There have been fewer hotly debated topics in the past six months than Adobe's move to the cloud. Many creatives really like the new cloud, but others are steadfastly against it. I actually have seen some very harsh arguments that might even surpass the flame wars between Nikon and Canon enthusiasts. As hard as it might be to believe for some of you, Adobe does listen and is addressing some of your major concerns with the cloud-based software system.
Just to be clear, there is no going back: "We want to start off by reinforcing that we continue to believe that the move to Creative Cloud will benefit the wider creative community because of the constant stream of innovation that we’re able to deliver. Creative Cloud also allows us to explore new areas in mobile apps, helping you collaborate better and build a meaningful worldwide community to share work and find inspiration. Because of this we have no plans to change our focus on Creative Cloud."
Since it's obviously going nowhere, we should just move past demanding that Adobe change their policy. That's not going to happen. But what we can focus on is how that change affects us. Adobe has heard a lot of complaints, but the main ones focus on photographers and the idea of cloud access:
- File access. Customers want to be sure that, if their membership to Creative Cloud lapses, they will still have access to their files.
- Photographers, particularly photo-enthusiasts, are looking for a more tailored offering that focuses on their particular needs.
- Some customers are not convinced that Creative Cloud is right for them and would rather continue to purchase desktop applications as before.
With regards to file access: "Adobe completely agrees that customers should have access to their files if they choose to stop their Creative Cloud membership. Our job is to delight our customers with innovation, but there are a number of options open to us here and we expect to have news around this issue shortly."
Good news... Sort of. There isn't actually any news yet. But Adobe is aware of the outcry over this issue and is working to figure out a solution.
"For photographers, we are looking at potential offerings that recognize the photography community – because it is so broad – has some unique needs."
Again... sort of good news. We do know that Lightroom 5 is going to be offered outside the cloud as a perpetual license software, but how long will that last? What about Photoshop thrown in there too for a few hundred bucks more? That would be nice.
"We understand this is a big change and for customers who are not yet ready to move, we will continue to offer CS6 products through our reseller partners and Adobe.com."
Don't want the cloud? That's ok, you can still buy CS6. This is the same story they have been telling since Adobe MAX, and though true since the software is still pretty darn awesome, at some point it's going to be outdated. You'll have to upgrade, and the only option will be the cloud.
Adobe does listen. They have proved that in the past (like changing the new crop tool back to the old crop tool for us photographers who hate change), but they are going to put their foot down in some places. As a company, it would look pretty weird to totally redact their whole Creative Cloud vision at this point. I don't know if anyone ever really expected that, even if many wish they would.
[Original story via Wacom Forums via Adobe Blog]
"but there are a number of options open to us here and we expect to have news around this issue shortly" Wow, now I'm more worried because it means that Plan A for Adobe was to NOT let users access their files if you stop CC. The fact that they didn't have an automatic answer for this should tell you how much thought they gave it before hand.
Oh I can all but verify that was the case. You can't open your .psd files if you don't open Photoshop, and if you can't open Photoshop without getting past the barrier that is the online verification. If you don't have a sub to the CC anymore, then you can't open Photoshop and therefore get to that .psd. You also can't open it in an older version, since it's not formatted for, say CS6, to understand it unless you always saved down your files.
CS is more then a FEW PIXEL FORMAT FILES!!
what about all the PROJECT FILE FORMATS??!!
sorry for caps but some don´t get it otherwise....
adobe is messing with us.. and we should vote with our money.
or we will nothing but slaves to adobe at one point in time.
You can open your PSD files without opening photoshop. You won't be able to edit them but Preview has no issues opening them for me on my Mac. I'm not sure what the case is on Windows. Alternatively, there are other applications that let you open and edit. Still, this all means nothing if Adobe changes their file format so that third party applications can't view the files. It also means purchasing a separate piece of software to open and edit files.
adobe does care a s***.... don´t fall for that blahblah.
we, the customers, made pretty clear what we want.
adobe does not care at all... they still try to sell us the CC crap....
CS5 and LR4 are working just fine for me and probably will for a few more years - i'll see what Adobe is doing then and not worry about it too much now. not going to freak out if I have no plans to update soon.
I get how the CC works for the individual photographer - but um, just curious Adobe - how does this work for an organization that needs to utilize photoshop, bridge, etc? When they need to have multiple computers using it, (say at least 10). And it's not something that can be billed for monthly (say a rather large organization), but is strictly something that can only be approved of in quartly, annual, etc. budgets. Like, a Museum, Library, Photo studio etc. for people that specialize in image archiving, etc. I know they have plans like this in place, but they are very vague about it on their website. I'm just curious how this works with larger organizations now using their software. Anybody currently using this as part of a larger organization?
you have to contact Adobe directly about those needs. I have the same issue working for the government.
They have a teams platform that allows for numerous users and activation/deactivation from one control panel. I've used it and it actually works pretty well.
In my opinion, Adobe is the only thing that will benefit from Adobe's new model. I would also like to add, if you have the opportunity to write an article people will read, then please think a little farther out like what this will do to the future of software... what it is doing to the present... I think your comments following the parts of your article that mirror ever other Adobe CC article out there are too simple and do not explain things outside of your personal opinion. I think that you are actually mis-informing a lot of people may not necessarily know what to do.
Follow the money — Adobe's software teams used to listen. Their executives ... well, they only listen to the sound of money. So supporting their sales, supports their paychecks.
What about rest of the world where adobe CC still not available and they are many?
You can still buy CS 6
Soooo, now I can go to Tiajuana to buy a hard copy of Photoshop? This is ludicrous! So if they're still making physical software but refusing to sell it in the U.S. that makes no sense other than greed for motivation.
No, you can go to the Adobe site and buy CS 6. No one is putting a gun to your head saying you have to use Photoshop.
Capture One 7 Pro blows Lightroom out of the water. Ill keep my business with Phase One.
Adobe has made a critical error in evaluating their customers... unfortunately I don't think they will realize it for several years and by that time it will be to late for them to recover. On the bright side I am sure several companies see the opportunity before them and will take advantage of it.
Photoshop is the most pirated application, and that is the issue Creative cloud is addressing by keeping updates tied to CC accounts.
I don't think that will work (Adobe have a very poor track record on copy protection: simply changing the hosts file on a Windows machine kills all copy protection in the last release). I will be very surprised if CC doesn't have a major security breach within a year.
A bigger issue for most users is that the lack of major software versions and/or tying in users to CC means Adobe have less pressure to innovate for future releases.
I suspect the only people who won't suffer from this are the pirates. Within a few weeks of an update to Photoshop, there will no doubt be a hacked version available that will never need to call home for activation or require a subscription fee. We've seen this before with DRM'ed music, games that require physical media, unskippable trailers on DVDs ... those who steal the product will end up with a better user experience than those who pay for it. And that's just sad.
Adobe has said themselves they don't expect this to stop pirate software and thats not why they are making this change. As far as I understand the new versions install and phone home, just like it always did. I doubt it will be any more difficult to pirate.
So many management weasel words and catch phrases in Adobes response; "stream of innovation", "delight our customers with innovation" my bullshit-o-meter is redlining
Oh and this one: "the photography community – because it is so broad – has some unique needs" - translation: "because the photography community has some very highly paid professionals and hoards of hobbyists, we are trying to work out a way that we can extort money out of the pro's but still milk some pennies out of the unwashed masses"
I own CS6 and LR4. Those will be the last Adobe products I will ever purchase. Adobe has become the M$ of design software. I am already moving my workflow to phase out adobe products. I have owned PS since PS3, have all the boxes lined up on my shelf. Time for me to evolve and move away from them.
Adobe needs to understand that we don't want to rent software. We need to stick together and overwhelmingly reject the Creative Cloud software rental scheme. DON'T RENT ANY SOFTWARE FROM ADOBE.
If Adobe succeeds in using their monopoly to extort monthly rental fees from users, be prepared to also pay monthly rental fees for your operating system and any other software you use on your computer.
Adobe is testing the waters here and the way we, as consumers, react will set precedent.
Adobe will try to accommodate photographers who don't need the creative suite, but it will be done on a cost benefit basis that will result in a great product being available but costing much more than it did as a stand alone product. There are alternatives for technology savvy photographers who are not intimidated by steep learning curves. Pixinsight, an application designed for astrophotographers, has powerful functions that can be applied to terrestrial continuous tone images, and can handle 16, 32, and 64-bit images. There are stand alone RAW converters, such as RAW Developer and RAW Photo Processor 64. And, of course, there's the GIMP. There's also time to make a decision for those of using Photoshop CS6. My inclination at this point is to stay with CS6 and switch to other applications as needed, but I'll re-evaluate the situation next year and decide whether to stay on Adobe's upgrade path, or, after 20 years of using Photoshop, to go in another direction.
And here it is (tata): The new overwhelming great solution from MS for you: Windoofs creative financial cloud!!
Nothing has changed but you will get 1 gb of online storage and a few other useless gimmicks (enough that we can name the baby "cloud" and tell that to our stack holders)
All that and the full access to our OS for the little monthly fee of $50!!!
No longer great barriers for you to use this great OS and your PC! Only half the price of boxed version (today :)
Always get automatically the newest updates like Windoofs Pissta or Windoofs 8 (If you want them or not and with no possibility to aware. If we want to kick out XP we will do.)!
It´s absolutely great, astonishing, amazing. Create your World!
Sugar glossy pink BS!
The small print:
Windoofis will connect to your bank account and when there is enough money it will start up. Else not.
Yes, we have full access to your cloud files and can handle them as we like. We are also allowed to cut access without any reason. But we will not do. May be... Trust us... Like you ever did (har har)
You will never lose FULL editable access to your files (as long as you pay).
No, there are not so many Apps (in most cases none) that can read and FULLY edit your creations. We tried to not tell you this. Xuse, that we don´t pointed out better.
No we are not longer motivated in doing updates (we never were a lot), as you will have to pay anyway.
And yes, it´s true, we will not longer sell other packaged OS, as we indirectly promised a few month ago, when we said, that our latest OS would be the last upgradeable (and forced you a little bit, to bring your old versions to actual). Xuse again - that´s part of our new philosophy.
Yes, you will always have to upgrade your hardware if we decide, it´s necessary. Elswise you can use our provided old version (we will not give our non subscribing long time users) but you have to pay for the latest. Sorry for that.
Ehm, yes, you are a kind of Beta-tester in future. Ehm, and we don´t give any warranty for anything. Ehm, good luck.
(May be our new updates - if they ever come to table - will not break any workflow like in the past. And if: Now you can be sure it hurts all users not only that, who installed first).
No, YOU don´t have to decide if it´s good for you. So it´s not longer an option any longer. It´s a musst, you must like.
Yes. it´s true, we bought also the competitor with the hooked fruit and all the others, so we are a monopolist right now. But you have enough choices to go nowhere. So take it or not. We are not forcing.
No, we are not listening to concerns, especially not if you are only a loser. Sorry, user was meant.
And we even don´t care about you.
We need to stand strong against these giants. Don't be tempted by their offers and then get comfortable, because once the next 12 months pass, we are as good as a junkie!
I can't believe this "article" propagandized for Adobe. "Since it’s obviously going nowhere, we should just move past demanding that Adobe change their policy." Riiight. Or maybe we should move on to other Software options and say "*#!* YOU Adobe"? This is the stupidest move by a Software Megalith since Windows Vista. None of the major concerns with CC have been answered or thought through very well except Adobe's profit model. At this point there are no options to offer a version to Educational institution's bookstores. Which means beginning this Fall I will be teaching use of The Gimp in Tandem with Photoshop to my College Students. Hear that Adobe? Most of my colleagues feel the same way.
Have been using Photoshop for many, many years. I will never!!!! get into the cloud work flow. I worry about the expense, the access to files, and ultimately having to pay "the man" on a continual basis. I am at a point in my careet (69) when I do not see the need to make this change, period!
so for $600/Y I have all the programs?? Yeah, I d be more smart to hark out $3500 every 18months for the master suite. I have no clue why you people are all complaing so much. It's a normal business expense that is much more affordable than ever. I use Lightroom, PS, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, After Effects and Premiere all the time. It's a freakin bargain.
I understand that the story is a bit different when you are a hobbyist, but common! Piracy is what drove the prices up in the first place. Respect copyrights!
Couldn't agree more, people are complaining about software being cheaper for them! For business, this is a monstrous saving. For an amateur individual, the lack of a "photographer" option (LR + PS) is a bit disappointing. I don't have any need for 85% of what they offer and the $50 a month pays off LR in three months. So if they make a rethink about pricing or be more flexible with the apps you can pick under a different price banner than "one or all", I'll be on board. This is no different to my spotify and netflix account. Who wants to pay year on year for something when I can just subscribe to it and take the updates as they come.
If Adobe do not address the issue of access to PSD files after a subscription is cancelled, then I would have thought that annoyed photographers will be overtaken by designers in the race to get a class action going. Anyone who locks intellectual property, time/effort and training costs into the layers in a CC PSD file should be asking the hard question: "how do I access that value in two, maybe three years' time if I cancel my CC subscription?" As things stand, their old copy of CS6 won't help them in that scenario.