Adobe Moves Creative Suite to Cloud

Adobe stops selling Photoshop and Illustrator in favor of a subscription Cloud based model

Adobe has been building its stable of cloud based products for a while and developing apps to try to take advantage of the need to work on multiple devices from multiple locations but their latest jump into the cloud has taken the photography community by surprise. Adobe will no longer sell Photoshop or Illustrator as stand alone one time purchase software. For future new versions, you will have to subscribe in order for your software to keep working.

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What if I Already Have Photoshop?

If you already have the stand alone, traditional boxed software, it will continue to work. However, you will be unable to purchase upgrades for the software without moving to Adobe's Creative Cloud.

Creative Cloud Programs

Photoshop CC
Illustrator CC
InDesign CC
Dreamweaver CC
After Effects CC
Adobe Premiere Pro CC
Adobe Muse CC
Adobe Audition CC
Bridge CC
Flash Professional CC
InCopy CC
Media Encoder CC
Prelude CC
Speedgrade CC

Non Creative Cloud Required Programs

Photoshop Elements
Lightroom

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Subscription Plans

Single Program Plan $19.99/month

A full version of selected apps
20 GB of cloud storage
Limited access to services

Complete $49.99/month with annual commitment or $79.99/month cancel anytime

Full versions of every app
20 GB of cloud storage
Full access to services

Special Offers (advertised as through end of May 2013)

Special pricing for existing customers
CS3 and later get Complete for $29.99
CS6 customers get Complete for $19.99
CS3 and later get Single App for $9.99
All offers require annual commitment

Do I Have to be Online to Use Photoshop Now?

This does not change Photoshop or other Creative Cloud programs into we programs. You'll still be able to work offline and images saved on your computer are always yours. However, you have to connect to the internet to activate the programs and you must connect to the internet to validate your continued subscription every 30 days. If you don't validate the software stops working after 180 days.

Faster Updates

One of the advantages that photographers will see to the new system is that updates will be rolled out when ready rather than having to wait a year or two for a new full version of the programs. For those who always update as soon as possible this is a big perk. For those who are usually two or three versions of the software behind the new cost probably far outweighs the benefit.