Photoshop Elements 2018 & Mac App Store

[CLIQUE OF ONE]

I downloaded Photoshop Elements 2018 from the Mac App Store, and there are some very peculiar oddities with it when compared to all of the previous Photoshop Elements that I’ve purchased directly from Adobe by either downloading or by CD/DVD.

First of all, did Apple cripple Photoshop Elements 2018 in any way?

First off, I don’t have a serial number, and I don’t have the ability to either manage my account or check for updates under the ‘Help’ column as with previous versions of PE.

And, what really started me at this, my plugins don’t work. Topaz Labs and Studio, and the Nik Collection. They show as installed under the filter column, but the Topaz plugins simply show failure when clicked, but without an explanation. And when clicked, the Nik Collection plugins say to purchase the product. But Google made them free! All of these plugins still work as they should with PE 15.

Question. If I had downloaded PE 2018 directly from Adobe, would I still have the problem with the stated plugins? If not, and if Apple had indeed crippled PE 2018, the software downloaded from Apple would not be that the useful for me. And to make full use of PE 2018 I would have to pay again and than download it from Adobe

[Chad Chelius]

I'm hoping someone from Adobe can comment on this or help you. My copy of PSE 2018 is downloaded from Adobe so I can't compare or see what you are encountering. I've never heard of Adobe releasing limited versions of software as you describe.

[MichelBParis]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/CLIQUE+OF+ONE  wrote

First of all, did Apple cripple Photoshop Elements 2018 in any way?

Adobe does provide different versions for the Mac Store and for the Windows store to meet the requirements of those OS suppliers.

That can mean missing features (I am not a Mac user, but I know that in some older Store versions, the Organizer was not included).

Using the word 'crippling' is inadequate. Some users find other advantages in using the stores versions (price, number of activations).

First off, I don’t have a serial number, and I don’t have the ability to either manage my account or check for updates under the ‘Help’ column as with previous versions of PE.

You are comparing applications from different vendors.

If you buy the Mac Store version, the vendor is Mac, and the license management is made by Apple.

The lack of 'updates' is often the reason users prefer to pay a little more with Adobe.

And, what really started me at this, my plugins don’t work. Topaz Labs and Studio, and the Nik Collection. They show as installed under the filter column, but the Topaz plugins simply show failure when clicked, but without an explanation. And when clicked, the Nik Collection plugins say to purchase the product. But Google made them free! All of these plugins still work as they should with PE 15.

Question. If I had downloaded PE 2018 directly from Adobe, would I still have the problem with the stated plugins? If not, and if Apple had indeed crippled PE 2018, the software downloaded from Apple would not be that the useful for me.

My guess is that you would have had the same problem with plugins. The general rule is that you have to reinstall the plugins from the installation files provided by the plugins vendors.

And to make full use of PE 2018 I would have to pay again and than download it from Adobe

Ask for a refund in your Mac acccount, download the trial version from Adobe site... and buy it if it suits you?

[Chad Chelius]

You are comparing applications from different vendors.

If you buy the Mac Store version, the vendor is Mac, and the license management is made by Apple.

The lack of 'updates' is often the reason users prefer to pay a little more with Adobe.

Let's not confuse the OP. Photoshop Elements 2018 whether purchased directly from Adobe or from the App Store is still the same Vendor (Adobe). I think you mean a different distributor (Apple/Adobe).

[MichelBParis]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Chad+Chelius  wrote

You are comparing applications from different vendors.

If you buy the Mac Store version, the vendor is Mac, and the license management is made by Apple.

The lack of 'updates' is often the reason users prefer to pay a little more with Adobe.

Let's not confuse the OP. Photoshop Elements 2018 whether purchased directly from Adobe or from the App Store is still the same Vendor (Adobe). I think you mean a different distributor (Apple/Adobe).

I may be wrong for the words, but what I do know is that the version are different (not the same software sold through different distributors) and that the licensing is managed by either Apple or Windows. The suggestion I made to ask for a refund from Apple is frequently used in similar cases.

[CLIQUE OF ONE]

I have a question for anyone with a Mac and downloaded Photoshop Elements 2018 (16) from Adobe.

In all previous versions of PE that were download from Adobe, a folder such as 'Adobe Photoshop Elements 15', would be placed in the Applications folder. In this folder, there was another folder called Support Files, the application itself, and the Adobe Photoshop Elements uninstaller. Inside the Support Files folder were folders such as AMT, Assets, Locales, Plug-ins, Presets, and Tutorials. This always happened with every new version of PE, with every Mac computer, and with every Mac operating system (Now 10.13.2). But this time there is no folder called either Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018 or Adobe Photoshop Elements 16 in the Applications folder.

So, is there a folder either called  Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018 or Adobe Photoshop Elements 16 for Mac, in the Mac’s ‘Applications’ folder of those that downloaded and installed PE 2018 (16) from Adobe.

[CLIQUE OF ONE · Accepted solution]

I finally received a concise and definitive answer from Topaz Labs concerning one of their plug-ins, in less than 24 hours after asking.

Now comes my, hopefully non-futile, attempt to receive a refund from the Mac App Store.

And to download Adobe Photoshop Elements 16 directly from Adobe.

So long Mac App Store for any major apps.

And yes, their version of PE 2018 was indeed, crippled.

Joe Fedric (Topaz Studio)

Dec 19, 10:26 AM CST

Hi Eugene,

Thank you for contacting Topaz Labs!

Plugins cannot be used with App Store applications, unfortunately.  This is due to a requirement placed on the App Store by Apple, called Sandboxing.  Sandboxing prevents applications from sending data between one another, which prevents the use of plugins.  I'd recommend requesting a refund, and purchasing PS Elements 2018 directly from Adobe.

Our utilities do not touch on App Store applications, as these cannot be modified in any way, regardless of what scripts we write.  This is a restriction of using the Mac App Store, unfortunately, and there is nothing we can do about it.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns, and I will be happy to assist!

Respectfully,

Joe Fedric

Head of Operations and Support

Topaz Labs

Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm