Adobe CC – Should I stay or Should I go…

Mon 9th Nov, 2020

On the 25th December my yearly subscription to the Photography Plan ends. Now here is the dilemma! As much as I love Lightroom and do the vast majority of my work in Lightroom, there are times when I need photoshop.

However since the latest update Photoshop V22.0, it appears my Graphics Card is no longer supported. So I can do one of two things:

Turn off the Graphics Processor in the Preferences or
Revert back to Photoshop 21.2.4 and not have any of the new features.

However I am not the only person who is complaining about this. And Adobe’s answer is simply upgrade your Graphics Card … and in my case buy a new laptop.

Some people have written that Adobe are looking for a fix to this problem, in the V22.0 and told to uncheck the graphics card box in Preferences.

Error Message

However by unchecking the graphic cards box in Preferences you lose the following features.

Whilst others are told simply, that there card is not supported and they are not looking for a fix and need to revert to the version 21.2.4.

Now don’t get me wrong… I have no qualms paying for the Photoshop and Lightroom photography plans.. but what I do have qualms about is not being able to use all the features without having to go and spend a further £900+ on a new computer.

I’ve checked and I can’t even upgrade my graphics card on this laptop. So for me it is going to be very expensive for me to be able to use some of the features I use if I update to the latest version of Photoshop without reverting to an older version.

So why should I now pay for a product that a) I can’t use and b) that forces me buy a new computer I can’t afford?

For a company like Adobe to buy a new laptop it is chicken feed, but to us photographers on a limited budget, it is hell of a mountain and expense to climb. How do we know that if we buy a new laptop in six months time Adobe say that graphics card is not supported? They gave no-one any warning that the new version would see a lot of computer graphic cards become outdated. Not very good customer service is it?

I will use this month to reflect on my options and see if Adobe come up with a solution as I am not the only person complaining about this situation. As much as I love Lightroom, on principle I refuse to pay full price for something I can’t use. Meanwhile I will be downloading the Affinity Photo trial to see how I get on with that piece of software.

It seems I am not the only person ranting about this according to this thread on their Photoshop Community Forum.

One angry Adobe member…. signing out after a rant.

Adobe Creative Cloud, Error Message, Errors, GPU Problems, Photoshop, Photoshop V21.2.4, Photoshop V22.0

31 responses to “Adobe CC – Should I stay or Should I go…”

Sherry Felix

Nov 9, 2020 at 11:42 am

I understand your problem. But in order for Adobe to speed how PS and LR works they depend on customers having graphic cards that can be updated to handle it. If the motherboard on your old laptop can’t handle a new graphics card you are stuck. I used to build computers and know all about built in obsolescence in computers. You will be much happier with a new computer. How old is the laptop? How about buying and all-in-one for your graphics work? Bigger screen, light weight, and cheaper than a laptop?

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 3:23 pm
  
  My laptop is 5 years old. I suppose it is passed its sell-by date. I used to have an all-in-one but space is the problem, since I converted my spare bedroom to a bedroom/studio. So, there is no room for one up there. I have been trying out Affinity Photo but it has its limitations.
  
  To be honest… as far as today is going … I am edging to staying with Adobe… I don’t like change… and Lightroom offers you the ability to publish straight to WordPress, Twitter, Flickr etc.
  
  I will just moan and groan and save. 😀 😀 😀 😀
  
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  1. Sherry Felix
    
    Nov 10, 2020 at 2:39 am
    
    I’m surprised you don’t have room for a screen. Takes up as much real-estate as a laptop. Good luck with your savings. A refurbished pc costs less.
    
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    1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
      
      Nov 10, 2020 at 8:39 am
      
      What we did before we took up photography was to use the smallest bedroom as a bathroom, which left us with just two bedrooms, as the main bathroom was downstairs. Looking back now I wish we had jiggled a few walls around and converted the cupboard on the landing to a toilet and kept the bedroom. Hence my lack of space.
      
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      1. Sherry Felix
        
        Nov 12, 2020 at 10:56 am
        
        An all in one is flat and can be setup against any wall. It can be moved and shoved in a closet if necessary. Weighs very little.
        
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      2. Bren (Brashley Photography)
        
        Nov 12, 2020 at 11:37 am
        
        I think I might consider that when purchasing a new PC… What I love about a laptop is the fact that I can sit on the sofa, in comfort and watch TV. 🤣🤣
        
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      3. Sherry Felix
        
        Nov 13, 2020 at 2:47 pm
        
        Screen size is too small for graphics on a laptop. Best to have 2 PCs. I sync my laptop with my desktop.
        
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      4. Bren (Brashley Photography)
        
        Nov 13, 2020 at 3:17 pm
        
        At the moment I am looking at both…. but will take a closer look when I’ve got the money… At the moment, the machine I like is over £2,000 … I won’t be getting that 😀 😀 😀
        
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Ted Jennings – TPJ Photography

Nov 9, 2020 at 2:29 pm

Sad truth everything has a finite life span for IT. Just yesterday we were cleaning out old laptops we no longer can use for image work.

I have tried, DxO Photo Raw, On1, and the base version of Gimp. All Adobe wannabes. You might download Darkroom, an open source editor that does look pretty good based on the manuals.

Good luck.

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 3:27 pm
  
  I like On1, Luminar and Topaz plugins… but as you say Adobe has you tied when it comes to software. I created another account downloaded Bridge for photo management, but it is such a palaver to get into another program. I gave up. 😀 😀 😀
  
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XingfuMama

Nov 9, 2020 at 2:58 pm

I really sympathize. Similar problem happened to me a couple of years ago. In my case it was that I can’t use cloud based software (internet access issues) and couldn’t load my old licensed light room version onto a new at the time laptop. It took several experiments to find what worked for me. A lot of people really like Dark Table and there are many tutorials for it on YouTube. I prefer to use a combination of folder structure, RawTherapee and the GIMP. There are a bunch of options, but finding one that works for you can feel daunting.

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 3:30 pm
  
  That is what I am finding… all have their limitations. I like simplicity. If I wanted to do something in Luminar I would go from Lightroom to Luminar…. if I wanted to use a multiple of different programs I used Photoshop. Everything seemed to work so effortlessly.
  
  I am practically at the point of staying with a grudge and then move on if they refuse to let us keep the old version of Photoshop. I know we can’t do Sky Replacement and the cool new features in Photoshop but I can get by with an older version.
  
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  1. XingfuMama
    
    Nov 9, 2020 at 4:34 pm
    
    I stayed with my older version of light room until the end.
    
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Lisa Bradshaw

Nov 9, 2020 at 5:17 pm

I don’t have that issue. I did hear if you stopped paying you can still use photoshop but you just don’t get updates..

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 5:27 pm
  
  I just tried today to see if you can use the apps… So I signed out…created another Adobe account installed Bridge and you can use Bridge but youcan’t use the apps like Photoshop and Lightroom.. Even Camera Raw didn’t work. …
  
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Helen Bushe

Nov 9, 2020 at 5:37 pm

I can sympathise with you here.
I was quite content running CS6 on my MacBook Pro until the Catalina Update. Having forked out many hundreds of pounds for the CD, I was so angry that it was rendered useless.
I understand obsolescence in IT, but my MacBook was only 3 years old, so the issue was with Adobe. The least they could have done would have been to give me a year’s free subscription to Creative Cloud, knowing that they would have had me hooked for life! I would have surrendered my licence key willingly.
I am now happily using Creative Cloud, but still niggled that I have a CD of CS6, which Adobe has made practically impossible to sell as there is a complicated process involved in transferring licence.

More and more I’m using LUMINAR4, but rely on Photoshop for certain aspects.

Really, they have us over a barrel!

I hope you find a solution to your dilemma.

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 5:47 pm
  
  The number of people complaining is phenomenal.. with many having to revert back to the previous release. As you say they have you over s barrel. I love that I can’t export to Twitter, Flickr, WordPress and Viewbug without having to keep saving images to my harddrive.
  
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Maria – FlowingWatersArt

Nov 9, 2020 at 7:27 pm

Good to know because I’m looking to sign up with Adobe. Thanks for the update.

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 7:30 pm
  
  If you have an UpToDate Graphics it will work… My laptop is 5 years old and by all accounts the graphics card is not supported. Try reading this article it explains everything https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshop-cc-gpu-card-faq.html#Unsupportedgraphicscards
  
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  1. Maria – FlowingWatersArt
    
    Nov 10, 2020 at 7:06 pm
    
    Thank you!
    
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2. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 9, 2020 at 8:34 pm
  
  It is brilliant software when it works.. before committing I would download the trial of Photoshop v22.0 and if it works seamlessly on your computer then things should be ok for you.
  
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  1. Maria – FlowingWatersArt
    
    Nov 10, 2020 at 7:08 pm
    
    Yes that was my plan because I’m not sure how it’s going to work with my current system. It should be okay but everything gets outdated so quickly. Thank you!!!
    
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    1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
      
      Nov 10, 2020 at 7:48 pm
      
      You are welcome..
      
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bushboy

Nov 9, 2020 at 11:16 pm

I use Corel PaintShop Pro. Maybe that will work for you

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 10, 2020 at 8:43 am
  
  I’ll download the free trial if it comes with one and give it a go. to see how I get on. There are so many features of the Creative Cloud that I love, especially the Digital Asset Manager in Lightroom that I am finding it hard to find something that matches up to Lightroom.
  
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  1. bushboy
    
    Nov 10, 2020 at 10:43 am
    
    I started with a free trail I think
    https://www.corel.com/en/free-trials/
    
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    1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
      
      Nov 10, 2020 at 11:31 am
      
      Thanks, I will check it out. xx
      
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Galois

Nov 19, 2020 at 12:16 pm

According to an Adobe employee, this is fixed by updating Photoshop to the latest version:
https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/fixed-program-error-while-opening-or-creating-new-document-after-photoshop-22-0-update/m-p/11606343?profile.language=es#M485931

Did you try to do that?

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 19, 2020 at 1:04 pm
  
  I tried it yesterday… my graphics processor is disabled so I can’t operate some of the features.
  
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Galois

Nov 19, 2020 at 4:38 pm

But the new version came out today, not yesterday I think. Turn on your graphics processor and update the Photoshop version.

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1. Bren (Brashley Photography)
  
  Nov 19, 2020 at 4:45 pm
  
  Thanks I’ll have a look xx
  
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