It’s no hidden fact that Adobe has been pushing for Cloud based dominance in the Photo Post-Production world and this news really shows for the hard work behind the scenes. Will I like and use it? Maybe not, but at least (for now) there is still the good old way.
Adobe has announced that the “All-New” Lightroom CC will be very much a cloud based solution with Apps designed to work seamlessly cross-platform whether that be Desktop, Mobile, Web or even a bit of all of them.
So what do these changes mean? Well, this new Lightroom CC comes with 1TB of cloud storage but the desktop app will look and feel very different, almost like the current Lightroom Mobile App. This does mean that some of the features of the Lightroom CC we know today will disappear (fear not, keep reading, they’ll still be available). With 1TB storage, you will have the ability to save all the RAW files, edits and Metadata up to the cloud which means they are available anywhere on any platform. At the office, at your home, sitting in an aiport, on the train.
So, do I personally like this? Yes and No! Yes, I like the way Adobe is pushing the boundaries of the Cloud and making it easier to work in many places. However, for me, I have some issues. Firstly, this doesn’t really help me in my current workflow. I very rarely have the requirement to use Lightroom away from my desk at home apart from the odd occasion when I use Lightroom Mobile on my Android. The second biggest issue I have is that I live in a Rural Portugal. My internet ADSL has a download of 16mb and an upload of just over 1mb. This will not work for me, storing RAW files (which can be 50mb+ each!) on the cloud would not work it would be too slow.
However, there is some good news, Adobe (for now) are not expecting everyone to adopt this new way of life.
So, they are introducing, Lightroom Classic CC which is essentially the same desktop app we have today. They have also stated that they have improved upon it with the following performance enhancements;
- Application launch time
- Preview generation
- Switching between Library and Develop Module
- Moving from photo to photo in the Develop Module
- Painting using the Adjustment Brush
So are Adobe increasing the costs? Well of course, 1TB of Cloud storage isn’t free. However, I think the costs are minimal. There are additional price plans.
- Photography Plan with 1TB of Cloud Storage – €24.59 or £19.97 – This is the full All-New package including Photoshop CC and Lightroom Classic CC
- Lightroom CC Plan with 1TB of Cloud Storage – €12.29 or £9.98 – This is the same as above without Photoshop CC included
- Photography Plan with 20GB of Cloud Storage – €12.29 or £9.98 – This is the same as option one, but with a reduced storage allocation
So, for me going forward, I be using the Photography Plan with 20GB so the price is just a slight increase on what I pay today.
More information on the “All-New” Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic CC can be seen on Adobe’s Julieanne Kost’s Blog Post