Lightroom Beta License Expired >:( Now what? Please help fast

chulium · March 1, 2007

Hey all,

As many of you know, Adobe Lightroom 1.0 was released today (March 1) at 12 AM. I've been using Beta 4 and I like it a lot... but what I failed to know SOMEHOW (which doesn't matter now) was that the Beta license expires when 1.0 is released.

All my photos were in DNG format (Digital negative), or they wouldn't upload from my camera (PEF files, RAW format, Pentax *istD) - and DNG is only ready by Adobe Lightroom (or other expensive Adobe products, which I don't have).

Lightroom 1.0 costs $400.

I don't want Picasa.... unless I *REALLY* have to use it. Any alternatives, ideas? I need to get my photos back! I can't start Lightroom! They're locked in DNG format and I can't read them... I really need some for a yearbook publication this week.

This really stinks >_<

Urgent help appreciated,
Thanks,
-Matt

thebigsky · March 1, 2007

Well if you don't want to purchase Lightroom 1.0, I guess you'll have to download the 30 day trial here:-

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/

and use it to make whatever changes you need to your images. (You always knew it was a Beta release right?)

Charlie

BTW, are you sure it's $400, it's £133 in the UK which equates to about $280?

patch29 · March 1, 2007

Here is the US price from Adobe's website, so you can get it for $199 for a while.

Get Lightroom before April 30, 2007 and save US$100 off the expected retail price of US$299

W.W. Webster · March 1, 2007

chulium wrote:

Hey all, <blah, blah, blah>

Your 'facts' are so wrong it's hard to know where to start to put you on the right track. I suggest you carefully re-examine every one of the assumptions you are making, and you'll find life is not as desperate for you as you thought! <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/mwink.gif" border="0" alt="" >

Art Scott · March 1, 2007

Do you know anyone that works in any school system that would purcahse it for you at a great discount at ACADEMIC SUPERSTORE...IT IS ONLY $105 + S/H.

BTW...doesn't have to be a teacher....even a janitor can order from them all one needs is a School ID showing their employemnt or that they are a student (must be photo ID) and they will ask for you to email them a copy of your (their) school ID and drivers license.......They never even contacted the university I worked for when I first used them and I told them I was facilities manager .......and the customer service was great from them....

Also this is all FULL RETAIL software .....not missing some bits and pieces like some from academic discount houses....everything I have purchased from them has been full retail packaging....

photogmomma · March 3, 2007

I didn't get a school discount, but I bought it for $167USD after the coupon I googled....

Uninstall the beta and the install the 30 day trial. You should be fine - for 30 days....

I'd scrape the cash up, though. I find it is VERY worth it and the release is MUCH faster, IMHO. And has a few new tools that are pretty handy.

Hope you got it worked out!

Shay Stephens · March 3, 2007

I am using Bibble Pro to edit my raw files. It doesn't handles raw files that have been converted to DNG (proprietary), but it will edit DNG that have been created by a camera (non-proprietary). So hopefully you didn't convert your raw files to DNG with the Adobe converter. That pretty much locks you in to adobe solutions until they decide to fully open the DNG format.

Shay Stephens · March 3, 2007

W.W. Webster wrote:

Your 'facts' are so wrong it's hard to know where to start to put you on the right track.

Wow, you're like one of those super heros they have on the big screen that save the world, kiss babies, *and* take care of the bad guys while still being able to say something witty in the midst of battle.

W.W. Webster · March 3, 2007

chulium wrote:

Adobe Lightroom 1.0 was released today (March 1) at 12 AM.

:nono

chulium wrote:

the Beta license expires when 1.0 is released.

:nono

chulium wrote:

Lightroom 1.0 costs $400.

:nono

W.W. Webster wrote:

I suggest you carefully re-examine every one of the assumptions you are making, and you'll find life is not as desperate for you as you thought!

silica · March 3, 2007

chulium wrote:

All my photos were in DNG format (Digital negative), or they wouldn't upload from my camera (PEF files, RAW format, Pentax *istD) - and DNG is only ready by Adobe Lightroom (or other expensive Adobe products, which I don't have).

When you originally converted the RAW files to DNG, you had the option of embedding the original RAW file into the DNG. If you took that option, then the Adobe DNG converter app will extract the original RAW file from the DNG file, and your RAW files will be restored. If you did not embed the RAW file, then I'm not certain I understand why one would convert their files to a format for a program they had no intention of purchasing.

System · March 3, 2007

there's a multitude of software that reads dng files including gimp, which is supposed to be a freebie-

hope this helps-

http://www.adobe.com/products/dng/supporters.html

and pse3 and pse4-

Glenn NK · March 4, 2007

Chulium:

1. Did you really convert all your files to DNG?

2. In LR, you don't have to convert the RAW files.

3. The beauty of Lightroom is that it DOES NOT modify the original files.

4. In the words of one reviewer, "LR modifies the information ABOUT the files".

5. Unless you export the files into another format, all your original files should be where they were, in their original format.

6. If you like LR, then why not buy it? I loved it, and bought it last Sunday.

ginger_55 · March 5, 2007

When the heck is CS3 coming out? That is where my interest lies. I don't know enough about lightroom, well, I am sure I would prefer CS3, I have CS2, and I have downloaded the Beta version of CS3, but the bridge doesn't work well enough now. And with no tech support, my stress level zooms!! So I am back to using CS2 and waiting to buy CS3, which I hope does not cost more as an upgrade than an arm, gotta be an upgrade price.

And I thought others were comparing CS3 with lightroom. Why are you all buying lightroom? Or are you just going to own all of them? smile.

ginger

Anthony · March 5, 2007

ginger_55 wrote:

When the heck is CS3 coming out?

[..]

ginger

'They' say Q2-2007 so anytime April to June I suppose (I would guess closer to June - but that is a guess)

Anthony.

W.W. Webster · March 5, 2007

ginger_55 wrote:

When the heck is CS3 coming out?

27 March

Anthony · March 6, 2007

W.W. Webster wrote:

27 March

Phew! You had me going there for a minute!

This is what I had gleaned from the 'web...

"Reports suggesting the software will ship later this month have been refuted on the Adobe PR blog, which says: "We are announcing Creative Suite 3 on March 27th. However, the software will not ship until later in Spring 2007." The launch event on 27 March will detail the new features in the Creative Suite - which currently includes Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Bridge and - in some versions - Acrobat, GoLive and Dreamweaver."

Anthony.

silica · March 6, 2007

This thread is an example of a "drive by" poster. Drops in, posts a hot topic, asks for help fast, then after 5 days has not returned for any comment or to add further explanation.

W.W. Webster · March 6, 2007

Anthony wrote:

Phew! You had me going there for a minute!

System · March 6, 2007

silica wrote:

This thread is an example of a "drive by" poster. Drops in, posts a hot topic, asks for help fast, then after 5 days has not returned for any comment or to add further explanation.

I pretty much agree-

there might be some explanation; if there is, I'd like to hear it-

the tendency to help someone else later on decreases, maybe imperceptibly, but, at least with me, to some degree-

dogwood · March 6, 2007

ginger_55 wrote:

And I thought others were comparing CS3 with lightroom. Why are you all buying lightroom?
ginger

Ginger:

Lot of discussion on this on various web forums-- basically it comes down to what you're comfortable with. Some folks just like the lightroom layout and features, but you're right, why lightroom and bridge? Adobe is a smart business, that's why! If you can get people to buy two software packages instead of one... all that. Personally, I'm planning to stick with bridge and another program, Photo Mechanics, that is fantastic. But I've never tried lightroom either. I need more software like I need higher gas prices!

Rhuarc · March 6, 2007

I've started using Lightroom as my RAW developer. It is MUCh faster (at least for me) to quickly do the culling and developing process for several hundred shots than Bridge/ACR/CS3. I then convert to DNG and use IDImager to manage the shots, and at this point I use ACR no to do edits later on to the images. So I am going to get LR to use as a RAW developer.

Lightroom Beta License Expired >:( Now what? Please help fast

Comments