What Happens If You Cancel Your Lightroom Classic Subscription?

I had this question more than once at my Lightroom seminar a couple of weeks ago, and even though I’ve talked about this before, there’s still plenty of folks out there who have “cancellation anxiety” so I thought I’d update the post for Lightroom Classic.

If you cancel (at the end of your 1-year subscription) here’s what happens:

When you take an image to the Develop Module, you get the warning you see above letting you know that the Develop Module is disabled. Here’s what it says:

Develop module is disabled.
Please purchase a membership or license to reactivate the Develop module.
If you have a serial number to enter, please sign out from the Help menu and sign in again, then click License This Software.

Q. So, the Develop Module gets disabled. What else?
A. Just two other things: the Map Module (Adobe has to pay Google a fee for each licensed user, so if you’re not paying Adobe, they won’t want to pay Google for nuthin’. Don’t blame ’em). The other thing is syncing images from Lightroom Classic to Lightroom on your mobile device. Outside of that, the rest of Lightroom still works like always.

Q. What about saving files, or printing, or making new collections or slideshows?
A. They all still work. You can Print, you can Export JPEGs, you can organize — just those few things I mentioned earlier are disabled.

Q. Does Quick Develop in the Library Module still work?
A. Oddly, yes. It still works, because it’s in the Library Module.

Q. Wow, that’s really surprising that much still works.
A. I hear that all the time. I think it’s a very fair way for Adobe to handle it, and for some folks, it really took a level of worry away about subscribing in the first place.

Hope you found that helpful. 🙂

-Scott

P.S. If you’re in the Raleigh or Lansing, Michigan areas, that’s where I’m going to be next with my Lightroom seminar. It’s just $99 for the full day, including a detailed printed workbook and other goodies you’ll totally dig. Come on out and spend the day with me.