Skip to main content
K
kwahaus
Participant
July 29, 2019
Answered

Retiring soon

  • July 29, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 3914 views

I have used Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign since their launch. I am currently a CC subscriber, paying $52 per month. I will be retiring soon and no longer able to afford making those payments. A few questions:

1. Are there senior discounts similar to what is offered to students and teachers?

2. Can I make a one-time purchase so I can continue to use the software? I understand that this would freeze the software at its current version and would not be eligible for updates.

3. Will I be able to access my existing files once my subscription runs out?

4. For instance, would I be able to access a illustration I've created and make any changes?

5. Can current work be saved to an older (non-subscription based) version? I have a copy of CS5.

Your subscription model is fine as long as I have an income to support it. Retirement will change that. Furthermore, not being able to access any past work is prohibitive and was not an issue with older, paid software.

Thank you.

    Correct answer Nancy OShea

    Congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

    I'm afraid the answer to both questions is no.  There are no reduced rates for seniors.  And there has never been an option to buy Creative Cloud except by subscription.  I guess there is an assumption that retired design professionals don't have the same need for software as they did when working.

    The Photography Plan (PS, LR Classic, LR CC)  for $10/month is one option.

    Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan | Professional photo editing software

    A single purchase of Photoshop Elements is another option.  No subscription required.

    Easy Photo Editing Software | Adobe Photoshop Elements 2019

    4 replies

    D
    Debora5CAF
    Participant
    January 1, 2021

    Thank you for your post. I could have written that myself as I am experiencing the exact situation, right down to owning CS5. As a user since the inception of Adobe products, I feel I have paid and paid and paid for the products. If you offer discounts for students just starting out, why not offer discounts for long-time users/subscribers/purchasers to reward their loyalty and acknowledge fixed incomes in retirement years? With all the social justice going on combined with the enormous income of the CEOs at Adobe one would think this would be a no-brainer.

      T
      Test Screen Name
      Legend
      January 1, 2021

      How many CEOs does Adobe have and where are their "enormous" incomes reported?

      Why would Adobe offer discounts to people who are already hooked? That sounds like a hard one to justify to the real owners of Adobe (shareholders, of course, including pension funds...).

      D
      Debora5CAF
      Participant
      January 1, 2021

      Didn't say I was hooked. Already found some open source alternatives. Greed can go so far before you price most completely out of the market. If you paid attention to my original point, I have given Adobe many dollars over the years. A little brand loyalty rewards to long term customers would be nice, especially when they give discounts to students to "hook" them, as you say, why not allow them a bit of a discount at "the end of the line" to continue your analogy.

        Abambo
        Community Expert
        AbamboCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        July 29, 2019

        1. No

        2. No

        3. Yes, your files are your own. You need only to check the cloud files. You will not be able to access 100Mb of cloud space 90 days after expiration.

        4. Yes. There is even a subscription month by month.

        5. For some programs: Yes.

        You should prepare now for retirement. However, I do not see any sense in using old files if you do not make a living of them. I can‘t access my files after retirement neither, because they belong to the company I work for. If they need me to access them, they will pay for my access.

        I know, it‘s kind of a new chapter in life. Except if you have work to do in private, you should cut it off. If you have work in private you should consider it as an hobby as others pay for expensive other acquisitions.

        When my father retired from his works he had no more access to his machines and he just continued his life with his garden, house and the mobile home my parents acquired in preparation of the retirement. He never went back to work and I do not think he missed it.

        If you have CS5 you have the opportunity to continue using it for as long as your computers support it. I also have CS5 at work but as it is my company‘s asset, even that they will not miss it, I will not take it with me when I retire. That will be a different chapter in my life.

        ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
          K
          kwahausAuthor
          Participant
          July 30, 2019

          Thank you for your response.

          My "retirement" will be a bit different than what you've describe. For starters, I am the company. As the sole owner, I have paid for all the equipment and all of the software. At one point, I had 16 employees, but now it's just me. I have client relationships that go back 20-30 years. When I "retire" I will maintain some of those relationships and there will be opportunities (although limited) to do additional work. Furthermore, I am confident I will get requests to retrieve and edit old files for new uses — think changing out a photo or updating someone's title. I would like to offer that service for as long as it is requested, without the ongoing burden of Adobe's perpetual fees.

          Software and hardware are simply tools. I own the work created with those tools. It's called intellectual property. Adobe has no more claim on my work than Nikon would have on my photos, or DeWalt on a table I built using their saw. I bought the software initially under a perpetual license agreement (many times in fact, as I employee'd four full-time designers), but Adobe changed the rules in the middle of the game. Their only option was pay up or leave. Leaving was not an option, since in doing so, I would be abandoning years of previous work. No other real choice other than to pay their ransom.

          And yes, I own several (registered) copies of CS5 and understand that I may continue to use that on a compatible machine. My current machine will not, and the 2011 iMac I have on a shelf is hardly comparable. But, what about all of the files created post CS5? Those will not be accessible with the old software.

          My request stands. Allow me a one-time purchase of the software when I retire (same as CS5 but in 2019 dollars) or offer a senior discount similar to that offered to students and teachers. Without either of these options, I honestly feel that Adobe has kidnapped my kids and will be extorting a ransom for the privilege of visiting them now and again.

          And after 28 years, and @ $50,000 of my money, you'd think they'd be a bit more accommodating.

          Now stay off my lawn! ; )

            Kevin Stohlmeyer
            Community Expert
            Kevin StohlmeyerCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            July 30, 2019

            As I mentioned I my earlier post - you can save most of your work with the exception of InDesign back to a version readable/editable with CS5.

            Not to to get into semantics but software Has always been a limited usage commodity. Yes you bought software and can keep it indefinitely but the reality is there comes a point where it will fail with no support left either from hardware age or software.

            There are less expensive options out there but it sounds like you aren’t fully “retiring” yet. You could go the month to month route and only pay when you need it.

              Kevin Stohlmeyer
              Community Expert
              Kevin StohlmeyerCommunity Expert
              Community Expert
              July 29, 2019

              As for your other questions - your files will remain in tact, but accessing them is another story.

              If you have files stored on Creative Cloud, you will need to remove them - you will be downgraded to the free 2 GB size.

              Saving back to CS5 would work with Photoshop (maximize compatibility) and Illustrator (Save as to older version), but InDesign wont go back smoothly.

              You'd have to save back to CC2014 (which is no longer available) then convert back to IDML from there. CC 2015+ IDML wont open in CS6 and back.

              As for opening in other software:

              InDesign files are proprietary and there is no other alternative to open native INDD files than InDesign.

              Photoshop files can be read by some other freeware software including GIMP or Paintnet.

              You could also convert them to layered tiff files which can be a pain but will be available to more applications.

              Illustrator can open in Acrobat reader or GIMP again.

                Nancy OShea
                Community Expert
                Nancy OSheaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
                Community Expert
                July 29, 2019

                Congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

                I'm afraid the answer to both questions is no.  There are no reduced rates for seniors.  And there has never been an option to buy Creative Cloud except by subscription.  I guess there is an assumption that retired design professionals don't have the same need for software as they did when working.

                The Photography Plan (PS, LR Classic, LR CC)  for $10/month is one option.

                Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan | Professional photo editing software

                A single purchase of Photoshop Elements is another option.  No subscription required.

                Easy Photo Editing Software | Adobe Photoshop Elements 2019

                Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
                  K
                  kwahausAuthor
                  Participant
                  July 29, 2019

                  Can InDesign be subscribed to individually as is offered with Photoshop?

                  Nancy OShea
                  Community Expert
                  Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
                  Community Expert
                  July 29, 2019

                  Yes, you can subscribe separately to Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator.  But the a la cart price for 3 products is more than you would pay for the All Apps bundle of 29 products & services..

                  Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud

                  Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
                  Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
                  Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices