If you are an Adobe customer, you have no reason to not be using the latest version of the tools. If your a current Adobe customer whop owns Photoshop CS3 or higher, there is a great new (extremely time-limited) deal.
You can get
- Photoshop CC.
- Lightroom 5
- 20 GB of online storage
- Behance ProSite
- Ongoing upgrades and updates to Photoshop and Lightroom
How much you ask? $9.99/month
Thats right… $9.99 a month (pricing varies outside of the US). For those of you who said Creative Cloud was too expensive… are you happy now?
The important details..
- This is the ongoing price… it is expected to stay the price. It is not a promotional price.
- This is not a “price lock” in terms of a guarantee that this price will remain the same for ever it might go up to, say, $10.99/month in 2015 but Adobe says they do not have any intentions of raising the price.
- If you sign up in October 2013, then when you renew in October 2014 the price will still be $9.99 per month. Adobe says that they do not currently have any intention of raising this price.
- You have to be a current Adobe customer (Photoshop CS3 or higher)
- You need to sign up by December 31, 2013
- The ability to sign up for this deal will be out in the next couple of weeks.
- Those of you who are already Creative Cloud customers will have options to take advantage of this deal too.
The official details will be posted at at Photoshop.com blog today. In the meantime, download the 30-day demo of Creative Cloud and start working.
Well have some more official word from Adobe soon… and keep reading Photofocus to find out more. Were at Photoshop World all week so well have more news soon.
If you are not attending Photoshop World, watch the rest of the keynote as a live stream here: http://photoshopworld.com/live/
Yes, for that price I’ll upgrade. That has a much higher value proposition than last year’s offer.
This clears up any complaints I had about the service before this new plan. I’m ready to sign up with this one.
yes i am very happy. ready to sign up now. right now.
That’s a great deal. Unfortunate that it only seems to apply to people who already have CS3 or higher. As a Lightroom 4 owner who has never owned CS, I’d love to jump on board and get LR5 and CC. I guess I’ll just stick to LR4 and Elements 8/Gimp for now.
Or BUY an older version of Photoshop and move into the deal.
Oh, interesting! I was under the impression that they stopped selling the old version when the new one comes out. Thanks for the tip! :)
Richard, any idea if I could sign up now for the current PS-only, $20/month plan and get the new price when the new plan kicks in?
I don’t think so.. this launches this month (really soon in fact). Just download the 30 day demo.
Richard, just so I’m clear, you’re not suggesting that the demo can be used to get the $10 pricing, are you?
No… You need a perpetual license of Photoshop. So go to amazon and buy a legal boxed version… or do a transfer of Ownership letter from someone
That’s what I thought, I just thought I’d double check. Thank you for answering my questions.
This just seems like an exercise to silence the most vocal critics from the launch of CC.
What about new photographers coming into the profession or other that do not own any version of PS. Or those that simply just fail to sign up before year end ?
If Adobe had really listened they would have created a package at a reasonable price with not entry barriers.
Really? Do you REALLY think like that? You think a multinational business that bases a large portion of its income stream on creative products like this responds to customer feedback by engaging in “exercises” to silence the critics? You would complain if they gave it to you for free. This is a great deal. The only people I can see being really upset are those who want to continue to use pirated software.
If I have CS3 for Windows, can I go to CC for Mac?
Absolutely.. you get two activations with no platform rule.. can move whenever you want.
Thanks for the info Richard. One more question, by subscribing to cc do I give up my licensing rights to cs3, or can I go back to using it if I decide not to continue my subscription? (Given that I understand any compatibility issues between the last cc version I use and cs3)
Yes. Your old license still exists
It does sound compelling. But the first two points don’t jive:
Bullet 1: “This is the ongoing price
Bullet 2: “This is not a “price lock”
Huh? Read between the lines. I bet Adobe will indeed raise the price.
I clarified with them. It’s not that the price is 9.99 first year, then goes up. They’ve announced that people will get locked into the current rate. That in future prices may rise at a slow rate (if they have too) but they fully intend to stay as low as possible.
Like all things, prices do rise… ever go to a grocery store?
Come on… they listened… they gave people what they wanted. Chill out.
Yeah and NOTHING else you EVER buy will go up in price. Really come on. They said they have no intention of raising the price. You’re being pedantic. They left themselves some wiggle room. So maybe their economics will change and they will need to raise the price to $10.99 in a few years. That will yield a net increase of $13 a year. Is that really what you’re complaining about?
That’s certainly better. I still hate the notion of renting my tools on a permanent basis.
You can stop at any time if you don’t need the software. But yes… I get your point. With that said, no one ever really did “own” their software. You’ve always licensed it.
We have a across platform for Photoshop CC for PC and MAC
Do we now have a across platform for Lightroom 5??????
Yes.. with Creative Cloud you get cross platform versions
Sorry,as I understand it, one can buy Photoshop CC and install the program on a PC and a MAC. for no extra charge… ( two computers )
Does this now apply to Lightroom ….
This lower price is also due to other software companies releasing improvements to their software which may be making them nervous. Don’t get me wrong I like and use CS6 but not keen on renting software I like to pay the one time fee and were done.
You’re not done if you upgrade your computer, change OSs or buy a new camera.
So I did the math and figured out that I have spent 754.00 on Adobe products in the last six years. This consists of upgrading LR 4 times and upgrading PS twice. With that I have spent an average of 125.00 per year and the new plan would be 120.00 per year. While that is now an attractive solution for me I will not join the CC until they tell me what happens when I want to stop my subscription. Why this has not been figured out prior to launching this plan is beyond me. It would seem to me… Read more »
They have of course figured out what happens. Your images are on your drive and you can access them with another company’s software if you choose. We’ve covered this extensively in the past. Raw files, DNG files and even PSD files can be opened by other tools. But come on… it’s 10 bucks a month.
Actually Rich they have not of course figured it out and here are the words right from John Nack…..
“Are you asking about being able to keep accessing your files? That’s a valid ongoing concern that we haven’t addressed yet. Getting the answer right takes more time than you’d think, and I’m afraid I don’t yet have an ETA for an answer. It *is* a topic of ongoing discussion here, however. –J.”
You will be able to open a PSD file in several apps… always have. We’ve posted an entire list here on the site. Your raw files open. DNG converter free from Adobe lets you convert and open those. If you mean you want to be able to open and edit the files (more than just print, convert formats, or resize).. then yes you need an Adobe tool. This is NO different than a Microsoft Word or PowerPoint file… there have been tons of solutions on market to open and modify those files. Your files aren’t locked up in some far… Read more »
There are currently available 21 applications (not including Adobe products) that will open layered tiffs, PSDs, DNGs or some combination thereof.
For a long time, I’ve been upgrading PS every two years at cost of $200, which came out to about $8.33 per month. When they came up with the $20 per month pricing for PS, I was done with Adobe as (for me) the price increase was too much. But the new $10 per month charge is fine with me. Frankly that is what they should have charged as soon as they announced the subscription model. The fact that they throw in LR is a bonus! OK Adobe, I take back all the bad things I said about you. I’m… Read more »
I can’t see how you worked out $200 a year. That cannot factor in the original purchase price. Adobe charges $299 for the upgrade which used to come at about every 18 months. Factoring the cost of the original software (needed to legally upgrade) I can’t see a situation that works out to less than $10 a month. Perhaps you were getting an educational discount or some special deal?
Scott, I look at it the same way as levent…..we are existing customers, we do not have to factor in the original purchase because we dont have to buy the full version again. We already own it. We are looking at what each plan will cost us TODAY in this moment.
Okay, looking at the full thread, let me revise slightly. The upgrade cost $199-$299 every 18 months… so the price is now less than before or at least completely even. This deal is only for existing customers, so we can essentially take the original purchase off the table. Lightroom is a great tool, and that would have added to your costs… so yes, you probably are spending close to the same amount as before. But you get more, frequent updates, online backup, a portfolio site, etc. So, this deal is as good as it gets. It won’t get better and… Read more »
@Kevin Z if you think $10 a month – what it cost you TODAY in this moment is too much money I guess that is your right. But it’s a position I personally believe to be unfounded, unreasonable, silly and steeped in entitlement thinking. Stop using Adobe products if you don’t like them. But also stop complaining. Nobody cares.
Problems is they still serve a decent cup of coffee (with taste) locally here in Spain for $1.35, and that include a free piece of cake as a tapa – so when Adobe blink again, and reduce it to $4.99/mo., I might be interested
Get real… Photoshop is an $800 application. You get two activations. Lightroom is included, so is two cool web services. If you can’t afford $10 a month to run your business than you don’t need to be in business.
Scott: In the text I said $200 every two years. You see, I originally paid $1000 for “Adobe Design Collection” which came with Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator and Indesign. So in my eyes, I felt my entry price for each of those apps was $250. I’m sure you’re right that they upgraded approx. every 18 months. But I personally only went for it about every 2 years and I think each upgrade cost me about $199. So for my wallet, I’ve basically been paying Adobe a little less than $10 per month on average. So for me the $20 per month… Read more »
You’ve been talking to Rich (not Scott) but he’ll weigh in this afternoon. A PS Upgrade was typically $199 to $299 every 18 months…. so your math is about right. Adobe wants to get everyone onto one toolset, it makes it a lot easier for them as a company for support and moving forward.
If your only PS 3-6 license is froma a suite, you are out of luck. The new deal does not apply to suites.
Yes it applies to suites. Anything cs3 or later with Photoshop in it.
Rich, I believe that is incorrect. From the Adobe Photography Program FAQ:
“This offer is available to customers who own a previous commercial version of Photoshop or Photoshop Extended, version CS3 or later (CS3.x, CS4, CS5.x, or CS6). Suites and volume licenses do not qualify. Requires an annual commitment with monthly billing. Available for purchase from September 17, 2013, through December 31, 2013 from Adobe.com only.”
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/faq.edu.html#pslr-bundle
Getting clarification. Sounds like suites can’t be downgraded. But they did say people who go from suites to creative cloud can then downgrade to this offer. Plus this offer at different price point may come available.
Richard: That’s pretty weird, because the email I was sent and the image in my browser, both say Scott had replied to my comment. So there might be a bug in your software? Regarding the pricing, I think the $9.99 is the magic price point that will make most people happy. It’s like when Apple sold songs A la carte on iTunes at 99 cents. It seemed fair and they probably made more money in the end, than if they forced you to buy the whole album as $16.99 So I’m good with Adobe now. But I really think they… Read more »
First time PS users can rent at $19 a month. A new version of Photoshop (single activation) was approximately $800. That’s 40 months of service before you’ve pulled even. I understand your point, but this is why Photoshop Elements exists and Lightroom is still sold alone. Most people don’t need Photoshop unless they are doing advanced photography (focus stacking, panoramic, timelapse, HDR, retouching) or they need advanced printing output. Photoshop is a professional tool… I pay a lot more than $20 a month for things I use to run my business. The $10 deal is a limited time offer to… Read more »
Richard: You are absolutely correct! For some reason, I keep forgetting that Photoshop Elements is excellent and can be had for about $60, which is an amazing bargain. And if you are a typical photographer, PS Elements is usually enough 99% of the time When I think about it digital photography post-processing has gone a long way in the past 5 or 6 years. If the average photographer got Elements for $60. And either Lightroom ($120) or Aperture ($79) for workflow and basic editing and the complete Nik Collection ($149) for the plug-ins you can do incredible work for less… Read more »
Rich, I wish you would stop comparing renting CC to cell phones, utilities, etc. You don’t CREATE anything with those. You do not lose editing functionality with those once you cancel them. I dislike the rental model. I don’t really want this to catch on for all software and OS’s and wind up having the equivalent of a premium cable TV bill every month just to turn on the freaking computer! That said, this deal is the first that is better financially than the old perpetual model. That is a requirement for me to swallow subscription. I will sign up… Read more »
You have a monthly Internet bill, no? You had upgrades to keep software current? Trust me when I say this.
Once Adobe has all its customers on same version and can avoid having to provide tech support and maintenance updates, the pace of innovation will get even faster.
@Lloyd you don’t create anything with your utilities??????????????????? Is the computer you use to run Photoshop powered by mice? And maybe you don’t but I create tons of business and generate the dollars I need to fund my photo projects with my cell phone. You don’t give up the editing functionality if you cancel your CC membership. We have debunked that almost 100 times. Why do you keep pretending it is the case? If you are the owner of any copy of CS anything you can always edit something you did in CC. You can buy (or obtain free) 21… Read more »
I can’t believe people are STILL complaining but I guess I should know by now to never underestimate the power of entitlement thinking.
UPDATE: We’re not allowing the tin foil hat conspiracy comments on this thread – or the “you guys own Adobe stock comments” (We do not!) or the “big corporations are out to screw us” garbage. It’s time for common sense. I will bet 90% of you commenting have a cell plan that costs at least $30 a month. There’s no guarantee the cost won’t go up at the end of your contract. You pay lots of money to “rent” time on the network. You claim poverty but probably also have a myriad of other expensive gadgets. It’s just too much.… Read more »
No Thank you Adobe! The issue is not the cost of rental it is the loss of access to Photoshop file data if one stops renting. I do not mean data from a flattened file, I mean data as saved when I close my Photoshop files.
If you own CS6, that will work forever. Or until you upgrade your OS, camera, or buy a new computer. Last I checked though, if I stopped paying for my computer, it eventually broke, same goes with lots of other things (cell phones, internet providers, etc). Go back and read your license agreement from before… you never “owned” it. This is an incredible deal… look at the amazing new features that continue to get added. Id $10 a month is going to break the bank… I’d suggest looking at your other expenses or what you charge for your services. If… Read more »
Sigh – is it that you aren’t paying attention, you just like to ignore facts, you just don’t want to be happy, or you just really don’t understand the reality of the situation? There are 21 programs (other than those made by Adobe) that open layered tiffs, PSD files or DNG files. You are not losing access to your files. And this deal only works if you have a licensed, legal copy of Photoshop. Presuming you do (and you’re not using pirated software) that program you legally own a license to called Photoshop will always open the files as well.… Read more »
I am trying really hard to understand the complaints. They don’t make sense. This is the most sophisticated image editing bundle on the planet. In fact it’s too much for me. I use Elements and can do almost everything anyone can in Photoshop. But if I thought I could learn all this new stuff I’d buy in.
“Renting” software is technically something people have always done. And everyone from Microsoft to Google to Apple have or are moving to subscription pricing. It’s the future.
I’ve been following many comments/reactions to Adobe’s announcement, yesterday, regarding the new CC offer directed at photographers. When the subscription model was first announced, I fully intended to use CS6 and LR5 until one or both stopped working because I personally just couldn’t justify the $20 per month charge. However, over the past several months I took a pro-active stance and tried desperately to find an acceptable Photoshop replacement. In all cases, either the “Photoshop like” software didn’t do what I wanted it to do, didn’t offer 16-bit editing, didn’t work with my favorite plug-ins, and/or was just a kludge!… Read more »
I’m still trying to decide… I have been a Photoshop user since version 1, mostly getting every odd numbered version (approximately, though I have CS6). The price is acceptable, but… What happens if I decide to stop paying the monthly bill in 2 or 3 years? Do I lose access to all my PS files, or will I always (yes, a strong word) be able to use my CS6 to open them? The real reason this is an issue is because I am retiring next month. When I was working with this stuff, this would have been a no-brainer. Now… Read more »
Your CS6 would work. If you stop paying, you lose access to CC You could switch to a monthly plan if needed.
As an FYI… Dave Cross recently did a small test to see if PSD files edited in CC could be opened in an older version of Photoshop. The basic answer is: YES, but with a caveat which you would probably expect; CC only stuff cannot be edited in, for example, CS6. For example, if you apply ACR as a filter to a layer, then this layer will not be editable in CS6. Dave found that the image does, however, render correctly in CS6. If you don’t use anything special to CC, I’d expect you could open that PSD with pretty… Read more »
Your plan is very prudent. One trick… a TIFF can also be layered and has full support for every PSD feature. Adobe owns both formats.
I just tried to sign up for this deal, but was told I don’t qualify. Why? Apparently, it’s because the deal is only good if you bought PS as a stand-alone product. If you bought it as part of Creative Suite (as I did), then you’re out of luck. In essence, I’m being rejected because I bought the more expensive, more inclusive software. How’s that for a kick in the teeth?
Toto Creative Cloud, then call customer service and downgrade
Yeah, this is a great deal, unless you’re one of the thousands like me who own a student copy of CS, in which all though Adobes own reps told me would work and my account qualifies, it didn’t. They should have been a little clearer on this. Their loss I guess. There’s other software out there and I really didn’t need the CS upgrade, but thought locking in the future deals was a good idea. There’s going to be a lot of upset students out there that paid $400 for their version who can’t take advantage of this deal.
Call customer support… they should upgrade you. I’ve been told they will
Apparently this a “zombie thread” (meaning one that won’t die! LOL). Seeing the problems that some seem to have with getting the upgrade. I figure I should chime in. I got PS 7 as part of a Adobe “Design Collection” boxed set. Then had upgraded up to PS CS5 over the years. And in my case I had no problems getting this deal on the Adobe site. :)
I’ve completed my 30 day trial, ready to sign up for the $9.99 deal… Can’t find it – anywhere! A little help here., please? :)
The 9.99 deal is for existing owners of Photoshop only
https://creative.adobe.com/plans/offer/photoshop+lightroom?sdid=KIHZP
Disregard; it appears that if your version of PS was purchased as part of a student/teacher discount you aren’t qualified to receive this new offer. Too bad…