Why You Should Hate Adobe's Creative Cloud

Why You Should Hate Adobe's Creative Cloud

Ok, so we've covered why you should love the Creative Cloud: it gives you access to everything Adobe everywhere you go. It gives you all the outstanding programs at your fingertips. It is taking connectivity to a whole new level for creative collaboration. Updates are instantaneous. But all that aside, it's a stifling, expensive system that might be forcing you into something you don't want.

1) You're only renting the software.

Adobe applications have become what many of us hate about other situations like internet service or rental housing: monthly payments. Worst yet, you no long can say you own the products. What happens if you can no longer afford the pricing, or what if Adobe arbitrarily increases pricing in the future? You can't combat it. You're trapped.

2) It's all or nothing Sorry, my mistake. The real issue is dropping the ability to invest.

There are thousands, hundreds of thousands even, of Adobe customers who only use one program. Lightroom, Photoshop, whatever, they don't need access to Illustrator. They have no idea how to use nor any intention of learning how to use After Effects. What the heck is Speed Grade? Ok, if you want photoshop you CAN buy it by itself, but it's $20 a month. There are CC full subs that are that price, and even at full price that's nearly half the cost of just getting everything. Not really all that appetizing. Plus, there are those of us who really like to buy software and keep it for 8 or 10 years. Can't do that here. No more investing in software, and that has a lot of people miffed.

3) After paying for the subscription for years, in the end you have nothing to show for that investment.

Let's say you buy the software subscription today and continue for the next three years. That's a large investment, and in the end you'll have spent a couple grand and have nothing to show for it. That's an uncomfortable thought.

4) You won't have access to your own files if you end your subscription.

We create thousands of gigabytes of data yearly, much of this data saved as Adobe proprietary file types. You stop paying a monthly fee, you can't access those files. In the past, at least you could open them without fear, even if the software was outdated. Now? Not the case. You pay, or you lose your process. What that comes down to is there is no way to really exit from Adobe. You're, again, trapped.

UPDATE: For those of you who misunderstand point 4, it has nothing to do with the end files you make, but everything to do with the proprietary formats like .psd or .ai. You can't open those files without Adobe programs. That's the issue.

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I think the biggest mistake Adobe has made thus far is ignoring that group that only wants one piece of the software and not the whole suite. There are a lot of creatives who buy software and keep it forever. For them, the CC is exorbitantly more expensive. It's a really tough situation and one where, amongst the folks I've talked about this with, we think Adobe is really missing the mark. There are a lot of angry people out there because people hate feeling forced into things they don't want. They can't invest. That's the real issue.

What other reasons can you think of to dislike the new Adobe Creative Cloud? Will any of you defend it?

Jaron Schneider's picture

Jaron Schneider is an Fstoppers Contributor and an internationally published writer and cinematographer from San Francisco, California. His clients include Maurice Lacroix, HD Supply, SmugMug, the USAF Thunderbirds and a host of industry professionals.

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And how much are these hobbyists paying? Last time I checked, it was over a thousand dollars to buy a suite.

hobbyists pay ONCE, and its usually from a deal through a 3rd party, wacom tablet, elements, etc. and you can use that software for x number of years. Now you're paying for those years + then some. here read this and educate yerself on who this "update is really for" which is stockholders.... http://www.lenspoden.com/photo-topics/2013/5/7/adobe-creative-cloud-cost...

You are talking about their consumer software for bundles. Different products and not part of CC.

Thinks DO change! Just deal with it, get out and take some pictures!

Sales conditions of all kind of products change every day. It's the same discussion with Apples ports and adapters changing every 2 years. You can either complain about it or just deal with the fact, that you maybe can't change it...

And don't forget - you have the choice. Subscribe to Creative Cloud or get a licence of CS6. It will not stop working.

That's a fairly simplistic way of viewing a product people make their (in some cases) meager living off of. The issue is much more complicated than that.

No you have a choice being forced down your throat and that is no choice at all

This is very well put, Jaron. Hit the nail on the head.

Basically boils down to this:
1) if you upgrade every year, this will be cheaper than buying new versions every year (same as last year when they unveiled The Cloud)
2) if you upgrade every few versions, you'll end up paying more...these are the people who feel Adobe shafted them
They did both last year...I'm not sure if anyone has asked them why they need to tick off people in group (2) :-P

I said it once and I'll say it again, CS6 4 Life' because there is now way in hell I'm going with this monopoly of a program with its take it or leave it/ you take what your given vibe. Cant wait to give my money to the first worthy PS competitor.

A problem I see is in the Government/DOD arena. You cannot have connected machines in a classified environment, and contractors are not going to allow, "sharing" files in the cloud. Way too much proprietary information at stake.

by this work . ADOBE go's to fade for many proples . this is big mistake .

All other arguments aside, CC is really just a very convoluted DRM scheme. When are companies going to realize that DRM causes more problems than it solves?

I love the new Adobe FuCCk!

I've been retouching with Cs3 for years now. The good news is it has paid for itself a hundred times over. The bad news is I have little to no shot of upgrading at this point.

Thank you! Finally! These have been my arguments but lack the platform. I may stay on CS6 and opt-in for AE CC but even then the new features are one step less then what I'm already doing with C4D, AE and Pr pipeline! BAD MOVE but arguments aside, Like a Michael Bay flick, it will make butload of money, but cinematically unsatisfying.

I've been a long time advocate for Open Source but acknowledge the superior products Adobe offers. But.... I just can't see going to this model. I haven't tried GIMP or Darktable in awhile but am starting to think I may just have to look back into them.

Facebook page on telling Adobe whats what and who buys your goods..

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Adobe-PS-Cloud/377394712377845?re...

1) You never owned. You had license to use. Unlimited, yes, but that's just a matter of speaking. Software products usually get obsolete in a year or two, so the Unlimited license is limited for real.

2) There are other software on the market you can opt for. Some are even free (Gimp). But what "investment" you talk about? Software are tools. They come, you use them, they get obsolete...

3) Well, how about YOUR WORK???

4) You can save your work as TIFF or JPEG anytime, plus there are lots of other software that can open Adobe PSD, AI.

I am a photographer and currently using PS, LR, AI, ID and DW on one side and AE, Pr on other side. In the past I was paying about $900 the upgrade to CSx every year and a half plus $90 for LR. Initial investment was about $2k for Master Suite. Now I pay $348 a year ($29 a month). Seriously, what's the problem? Subscription is way cheaper too. Why fight it? It's in your advantage.

Yeah...you OWNED the license...LOL. Seems like a pretty clear distinction to me.

The subscription model is fine for some but I'm guessing it's not fine for the majority. Adobe's decision to limit choice is huge mistake. They are effectively chasing away the bulk of their customers. Hopefully they will see their mistake and listen to their customers.

With all the uproar with Adobe's switch to Creative Cloud-- Here is my opinion:

I have been subscribed to this for months now-- I love it, enjoy it and it is cheaper for me to run PS, LR, PR, Acrobat Pro and ID. For me it's only 50$/month. I think its the right way to go for Adobe. The only people that are at a disadvantage are the people who pirate the software. I actually pay less money to use all the products than to purchase the software and upgrades every year. Plus updates as they come out-- why not?

I am a working professional who is in front of these programs everyday-- this is an amazing thing for me and saves me lots of money in the long run. 50$ a month is not that much to get access to all of the programs that I need. If you can't make 50$ a month, then i'm not sure what your really doing with a software that would have cost you a 700$ to get in the first place.

Here is the math:
PS CS6 is $700 vs PSCC $50/month x12= 600$ + updates to new versions. Already a good reason to switch to CC.

PLUS all the other softwares such as LR4 ($150), ID($700), PR($800) that you get with the price of $50/month.

And for those who only want PS for 20$/month-- that's the same price a dinner/drink or two out. save a bit and don't eat in and BOOM! You can afford PS.

I seriously saved lots of money to get the software I need and can pay it as I go-- i would have had to spend ~$2550 to buy all the programs I use on a daily basis. It would take 51 months (4.25 years!) of CC to match that. Also I get new updates/versions of all my software for the same price. (saves another what-- thousand or so dollars)

Here's my issue: Where are the guarantees that the upgrade cycle stays on a predictable time table, and how do I know the upgrades are actually relevant to me? CS5 to CS6 was two years. I got that upgrade for 199. On the cloud, it would have cost 480 dollars, and that 199 got me a perpetual license, which is serious value-added. I also know several people who haven't found the justification to go from CS5 to CS6. This isn't about any one mathematical model, because no one will fit all circumstances. This is about a loss of consumer choice. What happens when Adobe has trouble getting a feature to work and a new version gets pushed back, even thought I'm already paying for it sight unseen?

Adobe can say this is to get upgrades out faster, but I need to see it to believe it.

CC is great for those who have no license, it's a low barrier to entry, but a lot of us have put thousands of dollars into a license that is now a dead end. It boots us out of the upgrade participation that works for us, and forces us into something that will and does cost more money.

Wow, I'm amazed at how quickly people are duped. They're going to raise prices once you're all tied in and it will quickly become $80-$100 per month with limited garbage features being rolled out. This trick is SO OLD!!

i have been using this CC to up to six months. I am a working professional that needs these programs to pay the bills & survive-- if adobe is going to make it more experiences so be it. It's just another business expense and those change as time goes on. But I still have been saving money from this system compared to the older purchase each item by it self. It's kinda like gas prices in CA-- when they jump up from 3.89 to 4.25 or even 5. That sucks, but everyone still is going to buy it and still need it to drive. We complain, but in the end we still buy it.

Really so whats your advice then shut up and roll over cause the pricing works for you. Great response, Not!!!

my advice is to suck it up, deal with it or don't use the software. that's it.

I hope you all understand that you don't ever "own" Adobe software, you have always been licensing it for specific uses. It's always been there in the fine print. We earn our livings licensing our images to our clients for specific uses and specific lengths of time, it seems a bit hypocritical to go ballistic when someone adopts the same business model that we've used for over six decades...right?

Yeah, you're missing the point that you OWN the license. HUGE distinction.

I couldn't have started my business without creative cloud. I love it. I've always hated upgrade fees. I use all Adobe Products,.. including Speed Grade. Cry me a river Mr. Schnieder. $49 a month is a bargin, that's like what - less than one billable hour?

As you have a business you are also responsible for your clients files and the access to them.
Always wish you enough money for your fees.
Elsewise you lose full file access.
No money - no SW - no file opening or printing.
NEVER!
$ 50 a month? No Problem. Also paying Eu 4500 for CS MS was no problem for me. It´s like what? Less than two billable days for the right to use it LIFELONG!
Can´t hear that half-truth arguments of Adobe any longer.
If you are not able to buy your tools as a business owner....
Bye Adobe. You lost my trust.

Adobe is begging to a quality competitor and I think they will get one, possibly from China. China (along with many other countries totally "blocked" from the cloud or only offering team version) has the resources and does not need to reinvent the wheel, just copy it. Can you imaging if a competitor came up with a good tool with camera and ability to open Adobe files. Kind of like Open Office alternative to MS Office (before Google Docs)?

I love the fact that students (in many cases) are buying certain programs for 4 years of schooling, but then proceed to do "something else" are put into a position where they have absolutely nothing to show for the $1,000.00 outlay on CC. Before they could purchase entire suites for approx $600.00 (http://www.journeyed.com/item/Adobe/Creative+Suite+Design+and+Web+Premiu...) and then still be able to dabble even if they do not pursue a career in Graphics/etc. Does no one at Adobe realize that costs of schooling are an expensive gamble already w/o going for a money grab?

My biggest beef is that I can't simply invest in the software and be done with it until I decide to reinvest again. As a business owner, that is the way I always try to spend. I make decisions on when to pull the trigger, but always go to great lengths to keep reoccurring costs to a minimum. That is critically important in business - it's how we weather storms and increase our net worth. Granted, $50/month isn't going to make much difference in the big picture, if that were the only wrench in the picture... but it's not. It's the accumulation that breaks small businesses.

CC is a welcome concept in my opinion, but as a mandatory concept (a.k.a. take it or leave it), it breaks my number one rule of business. Maybe that's just me, but it's a rule that has helped keep my business strong while I watch others around me fall. It matters to me.

That's my rule too. Keep debt and recurring bills minimal. It gets you through the lean times without so much worry.

Then again, I like to pay cash for things, too.

and if you trust your library to lightroom, then if you ever stop payingm you wont be able to find anything, Ever, although Google and picasa might be there for you

Just another attempt to suck more money out of users. Time for a competitor to arise and take a bite out of Adobe's market. And oh, BTW, Adobe pimps don't belong in this discussion. This is not a place for lobbiests!

DoS attack + frustrated professionals = major problems at some point . . .

I've actually had a CC account for about a year now, mostly with the student discount luring me in. I actually use a wide variety of Adobe software, as I'm starting to use InDesign and Premiere these days. For me as a high school student $30 a month (now dropping to $20) is easier to handle than $900 all at once, plus I get the new CC apps (what would've been CS7) as they roll out, as well as web hosting services. For someone like me, this actually works well, particularly since I use many of the programs, not just one or two.

However, at least right now, it doesn't work for everyone. Even Microsoft sounded off on the move, referring to their release of MS Office 365. Microsoft offers both a one time purchase option that comes with just the software, or a subscription option with various online services. About 25% of their customers opted for the subscription option.

So, after all is said and done, I think CC is a very nice service, but it should be optional rather than mandatory. But for now, I'm sticking with CC. Now I'm just waiting on Linux support before I'm truly satisfied.

I'm just a hobbyist. Have had CC for a year, so far I like it. And don't complain about the 50$ in the US, in Sweden you have to pay about 85$. That on the other hand is a bit annoying since it's downloadable, no toll, taxes or shipping. Why the price difference.

Adobe, please add a one-time fee option that gets all the updates to that version, but not the next big thing. This will save you a lot of customers and grief.

I fear I will have to pay monthly until my life ends because otherwise I will not have access to the art I created. It is MY art, but it is taken away from me when I'm not longer able to pay a high monthly fee.

Farewell Adobe ASAP is my view.

If people just sit back and DON'T BUY IT, Adobe will be forced to sell licenses again. It's simple, but it would take a lot of people to stand their ground.

so but the people who wants to buy only one programm, they can buy now CS6 and use that for years...so where ist the difference?
I think after a couple of years, the sales structure from adobe switched and changed again and make it possible to "rent" the software.

And for info, nobody bought the program from adobe. If you buy a program (Boxed or download version) from adobe, you always bought the license to use that.
That user have the boxed version is not like they "buy" the program.

I love Adobe CC! Best thing that ever happened to my business. The full range of Adobe products, instantly updated and well supported for not even 30 minutes of billable time a month, CLASSIC!

Good Luck for you & all the other Beta-Testers.
Wish you ever enough money for the fees espec. if the clien is at the door.
I don´t want to lose full access to my files after end of subscription!
Can´t believe how one can see it that way. Not thinking to the end.
I feel responsible for my clients files.
If Adobe gets away with this - others will follow.
The end oth song: PC connects to bank before start up.
Good Luck, my friend.

The reason why I subscribe to CC is due to the expense of the initial outlay of the Creative Suite. For the basic range of programs I need it's about £1,500. Monthly payments of £27 (first year) are much more manageable as I'm just starting out in my business.

If Adobe are right, this will thrive. If they are wrong, market forces will ensure a replacement for CS hits the shelves, and probably thrives as CC becomes niche. Adobe have probably made a mistake, but now they are committed and will have to wait and see how it turns out.

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