Nearly everyone in the world knows the word Photoshop. In fact, many people even use it as a verb rather than a proper noun, since it’s become so popular over the past decade or so. Adobe, the company that makes this piece of software, among many other programs, is one of the most successful software companies in the world and most are familiar with their products. Anyone who is into web design, photography, graphics, filmmaking, and a host of other design areas knows and loves these products. However, a couple of years ago Adobe made a very big and very bold change in the way they sold and delivered the products to the people.
They started using the cloud, and this is a huge benefit for many.
When one looks at the initial cost, it’s easy to scoff. However, think back to the price of these products in the past, as well as the cost of the annual upgrades. It was comparable, and many find that this is even a cheaper option, so it might be something you will want to consider.
Instead of buying a single hardcopy of each program or the entire creative suite, you will instead buy access to the programs through the cloud. They allow you to download the programs to your computer, which you can set up to update automatically. If you have the entire suite, you only have to download the programs that you want to use, even though you will have access to all of them. The days of traditional upgrades are gone, and that might just be a good thing.
Choose What You Need or Choose It All for a Better Price
If you only need to have access to a single program, such as Photoshop, you will be able to purchase just access to that program. If you only need a single program, that could be perfect. However, if you need more than one program, or you want to try out some of the others, the price of the Creative Cloud Membership is actually quite fair. For access to all of the programs, it will cost an individual $49.99 per month, and it will cost teams just $69.99 per month.
Keep in mind that when you choose the entire Creative Cloud, you will have access to all of the applications you need for a host of different creative needs.
- Photoshop – For image editing.
- Lightroom – Digital photo processing and editing.
- Illustrator – vector graphics program.
- InDesign – Layout and page design for publishing.
- Premiere Pro – Video editing and production.
- After Effects – Motion graphics and special effects for video.
- Dreamweaver – Web design and mobile design.
- Adobe Muse – Easy website design with no coding.
- Flash Professional – Create Flash animations, games, and more.
- Acrobat – Read, sign, create, and edit PDFs.
- Audition – Audio recording and editing.
- Bridge – Keep all of your assets in a single location.
- Edge – Edge Animate, Edge Code, Edge Inspect, Edge Reflow.
- Fireworks – Image editing for apps and sites.
- Flash Builder – IDE coding for Flash.
- InCopy – For collaboration with editors and copywriters.
- Prelude – Metadata ingest and logging.
- Adobe Media Encoder – Encodes output files for most screens.
- Scout – Profile Flash games.
- Speed Grade – Film color grading and finishing.
- Story Plus – Screenwriting, reporting, and scheduling.
- PhoneGap Build – Package mobile apps in the cloud.
- Prelude Live Logger – Video logging.
- Gaming SDK – Create ActionScript games
- Extension Manager – Install and manage extensions.
- ExtendScript Toolkit – Add script to apps.
Will you use all of these different applications and options? Chances are you will only use a handful of them for your business or personal needs. However, having access to all of them is nice. It’s also cheaper to have the entire Creative Suite, even if you only use three of the programs regularly. Most will find that going for the entire suite is the smarter option, but it really is dependent on your specific needs.
What Do the Pricing Tiers Look Like?
Individuals have a number of options. They can choose:
- Photography – The cost is $9.99 per month and it requires an annual commitment, or you can choose their one year prepaid option. It includes Photoshop and the latest version of Lightroom for desktop, mobile, and web.
- Single App – For $19.99 a month, you can choose a single app, plus cloud features, 20GB of storage in the cloud, a portfolio site, web fonts, and more.
- Complete – For $49.99 a month with an annual commitment or a one year prepaid option, customers will have access to all of the apps from Adobe, along with the 20 GB of cloud storage. This is a great option for new customers who want access to more than one or two programs.
- Complete for CS Customers – Those who were former Adobe CS customers can get a special deal for $29.99 per month with an annual commitment or a one-year prepaid option. This is the same as the Complete version above, but it’s simply a special deal for returning customers from their CS (CS3 and above) customers).
In addition, there is an option for businesses. For $69.99 per user with an annual commitment, or the prepaid option, you will have the Creative Cloud for everyone at your company. You have two options – buying for teams of up to 150 people or for an enterprise of more than 150 employees. They also have a special deal for customers who have been using CS. Instead of $69.99 per month, it is just $49.99.
You can try out one or all of the apps and programs that interest you, thanks to the free trial that Adobe offers. It is essential that you download and work with the free trial, just so you can get an idea of what each of the programs offers and to make sure it is worth it for your company. Put the programs through their paces during the trial.
Veteran or Newcomer to Adobe?
If you have been using Adobe products for a number of years, then chances are good that you already have an idea of how to use the products. Most have a similar enough interface that you can go from one year to the next without suffering too much of a learning curve. Of course, there will be some new changes and features, which you will see in their latest 2014 version. However, they are very easy to use and are well documented.
Those who are new to Adobe products will have a much larger learning curve naturally, but one of the good things about Adobe is that they’ve always offered a number of methods of learning how to use their products via videos and online documentation. Of course, you can always check out other videos on YouTube from creators as well. You can already find a number of videos online featuring the newest version of the Creative Cloud.
The Creative Cloud is a great deal that provides you access to some of the best pieces of software on the market today. The quality of the programs is as high as ever, and the results are always stunning when you put in the time to learn how to use them properly. The price is worth it for many businesses and individuals who have to use these programs regularly.