Alternatives to the Creative Cloud

[davedunlap1]

With Adobe's decisions to force users to go to subscribe to the creative cloud, I thought it might be a good idea to get a list going of some alternative programs. I'm a designer working mostly in print with some web - anyone know of some good alternatives for these?

Photoshop -> Gimp

Illustrator -> ?

Indesign - Quark

Dreamweaver - ?

Flash - been moving away from that anyway

What programs are you going to look into to replace the creative cloud?

[frankgrimes]

I get your point, but these services are not part of the CC and really shouldn't be factored in here, IMO.

Phillip Jones wrote:

Try:https://www.acrobat.com/welcome/en/home.html

https://www.acrobat.com/sendnow/en/home.html?trackingid=JPZKQ

http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog.html?promoid=KAWQI

This is just a few. I can find more.

[Guest]

America is never going to be fascist enough to dictate what a publicly held business can do, as long as they're within the law. It is Adobe's prerogative to structure things this way. Believe me, I hate the Cloud and I hate Adobe for doing it (now using Pixelmator with great success). But it's like free speech: you may not like what someone has to say, but they have the right to say it.

[frankgrimes]

Exactly. What Adobe is doing is greedy, not illegal.

Perhaps countries in Europe or elsewhere have grounds for a suit, but not likely in the US.

BTW, pellky, what is your PS alternative?

[Guest]

I don't need all of the 3D stuff, so for what I do, Pixelmator (14.99, Mac App Store) works a treat. I love it. Some aspects of it are even BETTER than Photoshop. Just takes a little getting used to.

[frankgrimes]

pellky wrote:

I don't need all of the 3D stuff, so for what I do, Pixelmator (14.99, Mac App Store) works a treat. I love it. Some aspects of it are even BETTER than Photoshop. Just takes a little getting used to.

Ah, okay. Thanks. I'm pretty anti-apple so I need to keep looking.

[Guest]

Anticompetitive practices? There are at least a half-dozen other products out there that do what Photoshop does. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have grounds for a suit. You would be laughed out of court.

I am NOT an Adobe supporter, I hate them. There are LEGITIMATE cheap alternatives out there that work great, go find one. I quit using Photoshop about a month ago and haven't had one single issue come up that made me say, "using an alternative just isn't do-able. I have to go to the Cloud."

[bababongatwo]

sure. As I also think, they changed the product I once bought in trust to that "company". All PlugIns and workflows nearby useless in future. For former owners of (like me) Master Collections there are NO competitors. Also AE / PS: There are NO competitors (fully compareable).
European Community already checking if this BS law conform. In Australia they were forced by law to reduce prices.
Adobe changed piracy to new level: Now the software developers are pirating their users.
I think it has to be stopped.

[pik80]

I wonder if iBooks Author will become more of an ID competior of the next couple of years? Assuming that Apple allows support for other tablets and provides more advanced editing capabilities it might be a good competitor with epub work. You could potentially keep around ID CS6 for other projects other then epub since iBooks Author is limited to eBooks. Does anyone know if there are any good ebook plugins for CS6? Maybe you could keep up with epub advancements though plug-ins rather then relying on updates to ID?

[PaulieDC]

I've read through this thread for the most part and am pretty amazed at the time and energy spent doing everything possible to run unconnected replacement programs just to get around a subscription. The most amazing one is Premiere replacement... really? If you're working on high end video jobs you're going to gripe about a $49 monthly subscription? And Gimp for Photoshop... whoa... PS is a swiss army knife and industry standard for photo and some vector text and objects, and people want to try and run Gimp? I admit, I havent used Gimp, but I took a look at the release notes: "Most notorious bugs fixed are: not being able to remember JPEG saving options, slow canvas redraw, not showing page setup options on Windows.". That was dated 8/24/2012. WOW! REALLY?? Those problems in 2012?? And people rely on that software? Seems scary and risky to me. My point is this: if you earn an income with Adobe tools, then that's your toolbox, what's the problem? Cross platform and latest updates perpetually sounds awesome to me. There's always Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements and Lightroom if you want boxed software. I'll take Audition to Speedgrade at my 24/7 disposal on my Windows desktop and MacBook Pro for a monthly fee any day.

Microsoft will be doing the exact same thing with Office... 2013 is the last paid version. That's what Office 365 is and soon it''l be the only choice. Windows also, you watch. It'll become a subscription software like eveything else, a model that has been in the works for years. Adobe was brave enough (and crazy enough) to step out first, but it's ALL going that way. Class action lawsuits are a waste of time, the companies can price their software however they want.

OK, start shootin'! lol!

[Biggles_Lamb]

The main gripe  is that when you stop subscribing the software stops working

There is also the high cost and it is a high cost for existing CS users compared to the upgrade system especially outside the USA

Now that may not be a problem for Pshop users but for AE and Premiere users it is potentially a big deal as old projects will no longer be accessible

Also the CC system smaks of market manipulation and unfair practices which is illegal in many Countries

Then there is the manner that Adobe has adopted with Encore, it has been dropped, many Premiere and AE users still have to give customers discs and Encores menu functions are way behind other DVD/Bluray authoring software

As for Microsoft Office, for the vast majority of users Office 97 or 2003 oe 2007 will work great for many years to come.

That is the problem the mature products are getting to the end of their development and the bloatware that is so much of the CC is where they are making the effort and just watch software will split so you will need software A software B and software C to undertake a task, then they will have you forever, so enjoy paying $50/month for the remainder of your working life

Oh, do you know what you will be paying next year, the year after, the year after that.

Good luck with your head up your cloud, I sincerley hope it gives you all the satisfaction you wish for

Finally did I mention Adobes track record at issuing bug free software, no well I'm sure others will add to my scriblings

Col

[Greg_Bohn]

> Microsoft  will be doing the exact same thing with Office... 2013 is the last paid  version. That's what

> Office 365 is and soon it''l be the only choice.  Windows also, you watch. It'll become a subscription

> software like  eveything else, a model that has been in the works for years. Adobe was  brave enough

> (and crazy enough) to step out first, but it's ALL going  that way.

  It seems strange to me that you give the appearance of actually enjoying getting taken advantage of... "Give up now" you say.

  At least I'm trying to fight the coming storm...

[Guest]

The cloud for some users is a wonderful place and I do see benifits.. really ...however it's not just a money thing

The cloud is not available in areas with poor internet (many places in the US..you'd be surprised)

With the recent Prism scandal I think we all should be worried.... giving up owned software also gives up many liberties..

The cloud will be hacked and will go down... when it does the fallout will be huge... users suddenely finding their software has reverted to trialware or gone down completely... not a comforting thought.

While all seems fluffy and nice in the US price gouging is happening all around the world.. Brazillians at one point were being charged $95 per month.... no guarantee wont happen to you

now the software is available to everyone your competition ... the people who dont have the business sense to set aside money and budget for software..will now be undercharging you...over saturation could potentially put many users out of business

these are a few of my concerns... note I am not against the cloud... I am against the fact our choice to buy has been taken away... last year we could rent or buy...everyone was happy....

[Guest]

With the recent Prism scandal I think we all should be worried.... giving up owned software also gives up many liberties..

CAN I GET AN AMEN, BROTHER?! This is the biggest reason of all to fight the cloud. People are giving up their liberties right and left.

[mytaxsite]

pellky wrote:

With the recent Prism scandal I think we all should be worried.... giving up owned software also gives up many liberties..

CAN I GET AN AMEN, BROTHER?! This is the biggest reason of all to fight the cloud. People are giving up their liberties right and left.

Fighting the cloud is one thing but fighting all those mobile device users is another.  Cloud is being developed mainly for mobile device users because that is an area that is expanding faster.  There are people in London (I can only speak for Londoners only) who can't live a second without looking at their cell phone screen.  Now how are you going to convince these people that cloud is not good for you?

These mobile device users haven't got a clue that there are other things in life apart from their cell phones.  They are a danger to motorists and cyclists because they re not looking where they are going and so motorists and cyclists have to be extra careful.  They are just knocking everybody on their path because of their zeal for a new message from their friends.

[God_I_hate_Adon_tbe]

To be honest, PaulieDC, the main advantage of receiving a pack of discs on your desk is that you know there are going to be support packages in place for the foreseeable future (say 3 to 4 years), and even when there isn't that safety net, the product should be working reasonably well by that point.

So, for my £600 ($915) I have a piece of software that belongs to me until the next major paradigm shift in the Windows operating system.

Our previous version of Photoshop was 7, and we paid about the same price for that in 2002.  So the maths is rather simple, £50/year, £4.17 month or $76.25 per year or $6.35. $40 a month or $6 a month?  Which would I rather pay for the 'tools in my toolbox'?  As long as the tools work and do what they're supposed to do, I think this is a moot point.

The cloud seems to be a cure all for the likes of the Facebook zombies.  Has anyone stopped to consider the small print?  Has anyone checked to see whether Adobe has any rights to the work that they produce?  There's usually some kind of clause in the contract somewhere...

To be honest, eggs and baskets come to mind.

[cc_merchant]

mandelbrot,

Did you see post #2 here: http://forums.adobe.com/message/5458669?tstart=0#5458669

[God_I_hate_Adon_tbe]

@cc_merchant:

Nice post!  I think that about covers it.

I've spoken with my managers and said that (after our install fiasco with CS6 - PS, DW and Acrobat 10 [yes - we're web developers]) we should ditch Adobe and move to something like Corel at a third of the price, or even just a mix of Xara and TopStyle

Just related more to your linked post, here, have you read 'A phone call to the Fed'?  It's an old post but an interesting read.  This is just one of the versions I picked of the internet, you may want to look for others just in case there's been some kind of embellishment..

[billhdz]

We are looking into Xara Designer Pro and I am very impressed with it.  I understand there is a new version to be released soon with more features.  No monthly subscription required.

If Adobe continues to force the cloud on users that don't want it, we will be making a move to other software.  I already know a lot of our clients are doing the same thing.

Our business will never be dependant on one software vendor, but more on talent, experience, and hard work.  We will be able to continue offering top notch creative services to our customers with or without Adobe products.  There are plenty of good alternatives available.

[mytaxsite]

Xara is the worst product to use.  I had used it once few years ago and decided that it is never to be installed on my machine ever again.

CS6 (desktop) is still available and people should buy it now because next year Adobe might decide that it is time to release another desktop product to rival its cloud offerings.  I won't be surprised if CS7 comes out next year.

People are too hasty to buy alternatives when existing products are sufficient for the task we are currently handling.  There is no need to rush.  Just because there is something called Creative Cloud doesn't mean it is the end of the world.  what did people do last December when CC wasn't in existence.  Are you guys saying everything has stopped working because of the cloud?

[billhdz]

Xara may have not been that good many years ago, but have you tried it lately?  You must have been using Xara Xtreme - and old version.

So far, I have nothing but good things to say about Xara Designer Pro.  We have been using the 30 day full demo and the results have been fantastic.  It even works well on our Mac computers using Parallels Desktop and Windows.   I can't wait to see what the new version coming out soon will bring to the table. But this is our opinion using the most current version of Xara Designer Pro.

As far as CS6, for us, this is not an alternative.  If Adobe wants to force the cloud, we don't want to be affiliated or dependant on them anymore.  Also, CS6 is a temporary solution to this problem and will not work in the long run.  We want to confront the problem head on and take care of it once and for all.  Another problem with CS6 is that its not a priority for Adobe.  It will never get updated with new features, etc.  We will not use software under these terms.

I don't see CS7 coming out ever.  We will not continue with CS6 with the hope that CS7 will eventually get released. That is pure speculation. Not for us.

[D Sam Hartman]

Paulie. The fact that it's hard to replace the industry standard shouldn't be too shocking at this point. However, a vast crowd of people are pretty pissed at adobe, thus opening a huge market for the competition. I can garauntee you, that those other companies are maneuvering themselves, financially and in development to reap new profit.

The 'cloud' is joke. And people that unquestionably accept it and commit their money and professional futures in it, are the punchline.

[quenton8]

How do you figure there are "VAST" numbers that are severely "pissed off" at Adobe?  I see maybe 100 posters here who are very unhappy.

Adobe currently has some 1,000,000 subscribers to CC, which makes this a somewhat "small" group -- even if there are 10x that, its still "small".

I suspect there are many more who would prefer a different set of prices, and the ability to continue using for a few years after stopping say a 4 or 5 year subscription, but I don't see 1,000,000 agry customers running elsewhere.

I also wonder sometimes what people mean by "the cloud" when talking about CC -- if it were called "CSAU", "Creative Suite with Auto Updates" would you like it better?  It really has zero to do with the "cloud" as is used in IT circles when talking about cloud-provided-computing, its just very slightly different way of getting updates, and a different way of paying for them.

I have spoken to numerous users who are thrilled with the pricing as they currently use 3 or 4 applications and this is now cheaper for them.

[bababongatwo]

They have actual not 1 k of subcribers - its a little bit more than 700.00.

Not too good in my eyes for such a "overwhelming" solution.
They have 12,5 k users in total, who didn´t subscribe.

So even if it would really be 1 Mio (where you have seen this number?) that are less than 7% of users in total.

BtW: Right, may be,there are only 100 posters here in this blog - BUT: you can multiply with nearly every website regarding to the CashCow. The rumors in the whole web are 90% to 10% against the cloud-slavery-lovers.

Name only ONE threat (NOT under the domain adobe.com) where this BS is seen as something "good".

Naming something "cloud" when there isn´t sense behind - also stupid, or?
Nothing is getting cheaper. Also you use 3 or 4 Apps - its only a matter of time, till the point it get´s more expensive.

In the worst case (A Master Collection user, who took every upgrade in the past) it takes 10,5 years till it gets more expensive in the cloud but it does. All smaller Suites or single Apps get more expensive than "bought" licenses after a couple of years. Telling something different is simply not the truth.

----------

CC = Cash Cow = Terminating the word "Archive" in digital future = Lifelong dependency = NoGo = Never

[quenton8]

Where do you get a number like 700?  Adobe's CEO on Jun 19 stated ...

"Adobe now has 700,000 Creative Cloud subscribers; its goals are to have 1.25 million by the end of 2013 and 4 million by the end of 2015".

Since that was a week ago, I added a bit to it.

You will also find lots of surveys on the web that are positive, and for photographers, who seem to be the major complainers because they only use 1 application, adobe has promised a number of times that some changes are coming to the plans.

If I don't like the changes I will complain about those, but overall I think CC is good for the majority of non-photographer users, and is not bad for photographers if they they fix the problem of having nothing to show for it if you end your subscription -- and they have specifically stated that they will address that concern.

[bababongatwo]

I was not talking about "positive articles" on the web.

(I am in the advertising and marketing industry and I know very well how these "articles" are made...!)
I was asking about only ONE blog/threat where there are more PRO as NEG voices of REAL users. Again: Show me only ONE!

And: It took a year to press 700.000 into their cloud. Thats 13.500 a week. So a week later means: 713.500 and not 1 Mio. This difference is very important for the succes of Adobe. As if they don´t reach their self set goal of 1,25 K in November, that will become a problem for them.

And: They will not change anything to the troubles you have after subscription. It´s their base to force users to stay in the cloud, when they will have to raise prices. And they have to (...for the moment Adobe has a lose of income by nearby 2/3 in total... That doesn´t work for a long time, and in the near future there will be no additional income from CS6 buyers... Make the math)