Getting Newer iMac but keeping 6.14; help needed with configuration

[ronn356]

Lightroom Version Number

6.14

Operating System

1. Other (please note in thread)

Hello all:
I occasionally use Lightroom 6.14 for mostly personal work, as I am a writer and an (occasional) amateur photographer. And so I decided to stick with 6.14 (desktop) and own a perpetual license for as long as Adobe allows its existence. I realize that it is "obsolete," but then again, so am I. And yet, we are both still working.

However, it is time for me to upgrade my system to a newer computer with a higher OS (currently have 10.11.6 El Capitan), and I am requesting help in configuring a refurbished unit that I will search for and buy. My goal is to get an iMac as new as possible and with a 27" screen. I have looked at Mac minis but cannot discern whether they would carry the amount of oomph that others on LRQ have recommended for proper work with LR.

1. I have read on this forum ("Paul" to "Larry" on 8/3/19) that 10.14.6 Mojave is the (highest?) OS iteration that will run LR 6.14 without any problems. Please confirm.
2. I have also read on the LRQ forum that I need at least 16 MB of Ram, and ideally 32MB, to properly run LR files.
3. And also the size of the graphics card is a consideration—greater than 2 GB.
4. I have no idea what Retina display is, or any other screen quality consideration to look for, but am open to advice on that as well.
5. I would have a professional transfer my operating system and all software, files, etc. from the old computer to the new. I am hoping that this procedure does not upset the operating ability of the LR 6.14 system after it has been transferred. If there is a possibility of that, please advise.

I do have two external drives on which I save my photo files. I just need the best used/refurbished computer that I can buy (as I am on a budget) to run my 6.14, hopefully for the next ten years. And so, I am requesting help in configuring my "new" computer, hopefully for under $1500.

Thanks to those who have recommended macsales.com as a source for refurbished Macs. Nice options on that site!
Sincerely.
=rds

 

[Paul McFarlane]

Point (1) - correct. Catalina and later are all 64-bit OS, Lr6 has 32-bit components so can't be installed. Neither Lr6 or mojave are supported any longer, but I'm sure you're aware of that.
Point (2) - don't go below 16MB RAM. If you're using Lr and Ps together, personally I recommend 32GB.
Point (3) - less so with Lr6, it came of greater significance as later versions of OS and Lr utilized GPU, so 2GB is fine.
Point (4) - retina is higher resolution. If you are using occasionally as an amateur photographer, it's probably less important.
Point (5) - you will need to get Adobe involved to license; the mac transfer software may achieve this, others will better advise.

Finally, bear in mind you are looking at investing in old unsupported technology (Lightroom 6 hasn't been supported for 4 years now), that will always have its risks.

 

[ronn356]

Thanks, Paul. Appreciated.
Other opinions?

 

[Zenon]

You won't be able to install LR6 as Paul pointed out in Point 1. I can't remember the exact work around. I think you revert your new Mac to a version that will install LR6, then update to the later version. I'm not sure it will run on Big Sur. Not sure I'd do this now you are spending a lot of money and not getting the benefits of a newer OS by using and older version. Also there nothing like a clean install. Actually any 32 bit software won't run on Catalina or Big Sur and I'd bet you have quite a few older apps.

Not a lot of options besides LR10 or look for alternative software but tough to match the LR DAM. There is free and inexpensive stuff out there.

 

[Paul McFarlane]

Zenon is correct, if you install Lr6 on a 32-bit OS from Apple (so up to Mojave) then upgrade the OS Lr6 usually continues to work. However, it is completely unsupported, you're looking to use old software on more modern platforms.

 

[Zenon]

Yes unfortunately that is what happens. While some running older OS and say they have never been hit I'm pretty big on security. I avoid all 3rd party except for the free Malwarebytes which I run every few weeks. I depend on Apple and I'm very careful with emails. etc. Apple just released a big one.

https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/curre...leases-security-update-address-cve-2021-30883
Apple updates the current and two previous OS versions. Monterey will be out this fall so Mojave, the last 32 bit OS will stop getting support.

To the OP. Affinity Photo is now $75 and is compatible to PS. I got it for $25 as a back up but never use it. I only open it to update. PS Elements is on sale.

 

[clee01l]

Yes unfortunately that is what happens. While some running older OS and say they have never been hit I'm pretty big on security. I avoid all 3rd party except for the free Malwarebytes which I run every few weeks. I depend on Apple and I'm very careful with emails. etc. Apple just released a big one.

…

I follow the same approach as Zenon. MalwareBytes is the only Malware that I run on my iMac And I only run that as a foreground task and never on standby.

If you want to run obsolete software on obsolete unsupported OS and old hard ware, then the only way I could see that happening is. If the machine was completely isolated from home networks or WANs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Zenon]

I follow the same approach as Zenon. MalwareBytes is the only Malware that I run on my iMac And I only run that as a foreground task and never on standby.

If you want to run obsolete software on obsolete unsupported OS and old hard ware, then the only way I could see that happening is. If the machine was completely isolated from home networks or WANs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I use MalwareBytes because when you call Apple for support they ask you to run. Also from what I read here and a few other sites.

 

[Zenon]

I remember being a tad ticked when I was going to lose MS Office 2008. I for get a lot of good years out of it. Actually I got the info to use Apples free Pages, Numbers, etc from this site. Offers more than I'll ever use. Compatible with Office files.

 

[Conrad Chavez]

I have no idea what Retina display is, or any other screen quality consideration to look for, but am open to advice on that as well.

Retina (called HiDPI on Windows/Android) is more than just higher resolution. Before Retina, the more pixels your display had, the smaller everything would look. With Retina/HiDPI, the UI can stay readable at a more or less constant size, instead with more detail and fewer jaggies (more pixels describe the same size object). One big consequence of Retina is that in photo applications, 100% magnification looks about half the size compared to non-Retina, because 100% usually means one image pixel to one display pixel and the Retina pixels are about half the size.

You asked about other screen quality considerations. Resolution is usually not the most important quality for photographers, color quality is more important. Within that is color gamut, the range of colors that can be reproduced. Old Mac/PC displays were roughly sRGB color gamut. Many newer displays are “wide gamut,” reproducing more colors. Newer Apple displays (macOS and iOS) reproduce the Display P3 color gamut, which is similar to Adobe RGB; both reproduce many more colors than sRGB.

iMac displays from the last few years should be pretty good…Retina, wide gamut, and reasonably accurate, which you can improve if you have a color calibrating/profiling device. There should be good enough refurb Mac minis, but you'd have to find a good display for photography unless you already have one.

I would have a professional transfer my operating system and all software, files, etc. from the old computer to the new. I am hoping that this procedure does not upset the operating ability of the LR 6.14 system after it has been transferred. If there is a possibility of that, please advise.

In general, Lightroom 6 should work the same as long as files related to Lightroom are at the same folder paths on the new Mac as on the old Mac. But you want to make sure the person who transfers your data understands how to transfer your Lightroom settings, preferences, metadata templates, presets…which are buried in ~/home/Library.

 

[ronn356]

Since you all think that it would be a sketchy path for me to follow by purchasing a newer computer but keeping 6.14 and using an older OS such as Mohave, as both are unsupported or near so, I suppose that the best solution would be to bite the bullet and subscribe to a LR plan.

• For me, it seems that Adobe LR Classic would be the better choice; I would keep my photo library in my external drives, assuming that this would still be possible.
• Also, Classic currently has more optionality, if I am reading the lit correctly.

But, when I looked on the Adobe plans page, I did not see the LrC icon. I believe that this would be the one to purchase. Thoughts? I'm attaching what I saw. In addition, the comments on the Adobe Support page seemed to conflate the two separate version at times—confusing.

 

[Zenon]

Since you all think that it would be a sketchy path for me to follow by purchasing a newer computer but keeping 6.14 and using an older OS such as Mohave, as both are unsupported or near so, I suppose that the best solution would be to bite the bullet and subscribe to a LR plan.

• For me, it seems that Adobe LR Classic would be the better choice; I would keep my photo library in my external drives, assuming that this would still be possible.
• Also, Classic currently has more optionality, if I am reading the lit correctly.

But, when I looked on the Adobe plans page, I did not see the LrC icon. I believe that this would be the one to purchase. Thoughts? I'm attaching what I saw. In addition, the comments on the Adobe Support page seemed to conflate the two separate version at times—confusing.

Do you need 1TB of cloud storage? I have been using the 20GB plan for $9.99 plan for 6 years and I don't have single file in the cloud.

Yes you will want Lightroom Classic or LrC to start with to match LR6. LrC still requires files to be stored locally with an option to sync to the cloud if you want to. If you do sync it only sends smart previews which virtually uses no cloud space.

I never installed Lightroom or Lr (comes with the plan) which is their newer version for mobile applications. It automatically sends your files to the cloud. Technically you are only supposed to install one or the other as they were never designed tp work together. People have found work arounds. Ask before trying this.

FYI the plans come with Portfolio which is a personal website and is integrated with LrC . You can import single files or LrC collections that are synced to the cloud (smart previews) . Check out what sites like SmugMug charge for Portfolio. Last I looked it was $180 year and it is not integrated with LrC.

LrC which is currently V10 (11 is around the corner) has all types of new features compared to LR6. If you decide to get it try the Auto button in the Basic Panel. It is now AI based - called Sensei and was trained using thousands of professional edits. I don't always agree with the results but most of the time it providess a decent staritng point and saves time with the basic editing.

Adobe now uses Adobe Colour as it's Default Profile. Also the Profiles are now where they are supposed to be, at the top in the Basic panel, not the dungeon.

 

[Hal P Anderson]

LRC is contained in the one on the left. It includes LR, as well, but you don't need to use it. LRC is just like LR 6.14, except it has some new features. You'll feel right at home.

 

[ronn356]

Thanks, Hal & Z and all the others who have commented. Your experience is helping me make an informed and wise decision.

I think that I'll upgrade the desktop first (and later, the laptop) to see how that goes—newer equipment, LrC subscription that covers both devices, the works. I hope that I can upgrade any old fogie software that may be in the older desktop, but most of my work involves fairly new software and equipment. So I'm not too worried about that scenario yet. We'll see.

Will report back on how this all transpires.

 

[clee01l]

Thanks, Hal & Z and all the others who have commented. Your experience is helping me make an informed and wise decision.

I think that I'll upgrade the desktop first (and later, the laptop) to see how that goes—newer equipment, LrC subscription that covers both devices, the works. I hope that I can upgrade any old fogie software that may be in the older desktop, but most of my work involves fairly new software and equipment. So I'm not too worried about that scenario yet. We'll see.

Will report back on how this all transpires.

You might want to install Lightroom Classic on the Desktop and Lightroom (cloudy on the portable. Then you can sync any Classic photos to the cloud and they won’t take up any of that 20GB. You can use Lightroom on the portable with the images sync’d to the cloud and any changes that you make in Lightroom will sync back to the Master catalog on the desktop.


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[ronn356]

It's been a while before I could get to my upgrade, but I finally signed up with LrC v11 tonight and it pretty seamlessly set up the system.

I had bought a 2019 refurbished 27" iMac with Retina 5k and Monterey 12.1, with 32 GB memory from Other World Computing. I was initially very satisfied with the purchase, which soured after their failure to advise me against purchasing their default fusion drive setup became apparent. After I discovered my mistake on that, I had a Samsung SSD installed by my computer fixit guy, which woke up the operating capability of my newish computer. The fusion really disappointed, plus I have since read that they are a time bomb waiting to explode. OWC would not take the fusion drive back as a trade, which says a LOT about their standing behind the products that they sell. But I digress....

LrC took control of my image files and it appears that it knows where everything is. I'll test it out some more and report if I see any issues.

In the past I've been keeping my image library on a portable LaCie that I primarily used with my desktop, and I would take with me on trips to use on my laptop. After I upgrade my laptop, I will probably try out Cletus' tip to use the Cloud for the laptop and store any images and changes there, to be retrieved later with the desktop and its external drive. If that works, it would be fewer things to tote around.

Thanks for all of your help and encouragement about upgrading to LrC, and I hope that this discussion helps others who will be migrating over to the dreaded subscription system. I only write this last phrase because it seems that ALL of the services that I now employ for my work (and recreation) involve a subscription. Sometimes I feel that I am being bled with a thousand cuts.

 

[Zenon]

Don't forget to try out the new Auto feature and ISO Adaptive presets.