Questions and Answers About Upgrading to Lightroom 6

I am super excited for the new version of Lightroom.  However, I know that many of you have questions about upgrading and some of you even find it downright scary.  Today, I wanted to answer some of the questions I have gotten about Lightroom 6 in hopes that you'll feel more comfortable upgrading!

Will my Pretty Presets work in Lightroom 6 or Lightroom CC?

Yes they will! If you have any of our current sets, they will work in the newest version of Lightroom.  If you have any of the sets we retired earlier this year (Dreamy Baby, Spring, Color, Flare, & Haze, or Retro Rock and Roll) they will also work in Lightroom 6.  

If you are upgrading from Lightroom 3 and have our old sets for Lightroom 3, your presets will not work correctly.  Lightroom 3 had a different process version that Lightroom 4, 5, and 6.  If you are upgrading from Lightroom 3, you will want to update your Pretty Presets.  You can find our current sets in our Lightroom Presets Store.

I am upgrading from Lightroom 5 (substitute Lightroom 4, 3, 2, 1 here as well). Will I have to purchase the upgrade?

Yes.  The upgrade price is $79 for upgrading from ANY version of Lightroom--including Lightroom 1!  

The only people that don’t have to pay the upgrade price for Lightroom are those that have the Creative Cloud.  The Creative Cloud is a subscription plan for photographers.  It costs $10 a month and you have access to the most current versions of Lightroom, Photoshop, Lightroom Mobile and a host of other apps.  Click the link in this sentence to find out more about the Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

I’ve heard the system requirements for Lightroom 6 are kind of strict. How do I know if Lightroom 6 will run on my system?

They are a little strict but they ensure that Lightroom can run faster.  They require a 64 bit processor and Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 for a windows system.  Mac OS X 10.8, 10.9, or 10.10 for a Mac system.

You can check out the full system requirements for Lightroom 6 at this link.

I JUST bought Lightroom 5 last week.  That’s no fair!

That really isn’t a question, but I’ll help you out.  If you have recently purchased Lightroom, you may be eligible for a free upgrade.  You have to have purchased it recently (Adobe doesn’t really say exactly HOW recent, but I’d guess in the last few months would be pretty recent) and have a receipt or proof of purchase.  You can follow this link to find out more and request an upgrade!

I am scared to upgrade.  Will I lose all my presets and editing?

No.  That would be really dumb of Adobe to mess with all your work like that.  Upgrading is a pretty smooth process.  Your current Lightroom catalog will be updated and you shouldn’t lose any of your presets.

THAT BEING SAID, I would recommend that you backup your Lightroom catalog and all your Presets.  We have tutorials for doing both those things on our site: Backing Up Your Catalog and Backing Up Your Presets

I want to upgrade, but I can’t find how to upgrade anywhere?

Purchasing a download is your best bet right now.  Most stores do not have DVD versions of the software yet and downloading is really the future anyway.  You can purchase the upgrade download at Adobe.com (you can also purchase the full version).  You can also upgrade to the Creative Cloud there as well. To see the upgrade price, click on the word “Buy” next to Lightroom and then choose “Upgrade” from the options next to “I want to buy”.  It will ask you which version of Lightroom you are upgrading from and you are done.

If I upgrade to the Creative Cloud will I have two versions of Lightroom on my computer?

No.  When you install Lightroom from the Creative Cloud it will find the version you currently have and update it.  Make sure you backup your catalog and presets before you start the process just to be safe!

Let me know if you have more questions!  I’ll do my best to answer!