To upgrade or not to upgrade, that is the question.

[Ted Mikalsen]

Lightroom Version Number

5.7

Operating System

1. macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Hello, I had been using a perfectly adequate version of Lightroom 5.7 until I “upgraded” my MacBook Pro operating system to High Sierra 10.13.4, when LR started intermittently crashing. I’m in a dilemma, as assuredly Apple will not do an update to correct this problem, and I need to weigh the options of reverting back to an earlier operating system vs. installing LR 6.14, which is supposed to correct this problem. However, I have some concerns about problems people have reported with installing the downloadable version of 6.14 (I don’t want to be forever indentured to Adobe), particularly that this version drastically re-configured their LR catalog organization. Would I be better off upgrading my LR 5.7 or taking my chances (as I am not very computer adept) and installing a new version of 6.14? Will both versions support my 3-year old Nikon D-750? Can either be un-installed and allow me to revert back to my current LR 5.7 and corresponding catalog organization. Or should I just go back to my earlier operating system and continue using my trusty, but now unsupported, version of LR 5.7 or just bite the bullet and migrate to CaptureOne? It is absolutely galling to be screwed simultaneously by Apple and Adobe! I would most appreciate any advice. Thanks, Ted Mikalsen.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Upgrading and installing a new version is the same thing. You will always install Lightroom 6 next to Lightroom 5.

 

[Ted Mikalsen]

Upgrading and installing a new version is the same thing. You will always install Lightroom 6 next to Lightroom 5.

Thanks for the clarification, but my dilemma remains whether an upgrade to LR 6.14 is going to reconfigure my catalogs and whether I can safely revert back to my reliable version of LR 5.7 if there are still problems with 6.14?

 

[clee01l]

Thanks for the clarification, but my dilemma remains whether an upgrade to LR 6.14 is going to reconfigure my catalogs and whether I can safely revert back to my reliable version of LR 5.7 if there are still problems with 6.14?

Full number revisions (LR5 >LR6 >LR7) always involve changes to the database structure The LR catalog file is that database. You can go forward because LR will convert the old catalog to the new structure. The catalog structure is not backwards compatible because new elements are introduced with the new version and do not translate to the old version. You never lose the old version Catalog unless you choose to delete it. However it will not contain any work of imported images that you do in the new version.

 

[LRList001]

Thanks for the clarification, but my dilemma remains whether an upgrade to LR 6.14 is going to reconfigure my catalogs and whether I can safely revert back to my reliable version of LR 5.7 if there are still problems with 6.14?

You can run LR6 in trial mode still I understand. You will get the subscription version though in trial mode, which has a few extra features over perpetual, dehaze is one. Provided you understand that as pointed out by Cletus, you can't revert a LR6 catalogue back to LR5, you can give LR6 a test and see how you get along. I switched to LR6 from 5 very late in the day as 5 was fine for me. 6 runs well under W10, I can't comment on the Mac. It took Adobe many attempts to get LR6 working, there are various opinions on this, but judging by the comments on this site, 6.12 was the first reasonably ok version. That was part of my reason for avoiding 6.
Johan has already explained that 6 won't uninstall 5, ie you will have both until such time as you choose either to stay with 6 or you go back to 5. You can keep both for as long as you like, LR won't object. You might though, as you will be better off going with one or the other.
HTHs