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Answered

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

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
August 14, 2017
11 replies
85174 views

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.

Correct answer John T Smith

A software subscription (from any company) is like a car lease... stop paying and you stop using

So, if you cancel your subscription, the programs will stop working

Photoshop/Premiere Elements are purchased with a serial number

blue_tiger

Participant

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

Participant

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.

J

julieo488

Participant

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

Community Expert

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.

V

vanessahahn

Participant

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

Participating Frequently

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.

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

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

Community Expert

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

Participant

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

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

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.

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

that's NOT how it used to operate, none of these are the laws of physics and are not immutable, they have changed over the years. In the past you bought the license, got your box set and kept it for as long as the technology allowed you to.

Nancy OShea

Community Expert

dgolubov wrote

In the past you bought the license, got your box set and kept it for as long as the technology allowed you to.

The cold hard truth s that Adobe has had great success with the subscription model. It was adopted to a) thwart piracy and b) facilitate rolling out much needed improvements as soon as possible. A win, win for everyone.

Under the old perpetual license model, we often waited 18 mos for a new release cycle. Now that MS & Apple are rolling out updates every few months, not to mention the device manufacturers who release new cameras and mobile devices at breakneck speed, the old perpetual model cannot keep pace with these rapid changes. Users need software that's compatible with their current devices.

It's unlikely that Adobe will ever revert back to perpetual licenses because it's not in their best interest. It's no longer a viable business model.

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

Indeed, this suits a set of users and Adobe, but for certain people, like me, who really can't afford to continually pay a subscription fee it's an issue. I'm not a full-time professional, I use it for 'leisure' and make no commercial gain from any of my 'work'.

As I mentioned before, I've already paid a good sum of money and would be happy using unsupported, older versions for 2-3 years. However, I'm now denied that option.

Comparing it to subscription services like Sky to make it acceptable doesn't quite make sense, because I'm using the same software (i.e. I'm basically watching the same movie over and over again but having to pay every time I watch, if we carry the analogy further).

Shame, as I do like the software and have been using it for years.

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

I've already paid more than £400 for Adobe and that's a large sum of money, I should get to keep what I paid for, and relinquish support and upgrades, ACTUALLY!!!!

This just makes Adobe look greedy, and rather unfairly expensive in the long run.

Nexahs1138

Inspiring

That's not how Adobe operates, not any business TBH, if you cancel your sky subscription you get to keep the box but you don't get to keep the stations.

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

And can you just go away, your comments have not been helpful at all, rather arrogant actually. Bye.

D

dgolubovAuthor

Participating Frequently

So, my question still remains, what exactly happens to all the installed software (Apps, as Adobe calls it) I currently have on my computer once subscription is cancelled? Does it get deleted or something else (disabled?). This is what's on my Program Files/Adobe folder...