Adobe has many different plans available on their site and it’s understandable that there might be some confusion about which version of Lightroom you’re using.

First let’s demystify the 2 Lightroom applications that are available: Lightroom Classic CC, and Lightroom CC.

Lightroom Classic CC: this is the desktop version of Lightroom that includes every single feature. If you’ve used Lightroom 4, 5, or 6 in the past, you’ll feel right at home with Classic CC. This version has organizational features, cataloging, modules (library, develop, print, web, etc…) and a lot more features than its newer cousin, Lightroom CC.

Lightroom CC: this is the cloud-enabled version of Lightroom. It’s an app that you install on your computer that connects to the cloud. It has a relatively limited set of features compared to the Classic flavor of Lightroom. Adobe calls Lightroom CC a “cloud-based editing service”. It includes cloud storage too.

There’s no right or wrong version of Lightroom. It really depends on your needs and goals, but here at Contrastly, we do love Lightroom Classic CC since it is a much more powerful and feature-rich software. Lightroom Classic CC is the industry standard after all.