All About Lightroom Updates
I’m going to let you in on a little secret — updating Lightroom isn’t scary!
I used to be one of those people who REFUSED to update her computer, I’d click that “remind me tomorrow” button hoping my mac would get the hint after a year of trying. I wished for a “remind me never” button instead but then I started working in the digital space and realized…
UPDATES ARE NECESSARY. They are not the enemy. This is a blog post for all the nonbelievers, the scaredy-cats, and the ones who get caught up in all the scare tactics thrown about in those messy Facebook groups.
What is a Lightroom update?
Lightroom has both minor (version 12.0.1) and major (versions 1 - 12) updates. A minor update includes bug fixes and stability improvements. A major version includes bug fixes and most importantly: introduces new features and allows for newer cameras and lenses to be recognized by the software.
Heads up: Lightroom gets a major update roughly every 85 weeks (1.6 years)
THE most common complaint about updating is regarding speed. My entire job relies on needing Lightroom to function efficiently at top speed so if I’m working on the latest version, so can you.
Everything you can do to make sure your Lightroom is ⚡️lightning fast:
New(ish) computer— An outdated computer will slow you down. A computer is considered “old” in the 5-8 year range, which means you should always keep you eye out on what’s new in computers, just like you do with cameras. Make sure this relatively new computer has plenty of space in it for updates, a cluttered computer will definitely slow you down. Store documents and photos in a cloud or on external hard drives.
Updated computer— Stop 👏🏽 clicking 👏🏽 remind 👏🏽 me 👏🏽 tomorrow! Make sure you’re always working from the latest update.
Optimized catalog— There are several ways to optimize your workflow and your catalog. You can find every optimization trick right on Adobe’s Help Page.
External hard drive— Store your thousands of raws on a good, fast, external hard drive. I know it seems unfair to not be able to squeeze every inch out of that terabyte but you must refrain from filling up your hard drive if you want Lightroom to work smoothly. A good rule of thumb is to keep 20% of your drive free.
