Removing Adobe apps from your computer is a big decision, especially when you've been using them for years as a photographer or content creator. These tools are deeply ingrained in the creative process for many, but they also come with a significant financial burden. If you're looking to cut costs or avoid subscription fees, alternatives can be crucial for maintaining your workflow without breaking the bank.
Coming to you from Joris Hermans, this informative video walks through various alternatives to Adobe's Creative Suite, focusing on options that offer either free access or one-time payment structures. Hermans begins by acknowledging Adobe's strength, particularly in programs like Photoshop and Illustrator, which have become industry standards. However, he also emphasizes the growing frustration with Adobe's subscription model, especially for small creators or hobbyists who find the costs prohibitive.
One of the standout alternatives Hermans discusses is Affinity Photo, which he highlights as a smooth transition for those familiar with Photoshop. Affinity Photo is a one-time purchase, making it a more affordable long-term solution. Hermans also touches on Luminar Neo, which leans heavily into AI tools, but ultimately, he finds Affinity Photo to be a better fit for his needs, particularly in photo editing and creating thumbnails. While it may not fully replace Lightroom for managing large photo libraries, Affinity Photo serves as a robust alternative for those who don’t need extensive organizational tools.
In addition to photo editing, Hermans explores video editing alternatives. He strongly recommends DaVinci Resolve for those looking to move away from Adobe Premiere Pro. DaVinci Resolve offers a free version packed with professional-grade features, although it comes with a steeper learning curve. For those who need additional capabilities, the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve is available as a one-time purchase with free updates, making it an attractive option for content creators. Hermans notes that while DaVinci Resolve also replaces tools like Adobe Audition and After Effects, it may not be ideal for team collaborations where Adobe’s ecosystem is still prevalent. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Hermans.
Letting go of Adobe can be challenging, especially if you've invested significantly in custom scripts that aren’t available with competitors.
I have been using Affinity Software since it was Serif Software. Affinity Photo and FastStone Image Viewer make a great combination!
Still thinks the BS about subscription cost should stop... Getting BOTH Photoshop and Lightroom for 10 USD/monthly is a bargain, it's less then you pay for a single lunch.
For me that really want/need the latest versions of my software buying standalone would cost way more.
Right around the start of CC subs were offered I remember Photoshop CS6 would have costed me a whooping 1400usd here in Europe and an additional 150usd for Lightroom.
That's a cool 1550usd and slightly less for upgrades but still eye watering expensive.
So with that said, paying less then 120usd/yearly for the same software means I could pay for my CC subscription for the next 12-13 YEARS before I have caught up to what I would pay for the standalone version.
So yeah, dial back the whining on the price or if you still feel it's too expensive you aren't likely in need of either program.
However, I 100% agree on Adobes abysmal cancellation procedure and pretty bad service over all when it comes to hire they handle subscriptions.
In 2015 I bought a standalone copy of Adobe Lightroom version 6 for £120. In 2016 I paid £0 for it. In 2017 I paid £0 for it. Same goes for 2018, 2019 and 2020. For 5 years use of my copy of Lightroom I paid a grand total of £120. That's £2 per month. If I had been using the subscription version, I would have paid £600 over 5 years and at the end would be the owner of precisely nothing. I am an amateur photographer. I don't edit photos every day. I can't justify paying £10 per month, when there are months I don't edit any photos at all. It would not make economic sense for me to do that. If you are a professional photographer, you can pass the cost on to your clients. It may be 'only' £10 per month, but it all adds up. I'm not made of money.
You are totally correct. I just wonder how many cups of overpriced coffee this guy who wrote this crap consumes per month?
I will never cancel lightroom or photoshop however i will eventually swith to Davinci Resolve
I have been using LR v6 since that was the final non-subscriber edition, for reasons of economy. However, last night I watched a number of vids on YT demoing the 'beta' of the remove tool in LR Classic.
Astonishing.
The most impressive was a photo of a guy on the far side of a chain link fence, leaning against the fence with his fingers hooked over the wires. The remove tool removed the figure and replaced him with fence. The fence was perfect and there was no trace of the figure.
Other examples were almost as impressive.
A wedding photographer is now able to remove his assistant holding a soft box on a pole, lighting a bride, and replacing the person with perfect background, in about 10 secs.
There's no requirement to be particularly accurate in drawing the shape of the object to be removed.
This tool has me set to take a subscription. As another comment has mentioned, £9.99/month - $13.11 US - for LRc AND PS is a bargain. 20Gb storage is no problem because that sub includes local storage and - unlike 'Lightroom' - local printing.
A demo of the Affinity way with object removal was very underwhelming. Each of 4 removals took 3 or 4 attempts to achieve a result. And the results were rather suspect.
A question for those using Adobe professionally today. Has the software changed that much from the days when they sold boxed software with permanent licenses installed via serial numbers totally offline ? (Also I know AI is the thing now, but are you using it much in your work ?)
I’ve used Photoshop since the 90s and it’s changed out of all recognition. Back then you paid some serious money got a boxed copy on a bunch of discs. Updates were infrequent. People these days don’t know how lucky they are £10 per month for LR and PS that are both regularly updated is a bargain compared to what it used to be like. I use Afinity publisher as I refuse to pay what Adobe wants for Indesign but am happy to pay for LR and PS.
Well I pay €35/month for all apps and can't really think of anything better for €420/ year
Subscription for photography plan is so cheap when you look at it and yet ppl are thinking to let go?
CaptureOne by itself cost double of the monthly cost for LR, PS and Br
$10 a month is roughly a weeks food in SA, just under 10 liters of gasoline and besides I am retired. I was left no choice using Lightroom which i paid for as the geolocation stopped working thanks to Adobe.
I changed to ACDSee as it was the only option which imported all my Lightroom database attributes, especially keywords for my 60,000 photographs. Adobe did me a great favor.
South Africa?
Ditched Adobe a few days ago, having given the notice period to leave. I won't be coming back. It's not just the cost, I wasn't using it enough and I got very very fed up with the way Adobe changed its user agreement over AI and image use. I dont trust them anymore, Capture One, Affinity and DXO PhotoLab no more Adobe and the ridiculous amount of files it leaves allover your system.
Calling Gimp limited is the first impression you may receive. There are a lot of add-ons that make it more intresting. It's not as good as Photoshop, especially on the AI-features. But for image editing it's more than good enough. It takes time, big amounts of time to learn everything within it. Start with doing a lot of reading and research (the online manual and some books may help you). Don't forget RawTherapee and Darktable either (the maker names Darktable) to replace a part of Lightroom.
For image management you could use DigiKam (Gimp, RawTherapee, Darktable and DigiKam can also be used on mac/linux!) for those wanting to be more platform independant it can be usefull.
For the Luminar Neo it's safer to get into subscription support for the AI addons.
For video: try OBS Studio (also multiplatform).
I stopped paying for Camera One due to the extreme price hikes (and more expensive upgrade policy) due to an investment company is squeezing out every dime.
In two articles, you mentioned "Camera One". Did you mean Capture One?
In my eyes for someone who just needs Lightroom and Photoshop, there is no reason at all to complain about the price of the subscription. 10 Euros/Dollars a month is the parking fee I have to pay on most of the places I go to take photos. Many of us own camera equipment for 10k+ and 120 a year for one of the most powerful software-packages out there is too much? Come on guys...
(no I don't work for Adobe, but I don't understand the whining about a fair and really not high compensation for a useful piece of equipment)
If you want to ditch Adobe and have smth better (which I doubt), thats just fine, but don't do it because of the subscription fee.
Both Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom were originally available as standalone software. If you were happy to pay the price they were charging, you could purchase a copy and continue to use it on you computer for as long as you wanted. I, for one, was happy with that arrangement and didn’t mind paying for it.
Then the folks at Adobe discovered that when they switched to a subscription model, they saw a massive increase in profits. Is anybody surprised then that they subsequently moved to offering only the subscription model for the majority their software?
For me, this raises lots of questions. Did Adobe switch to subscription only versions of their software out of the goodness of their hearts? Was it done for the benefit of us the customers, or was it motivated by greed? Why do they no longer offer standalone versions of Photoshop/Lightroom? Why do they make it so difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions? What is more important; keeping your customers happy, or maximising profit?
This is what puts me off from signing up for one of their subscriptions. I don’t have any issue with the $10 per month price. I’m not whinging about the price at all. I simply choose not to pay for any of Adobe’s products and make do with alternatives.
Nothing can replace Adobe. Nothing. Cheapskates in this thread are hilarious. Good luck with much inferior products 😁