Photoshop 2017 won't run without a subscription now

[Natalie33213792y2jj]

I have Photoshop 2017. I don't want to purchase a subscription as I only use it a couple of times a year. I went to open it today to do some batch processing and I get a popup window that says "Try again. Unable to start your subscription for Creative Cloud Photography. Please wait a few moments and try again." 

Does this mean I need a subscription to use a purchased product now? I saw on Google that I should still be able to use it but I can't find how to get around this window. 

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

@Natalie33213792y2jj Photoshop has always been a subscription since 2013. There was never a legal standalone version in 2017. So either you purchased a pirated/cracked copy or used a tiral version. Either way you cannot use without a valid paid subscription.

[Natalie33213792y2jj]

looking at my old software boxes, looks like I have CS3 and CS6 discs. Don't know if I just had a trial of 2017? Can I not still use CS6? 

[D Fosse]

You can still use CS6 if you have a valid serial number. But to be clear, this is 11 year old software that hasn't seen updates in 10, so if the licensing breaks it may not be straightforward to troubleshoot.

It's possible that if you installed a CC trial version, it may have "hijacked" the CS6 license, since CS6 was initially offered as part of a CC subscription.

Just giving you a couple of bullet points for google searches. This is so long ago that I can't remember.

[Natalie33213792y2jj]

Thank you D Fosse. I ended up doing the work in Painter since it was time-sensitive, but I'll mess with it some more.

[jane-e]

@Natalie33213792y2jj 

If you decide to purchase a subscription, there is a Photography plan (annual commitment), payable at $9.99 per month. You can also purchase a month-to-month plan that has no fee for early termination for $31.49. If you use it for 3 months, you are better off with the Photography plan, imho.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html

You might also try Photoshop Elements for $99.99, which has a perpetual license and has a 30 free trial period. If you decide to purchase a license, 30 days puts you in range of Black Friday when you want to watch for sales.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/download-trial/try.html

Jane

[Natalie33213792y2jj]

Thanks Jane-e