Adobe Photoshop CC: SUBSCRIPTION ONLY, alternative [Archive] - BirdPhotographers.net

Jon Sostarich

05-07-2013, 01:08 AM

The next version of Photoshop will be Photoshop CC (creative cloud) and will be only offered as a subscription.
For current licensed users the subscription will be 9.99 a month for the first year and then increase to 19.99 a month (Single application license).

http://www.popphoto.com/gear/2013/05/new-gear-adobe-photoshop-creative-cloud-goes-subscription-only

For me there are two problems with this payment system.
1) The cost doubles per year to stay current.

2) If I let my subscription expire (or can’t afford the subscription price), I will no longer have access to the software.
I am leasing the software. When I bought Photoshop CS5, if decided not to upgrade to Photoshop CS6, I still could use Photoshop CS5.

Does anyone know of a good alternative to Adobe Photoshop?

Doug West

05-07-2013, 01:18 AM

Paint Shop Pro is still around and only costs $60. Granted, it's no Photoshop, but
it's not to shabby either.

Doug

jack williamson

05-07-2013, 02:08 PM

There are a lot of pissed off people because of this. I have read hundreds of negative comments on the net.

Ian Cassell

05-07-2013, 06:05 PM

What about those who process on a laptop in no range of an internet connection?

jack williamson

05-07-2013, 07:30 PM

Ian, it is my understanding that the software will be loaded on your computer, your computer will have to check in with Adobe once a month to stay current, you will not have to be connected to the internet to use the software. That is how I read it.

Don Lacy

05-08-2013, 08:32 AM

This is a poor decision by Adobe I have no desire to have another monthly bill and in reality my current version of PS does everything I need its only the updates to ACR that I will miss.

Jim Kranick

05-08-2013, 02:14 PM

I guess the next time I upgrade a body it will be time to use the new version of DPP that came in the box to make a TIFF and then move that to PS.

Ian Cassell

05-08-2013, 02:16 PM

I was thinking the same thing, Jim. In fact, I've just started playing with DPP anyway at Arash's constant recommendation and it has a lot going for it.

Jim Kranick

05-08-2013, 02:55 PM

Between Artie and Arash I figured it was time to try/learn DPP. Going to put an additional 2TB drive in this box Friday AM and ty to organize things better.

andresleon

05-08-2013, 04:14 PM

Sorry, new here. What's DPP?

DickLudwig

05-08-2013, 04:44 PM

I guess the next time I upgrade a body it will be time to use the new version of DPP that came in the box to make a TIFF and then move that to PS.
If you have an old version of DPP you can download a current version from the Canon website for free.

andresleon

05-08-2013, 04:49 PM

Ah... just realized that DPP is Canon's digital Photo Professional software that comes with most DSLRs.

Don Lacy

05-08-2013, 11:33 PM

Sorry, new here. What's DPP?
DPP is short for Digital Photo Professional it is Canons propriety Raw converter that ships with their cameras.

Arthur Morris

05-09-2013, 06:19 PM

Here is my question. You pay $20 for one month and download PS CC to your computer. Then you cut up your credit card and say never mind, I do not need the support. How do they get PS CC off of your computer?

Michael Todd

05-09-2013, 07:32 PM

Here is my question. You pay $20 for one month and download PS CC to your computer. Then you cut up your credit card and say never mind, I do not need the support. How do they get PS CC off of your computer?
I would imagine that the software would be written with a time stamp subroutine and would go inactive after a set amount of time.

Don Nelson

05-09-2013, 07:34 PM

Artie
According to the Adobe website, it is set to reverify your account with the adobe mothership every 30 days. Apparently it would keep trying for up to 180 days before the software on your system disables itself.
Perhaps you could continuously reset the date on your laptop to avoid this....
Don

Arthur Morris

05-09-2013, 07:38 PM

Thanks Guys. Don, what do you think of the plan?

Arthur Morris

05-09-2013, 07:41 PM

I was thinking the same thing, Jim. In fact, I've just started playing with DPP anyway at Arash's constant recommendation and it has a lot going for it.

DPP is simple. Three or four clicks and I am ready to convert the image. And I love the color and image quality. Learn exactly how Arash and I do it in the DPP Raw Conversion Guide (https://store.birdsasart.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=359).

Arthur Morris

05-09-2013, 07:44 PM

CS-5 rocks. I like it better than CS-6.

Don Nelson

05-09-2013, 09:18 PM

Artie
DPP +CS6 (and CS5) is already more than enough. No reason to go to CC that I have seen yet.
Don

arash_hazeghi

05-09-2013, 09:24 PM

If you use DPP, CS4 or newer is good enough. Besides camera RAW Adobe has not added much for photographers...

Arthur Morris

05-10-2013, 05:23 AM

Thanks Don and Arash. The whole thing has me confused. As for CS-6, whenever I try to use it, something comes up that defeats me. Simple stuff that does not work the way it used to but wrecks my workflow and leaves me unable to proceed....

Don Nelson

05-10-2013, 12:04 PM

Send me details offlline on the CS6 issues you are seeing
I've got both cs5 and cs6 - I will try to duplicate.
I've had no issues moving workflow from cs5 to cs6.

Arthur Morris

05-10-2013, 07:34 PM

Don, One big one here so that others may benefit. Well, I went to tell you about one pain in the a__ thing but when I went to CS-6 the following happened. I opened a TIF file. It opened with a full frame transform box around the unframed image and a Crop Preview layer on top of the background layer. That is annoying enough in itself. As I like to work with the framed view (Float in Window) but when I went to Window/Arrange that choice was unavailable/grayed out.

This is an example of the annoying pain in the a__ stuff that happens to me every time that I try to use CS-6..... I can only ask why?????

Arthur Morris

05-10-2013, 08:26 PM

OK. I closed the image. It asked me if I wanted to crop so I said yes. When I re-opened the image I was able to hit Window/Arrange/Float All in Windows. My big problem is that I want to Float All in Windows all the time. With CS-6, however, that check-mark does not stick. Is there a way to set that as the default?

Furthermore, when I open two images and float them in windows and then minimize them there is no indication within CS-6 that I have any images open, nothing to click on. To have them re-appear I need to go to the bar at the bottom of the Windows screen, put my mouse near the CS-6 symbol, and click on one of the images.

All insane as far as I can figure....

Jon Sostarich

05-11-2013, 12:44 AM

How to Disable Tabbed Windows in Photoshop CS6, CS5, CS4

 Solution 2: Disable image tabs and window docking.To prevent images from opening in tabs in the future, do the following:
Choose Photoshop > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS) or Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows).
2. Deselect Open Documents as Tabs.
3. Deselect Enable Floating Document Window Docking.
4. Click OK.

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 06:27 AM

Back to a basic question: with Creative Cloud, do you have a copy or Photoshop on your computer???????? Do you need to be on-line to use Photoshop?

Paul Keeble

05-11-2013, 07:05 AM

Back to a basic question: with Creative Cloud, do you have a copy or Photoshop on your computer???????? Do you need to be on-line to use Photoshop?

Yes you have the program installed on your computer as normal and no you don't need to be online to use it - it is validated online periodically (presumably at timed monthly-ish intervals) to allow your continued use.
No doubt hackers will come up with some way of getting around this at some point.

I've been using it this way for a few months now as since my last laptop died, the version I had would not work on the replacement (Mac no longer supporting Rosetta) and I can't afford to buy it outright yet. Not had any issues so far when offline.

Don Nelson

05-11-2013, 12:12 PM

Artie
It is resident on your computer. Up to two(2) different computers (same as the box versions prior to this).
Every 30 days it attempts to reverify your subscription.
If it fails, it will continue to try for up to 180 days (total, including the first period of 30 days) before it shuts it down.
You do not have to keep your images in the cloud.
Don

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 12:22 PM

Thanks Don. That would seem to mean that you could get PS for $20, quit paying, and then use it for six months. Is that correct?

arash_hazeghi

05-11-2013, 12:32 PM

Thanks Don. That would seem to mean that you could get PS for $20, quit paying, and then use it for six months. Is that correct?

I think it locks down after 37 days. it may try up to 6 months before shutting down your cloud account. Also you have to read their terms and conditions, they may send your bill to collection. not worth it

I am sure there will be hacked versions from China :w3

Paul Keeble

05-11-2013, 01:05 PM

Hey - my pleasure! 128195

Don Nelson

05-11-2013, 01:18 PM

Artie
I was wrong -- its been updated to up to 99 days offline if unable to verify license.
<STRAIGHT pages FAQ adobe.com the of one off>

"Update as of 5/6/2013: You will need to be online when you install and license your software. If you have an annual membership, you’ll be asked to connect to the web to validate your software licenses every 30 days. However, you’ll be able to use products for 99 days even if you’re offline."

So if you go on a long field trip (Antarctica?) with no Ethernet, you appear to be able to run up to 99 days now before the copy(ies=2) stop operating.

The terms and conditions are clear - if you fail to pay or cancel prior to the end of your one year commit, you are liable for half the amount of the remaining payments until end of term. Likely they would send it into collection or ding your credit rating.

Don

Jon Sostarich

05-11-2013, 02:13 PM

Creative Cloud FAQ

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/faq.html

Photoshop CS6 will still be offered after Creative Cloud is launched

Creative Suite 6 FAQ

http://www.adobe.com/products/cs6/faq.html

The new pricing structure for Photoshop CC (single app only)

$9.99 a month for the first year of subscription for people with Photoshop CS3 license or higher. This rate requires a 1 year membership commitment.

19.99 Second year or if not a previous owner of Photoshop CS3 or higher. This rate requires a 1 year membership commitment.

What happens if I decide to stop my membership?
<dl class="ui-treeList ui-widget ui-widget-content"><dt id="a5_1365660463833" class="LayoutRow ui-treeList-item ui-widget-content">

</dt><dd style="display: block;" class="LayoutRow TreeListPad"> You will continue to have access to free Creative Cloud member benefits, and if you saved your work to your computer you will continue to have access to those files. You will no longer have access to the Creative Cloud desktop applications or most of the services that are components of a Creative Cloud membership.

If you purchased an annual individual membership plan and you cancel after the first 30 days but before meeting the 12-month commitment date, you will be charged 50% of the remaining amount left on your contract.

</dd></dl>

$29.99 a month subscription, Cancel at any time without penalty.

$19.99 Education pricing includes access to the whole Creative Suite.

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 03:03 PM

Thanks all. It sounds confusing and pretty ugly..... I wonder if they will wind up putting themselves out of the Photoshop business?

Don Lacy

05-11-2013, 04:43 PM

Lots of issues with the new CC version of PS one of the main ones for me is there is no buy out option if I decide I no longer wish to pay for the new updates I lose the ability to use the current version of PS that I have been paying monthly for and the ability to open any files created and saved with PS 7 that might or might not have backward compatibility with older versions of PS as outlined here http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2013/20130509_1-AdobeCloud-TheBigDeal.html add to that the term of use agreement that basically puts your use of the software and access to your files solely at Adobes pleasure since they will retain the right to cancel your subscription at their desecration. http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2013/20130508_1a-Adobe-legal-agreement.html. Until these issue are addressed I see no reason to join the new subscription service.

arash_hazeghi

05-11-2013, 04:48 PM

Hey Artie,

I doubt if they lose revenue, they must have done plenty of calculations. IMO it really comes down to how much you use and value Photoshop and how much revenue it brings for you. Many working pros have expressed satisfaction with this model, especially if you use more than one application. The whole creative suite is a pretty expensive package...

if you are occasional user who upgrades once every three years, then the cost has gone up for you... but that doesn't effect a large company's product policy/roadmap.

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 07:12 PM

How to Disable Tabbed Windows in Photoshop CS6, CS5, CS4

 Solution 2: Disable image tabs and window docking.To prevent images from opening in tabs in the future, do the following:
Choose Photoshop > Preferences > Interface (Mac OS) or Edit > Preferences > Interface (Windows).
2. Deselect Open Documents as Tabs.
3. Deselect Enable Floating Document Window Docking.
4. Click OK.


Thanks Jon. Your directions were clear and though they did not seem to make sense they worked. At least for the Float in Windows that I love. Strange part is that I see no docked images in Photoshop itself (if that makes sense). I only see them on my Windows bar at the bottom of the screen, as in the screen capture below.

I am gonna start a CS-6 help needed thread in about 5 minutes :).

arash_hazeghi

05-11-2013, 07:25 PM

hey Artie, call me if you have issues with CS6

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 07:30 PM

Thanks Arash. I am gonna start a thread so that all may learn. It's just a lot of little changes that throw me off..... I will post the link here in a few.

Arthur Morris

05-11-2013, 07:33 PM

Here (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/110370-Frustrated-Need-Help-with-S-6?p=906971#post906971) is the link to the new thread.

Don Nelson

05-12-2013, 06:36 PM

One more update -- Winston Hendrickson, VP of Creative Solutions at Adobe says: (See http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/05/08/Adobe-photoshop-cc)
"You will need an Internet connection to download, install and license the software, of course. You will also be asked to connect to the web periodically in order to validate the license. At launch, annual subscribers will be able to use the products for 99 consecutive days while offline. Eventually, this offline ability will be extended to 180 consecutive days without Internet access."

So there is a discussion to have this be 180 days without internet connection, but the initial offering will be only 99 consecutive days.

And there is both an annual commitment, and a month-to-month cancel anytime plan:
".... Adobe is offering a special introductory price for CS3 and later owners of $9.99 per month for the first 12 months. The regular price for a Photoshop CC-only subscription is $19.99 per month with an annual commitment and $29.99 per month for the ability to cancel at any time. You should also know that Photoshop CC includes all of the additional features and functionality that was limited to Photoshop Extended in CS versions."

And those are USA prices. Europe apparently pays substantially higher but we'll have to let our EU BPN members comment on what they are seeing. The comments on this page indicate the CC cloud is 72% higher in some locations than USA.. OUCH

Doug West

05-20-2013, 11:52 PM

DPReview just did an article about a week on 10 Photo Editing Programs
not named Photoshop...

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/6648389507/10-photo-editing-programs-that-arent-photoshop

Doug