What exactly happens to the apps if I cancel creative cloud?

[dgolubov]

I've had creative cloud for 2 years as a student.  From September I'm no longer able to afford this.  I'm wondering what will happen to all the apps installed on my desktop once that expires? (Lightroom, photoshop, premiere Pro, etc).

I was under the impression I'd get to keep them but no longer get software updates or support once I stop subscribing.  Is this the case, or will I just be unable to use any of the apps?  If so this seems incredibly unfair, if I had bought the CDs (like it used to be) I'd get to keep the older versions but no longer have support.

Please clarify.

[mauriziob74465440]

But then we are not BUYINg, but renting?.

What happens if i stop paying rent but i want to keep the program. I don't needed for work, I don't need the upgrades nor  the internet acces, etc.  I only use illustrator for fun, as a hobbie. Can i continue using the illustrator without paying the monthly memebership payments?

[Abambo]

You can keep the programs eternally. They will stop working the day your subscription ends.

You will however not loose access to your files, as long as they are not stored on the cloud. If you later decide on a new subscription, you can start again.

You could even take a subscription for a month and then cancel... and again for a month if you again have a need for it.

[mauriziob74465440]

So when they say "BUY" it should actually say "Rent"

I mostly use it for fun, as a hobbie.. if I stop paying the monthly memebership I wont be able to get in and do anything anymore.

[Nancy OShea]

Nobody owns Adobe software except Adobe.

Adobe Services and Software are licensed, not sold to you. 

If you don't believe me, read the terms of service.

Legal Terms of Use | Adobe

[mauriziob74465440]

I don't doubt you. But I do own the adobe ELEMENTS, i bought in 2015, bought, and i being using it since without paying monthly payments. I do own it, I paid $100 back then

Now, I see that they way monthly isntallments for illustrator, and they ask me to BUY IT, but we are not buying now, we are renting the programs. It's not like when we buy an app.

Thanks for the discussion, I guess I will have to wait till they come up with an ELEMENTS version of illustrator

[Nancy OShea]

mauriziob74465440  wrote

But I do own the adobe ELEMENTS, i bought in 2015, bought, and i being using it since without paying monthly payments. I do own it, I paid $100 back then

Trust me, you don't own Elements either.  You paid for a license to use it.  Nothing more.

I guess I will have to wait till they come up with an ELEMENTS version of illustrator

Thet's very unlikely to happen.   In the meantime, try Inkscape.   It's similar to Illustrator.

[jane-e]

mauriziob74465440  wrote

Now, I see that they way monthly isntallments for illustrator, and they ask me to BUY IT, but we are not buying now, we are renting the programs. It's not like when we buy an app.

What you are "buying" is a Creative Cloud Membership Plan. I realize it's semantics, but do you buy or rent membership at the gym—most would say "buy"—but when you stop paying, your membership ends.

Adobe is not the only company who does this. I also subscribe to Microsoft Office 365, Quicken, and Malwarebytes on annual plans.

The plans are described here.

Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans | Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe made the subscription model optional with CS6. Since then there have been six versions of CC, with the seventh expected this fall. So this is not new, even though it's new to you. Once you get over the shock and if you really love Illustrator, you might reconsider. It's still an amazing, awesome program!

[Abambo]

English isn‘t your first language is it?

Well, what you buy is (perpetual or subscription) the license to use a program according to the license terms.

If you by a CC plan, you buy a subscription to a CC plan license granting you several rights in exchange to your payement. You get with your plan also cloud space.

Btw and staying with semantics: American people are saying „making money“ but they do not physically make money but they earn money. And nowadays even they do not get paid in physical money but with a check or simply with a credit deposit: as I always remind: just bits and bytes in the banks computer storage system.

[Abambo]

You buy a subscription. Like your phone. If you stop the subscription you cannot make phone calls anymore.

mauriziob74465440  wrote

I mostly use it for fun, as a hobbie.. if I stop paying the monthly memebership I wont be able to get in and do anything anymore.

For Photoshop and Premiere, there is the consumer oriented Elements series. Those are still available on perpetual basis.

For Photographers there is the Photography plan (Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop). For other software, you would need to buy (the subsbscription to) the single App plan.

You could, however, also look for the open source alternatives. They are for free.

[Nancy OShea]

mauriziob74465440  wrote

What happens if i stop paying rent but i want to keep the program.   Can i continue using the illustrator without paying the monthly memebership payments?

No.

If you stop paying for electricity, your power will shut off.

If you stop paying for cable TV, your channels will shut off.

If you stop paying for Creative Cloud, your Illustrator CC will shut off.

Try Inkscape.

[mauriziob74465440]

So Adobe is RENTING the programs now, why do they say "BUY IT" then?, if we are actually not the owners of the program.

[dgolubov]

So I asked if I could keep just three elements, as I only use Lightroom, Photoshop and Premiere Pro, or even if I could just buy the license with a one off payment (this creative cloud model has only existed since 2013, so it's not how it's always been).

I was told I could get a monthly subscription to premiere pro only for £239.99, and then the photography plan for £100 a year.  Erm, what?  That is more expensive than getting a full Creative Cloud subscription!

See what I mean, greedy.  Not really interested in customer satisfaction at all.

[dgolubov]

So this is the conflicting information I get when I search the internet...

"# 4 “If I decide to leave Creative Cloud I won’t be able to access the files I’ve created.”

When you create files with the various Creative Apps from Adobe, the files are yours. Adobe doesn’t take any ownership or copyright of those files. If you decide to no longer be a Creative Cloud member then you won’t have access to your Creative Cloud applications anymore, but if you’ve got previous CS App versions, you’ll be able to open your files provided that you’ve saved them down to compatible formats with your older applications or other 3rd party Applications. If you ever decided to re-join Creative Cloud you’ll have access to the latest Creative Apps again and you’ll be able to continue working on YOUR files."

Is this saying that I can still use the older versions of the apps I already have on my desktop if I unsubscribe?  This is what I was expecting would happen?

[Per Berntsen]

Yes, you can still use older (standalone/perpetual license) programs that you have.

But there can be compatibility problems, at least with Lightroom.

A Lightroom CC catalog cannot be opened by Lightroom 5 or older. A workaround for this would be to write metadata to the files in LR CC before your subscription ends. You can then import the files to your old version, and the edits will carry over, except for features that your older version doesn't have (Dehaze, for instance).

To write metadata to files, select all the files in Library, and go to Metadata > Save metadata to files. (or press Ctrl+S)

You could also consider upgrading your older version of Lightroom to version 6, which uses the same catalog format as LR CC.

But edits done with features that are specific to CC (and don't exist in LR 6) will not be visible.

Adobe Checkout

[mckenziet95715770]

how do I access these older versions I can't open the apps at all without creative cloud forcing me into a new subscription I just want to open my old files and it won't allow me to at all! the old adobe was so much better they're fing billionaires and still greedy like I'm sorry I don't have 600 to drop yearly for a product that barely changes and I only use one In awhile mainly to open already done files

[John T Smith]

Read Cloud takes over https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2089127 for some ideas (see reply #1)

[ProDesignTools]

dgolubov wrote:

Is this saying that I can still use the older versions of the apps I already have on my desktop if I unsubscribe?  This is what I was expecting would happen?

Here is a resource that should help answer most of your questions:

Adobe CC-CS6 File Compatibility Guide

[vanessahahn]

I understand your frustration with price. I have a problem with your original statement. The old model of Adobe is what priced me out of being competitive. I love the subscription model, and I will tell you why. The original Creative Cloud was over $1000 USD. I had the original, standalone version of Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium back in 2008-2010. Upgrading was $799 if you had a license (and I think $499 if you were a student or had reduced pricing). That was $799 EVERY 18 months if you wanted the latest version.  Standalone products had upgrade fees of almost $300 dollars at times (so getting the suite was the cost-effective way to do it if you wanted the latest version). So if you were collaborating with someone that had a later version that you, you had to impose upon them to save it in a format you could open. It was a pain in the butt not to upgrade and expensive.

The advice from the people above say to find a pre-Creative Cloud software package and install the software you want and start working from there. The "apps" you installed while on the cloud -- even the older ones -- require the subscription package. Period.

Plus, the only reason why you have the different versions installed is because you didn't uncheck a box that asked if you wanted to uninstall the older versions while installing the latest version. That's not an Adobe scheme. It's just a setting.  I pasted a graphic of all the versions you could install if you needed to work in an older format.  My advice is find an active license for CS 5 out there, buy it, and then just working from that if you don't want the subscription model. I personally love it because it is SOOO much cheaper than upgrading in the old days. Since I have made my graphic and print design work a business, I deduct the monthly subscription from my taxes.

[jamesa29219022]

Cool chart, I've been a 'subscriber' for several years, and periodically I've gotten into trouble when a newer version has been downloaded and had enough differences that it didn't work with a current project I was editing.  I'm an 'old soul', aka a creature of habit, and get used to working with a particular version so sometimes I'm reluctant to upgrade. 

[julieo488]

Hi all.

I have been trying to find info around similar issues for the last couple of hours...I just subscribed to a student package (£16 pm)which apparently includes all 20 apps including premier and illustrator..as far as I can tell it doesnt..they are all trial or buy...what is going on here? Im ready to cancel.

[ProDesignTools]

Hi Julie,

Please make sure you are definitely logged in on your computer with the same Adobe account that you used to purchase the software online:

Learn how to activate and deactivate Creative Cloud apps

Also double-check that payment was accepted and that your order is confirmed with the plan you intended:

https://accounts.adobe.com/plans

Hope that helps.

[blue_tiger]

I can see why Adobe and Microsoft have moved completely to subscription-based sales of their software. Higher income, easier upgrades, no more CDs or packaging... Like so many other businesses, they cater to a shared economy; monthly fees and cloud-space replace tangible ownership. Just like my laptop doesn't even have a CD/DVD drive anywhere, it was built to stream and to download, not play tangible media.

BUT - it is starting to feel like I'm hooked on an expensive drug that continues to get more pricey. You cant stop paying or you will lose the ability to use the software you've relied on for graphic design for years! If I lost my Creative Cloud software I would go through withdrawals!

It reminds me of Pandora. I used to love listening to the smart customized for me stations, but after awhile, the songs got repetitive and I yearned for something more meaningful in my music experience. I ended my paid subscription to Pandora about a year ago. And now if I listen, I get ads every two or three songs! It is so annoying that I went down to my basement and dug out some old CDs to listen to. And there is was! These were songs that I already paid for and loved and had not heard in years. I have hundreds of CDs that were almost forgotten, but suddenly they were better than anything that was approved and posted by the people at Pandora. Those CDs are bought and paid for, they are mine, and that is something the shared economy fails to deliver.

Adobe has been around for a long time, and has been nimble enough to shift with a fast-changing digital market. I'd like to see them shift again into something else now, perhaps evolve more of a human approach to creative tools marketing that isn't just a temporary subscription. Try to sell smaller groups of software as sets at a lower monthly price? Or give your loyal users who have subscribed for two years or more the ability to keep the version they paid for when they cancel their subscription. Creativity is more than just black and white, and I expect more of Adobe than this.

[noraeliice]

I agree with Blue Tiger.   A professional who uses the product daily for work likes the monthly subscription better and can deduct it from their business taxes.   I am not a professional.  I used to pay for the suite and wait 2-3 versions before upgrading.  I have now been paying the monthly fee for 5 years.  I can no longer afford it.  So after paying thousands of dollars, I will no longer have access to the software.  Adobe should think about their loyal customers and offer alternatives for non-professionals who do not need the latest software.

[jane-e]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/blue+tiger  wrote

It is so annoying that I went down to my basement and dug out some old CDs to listen to. And there is was! These were songs that I already paid for and loved and had not heard in years. I have hundreds of CDs that were almost forgotten, but suddenly they were better than anything that was approved and posted by the people at Pandora. Those CDs are bought and paid for, they are mine, and that is something the shared economy fails to deliver.

Hi blue tiger​

That analogy works great as long as you have a device on which to play your CDs. (I have media in several obsolete formats that I do not have devices for.) If your CD player dies in a few years, it may be difficult to get a new one.

You can still run your older software on older computers with older operating systems. So that is still a choice. But the older computers fail and the older operating systems don't get security updates.

The problem is that you can't run old software on new computers with new operating systems. It would be like trying to play a wax cylinder record on a turntable or play a CD using your iPhone. You start having technical issues and it's time to upgrade to whatever is current.

These days more and more software companies are using the subscription model. It's not just Adobe.

[blue_tiger]

I know other companies are using the subscription model. I said that in my first post. And from a purely business perspective, it makes sense because it makes more money. Just like hiring people from developing countries is cheaper labor, and setting up facilities outside of the US means environmental regulations are lax, that makes the shareholders more money too. But is it ethical?

I am more than aware of how technology works, including older tech. Interestingly, my CD players tend to last longer then my new laptops. Lets face it, we have created a world of disposable, cheaply-made things that are made to break so that we buy new things.

The Creative Cloud and the MS software subscriptions are great as long as you have the cash to keep on paying for them each month.

But you are paying a lot more over time than if you just bought the software outright, like in the olden days before 2010 (ha ha). If you were taking that same money and investing it into a good interest-earning retirement or stock, you would make a lot of money. Instead, with subscriptions, you lose everything you paid for as soon as you stop making monthly payments. It doesn't matter to these greedy shareholders with their big yachts and fancy mansions that you may not be able to afford your software next month. They only look at their bottom line and don't care about who they have to step on to get their way. Unless it affects their bottom line - of course.

That is how consumers keep a fair and balanced marketplace... and decent competition. Out of this will be born the next wave of design software competition. People will get sick of this and leave Adobe for a company that is more affordable and ethical and shows that it cares about its customers, old and new.