Adobe backflips on Lightroom

Along with a number of impressive new features to the subscription edition of Adobe Lightroom CC, the company also announced that Lightroom 6 would be the final standalone version of the highly popular software that doesn’t require a subscription. The announcement has annoyed and angered many users, and represents a backflip on the part of the company who in 2013 indicated that a standalone version would be available “indefinitely”.

"Lightroom 6 is the last standalone version of Lightroom that can be purchased outside of a Creative Cloud membership,” wrote Tom Hogarty, Adobe director of product management. He also wrote the 2013 blog post. “There will not be a Lightroom 7 perpetual offering. Lightroom 6 will remain for sale for an undetermined amount of time, but will no longer be updated with camera support or bug fixes after the end of 2017.”

What this means for users of the non-subscription version is that RAW files generated by newer cameras won’t be supported by the standalone version, so those wanting to use Lightroom will be forced to subscribe. Or find an alternative program.

Suffice to say, while the move to subscription only services has certainly been a bee in the bonnet for a number of Adobe users, the move has been excellent from a financial standpoint. The share price has gone from $45 on 2013 to $170 today, as the company continues to set new revenue records.