The key topic of discussion at tonight’s LA Web Professionals Group meeting, where Deke was presenting some live Deke’s Techniques, was Adobe’s announcement about the Creative Cloud. The upshot: Rather than release Creative Suite 7, all updates to Photoshop and its creative cousins will now come via a Creative Cloud subscription. In other words, if you want the new features in the latest version of Photoshop, you’re going to get them delivered via the cloud.
This is necessarily causing some confusion and questions for Creative Suite users. I’ve got two useful sources for information on “Photoshop CC.” If your questions are primarily about obtaining, installing, and using Creative Cloud, check out this FAQ from Photoshop’s Chief Customer Advocate (and friend of dekeOnline) Jeff Tranberry. If you want to know why you might care to obtain, install, and use Photoshop CC, then check out Deke’s new Preview of Photoshop Creative Cloud’s new features at lynda.com. If you’re not a member of lynda.com, you can get a free week’s trial to check it out at lynda.com/deke.
This is great but…
I think it’s wrong that a person that has bought the full version of PS not be allowed to download CC updates. Paid alot of money for PS and can’t get updates…. they’re only available to CC customers… THATS BS!!
Thanks!
This is very useful information.
Will make due with what I have
I updated every other version and was planning on upgrading from CS5 to CS7 (Web Design). I budget $900 every 2 versions, and since versions came out about once every 18 months that comes out to about $25/month.
I’d be willing to go up 20% to $30/month for access to PS, AI, DW, FW, Acrobat and Edge Tools, but Adobe would rather blindly see fit to charge me +100% more and give me tons of software I don’t need/want.
There seems to be either ineptitude, corruption or a combination of the both going on at the mighty monopoly that is Adobe. I’ll just stick with CS5 until Adobe releases some automatic updates which break them (or do some other under handed action)
Disgusted with Adobe. This may be a great deal for people who could previously afford the Master Collection, but it really leaves out people who needed only a set amount of tools. Their ala carte pricing is a complete joke. $20 per application per month? The moment you need 3 apps, you might as well get all 17. Inept. Completely inept.
This irks me cause I wanted to watch Deke’s PS/AI One-on-One series with the new software, but now it looks like that’s not gonna happen. I’ll make due with what I have for as long as I can.
On top of it all, you’re only leasing the software. If Adobe chose to up from $49.99/month to $74.99 a month down the line, you’d either have to pay their new pricing or you lose all your licenses to the software. There is no ownership whatsoever. You’re completely at their mercy.
I agree
Adios Adobe!
Beware that while Adobe has
Beware that while Adobe has set it up so that while you can start paying for Photoshop CC now, you won’t actually receive anything until June 17th. I.e., one month of fees go to Adobe and you get nothing for it.
Why subscriptions are bad…
If Microsoft and Apple had a subscription model for their operating systems we’d all be in trouble.
Imagine Windows 7 was subscription based. When Windows 8 rolled out we all have to upgrade. We’d have no choice, right? What a nightmare that would have been.
Now Microsoft is going to “fix” Win 8 with “Blue” but they are only doing this because of market pressure. People simply won’t upgrade from Windows 7 until Windows 8 is better. Microsoft was in denial for a while but in the end money talks and Ballmer knows he better do something quick.
With a subscription model, that market pressure is gone. There is no reason to innovate or even listen to the customer. This is the risk we take by allowing Adobe to go down this road.
NOT TRUE
You can download CS6 and use it while you are waiting for CC.
Well, I got no updates to
Well, I got no updates to CS6 with the CC subscription, but I can’t answer to your claim that I could have downloaded CS6 if I didn’t already own it. I am talking about Photoshop CC only—not the suite. And for what I purchased, I got absolutely nothing relating to Photoshop other then the monthly bill. This was not stated in the purchase order, I only found out after spending half an hour trying to figure out why I couldn’t download anything new.
What about Corporate Licenses?
Not sure how this will affect enterprise installations. Large companies like the one I work for do not like cloud apps or cloud computing because of the inherent problems with security. They rightfully want control of the programs on their servers and workstations. Classified systems don’t even have an internet connection so how would you install any Adobe application?
I saw this coming for a long time now. As for my home installations I have to look at the pricing for creative cloud vs my upgrade costs for Design Premium or Production Premium. Although it’s a reasonable cost per month for all the products it includes I only use 3 or 4 of them on a consistent basis. Add to that I don’t usually upgrade every cycle. Right now I’m sitting on the fence until I find out more details. I wish they had more price points relative to what you really used.
Like it or not this is model every company wants. The upside is you get the newest improvements as they come out. The down side is you are being force fed whatever they want to feed you and sometimes that leads to a bad taste in your mouth.
If you already had CS6
If you already had CS6 installed, it’s still using the old license. If you want the cloud updates, you’ll have to deactivate it, then reactivate with the cloud version. Then you’ll have the updates available. I don’t know if that process is worth it to you or not with a short time remaining.
Technically, you can
Technically, you can ignore/not download updates on the subscription. Of course, you still pay the same amount whether or not you’ve upgraded, which is a point that irritates many. (Also, a safe bet is to skip every other Windows upgrade. For example, 2000, XP, and 7 were decent. ME, Vista, and 8, well…)
Oh, there are ones that don’t phone home…
There’s a secure government (classified systems) version that doesn’t need to phone home ever, I’m sure large companies can talk Adobe in to letting them use that one (for a price, of course!). I’ve used the cloud subscription, and I do really like it, but on a personal level I’m done after this—I choose to protest the lack of choice in how people get their software. I’ll see if I can somehow manage a perpetual license while they’re still available, but I’ve got what, 6 weeks? Somehow I don’t see it happening, especially since I don’t have an existing perpetual to upgrade from.
A petition has been launched
Adobe Systems Incorporated: Eliminate the mandatory “creative cloud” subscription model.
http://chn.ge/1049GL0
That’s better!
I know it’s small, but I’ve been fighting the good fight against those inept simpletons at Adobe. I have been able to, in my capacity, convince many IT managers from not only our agency, but our affiliates, to not only ditch the CC (an easy sell once I showed them all the risks involved). We sat down and did the math, and even though it’s a drop in the hat, we’re basically keeping over $50,000 a year from going to Adobe.
It puts a smile across my face; never thought I’d have any hatred for Adobe, let alone this much. But after watching them basically see me as nothing more than money and try to strongarm me into this horrible “solution”, I’m more than glad for every red cent I can keep out of their pockets.