Update to Hogarty's Apology

[ButchM]

"Update October 12, 2015:  With 432 comments and counting I just wanted to let folks know that I’m reading all of the feedback and the team will provide an update this week."

The above statement is an addendum from his post on the Lightroom Journal Blog:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2015/10/lightroom-6-2-release-update-and-apology.html

Impressive to see this situation drawing ernest attention. It appears Hogarty desires to address the concerns raised. While I was extremely troubled by the initial situation the v6.2/2015.2 created, I hope this is an indication of a course correction that is beneficial to everyone involved.

Time will tell when we see what is offered later this week.

[IanSeward]

The above statement is an addendum from his post on the Lightroom Journal Blog:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2015/10/lightroom-6-2-release-update-and-apology.html

Impressive to see this situation drawing ernest attention. It appears Hogarty desires to address the concerns raised. While I was extremely troubled by the initial situation the v6.2/2015.2 created, I hope this is an indication of a course correction that is beneficial to everyone involved.

Time will tell when we see what is offered later this week.

As I posted on another thread if this is the real reason for the change:

Customers were universally unable to decipher the Import dialog without getting frustrated. Some people pushed forward, bolstered by spending time searching the web for help.  They might have been successful in importing files, but they didn’t feel successful.  Others gave up, deciding that Lightroom might not be the right product for them.

Why couldn't Adobe have simply included an import training video?  A one man band like Qimage Ultimate can do it why not Adobe?

Simple cost effective solution IF their issue is as described above.

Ian

[tom b]

Nothing is simple, Adobe has around twenty multimedia products. They all have to work together and they all have to work with operating systems from Windows XP to the cross platform present. I'd hate to be a software developer.

Multiply the multimedia applications by the operating system combinations and you have a nightmare. Added together with the fact that many software users only use the software because it is the state-of-the-art (think reluctant photography software users), yes there are going to be problems.

Getting thing right the first time is going to become increasingly problematical. If anything, I must compliment Adobe on having so few software problems, the future will only make things more complex not simpler.

Cheers,

[fdisilvestro]

This is not the first time that Adobe introduces a change that upsets a large group of users. About a year ago when they released Photoshop 2014.2.1 the behaviour of the Move tool - toggle auto select- was changed and the graphic designer's community was outraged, with comments very similar as those expressed by photographers about LR this last few days.

In that occasion Adobe responded by rolling back the changes in the next update. Hopefully they will resolve this too.

[Rory]

Another update this week sounds encouraging, and we will wait and see.  I still have not heard Tom Hogarty say they will reinstate all the functionality.

[ButchM]

Why couldn't Adobe have simply included an import training video?  A one man band like Qimage Ultimate can do it why not Adobe?

I agree. If a novice user doesn't have the 15 minutes or the innate desire to learn and still can't grasp the import function of Lightroom after watching Kost's tutorial, I'm not sure any group of computer engineers could ever code a function to solve the issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=867ysQfh4sU

Nothing is simple, Adobe has around twenty multimedia products. They all have to work together and they all have to work with operating systems from Windows XP to the cross platform present. I'd hate to be a software developer.

No doubt Adobe faces daunting tasks and issues to achieve their end goals ... but they also have decades of experience, resources measuring in the billions of dollars and employ some of the best minds in the industry.  While I have empathy for the task they have taken up, I really am struggling with coming up with any sympathy for the current situation. It was purely a bad decision and poor implementation.

In that occasion Adobe responded by rolling back the changes in the next update. Hopefully they will resolve this too.

Let's hope there is a similar offering in this instance

[donbga]

How about Adobe offering free beer coupons for all of it's LR customers? Wouldn't that smooth things out?

Until they restore the old import interface I won't be happy.

[Ellis Vener]

As I posted on another thread if this is the real reason for the change:

Customers were universally unable to decipher the Import dialog without getting frustrated. Some people pushed forward, bolstered by spending time searching the web for help.  They might have been successful in importing files, but they didn’t feel successful.  Others gave up, deciding that Lightroom might not be the right product for them.

Being the curious sort I simply clicked uo the gear button (upper right corner) and  found almost all of what had been been hidden.

Still: I'm miffed about the lack of the Eject after downloading option and the removal of the Move options.

[jjj]

It's on dialogue after you get past the initial splash screen I believe.
Still lots of very useful/essential stuff missing though.

[john2]

'Customers were universally unable to decipher the Import dialog without getting frustrated'

Well I was able to decipher it, and I'm no more frustrated than usual, so that's nonsense.

[marcgoldring]

Here's what I fail to understand: I was a novice user, granted some time ago, but still. I am a serious non-pro and it took some time to set up import as I wanted it. But with one camera and never more than one card to import, once it was set up, that was it! So what's the big deal? Why are all these folks so frustrated? I can't imagine that Adobe is making it up, it just doesn't compute. And even so, is the answer to screw up existing users' work flow in exchange for new customers... OK, maybe I know the answer to that...

Marco

[citro]

Some of these guys are pros and shoot for a living. Some part of their craft is LR-centered - their workflow is optimized around LR features. When it comes to process large amounts of pics and deliver to customers, time is important. A brand new import system requires time to adapt, and that's bad becasuse they don't need a new system and don't want (or have the time) to build a new workflow.

[tom b]

"No doubt Adobe faces daunting tasks and issues to achieve their end goals ... but they also have decades of experience, resources measuring in the billions of dollars and employ some of the best minds in the industry.  While I have empathy for the task they have taken up, I really am struggling with coming up with any sympathy for the current situation. It was purely a bad decision and poor implementation."

I hated layers when first introduced into Photoshop, I was mainly scanning images and saw no need for them and they took up so much disk space. I have since learned to embrace them. I have seen brilliant illustrations as a result of layers.

I love the new toys when I update a computer and software but I also have frustrations when tools that I have been using for twenty years seem to be changed for the worse. Such is life.

Cheers,

[Paul2660]

To me a better investment of Adobe's time, may have been fixing the GPU acceleration issues within LR (windows 7 & 10).  Amazing that CC 2014 and 2015 seem to take full value from a Video card GPU, but LR still can't.  This is true on 2 different Nvidia cards I am running, 1GB and 5GB. 

Paul

[jjj]

Some of these guys are pros and shoot for a living. Some part of their craft is LR-centered - their workflow is optimized around LR features. When it comes to process large amounts of pics and deliver to customers, time is important. A brand new import system requires time to adapt, and that's bad becasuse they don't need a new system and don't want (or have the time) to build a new workflow.

On in this case a far inferior workflow.

[jjj]

"No doubt Adobe faces daunting tasks and issues to achieve their end goals ... but they also have decades of experience, resources measuring in the billions of dollars and employ some of the best minds in the industry.  While I have empathy for the task they have taken up, I really am struggling with coming up with any sympathy for the current situation. It was purely a bad decision and poor implementation."

I hated layers when first introduced into Photoshop, I was mainly scanning images and saw no need for them and they took up so much disk space. I have since learned to embrace them. I have seen brilliant illustrations as a result of layers.

I love the new toys when I update a computer and software but I also have frustrations when tools that I have been using for twenty years seem to be changed for the worse. Such is life.

Imagine Adobe removed layers as newbies found them confusing, which they often do.

[citro]

Imagine Adobe removed layers as newbies found them confusing, which they often do.

Wrong analogy - Photoshop is not for noobs (buying noobs). Photoshop Elements is already positioned as an "entry level PS" and includes layer functionality.

[ButchM]

Wrong analogy - Photoshop is not for noobs (buying noobs).

Not when Adobe is offering both Lightroom and full Photoshop (actually the full Extended version of Ps) for under $10 ... on sale now for $7.99 with a Creative Live offer ... while Ps as we know it, is not 'intended' for new or novice users ... it's still quite accessible to anyone who is willing to pony up the equivalent of a couple of cups of Starbucks ...

[jjj]

Wrong analogy - Photoshop is not for noobs (buying noobs). Photoshop Elements is already positioned as an "entry level PS" and includes layer functionality.

Not wrong at all since 'Noobs' have used PS ever since it was invented. LR was aimed at serious photographers by the way.
Not that skill level was relevant really anyway and all people new to PS are newbies, by definition.
Pro photographers in my experience aren't necessarily any more technically minded than amateurs either as it happens.

[Simon Garrett]

Tom Hogarty's latest update (http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2015/10/lightroom-62-import-update.html around 23:20 UTC 16th Oct) is much more placatory:

"We can now confirm that, in our next dot release, we will restore the previous import experience."
"We will continue to investigate ways to improve the ease of use of our photography products and will do so via an open dialog, with both existing and new customers."