New computer & LR PS and CC

[wilgk]

We’ve decided to upgrade my 10 yr old iMac
Basic & possible poorly worded questions coming.

I have purchased copies of Lightroom and Photoshop (pre Creative Cloud) and use the Pocket Wizard utility.

I am aware of the 32 bit vs 64 bit compatibility issues (though haven’t read or understand properly, haven’t needed to until now) my current machine even though old & not running ‘Catalina’ it is 64bit compatible looking into its specs.

I can access Creative Cloud versions of LR & PS through my work log ins.

Question 1, will I be able to keep both the old LR & PS CS5 and the CC versions running on a new computer?
Question 2, will it run 32 bit and 64 bit requiring applications or just 64?

I’m thinking I just download the up to date 64bit of the pocket wizard software.

We’re buying from a small computer service business rather than big chain store & have used their services in the past to add more RAM to my current machine, so they will help with these questions and the transfer of data/applications I am sure, but I welcome replies advice from anyone here who may have time as well.

Thanks in advance, my training and job skills were Radiography, Ultrasound & now in part time almost retired school sport admin, so not coming to photography post processing with a background of IT knowledge.

The almost retired part is why I ask if I can keep my old systems, as I won’t be able to access the school CC versions for ever.

Thanks in advance, apologies for silly questions.

[Manfred M]

Darn good question Kay. For the most part I have been using a 64 bit operating systems for a very long time.

All of the pre-CC versions of Photoshop had to be activated through an Adobe Activation Server. If you didn't activate, it wouldn't run. What I don't know is if the CS5 activation server is still running. If it is and you have the installation disks, you should be able to run both on your machine, if not, you are out of luck. So far as I know, Adobe has stopped selling the standalone CS6 version and that was the last version that needed the Activation Server.

I suspect CS5 was available as either 32-bit and 64-bit. My understanding is that both Apple has wound down 32-bit support on its latest versions of its operating system (much to the chagrin of the iPhoto users). Microsoft still supports them as I am running some 20 year old software on Windows 10. I seem to remember using MS Office was supported as 32-bit for a long time too.

When it comes to running work created on the CC platform, some of the file structures have changed over time and I'm not at all certain if new (CC) Lightroom catalogs or Photoshop document (psd) files can even be opened by CS5 software. That being said, Adobe does allow old versions of its CC software to be run along side the most up-to and I have done so at times. If you can get it to work, you should be able to have CS5 run alongside newer versions.

The main issue you are going to run into with the older software is that if you are shooting raw, the raw converter will not work with cameras that came out after CS5 was discontinued.

[AaronRoberts]

Before you buy your new Mac and, of necessity, start running Catalina, understand that ONLY 64 bit apps will run. 32 bitapps will not run at all, and apps that include pieces that are 32 bit (even though they have been “mostly” re-written as 64 bit) will likely not run or, at best, will be dicey.

You should download a free utility called “Go64” which you can run on your existing Mac. It will give you a complete list of all your current applications, utilities, and so forth, with pretty complete info about which ones can be used in Catalina and which cannot.

[wilgk]

Thank you Manfred & Aaron for your time & replies, the old machine is running 64bit, but it seems Catalina on new machine won’t support the old versions of LR and PS on further research and questioning with the benefit of your answers, so it looks like I won’t be able to have both.
Extra RAM from old machine is incompatible with new as well.
So some adjusting coming up, I’m sure it will be worth it as the old machine was giving ‘spinning beach ball of death’ pretty regularly and LR crashing, taking the fun out of using it.
I will swap over next week, thank you again for your replies.

[rpcrowe]

Kay - good luck with your new systems.

[wilgk]

Thank you Richard.

[Manfred M]

Extra RAM from old machine is incompatible with new as well.

That is not surprising. Ten year old computer technology and software are rather ancient as technology goes. Electronic waste, unfortunately.

I had to replace my 7 year old Samsung Galaxy S3 last year. When I mentioned the model, people were amazed that I hadn't replaced it years ago. It still worked (barely). Sounds a bit like your old iMac that way.

[Acorn]

You will no doubt be aware, Manfred, of the saying, " Many a good tune played on an old fiddle."

[DanK]

You will no doubt be aware, Manfred, of the saying, " Many a good tune played on an old fiddle."

True enough, but the design of fiddles hadn't changed in centuries until recently, and even the new designs that have come out recently--e.g., the carbon fiber cello that Yo-Yo Ma sometimes plays--are played just like the old ones. Not so computers. Computers are a bit like highways: people build highways to reduce congestion, but the highways then generate new traffic and become congested. As hardware becomes more capable, software becomes more demanding of hardware.

My first home computer was an MS-DOS computer with a very low-resolution display and, if I recall, a 10 MB hard disk. I was able to do spreadsheets, word processing, and relatively simple statistical analysis on it. However, a single raw file from my current main camera body would require 2.6 of those hard drives just to store.

[Manfred M]

You will no doubt be aware, Manfred, of the saying, " Many a good tune played on an old fiddle."

I agree with Dan on this one. His example of highway infrastructure is a good one. The "build and they will come" is all too true. except when they do come, the software minimum requirements tend to have taken a huge leap and the "recommended" system requirements an even larger one.

My 10 year old laptop is due to be replaced once the COVID-19 lock down is over and the photo clubs I belong to get back into operation. I do a lot of teaching I can't uses the most up-to-date software on it and the laptop will not support more RAM than it already has.

[wilgk]

Barry’s analogy made me smile, but Dan & Manfred are right, even though my machine is used for photography processing for enjoyment not income, the enjoyment is gone when I stated thinking, oh I don’t want to take photos, it means I’ll have to use the computer.
I’ve never been one for technology or change for change’s sake, but I think the age of the machine & it crashing is telling me it’s overdue.
As the saying goes, it certainly doesn’t owe me anything, I’ve had a lot of good years of use with it.

Thanks again team, I’ll be back here with questions I’m sure!

[pschlute]

The best change I did was to get a computer with a SSD drive. Photoshop and Lightroom installed on the SSD made them so much quicker to open, perform tasks, and all without hangs or crashes.

[DanK]

The best change I did was to get a computer with a SSD drive. Photoshop and Lightroom installed on the SSD made them so much quicker to open, perform tasks, and all without hangs or crashes.

This isn't relevant for Kay now, but for others facing this decision: I entirely agree with Peter. I have three computers now--one in my office, a desktop at home, and a small laptop--and all three have SSDs. Given a choice, I wouldn't be without one.

SSDs are more expensive than mechanical drives (or were when I bought my last computer), so I bought a 500 GB SSD that can handle all of my software and a 2TB mechanical drive that I use for data, including photos. Photos edited only with a parametric editor aren't so bad, but photos edited in Photoshop can be truly huge, so my 500 GB SSD wouldn't be adequate for them. With my 5d Mark IV, raw files are usually 30-36 MB, but a compressed TIF of a file I just posted in the nature forum is 2 GB!

[Manfred M]

+1 to Dan's comments.

If the computer has an option of using an m.2 SSD, I would go with that option over a regular SSD because that technology is even faster, but a bit more expensive than a regular SSD. The primary drive on all my computers are SSD rather than mechanical disks.

Just like Dan, I use mechanical drives for storing my data.

[wilgk]

Learning, learning, learning.