Discontinuation of Creative Cloud Synced files

[garys98042058]

I got an email today announcing 

Files saved to Creative Cloud Files folder on your computer will no longer automatically sync with assets.adobe.com.

This is the only way I can sync work from a personal workstation to my work computer.  Does this mean that we will no longer be able to use the Creative Cloud Files as a mechanism to do that starting February 1, 2024.  How does this "modernize the Creative Cloud storage experience"?

Our company does not allow access to USB ports, I can't just copy from an external drive. The only way we can sync our work is via cloud storage. What alternative would I have when this comes into play. 

Full text of email below:

Dear Creative Cloud User,

We want to let you know about an upcoming change to your personal Creative Cloud account. Adobe is modernizing the Creative Cloud storage experience and will begin discontinuing Creative Cloud Synced files on February 1, 2024.

How this may impact you:
• Files saved to Creative Cloud Files folder on your computer will no longer automatically sync with assets.adobe.com.
• Files that are uploaded directly to assets.adobe.com or the Creative Cloud Mobile App will not be automatically copied to your computer.

Recommended actions:
• If you do not save assets to the Creative Cloud Synced files, no action is needed.
• Ensure your assets are properly backed up locally or to third-party cloud storage.

It is important to emphasize that there will be no change to Creative Cloud Documents functionality. You can still save files as Creative Cloud Documents via applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator; these files will remain in sync across devices.

Regards,
Adobe Creative Cloud Team

[kglad]

@Admirable_Haven5F8C 

i don't know why.

[pH20]

Does this mean that just syncing files will stop, but the option to upload them manually to https://assets.adobe.com/files will remain?

[kglad]

@pH20 

no, i think that will go away too.  here's adobe's exact wording though, https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/kb/eol-creative-cloud-synced-files.html#:~:text=Starting%20Fe....

[3catz]

So, the key is to look for file folders marked "Creative Cloud Files" on all devices.  I find none on my iPad or iPhone, but one on my iMac with only 5 throwawy items (I must have experimented when the service was offered).  On that front I am ok.  As I understand Adobe's incomplete description, their abandonment of "Creative Cloud Files" folder syncing from users machines does not affect the ongoing ability to use items saved in Adobe's CC, or the ability for me to create a document offline and have it go the CC when say my iPad is back on line.  

I believe Adobe could have been alot clearer about this.  

[kglad]

@3catz 

you can control the cc sync folder location in your cc desktop preferences, so you should look at the folder listed in those preferences (file>preferences>sync) which was either you designated or that was chosen for you by default.

all sync'd devices will have the same contents, so checking one computer's sync folder is all that's needed.

[3catz]

@3catz - what should file>preferences>syncing look like if I want to avoid inadvertantly creating a document in Adobe that won't wync across CC?  What I find is that the pencil only leads me to my computers directory which doesn't include CC.  So this page seems to be about downloading from CC.  Thanks for any clarification you can give.

 

[kglad]

there's nothing inadvertently getting stored in your cc sync folder.  you have to explicitly save files to or move files to that folder.

you can use any non-root folder on any internal hard drive with a compatible file system.

[evikne71]

Is this a first step to making LR Classic able to store original files in the cloud (which would have been a dream come true), or are they just getting rid of a problem, because the synchronization never worked satisfactorily?

[kglad]

@evikne71 

i haven't seen anything to imply lrc enhancements.

[ROBERT31560008f446]

I understand this notice to mean that if you are creating documents with Adobe apps, they will still save to the cloud but if you are creating documents separately, e.g. Word docs and saving them to your cloud folder on your device, they are not going to the cloud anymore. No syncing. So you won't have access to them on other devices. Also, I'm not quite sure what happens to everything already synced. Does it disappear a la iCloud unless you specifically download from the cloud to a device?

I feel like this is a terrible decision, all about consolidating traffic in Adobe, gatekeeping and monopoly, but then again, we have an internal server so I will just move all my files there while considering whether to get roped into some other "pay monthly 'til the end of your days" service.

[kglad]

you're understanding is correct. when syncing ends, your local files will remain (on all synced devices), but disappear along with the removed online assets folder.

[salchucks]

So... I pay $55 a month and they are getting rid of Cloud part of Creative Cloud??? It's like one of the main features of the service part of the product. Adobe should be ashamed of this.

[kglad]

@salchucks 

no.  just one part of the cc file storage, the sync folder.

[hekselsior]

I kind of expecting a change on that CC folder sync because it is not pretty intuitive if compared to some other cloud storage services like Dropbox, One Drive or Google Drive (I subscribed to the last two). My guess is that this new CC Storage will compete with those others, and the worst part maybe, comes with an extra price.

[kglad]

@hekselsior 

i think the cc folder sync is the only part of adobe's cc file storage that is intuitive and similar to other cloud storage solutions.

[wjansen]

I agree. All the other syncing from within the apps is a total mystery to me, where the files end up, how to access them again on other machines, etc. The folder syncing is very straightforward at that. Which is why I'll miss it dearly when it goes.

[hekselsior]

CC Folder is pretty basic if compared to One Drive and Google Drive that I subscribed to. The file-sharing option is pretty limited. It also does not have "online-only" files, so whenever I logged into a new PC the CC sync begins downloading all those huge files (with other services, I can just download the necessary files). This is the reason I prefer other cloud storage services.

The only intuitive part is CC Library that well-integrated into the apps.

[kglad]

@hekselsior 

more power to you if you find the cc library intuitive.

[scotts67789321]

I'm just getting into this news as I did not get an email about it. I just found out about it as I was looking into our pricing structure for our Teams licenses. And whether we might want to swtich to Individual (whole other story).

But as far as this, it sounds to me that Adobe recognizes that people are using more than one machine and they are looking at trying to make a file format that will work on a "streaming" platform. For example we know PSD are Photoshop but maybe the new files will be WPSD or web Photoshop. I don't know.

I too, do not like this. I haven't really liked the Creative Cloud. Loved the Creative Suite. The CC has way too many updates for features that I haven't needed/asked for or has broke functions that were already working just fine.

And there are way too many apps that I don't need or use. Yeah it's a great deal in the big picture. But we all are paying for apps and services we are not using.

I use the syncing not to share files between multiple machines, but with customers who will not accept links through other platforms.  Maybe now they will or maybe we will have to pay for another service. Time will tell. Maybe it's time to go

back and use FTP. Not as slick or user friendly, but it's realiable if setup correctly.

Who needs syncing anyways. 😉 JK.

[kglad]

@scotts67789321 

the emails are being rolled out to users on adobe's schedule. i posted here the individual subscriber email a few days ago.

[Brigid27475272qzov]

Does this include CC libraries? 

[kglad]

@Brigid27475272qzov 

no.  only the local adobe sync folder.

[MoonLord]

This is the final straw for me. I'm pretty sure with Sketch/Figma, Blender, Affinity and Visual Studio (or similar) I can pretty much do my job without Adobe. I'm looking forward to saving the subscription fees. I'll spend them on a decent Cloud syncing service. Any recommendations (I'm no fan of Dropbox any more)? 

[kglad]

@MoonLord 

use google to search for one that meets your needs.

[Barry-C]

Okay, so here's what I think is the situation - hopefully others on here will keep me right...

Back when Adobe CC Libraries kicked off alongside Adobe CC Synced Files, the idea was to place your work into these online libraries to access work from anywhere. It definitely works, but I never utilised it as much as I should have as it was easier to work with files on my laptop/desktop which were then synced, meaning they were safe and versioning was included too.

With the launch of Photoshop and Illustrator on the iPad, we saw the creation of Cloud Documents, meaning it was easier to work on files (AIC or PSDC) no matter where I was. It's also became the norm with regular prompts asking me if I want to save to the Cloud or on my computer (offline). This all works fine but for one drawback - these Cloud Document files aren't accessible within InDesign, which is an application I use daily.

The latest InDesign Beta features Cloud Documents, which I hope will mean that my AIC files and PSDC files will become accessible (does this also mean InDesign for the iPad is days away?). I will have to installed InDesign Beta to test this theory,

So, with Cloud Documents now becoming what will likely be the mainstay, our synced files are becoming a legacy service. Does this mean that we'll get a way to easily transfer across our synced files to Cloud Documents? With 28GB of files (six years of work), I really hope Adobe offers a succinct way to do this.

I don't mind Adobe switching from one service to another, but six months for me to figure this out is a bit of a close one and with InDesign still not working with Cloud Documents in its non-beta version, I hope the migration from one to the other is days away and not weeks.

I'm obviously speaking to the above as someone who has continuous access to the internet, so Cloud working is never an issue, but for those with limited or intermittent internet access, I can see it being an extra workaround having to save files to Cloud Documents and then remembering to save a backup version on their HDD/SDD.