects animals or people and the names of people in those images.

If I need to find any images from my 50,000+ collection, I simply search for descriptive words. This can and usually does bring up many happy memories of images that I had long forgotten. And if I wanted to find every single image of me, a specific friend or friends doing an activity then all those images pop up in a search.

Every single tag is burned directly into the metadata of every single DNG file that I own. That way I do not have to worry about the corruption of catalogues. This workflow would obviously have to change if I did photography for a living and had to keep tabs on every single image that I edited so as not to waste time repeating editing steps.

I have a legit copy of Adobe 5.7 if you want. I downloaded it from their site years ago.

Have you managed to save the LR6 catalog (sic) file?

What are you on about ?

If you use LR, a catalog file gets created for that use, whether you want it or not.

"As for Lightroom Catalogues, I must be in the minority because I don't keep one at all, or even attempt to maintain one or build one. I rely on a file structure of my original photos. I have a Year Folder which then has individual folders of what ever I photograph on the day with a folder name including the date the images were taken. An example would be "Climbing Gimmer 17-2-22".

Same here, duplicated on 2 external HDs

I just delete it and don't bother using it at all.

Thanks.

I’m not brave enough to use any torrent sites! I’ll check out in due course Luminar, Darktable and Gimp. I actually have a cd of LR5, thanks anyway, as this was before I upgraded online to 6. I’m assuming that I can’t really go back having upgraded and now a 6 license/catalogue, nor probably wouldn’t want to.

Useful to know tags are put into metadata. Gives scope for future searches outwith LR as needed.

Hopefully! Put it this way I’ve always backup all photos to 2 external HDDs, and the catalogue to one of them whenever I exit LR. Whether I’ve backed up properly time will tell as I’ve never had to use nor have tested any backup.

The pc actually crashed when using I was using LR so this will have had some effect on recent additions. Still to find out what went wrong as I gave up (beyond my IT skills) when the pc wouldn’t get past a blue screen saying automatic repair, failing, and then just cycle of restarting/switching off.

I have been gradually migrating from LR5 to Darktable… but my time has been a tad limited lately.

But when I was looking for the leaked GH6 specs… I came across that Luminar has Now put put the Catalog feature.

https://www.43rumors.com/luminar-neo-launched-with-lots-of-new-ai-features/

Might be an option.

If you haven't done so, start another thread on how to save your Operating System from the BSOD.

There are quite a lot of brilliant minds on here who may be able to help before you consider a complete OS refresh instal.

Thanks. Interesting, a potential possibility for me and I’ll have a more detailed look. Initial thought is it it’s too much AI based editing might niggle me; I like to have my photos as near to how I remember them when being taken. Worth looking into further though.

Clicking through to Skylum I then saw a link to LR alternatives! That will give more to think about.

It might still be possible to get a download link from Adobe according to this forum: https://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/threads/installing-lr6-on-new-comp...

Cheers. I’ve not started a thread yet. Always impressed by the extent and depth of knowledge on here. Initially though as my pc was made by my local specialist computer shop I thought maybe of speaking to them first. They have given me help in the past.

I’m meantime undecided what to do and really trying having a pause for breathing space for a few days till I can think more clearly! It can* get any worse when it is switched off now! It was a shock to see BSOD esp not being knowledgeable in IT. One of those things I always hoped never to see!

Btw I had thought my redundancy plans were ok, as part of that I had an old spare pc that I thought could be used as a backup pc if it was ever needed and it actually had duplicates of some of the same programs (not LR though as it would have struggled to run it) on it that are not now available. I regularly tested it and updated the OS. However, unfortunately it went wrong late last year, and so then did my backup program plan!! 

Looking ahead for possible new programs though is therapeutic as I am open to start again if need be for my photos. I haven’t done much processing in LR so a fresh start to updated software could be useful.

Edit: * can’t!

Thanks. Maybe an option.

I agree.  I would try and recover the PC first.  A random crash out of nowhere is likely to be a hardware problem.  If the system disk is OK, you should be able to retain all your software installs.

I have lightroom 6 and when my windows laptop become too slow I downloaded it from the Adobe site to a Mac book Pro. I did have to contact their customer services. I had the serial number and codes from first purchase

Fingers crossed you can find the Catalog file (that's all you need to recover your LR efforts).

If you can't get LR-6 for a fresh install, at least you'll have the option to upgrade the LR-6 Cat to the latest Desktop CC (via a subs cost of course).  You'll just need to point the new Cat to the right folder locations for the images.

Thanks, good to hear and would be good to have that option available if I need to re install LR. 

I’m optimistic that it will work if needed! It’s Lightroom that does the cat backup to the external drive on exiting so should all work.

Once I find out about the pc I can make some decisions. If I have to think about a new computer then that opens whether to consider away from windows pc and going Mac! Never had a Mac, but some rate them highly for photography.

They are as good as each other. Saying that the iMac has a really, really sexy monitor.

They do look really nice; my pc was built in a huge black box! Takes up a lot of space and has lots of external cables lying about.

My primary interest though if I was to swap over (say if I do need new software it makes sense to do at the same time; a now or never thinking) would be to integrate with other Apple stuff I’m using. Yes, rightly or wrongly, I went down the Apple road years ago with an iphone and an ipad and really like the way they integrate smoothly and work well together with iCloud transfers. 

This is not a recommendation as I have not yet made the jump. But due to Adobe moving to the subscription model and being a very occasional photographer who can't justify the pricing plans I have been looking at alternatives to Lightroom 5.6, which I have been using for years.

I have successfully moved PCs three times with my copy of Lightroom and had no trouble moving the catalogue file or actual photo files from internal HDD to network storage or a combination of those two in that time. There are guides online, but it has always been a fairly simple case of move the files and then show Lightroom where to look and it picks up from there.

With regards to moving I have been looking at Exposure software, I think they are now on version X7. It is a one off cost like Lightroom used to be. You can export your Lightroom catalogue to it and key words etc will transfer across. The the only downside is the loss of non destructive edits made in Lightroom, they will transfer across edited but unable to undo changes made in Lightroom. Exposure has basic editing like Lightroom and the ability to add plug-ins.

As I say, not a recommendation, but it looks like that is where my money is going, unless anyone on here has had a bad experience.

Thanks. I’ll check out the Exposure software.