Comments on: Adobe Creative Cloud: The prices and the facts

By: James

James — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 13:16:29 +0000

Yeah, you could save every ID file as an IDML as well which would allow you to open them in CS6. This of course isn’t going to work forever because eventually ID won’t be able to save down the files all the way to CS6. Also, some features simply don’t translate to older versions. For instance, when I upgraded to CS5, I noticed that when I had an object and used the new rounded corner options and saved the file down for my clients to open, the rounded corner boxes were turned into embedded raster images rather than fully editable objects.

By: Dean

Dean — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 02:48:22 +0000

So if I save my CC files to a previous version then I can also save my files for future use if I decided to not use CC again? This sounds like a good back up plan.

By: James

James — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 20:59:23 +0000

Yes. You can save files as IDML which works with CS4 and higher.

By: Dean

Dean — Sat, 31 Aug 2013 15:41:49 +0000

If I upgrade to CC will I be able to save my files as CS6 or CS5 and so on? I have some clients that are still using older versions and I have to down-save files for them on a regular basis. If I can’t down save then this is just another HUGE problem and my main reason not to upgrade.

By: w. bravenboer

w. bravenboer — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:10:24 +0000

I wish we could pay what the US customers are paying… if we would choose the CC package (which we are not doing) for the English version we pay 80 dollars (61 euros) in the Netherlands.
Outside the US Adobe will lose a lot of customers, we’ll be sticking with CS5.5.

By: James

James — Sat, 11 May 2013 16:08:36 +0000

I suspect we will see pricing options in the future. I doubt this all or nothing pricing can sustain the company.

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:32:33 +0000

Hello all,
There is a lot of discussion going on at the moment and I think it will only intensify as the launch date gets nearer. Some people will jump straight in, for example, I also have my own freelance design and ilustration business, as a sole trader the single subscription is great for me as it works out to be roughly the cost of the usual upgrade from one version to the next. What concerns me is that the business model has no options. The company I work for only uses the design standard suite. We were opting for the premium, but we would be paying for things we wouldn’t use. This, as I have stated along with James, is a major sticking point for the business subscription. A$70 per month, per designer is expensive. If Adobe had offered a middle ground option, A$50 (49.99) for teams that don’t need the web or video software, we would subscribe. The only drawback is that if we don’t subscribe in June and we wait, we will end up paying more later.
Eventually we will have to subscribe, we will have no choice, but it will impact our business. We will have to up our rates across the board to cover this, and it may mean we don’t take on new staff or a junior, curb our staff incentives (training etc) or update other areas of the business.
As an aside, we always save a IDML file with all our final artwork, so that if we have problem we can still open the file in older versions, also some of our clients – who have InDesign – are using older versions are then able to access the file. We also save all work to our own server and back up to disc and harddrive. We rarely use a cloud for saving files, other than word files as this is a easier way to edit copy with clients.
Lets see what the next few weeks bring, perhaps Adobe will tweak their pricing plans, we can but hope.

Drew

By: Steve jenks

Steve jenks — Thu, 09 May 2013 22:20:51 +0000

James, thanks for the summary, but you seem a little confused about the facts yourself!

Rene brings up a very valid point – and the one that most of us are having an issue with – that is under the new subscription scheme as soon as you stop subscribing all your files are effectively useless as you are ‘locked out of them’. You simply cannot access them at all.

With a perpetual licence you have access to the files you have created for as long as you want – simply because you still have the software. It is nothing to do with the propietary format.

That and the continuing unreliability of the system are what concern most of us. Just read the Adobe forums some time and see how many people get locked out of their software through the bugginess of the subscription system. That’s annoying if you are a hobbyist, but unacceptable for those of us that rely on the software for our business.

The fact that it is quite a bit more expensive than the perpetual licence (as Drew points out) as well doesn’t help, but we could live with that if it wasn’t for the other issues.

As for ther subscription model giving us access to quicker updates and features – that would only sway people who haven’t used Adobe software before. Most ‘features’ are just gimmicks these days and the updates rarely fix the real bugs. That is why a lot of users skip versions – there simply isn’t any reason to upgrade for the latest gimmick.

The sad thing is that eventually we will gradually all be forced to go to the subscription model purely so that we can open files that unwitting individuals have created using CC products. That is the only way Adobe will get most professional users to switch.

I’m guessing the only people unaffected by this nonsense will be the pirates. They’ll likely have it cracked and sorted within a couple of days and carry on using the latest versions as and when they please. If Adobe thinks this new model is going to slow people like that down then they are being incredibly naiive!

By: Don

Don — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:28:52 +0000

I am not surprised by Adobe making this move. I understand it will most likely cut down on pirating of anything they do in the future, But at the same time, see it opening a big market for pirating current Adobe products. I do see Adobe losing some of its customer base over this move as it really limits you in regards to the options they offer. You are pretty much obligated to using their complete program even if you only require two individual programs, such as PS & AI. I do see Adobe adding more pricing options down the road as people start looking for other alternatives. I have always been a firm believer in keeping my Adobe software up to date, but also like to wait a couple of months after a release to allow them to work out some bugs. I will eventually have to go to CC if a good alternative does not come about. Otherwise my customers are going to have to pay additional cost to help me recoup some of the subscription fee’s. I am just a small business owner trying to make an honest buck and these large software companies keep making that harder to do. Sure wish Adobe would have put out a survey to it’s clientele before pushing forward with it. But I also suspect they already know what kind of response they would have received back. Oh well, still a happy Adobe software customer, just becoming less enamored with corporate greed.

By: James

James — Thu, 09 May 2013 03:18:55 +0000

In my opinion, that’s not really a valid argument because most programs are proprietary formats. They can’t be expected to support every competing program on the market, and they’re in business to make money selling their software. But your underlying point is heard loud and clear… once you subscribe and use the CC apps, you’re pretty much locked in forever unless you no longer need those files.