Today’s Question: Wouldn’t this photographer [who asked about whether they could continue using old versions of Photoshop and Lightroom] have to upgrade when he/she purchases a new camera model that isn’t supported by Photoshop CS6?
Tim’s Quick Answer: No, the photographer would not need to upgrade Photoshop (or Lightroom Classic) to gain support for a new raw capture format because they could use the Adobe DNG Converter as a workaround.
More Detail: The Adobe DNG Converter is a software tool that enables you to convert proprietary raw captures to the Adobe Digital Negative (DNG) file format. Those DNG files can then be processed with older versions of Lightroom or Photoshop that haven’t been updated to support the newer proprietary raw capture.
As I mentioned in Tuesday’s edition of the Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter, I recommend upgrading to the latest versions of Adobe applications, which generally means signing up for an Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscription (https://timgrey.me/ccplans). This ensures you have the latest features, support for newer raw capture formats, and more.
For photographers who are avoiding the subscription model by continuing to use older versions of Photoshop and Lightroom, at some point they will likely run into a situation where they buy a new camera that uses a proprietary raw capture format that is not supported by the older versions of the software they are using. The Adobe DNG Converter provides a workaround for this situation.
You can download the free Adobe DNG Converter here:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/adobe-dng-converter.html
Note that I still recommend signing up for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription plan, to provide access to the latest features, bug fixes, and other updates to Adobe’s software applications. But if you continue using an older version of Adobe applications that don’t support newer raw capture formats, the DNG Converter provides a solution.