If you found online or received an email with a “working” Lightroom Keygen (a serial key number generator to activate the program), please ignore this message. Otherwise, by using keygens, you are putting yourself and your PC at risk, as well as violating the copyright law. In this post, I will tell you about all the “bonuses” of using Adobe Lightroom Keygen and also several perfectly legal ways to get Lightroom legally and free without keygen.
What Is Lightroom Keygen?
Keygen is a special program that has been created to bypass the security and generate license keys (in my case, Adobe Lightroom keys). This type of software is commonly used for Adobe Lightroom torrent or other similar programs that are downloaded from unofficial sources.
The generating of a key for the unlicensed copy of the software is done automatically and doesn’t require any actions on your part. It is done by means of pre-prescribed algorithms (the software processes tens of thousands of keys in mere minutes).
Despite many “trustworthy” websites and blogs that say that using Lightroom Keygen is safe, these programs are illegal and violate the company’s or developer’s copyright. Besides that, in the majority of cases, you will create a way for viruses to get into your operating system.
- View more about how you can get Lightroom 6 for free.
Lightroom Keygen: Disadvantages
Surely, having downloaded and activated the program with Lightroom Keygen, you will save a couple of dollars, however, there is a whole range of problems you might have as a result. Although I’m not going to write about all of them, I decided to pick the worst ones both for you and your computer.
1. Infecting Your Operating System with Viruses
More than 60% of software that you download from unofficial sources (these could be torrents or other sites that offer to download the file from cloud storage) is used to carry viruses. These, in their turn, can be simple, like adware (it gets into the root folders and can be removed only with the help of anti-virus programs). However, they can be more serious, for example, a Trojan (in most cases, you will have to reinstall your operating system to get rid of them).
2. Frequent Errors
Before making the link to download the software active, hackers work on the software to change its source code (this will make it work as a standalone program). In reality, it is done by beginner hackers, because it doesn’t require any specific knowledge or skills, so these guys are not too careful, which leads to damaging the source lines of code or even deleting them altogether. Moreover, if you do connect to the internet, there is a risk of having Lightroom that doesn’t work at all.
3. Problems with Law
By violating the copyright law, you can be sued by the copyright holders/developers. The chances are high you will get a fine starting from $2,000 or your property (real estate, car, business) will be seized. There were cases when people got a 5-year prison sentence.
4. No Updates
Using Lightroom cracked version you will get a completely standalone version (it will be disconnected from Adobe servers), which makes getting automatic or manual updates impossible.
Surely, you can wait for the next Adobe Lightroom keys and activate the program a bit later, however, what are the chances of you not getting another virus?
How Can I Use Lightroom Legally?
If you don’t want to break the law and use Lightroom Keygen, here are all the ways you can get it legally (both paid and free).
1. Lr Photography Plan
- Platforms: Mac OS, Windows
- Price: Free trial or $9.99/month
- FixThePhoto's Rating
(5/5)
LR Photography plan has been the most popular way, both among beginner and professional users, for many years. The reason is the correlation of price and number of products you receive.
The plan includes Lightroom (for mobile and desktop), Photoshop (for desktop and iPad), Lightroom Classic, cloud storage (20GB or 1TB), with Portfolio, Fonts, and Spark as well. You will also get all the updates or new features as Adobe releases them. You can choose a monthly or yearly Creative Cloud subscription and the price will vary depending on the size of the cloud storage you choose.
- Here’s information on how to download Lightroom for free.
2. Single App Subscription
- Platforms: Mac OS, Windows
- Price: Free trial or $20.99/month
- FixThePhoto's Rating
(4.5/5)
If you don’t want to waste your time learning Photoshop or you simply will not work with it, get Lightroom separately. With the Lightroom Single App plan, you will get its desktop and mobile versions, access to the latest features, 100GB of storage, Adobe Fresco, Portfolio, Fonts, and Spark.
3. Lr Free Trial
- Platforms: Mac OS, Windows
- Price: FREE
- FixThePhoto's Rating
(4.5/5)
Before choosing one of the available Lightroom subscription plans, use its free version. It is available for all the new users and will give you 7-day free access to the program. The main advantage of Lightroom trial version is that you will not be limited by anything, getting all the features and tools.
- Learn more about this software from my Complete Lightroom Review.
Lightroom Keygen Alternatives
Before you buy Lightroom, view the best free Lightroom alternatives. Perhaps, they will provide you with all the tools and features you need.
1. RawTherapee
RawTherapee is a cross-platform advanced RAW converter and photo editor with open source. Lightroom vs RawTherapee stand-off is much discussed as both programs support non-destructive image editingr.
This photo editor has an extensive set of tools for color correction, noise reduction, rotating, exposure control, adjusting shadows and highlights, tone, vignetting, etc. Just as in Lightroom, you can use ready-made presets or create your own to expand your library.
- Here is my RawTherapee Review.
2. Picktorial
Unlike RawTherapee, Picktorial is only available for macOS users but is also based on non-destructive image editing. It includes all the basic adjustments and tools you can expect, like adjusting tones, colors, WB, sharpness, curves, and saturation.
If you compare it with Lightroom, the basic edits are available in the Retouching section of the program. There you have tools to adjust tones, remove stains and dust, smooth the skin, and even denoise.
- Check out this detailed Pictorial Review.
3. LightZone
This photo editor has a large collection of tools to edit RAW images. You can easily remove minor defects, like spots and blemishes, and adjust color, fix white balance, adjust curves, change temperature, etc. One of the convenient features of this photo editor is the possibility to set up your workspace by changing, customizing, adding or removing any tool from it.
Freebies
Whether you use a free trial version of Lightroom or have a subscription, you can take advantage of these free presets to edit your images with just a mouse click. They are perfect for beginner needs or batch editing.
Pastel
With the free Pastel preset, you will give your photo a soft and dreamy look and fix the washed-out underexposed colors. Use it for portraits with natural light.
Contrast Portrait
Use this preset with street photos that have muted colors due to the lack of light. It will increase the contrast and make the portraits brighter but keep them natural and realistic at the same time. It will also fix exposure.
- Here’s my guide on how to add presets to Lightroom.
Dark Matte
The dark matte filter has always been popular, as it mesmerizes with its colors. Using this free filter with landscape photos, you will make the shadows more intense and add contrast to colors. The slight matte effect will make the image look lighter.
Ann Young
Hi there, I'm Ann Young - a professional blogger, read more
