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Equipment guide. This article explains selection and evaluation criteria; it is not a hands-on product review.
An upgrade should improve your working process without making an active assignment harder to finish. Treat a major change as a small migration project, even when the installation itself looks simple.
Record what must keep working
List the cameras, file formats, plugins and output tasks you depend on. Check the developer’s current compatibility information for those specific items. General statements about improved performance do not answer whether your required workflow is supported.
Choose a completed project for the first trial. Keep its original files and an appropriate backup of the existing project or catalog before opening it in a new version. Read any conversion prompts carefully; the ability to reopen a converted project in an older version varies by application.
Test a complete delivery
Make a representative adjustment, use the tools you rely on and export a normal client file. Open that result independently and inspect its dimensions, appearance and metadata. If printing is central to your work, include a small print in the evaluation.
Write down any changed settings or missing components while they are fresh. Move active work only when the essential process is clear and you have a recovery route appropriate to the application. This is less about postponing useful features than about making the transition deliberate. A short, realistic test can reveal problems that a long list of new capabilities will never mention.
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