Is it possible to buy a "non cloud" version of Photoshop ?

[etiennetordoir]

I've been a custumer of Photoshop since PS4 back in the nineties... I'm not interested in working in the cloud, nor online...

Is there any "normal" option to upgrade my CS6 version normally ?

I feel like being left over by Adobe...

No cool 😞

[Brad Lawryk]

Good luck with that. It is not illegal to sell by subscription. It is the way everything is going. Even Microsoft Office .....

[jane-e]

aleksandrv60553285 wrote:

So the only option is sue the Adobe for extortion.

I thought I must have forgotten the definition for "extortion", but it turns out I did not.

[chwparker]

No, the real option is to continue contributing to the development of free, open-source alternatives.  The Gimp is probably the most obvious example, though others like Blender come to mind as well.  The great thing is that the open-source industry is actually innovating at a surprising rate.  The more companies like Adobe continue to throw us under the bus, the more outdated and irrelevant they will become.

[AVE8R]

@chwparker

I’ve watched the development of open source Gimp, Open Office, etc. since the 1990’s.  A quarter of a century later, none of these open source programs compete with the commercial versions.

Your statement arguably emanates from a culture and generation who believes that all software should be free, and it is that same generation that pays little attention to, and indeed makes every attempt to circumnavigate software licensing.

Intellectual property is not free, and the reason Microsoft Office and Adobe’s suite of products work is because people are being paid to achieve high standards.  The open source community, albeit very gifted and intelligent, have not demonstrated the organizational discipline to deliver a product, and timely updates in over 25 years.

There is no operational difference in Adobe’s cloud version products versus buying the versions on a DVD.  The cloud versions install locally the same as before.  The cloud simply verifies the licensing.

There are a number of reasons that Adobe went with its cloud versions of its products.  It clearly reduces the distribution cost, which is clearly reflected in the pricing.  Today’s cost for Adobe’s suite is significantly less than previous versions.

Adobe has always been the target of software piracy, and it has always done its best to reduce piracy.  Reducing piracy reduces losses, which keeps pricing as low as possible.

Your angry diatribe arguably suggests to some that you clearly prefer Adobe products, however there is a frustration with Adobe’s licensing verification. In this regard, yes, I would agree, Adobe is throwing you under the bus.

Use open source - it’s free, and you get what you pay for.

[chwparker]

You delved a bit too deep into the socioeconomic aspect of my comment.  I have no problem with the existence of intellectual property and support free-market capitalism.  So, moving beyond that, I'm clearly not the only one impacted negatively by such industry shifts. The long-term cost is certainly not lower for everyone.  Although I haven't been watching the GNU industry as long as you have, there have been great innovations in the 9 years that I have been involved.  However, I never said that they match the capabilities of their commercial counterparts.   The point I was making is that creative professionals can certainly make efficient use of the open-source selections and, moving forward, absolutely help enhance them by contributing their own creativity and innovation. If this happened, open-source software would be much more feasible for freelancers and many small firms.

[AVE8R]

To match today's pricing for the entire adobe suite, you would need to still be using CS 2, for which you paid full retail.  If a person wants to use ten-year-old software versions, then I suppose there could be a case for that being less expensive.  However, if a person wants to be using the latest and greatest, then the monthly or annual subscription for a continuously up-to-date version is quite the bargain.

[rcast01]

At first I didn't, but now I agree that it comes out in the end to be about the same. Especially when you include the student discounts this new payment model favors the economic class that needs the most favoring and for everyone else, you can probably afford it saving money in the short term.

[karla48130471]

Adobe should rethink about how their consumers want to pay for their products, because I will not be signing up to a constant debt.  I shall look for other products I can buy instead.  I wonder how many other customers will be changing to other software because of this.  One thing is for sure, they are not catering for everybody and that is not good for business! bye adobe, was nice using your software but time to move on!

[Derek Cross]

Personally, I'm delighted with the Creative Cloud subscription model. For £45.73 a month (UK) I get access to all these amazing products, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Muse, Edge, Premiere and lots more, plus regular  updates and Typekit fonts that can be used licence free on print publications, websites and eBooks.

For Photoshop users who don't want to subscribe there's the excellent Photoshop Elements 14 for around only £60.

[Cleo_Tango]

It's like going to a car dealership to buy a new car, and they tell you that they don't sell them anymore! They will only lease them to you for more money each month, but don't worry, because once you stop paying them, you'll have nothing!

No! You can't even buy your own house, but don't worry, they have a nice hotel you can stay in, .. with a nice pool , a sauna, a Jacuzzi, a weight room, a wet bar and a 24 hour cafeteria, for extra money of course! They call it "The Cloud".

I'm sorry! What did you say? you're 75 years old and in a wheel chair?

Security, throw that man/woman out on the street! Immediately!

[Derek Cross]

‌That's not a good analogy Cleo Tango, the final output from most Adobe applications, such as a JPG, PDF or HTML is Adobe independant. Also you don't have to continuously subscribe to the Creative Suite, with the monthly plan you only need to pay for it when you need it. For professionals the monthly payment is a modest amount, and tax deductible!

[Cleo_Tango]

Well let me put it to you in simple numbers:

I upgraded to PS CS5 in April 2010:                          (that's 57 month ago and it still works fine)

My cost to upgrade then was $ 199:                         (that so far is equal to: 199/57 = $ 3.49 per month)

Compare that to the offered deal of $19 a month:        (that is for the same period:     19x57 = $ 1,083

That is over 5 times my previous cost to use the same software.

I've been in pro photography for over 15 years, and I still can do everything I need done with my old and trusty CS5, and certainly don't like adapting to a constant stream of software upgrades, but I know that the day will come when I'm going to have to refresh my tools of the trade, same as when I decide to pick up more camera gear. When that day comes, I assure you (and Adobe) that I will be searching for a different brand of software.

It's time adobe knew that it not about them and their stupid constant software updating! It's all about the creativity and the spirit of the artist behind the lens, STOP MILKING US!!!

I don't need to hear your opinion about this. I was rather hoping that a reply would come from an Adobe management insider.           

[aleksandrv60553285]

All we need is a good lower who will file as class act against the Adobe for extortion.

[John T Smith]

>hoping that a reply would come from an Adobe management insider

I don't think that will happen... and if it did, the Adobe person would say that the 3+ year old Cloud program is working very well

Adobe is not the only company selling software AND it is not the only company with a subscription model

Since what you have works for you... keep using it

For anyone else who wants Adobe without a subscription - Link to buy CS6 via telephone http://www.adobe.com/products/cs6.html

[aleksandrv60553285]

If you like your insurance plan - keep it:) What happens next?

[Derek Cross]

Cleo Tango, the Adobe forums are user-to-user forms where we try help and support one another with advice and views on a number of individual Adobe applications. It helps all of us to get a variety of suggestions – you may be right and I may be wrong in our views, this approach helps all of us. Try and understand that there isn’t anything personal in this and you should try and keep your comments friendly.

[Cleo_Tango]

No no! nothing personal here. I don't even know you. I'm just trying to make waves to escalate this issue to upper management. and don't think for a minute that they don't monitor these forums closely.

They are serving us a rotten egg while trying to mask it as chocolate cake! It is to our benefit, they claim!

This part of my operating cost has suddenly jumped up by 500%, and that makes me "hissy pissy".

Over and out. I am watching football, and team X is about to score.

[Vito A]

Actually, I think Cleo's analogy is spot on: You can no longer "own" your own software (license), you can only lease it.

We're not discussing whether your final output will still be accessible/available if you decide to stop paying for the Internet (SaaS) subscription.  We're talking about the product you use to make the final output.  We use the same version of an Adobe product for years beyond the upgrade cycle because we simply don't need to upgrade.

The real issue driving cloud subscription-based software is ECONOMICS.  Most software companies found it very difficult to convince their customers to upgrade , even when offering all the latest and greatest features.  Every management authority will tell you that it's easier and cheaper to sell to existing customers than to sell to new ones. With subscription-based ("cloud") software, you have your customer essentially held hostage and forced to pay FOREVER (i.e., for as long as they keep using it) for the software.  With cloud subscription-based software it now costs nothing keep repeat-customers.  From a financial perspective this is huge for software companies; now they don't have to worry about "convincing" even their most loyal customer base to upgrade regularly.

The garbage about how cloud-based subscriptions allows a company to offer the newest and best features more seamlessly to their customers is just the lie they tell themselves and everyone else to make it seem like they're not taking advantage of you.

[edwardww]

Maybe Adobe could take a leaf out of Mojang's book. One time cost for a subscription, no upgrade fees and over 70million

users worldwide in just over 6 years. (recently sold for 5 billion based on one piece of software)
Adobe has about 13 million user base built up over 20 years for many items of software.
Just saying........

[davidc70063448]

My biggest complaint about subscription software is this: We're all beta testers now! I've been a late adopter forever. I avoid anything that says Version 1 on the box. Best example ever, Windows 8. CS5 became CS5.5 very quickly, for a reason. Now, YOU get to find the bugs, not Adobe.

The analogy to buying/leasing a car isn't perfect, but everyone's had the experience of buying a car and discovering that you can't get the upgraded GPS or whatever unless you also pay for tinted windows. Same with CC - I have to pay the full freight for things I'll never use just to get what I need. Per-app pricing is deliberately extortionate, and $600/yr forever for the whole package is twice the amortized cost of incremental upgrades. The only thing hurt by my going from CS2 to CS4 to CS6 was Adobe's bottom line.

But then, if I owned the streets, I'd probably charge you a buttload to drive on them too. Yeah, capitalism.

[rcast01]

I agree with the general concensus in this thread but am a realist and understand there is no alternative that can match PS. Adobe knows it and they are strong arming us all. Over 8k for a lifetime subscription sounds a bit steep for a $700 product that MIGHT be upgraded a few times in a lifetime. Adobe is getting greedy and you know what happens to greedy empires...

[aleksandrv60553285]

That's the reason we all need to file a class act low suite to protect the value of the PS. To protect the PS from his own parents.

[braho]

While I would like the option, to lease my software and get new updates all the time, that does not mean that I will always be financially able to do so.  There have been times I have had to cut all cost just to scrape by due to reasons that life tends to throw at you.  So I could see where I could get all my photos deeply involved with the cloud and something happen and I no longer be able to afford the subscription.  Then were would I be?  Adobe does not like poor people.  I know, no company does but if I happen to run out of money now, my LR4 will work forever.

Its a lousy decision to not give a choice but hey, they were going broke.  /s

[embejemi]

My problem is that I am doing a one-off within the volunteer sector. I will receive no payment for this so don't really want to spend a lot of money.

It's a shame as I love Photoshop but it isn't really good enough for vector drawings for the logo I'm going to create.

I have an old Corel Draw package too that can't be used.

I really think when you purchase something that it should be usable or freely upgraded when operating systems are upgraded.

Boooooo.

Not happy.

[calcitestar]

‌Well personally I think cloud based things are fantastic. They are quick to down load, regularly updated and fun and easy to use.  Even BBC 3 is cloud based and I suspect it won't be long before the rest of the BBC follows suit .  The best thing about subscription based software is that it allows for small incremental updates rather than having to wait for two years and relearn the new system.  Also at least 90% of communication is done online now so why on earth would you want to miss out on so much?  Most of John Lewis purchases are done online.  If you go into one of their shops now there is not the full range availble and often just a display model.  If you ask they say " order it online".  Even my dad who's 83 listens to his music from Spotify which is online based as we managed to find all his old records, for which he no longer had a record player to play, and many many more on this subscription based program.  How do you think news and news photos are produced now? Not sat at a desk at a huge computer, but on the hoof using a mobile to send items to a cloud based storage or by email.

If you feel that no one wants this method and would rather fork out £600 or so every year instead of £34/m then you are very very much in the minority.