The original Lightroom, “Lightroom Classic” has an icon with square corners, while the cloud-dependent “Lightroom” has an icon with turquoise rounded corners.

Since 2017, Adobe have been offering two Mac/PC programs called Lightroom – the original “Lightroom Classic” and a new cloud-dependent program which they now call “Lightroom”.

No doubt there is a deep strategy to this – like a cuckoo lays its eggs in another bird’s nest – and boy is it confusing. You won’t be able to believe how much time is wasted helping out people who have been misled.

Adobe then compounded the problem by calling their subscriptions the “Lightroom Plan” and the “Photography Plan”. Which would you immediately select if you want to get “Lightroom”?

  • What has always been called Lightroom is now officially “Lightroom Classic”. It is in their “Photography Plan” which also includes Photoshop
  • The only app in Adobe’s “Lightroom Plan” is the cloud-dependent  “Lightroom CC”, the Mac/PC equivalent of Lightroom Mobile

If you want real Lightroom, avoid the “Lightroom Plan”. You need the “Photography Plan”.