Lightroom 6 Log In Frustration

[Robert Boire]

Hi,

I purchased LR 6, installed, enterred my license key etc. I intentionally decide to purchase instead of going the CC route.

Nevertheless, CC was installed on my computer when I installed LR and it appears I need to be logged in to use LR.  At one point I was even told that there was only 30 days left to my trial.

Is this normal? Do I really need to be logged in to use even the non-CC version of LR?

Thanksé

[Rhossydd]

Is this normal? Do I really need to be logged in to use even the non-CC version of LR?

I'm running a perpetual licence LR6 without any CC junk on my system, but it was bought as an upgrade from LR5 (perpetual).
If you've a new installation, the CC stuff might be installed by default. I'm afraid I don't know for sure about new installations.
If you back read through the forum you'll find a reference to removing the CC stuff entirely from your computer though, so I think it can be done.

[Lustrous]

How to:  Serialize Lightroom CC trial to activate as Lightroom 6

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/serialize-lightroom-cc-trial-to-activate-as-lightroom-6.html

[Robert Boire]

How to:  Serialize Lightroom CC trial to activate as Lightroom 6

https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/serialize-lightroom-cc-trial-to-activate-as-lightroom-6.html

This did not work. It still forces me to be logged in to use the product

[aduke]

This did not work. It still forces me to be logged in to use the product

Curious, it worked for me.

Alan

[john beardsworth]

What do you mean by logged in? Describe the exact sequence from clicking the icon to start Lightroom.

In Help, System Info, look a couple of lines down for the licence type. What does that say?

[Robert Boire]

What do you mean by logged in? Describe the exact sequence from clicking the icon to start Lightroom.

In Help, System Info, look a couple of lines down for the licence type. What does that say?

My license is perpetual. I may have confused being "Signed In" to LR and "Logged In" to CC.

In Help, a few lines down, there is  "Sign out (email address)". If I am in fact "Signed In", there is no problem when I launch LR.  However if I "sign out", LR is deactivated. The next time I launch LR I need to sign in again, enter my  24 digit key etc. I do not understand why I must be perpetually signed in.

Thanks

[digitaldog]

AFAIK, perpetual or otherwise, you still need some (all?) CC components and have to sign in as this is how updates and crash reports are handled through Adobe.

[digitaldog]

Do I have to be online all the time?
No. You briefly need internet access to activate Lightroom. If you’re a CC subscriber, it ‘phones home’ now and again to check your subscription status, but you can be offline for up to 99 days before it reverts to a limited mode (no Develop, Map or Sync). If you have a perpetual license, Lightroom remains activated until you deactivate it.

http://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-cc6-myths-confusion/

[eliedinur]

"In Help, a few lines down, there is  "Sign out (email address)". If I am in fact "Signed In", there is no problem when I launch LR.  However if I "sign out", LR is deactivated. The next time I launch LR I need to sign in again, enter my  24 digit key etc. I do not understand why I must be perpetually signed in."

You do not need to be perpetually signed in, you only need to be signed in when using LR; but surely it is far more convenient to sign in once and forget about it. But if you prefer, you can sign in and out at each session. If Adobe has decided to enforce some measure of control over the number of concurrent installations of perpetual license LR6 (at a sign in to a third device the earlier installations will be disabled), I don't think that is unreasonable. Historically, LR was always an exception to the tracking and control Adobe exercised over other products. LR did not "call home" and did not need to be activated by anything more than a serial number. And although you would be contravening the EULA to which you had agreed, you could have installed it a third, fourth, etc. time without Adobe's knowledge. If you would have abided by the two installation rule anyways, what objection can you have to the new sigh in requirement?

[Robert Boire]

You do not need to be perpetually signed in, you only need to be signed in when using LR;

That's a bit like saying I can turn off the television when I am not watching.  Well at least that is still possible and is still unidirectional (for now)

[IanSeward]

Hi Andrew

As you appear to be someone "in the know" could you please clarify something for me.

Scenario: I install LR6 perpetual on my computer, serialise it, login to enable Adobe to verify this install on this computer.

Question:  Do I have to be logged in to Adobe every time I use LR on that computer IF I am connected to the internet on that computer?

It I am not connected to the internet I assume LR6 will work but if my computer is connected to the internet do I have to be logged in to Adobe? 

My concern is that I have seen several posts on the official Adobe forum that indicate that LR6 is in constant contact with Adobe monitoring your computer while you are using LR.  Even when you have opted in your account settings to NOT participate in Adobe's user program.  Please note that these posts are quickly deleted from the official Adobe forums which instantly raises a red flag.

Ian

[digitaldog]

Question:  Do I have to be logged in to Adobe every time I use LR on that computer IF I am connected to the internet on that computer?

See: http://www.lightroomqueen.com/lightroom-cc6-myths-confusion/
You must be connected about once every 99 days for cc but not perpetual. So no, not everytime you use it in any scenario.

Do I have to be online all the time?
No. You briefly need internet access to activate Lightroom. If you’re a CC subscriber, it ‘phones home’ now and again to check your subscription status, but you can be offline for up to 99 days before it reverts to a limited mode (no Develop, Map or Sync). If you have a perpetual license, Lightroom remains activated until you deactivate it.

[IanSeward]

Hi Andrew

Thanks for the prompt reply. 

You did not address the "monitoring" aspect of my question.

Considering your reply to someone else in this thread "AFAIK, perpetual or otherwise, you still need some (all?) CC components and have to sign in as this is how updates and crash reports are handled through Adobe."

If I am using LR on my computer AND connected to the internet is Adobe monitoring my computer as reported by people using network monitoring tools?  The problem is that as you say you MUST be signed into CC to use LR.  If you sign out it is deactivated.  People have posted network monitoring logs of LR constantly communicating with Adobe servers.

This reported continual monitoring of your computer usage by LR would effectively constitute a security hazard apart from a privacy infringement.  I have no problem with this as long as I am aware of the situation; it will be no problem because I will not use LR, even though I have been a user since V1 if this turns out to be the case  . 

Ian

[digitaldog]

You did not address the "monitoring" aspect of my question.

AFAIK, you need some or all CC components to provide updates of the software and send crash logs directly to Adobe.
This isn't anything new! We've see the same behavior with Photoshop CS6 and earlier products from Adobe (and I suspect others).

If I am using LR on my computer AND connected to the internet is Adobe monitoring my computer as reported by people using network monitoring tools? 

I have no idea, it's not something I'm concerned about. Should be easy to detect if this is happening or not. I don't have the CC menu item/app running all the time, it's not necessary for me but again, whether Adobe is monitoring or not isn't on my radar.

The problem is that as you say you MUST be signed into CC to use LR.

That isn't at all my experience! I've used CC without a lick of net access.

If you sign out it is deactivated.

Seems pointless, one deactivates so one can run on another system just like Photoshop CS6 and even earlier versions. You can run two copies per serial number. But you can install on as many systems as you wish. You have to deactivate one to activate a third.

People have posted network monitoring logs of LR constantly communicating with Adobe servers.

Again, that appears to be impossible if you computer isn't logged onto the net and as I've said, I've been able to run LRCC, CS5, Photoshop CC without any such net access.

This reported continual monitoring of your computer usage by LR would effectively constitute a security hazard apart from a privacy infringement.

Being connected to the net, Adobe not withstanding, that would be true as well. So what? If you have such a fear, don't connect to the net. Do it once every 99 days if you're a CC subscriber and if you need to deactivate your copy of an Adobe product. BFD.

[IanSeward]

OK Andrew, thanks for your time.

We seem to be talking at cross purposes because most people are concerned with being able to use LR6 without internet access whereas I am concerned about using LR6 when you ARE connected to the internet.

I have found another thread on these forums which shows the monitoring.  These are like the ones deleted from the Official Adobe forums - the question is why where these threads deleted and if Adobe are not monitoring peoples computers a simple statement to that effect would quash the issue?

http://forum.luminous-landscape.com/index.php?topic=100402.0

The potential problem is that if by running LR6 you are opening up a monitoring channel on your computer, bypassing any virus protection you may have.  Now even if you are not bothered by having Adobe watching what you are doing what if Adobe were hacked?  Attackers would get instant access not only to Adobe but millions of individual PC's.  That would be an attractive target for hackers and the recent USA government admissions about their computers being hacked means that it is not impossible that even a large company like Adobe could not be hacked at some point.

If Adobe are monitoring peoples computers the question of liability should Adobe be hacked must come up in a litigious place like the USA.  This is why we need to know if our computers are being monitored.

Does anyone on these forums have LR6 and the network chops to check this?

Ian

[Some Guy]

I just installed the desktop version of LR 6 (Not CC one.). Went fine, but I still had to log into my Adobe account as well as punch in the emailed serial number (Not a Cloud user here as my credit card # changes too many times a year due to theft, and probably hacked companies who store card info.).

Reading the initial blah-blah install stuff, it says you can disable communications by logging into your Adobe Account Manager and switching it off.  Don't know if it applies to the CC version though.  I did get into the account and threw the switch to off.  Most of the blah-blah install clamor said it was to provide them with how you use the program so who knows what all goes up to them.

So far no issues since it is turned off here.  I manually checked for an update through the program and it picked up some 15MB one so not an issue.  Plugins from LR 5 even worked without fighting that issue either.

SG

[digitaldog]

Reading the initial blah-blah install stuff, it says you can disable communications by logging into your Adobe Account Manager and switching it off. 

I don't see an app called Adobe Account Manager but I do see one called Adobe Creative Cloud. There are a few areas for presumably turning stuff off. Was the setting you used "Always keep CC desktop up to date"?

[Some Guy]

I don't see an app called Adobe Account Manager but I do see one called Adobe Creative Cloud. There are a few areas for presumably turning stuff off. Was the setting you used "Always keep CC desktop up to date"?

This is what I had to do with the non-CC LR 6 perpetual update from LR 5 version with Windows 8.1-64x.  I am not using their Cloud programs.

Log onto your Adobe account or Adobe ID.  When you see your name in the upper bar, click it.  A drop down will appear with your name and email address.  On the right it says "Manage Account."  Then you use your Adobe ID password again on clicking that which opens another strange page.

The strange and obtuse page says "OVERVIEW.BILLING_MAINTENACE."  Bottom left has "PRIVACY.APP_USAGE_DATA" and a clickable "APP.MANAGE" button.  That gets you to the "Desktop App Usage Information" page where you can opt out of "Sharing info" which is switched on by default.  Reading the EULA stuff points to it too, although sort of a pain to find it as was the perpetual update.

This may only apply to the desktop (Perpetual) users and not the CC Cloud users though.  I dunno.  I also turned off Adobe Switchboard and AdobeCS6ServiceManager in Windows using CCleaner's "Startup Programs" and I can click "Check for Updates" and get them via the toolbar in the program.

They sure buried it, and that obtuse page isn't the easiest to figure out either as it looks like some programmer's language and symbols to confuse you.

SG

[eliedinur]

There is an easier route:
Click on Manage My Account in LR's Help Menu.
Provide email and password.
On the page that opens, lower left corner, "Security and Privacy", subheading "Desktop App Usage Information", click Manage.
Uncheck the permission box.