How to obtain 'free' Adobe Lightroom (standalone)?

[andybarton]

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So for real: there is no longer a way to get the "standalone" version of Adobe Lightroom without pirating it?

Yes there is. You can buy a copy.

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/download-install-single-app-Lightroom-6.html

[andybarton]

However... the standalone version hasn't been updated in about a year and is missing several features that are available in the CC version.  I believe Adobe has said there will be no more updates to the standalone version.

The standalone version gets updated almost monthly, but will never have all the features that the CC version has.

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[jaapv]

Are you sure that Matt is still with On1? I am pretty sure that he is gone, and he was never "behind" the software, other than as an educator and promoter.

 

Personally, I like On1 very much and have been using it since v7. The latest version, On1 Photo RAW, is still an unfinished project, but it does have some very slick and powerful tools. I do not use it for raw conversions, as Photo Ninja is still the best for that purpose, IMO.

 

Rob

Well, they still use his name . I use it as a plug-in to Photoshop.

[marchyman]

The standalone version gets updated almost monthly, but will never have all the features that the CC version has.

 

 

I was under the impression that only the ACR component gets updated.  No?

[andybarton]

I don't know, but there are regular updates to be had for LR6.

[beez]

I don't know, but there are regular updates to be had for LR6.

 

ACR is not being updated for any non-Adobe CC applications like LR 6 and Photoshop CS6. But the last update of ACR for those had the Leica Q added.

[Chuck Albertson]

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Yes there is. You can buy a copy.

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/download-install-single-app-Lightroom-6.html

Thanks, Andy, where did you find that? The stand-alone license version seems to have disappeared from the Adobe store page. The instructions given are only marginally less complex than the procedure for nuclear launch codes on ICBMs.

[SonomaBear]

While I am notoriously cheap (I squeak when I walk), the new Lightroom CC plan for Photographers is very reasonable for what you get.  I use Lightroom Classic CC on my main computer, Lightroom CC on my laptop while traveling, Lightroom CC on my iPad and iPhone, Web based Lightroom CC on borrowed computers.  All of my images are safely backed up on multiple drives in my office as well as backed up in the CC Cloud.  I can access my images anywhere.  $120/YEAR is inexpensive for this level of accessibility and safety.  Since the majority of my work is here in office on LR Classic, the images in the cloud are "Smart Previews" and take very little space in cloud.  20GB goes a long way!

 

Photography

US$999/mo

Includes:

• Lightroom CC
• Lightroom Classic CC
• Photoshop CC
• 20GB of cloud storage

Compare photography plans

 

[Leica Guy]

 

While I am notoriously cheap (I squeak when I walk), the new Lightroom CC plan for Photographers is very reasonable for what you get. I use Lightroom Classic CC on my main computer, Lightroom CC on my laptop while traveling, Lightroom CC on my iPad and iPhone, Web based Lightroom CC on borrowed computers. All of my images are safely backed up on multiple drives in my office as well as backed up in the CC Cloud. I can access my images anywhere. $120/YEAR is inexpensive for this level of accessibility and safety. Since the majority of my work is here in office on LR Classic, the images in the cloud are "Smart Previews" and take very little space in cloud. 20GB goes a long way!

Photography

US$999/mo

 

Includes:

• Lightroom CC
• Lightroom Classic CC
• Photoshop CC
• 20GB of cloud storage

Compare photography plans

I’m 100% in agreement with you, but I currentky only use Classic LR. How do you interact with cc so that it only uploads smart previews? Also, given cloud storage is only 20GB, if all other backups failed, you would not have full resolution images remaining. Is that your understanding? Thanks.

[SonomaBear]

I’m 100% in agreement with you, but I currentky only use Classic LR. How do you interact with cc so that it only uploads smart previews? Also, given cloud storage is only 20GB, if all other backups failed, you would not have full resolution images remaining. Is that your understanding? Thanks.

 

My office backs up totally using the Mac's "Time Machine" so my primary external LR drive has a full backup.  Weekly I back up that drive to one of two externals stored off site.  Soon I will replace the primary LR drive with a RAID -- which I will still backup offsite.

 

LR Classic: If I choose to push a new "collection" to the cloud ("sync with Lightroom CC") then the Smart Previews are uploaded.  LR Classic stores all Original images on your hard drive & only optionally uploads Smart Previews to the cloud.

 

LR CC (not Classic) and LR Mobile upload "Originals" instead of "Smart Previews".   Only LR CC (not LR Mobile) save a subset of the Originals -- you determine the size of the local library.  This is to protect you while LR is syncing with the cloud.  I cheat by attaching a 4TB portable drive to my Mac laptop for its Time Machine and local LR library.

Man, this is confusing -- but it really works well.

 

LRWEB is a bit of a mystery -- I've only used it on someone's PC and not with my own images.

 

Time for a glass of wine -- I had to pull out the LR CC chart to verify this mess.  LRWEB is barely mentioned.

[SonomaBear]

Yes, this is certainly the best option of all. Another advantage is the availability of a large number of free Presets

 

 

Welcome to this forum Jane.  Hope you share your findings with us all!

 

Presets are amazing in Classic and I'm sure they are coming soon to the other flavors of LR.

I especially like being able to create a "preset" on an assignment's images.  So often the lighting remains similar between shots, so I spend a lot of time on one image, then save all the settings as a new preset.  

Then apply the new preset to the 100s of images from the same shoot.  THEN I go through the collection doing my "triage" on the resultant images.  To me, selecting an already "touched" collection goes much faster since they are somewhat corrected.  

Besides, with LR's non-destructive editing, we can go back to our "keepers" and do our fine-tuning.

 

Good luck!

[marchyman]

I’m 100% in agreement with you, but I currentky only use Classic LR. How do you interact with cc so that it only uploads smart previews? Also, given cloud storage is only 20GB, if all other backups failed, you would not have full resolution images remaining. Is that your understanding? Thanks.

 

 

I only use the LR cloud to move files between devices.  Once they are on my desktop catalog under Lightroom Classic CC I remove them from the cloud/other devices save for a few albums that keep the images I want available on phone/ipad, e.g. family photos, the grandkids, etc.

 

See 

for an example of how it can be used.  That's pretty much how I use it.

[Leica Guy]

I only use the LR cloud to move files between devices. Once they are on my desktop catalog under Lightroom Classic CC I remove them from the cloud/other devices save for a few albums that keep the images I want available on phone/ipad, e.g. family photos, the grandkids, etc.

 

See https://youtu.be/pYCwu8HAuis for an example of how it can be used. That's pretty much how I use it.

Super! Thanks for posting. I’m definitely learning new ways of using LR Classic with mobile devices

[SonomaBear]

While updating PS, LR Classic & LR CC today, I found a new (to me) set of tutorials on LR.  

Heck, why work this afternoon when I can learn hidden goodies?

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/tutorials.html