Adobe Functional Content and the Creative Cloud

[ACT.onn]

Hello All

To any Adobe Employee who may read this, can you please get someone at Adobe to take control of this issue and see that the library, templates and all other functional content gets packaged correctly and enabled as a download and "sub-install" for the parent product inside the Adobe Application Manager.

I think as subscribing users we should get better service and direction from Adobe in regards to this functional content. As I type this I have more than 10 tabs open, each one leading to a thread that has something to do with how to install and fix a problem with the Functional Content for After Effects, Premiere Pro and Encore.

See if you can in less than 30 minutes figure out exactly what to do to activate this content by reading these threads:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4447237#4447237

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/library-functional-content-missing.html

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4418591#4418591

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4400620#4400620

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1006810?start=0&tstart=0

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4511169#4511169

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1028055?tstart=0

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4417092#4417092

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1002454

http://forums.adobe.com/message/4417092#4417092

I have been very reluctant to do anything because I am reading a lot of conflicting and incomplete information. This link in particular, http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/library-functional-content-missing.html, is really unhelpful because there are 3 methods to do something but reading it I am not sure if each method does the same thing or if each does one part of the 3 sets of missing Functional Content. Additionally "solution" 3 presents a place to put the content but then leaves out the path we are to do it to.

Most disappointing is the fact that the first "solution" did not get me the menu buttons I am looking for in Encore and I don't know if I screwed up or if the install was incomplete for some reason.

Do I now need to install one of the other "solutions"? Those of you in the community that are about to hit reply, please don't. Do not answer that question.

Here is why...

Adobe is responsible for delivering us customers a product. It is Adobe's responsibility to fix the mess that a number of paying customers are having regarding this Functional Content.

TO ADOBE:

Here is what I and I think a lot of other subscribers want you to do:

You already have a Solution in place. One that doesn't require a lot of user intervention and doesn't require anyone to pick a "solution" and screw it up, search for more help and spend hours of their time fixing a mess.

Adobe Application Manager. Create the proper installation packages. Put them on the servers, tell the AAM how to clean up the mess any users who have tried these "solutions" have made. Then have it install the proper packages as a "Sub-Installation" for each of the parent software that it is for.

This solution will not only make things better for us end users, but you will also make the manageability of the Functional Content easier for your teams as well. And if your teams wanted to add additional Functional Content to any program that is part of the creative cloud or that the Adobe Application Manager manages, then it would be a simple matter of creating an installation package and adding it to the AAM's list of installable programs.

You just did this exact thing with Lightroom 4.1! Why can you not do this for the Functional Content?!?

Back to the Community Members that want to answer my post. Don't. Instead if you agree with me or even if you don't, sign off on this thread or indicate your virtual thumbs down. Either way I don't want an answer, I want an action from Adobe, the only ones who can fix the mess.

I really believe that the Application Manager is the most elegant solution. If any of you have ever used Steam, you know what a great feeling it is when you can download a game demo, try it, buy it and just have everything take care of itself. I don't even have to worry about updates; Steam takes care of my games. And the thing that makes it really valuable? I DON'T PAY $50 A MONTH TO USE STEAM AND HAVE IT JUST WORK, IT IS FREE!

All I want at this point is Functional Content that I don't have to read a 50+ page manual to install. I know that is an exaggeration, but honestly if it is 1 badly written set of instructions or 50 what does it matter? I don't pay Adobe so I can read up on how to install their software; I just want to use it.

I guess I should also point out that this is now the second large hold up to my project that I started subscribing for. The first was a problem that I again had to figure out the solution to by working around it, when again Adobe seems to be unable to correct the problem, here, here, here and here.

And now here I am again at a slight stand still because I can't use my DVD authoring software to create a button on a Wedding DVD menu.

Okay, you can go ahead and reply... but I would still prefer no answers, just /agree or /disagree.

[Stan Jones]

Too funny.

I agree, most of the time, that commas, even semicolons, are overused, or underused, depending.

[the_wine_snob]

Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a glorious New Year to eveyone.

Hunt

PS - I think that Santa will likely bring Jim a pack of switches and a lump of coal...

[excited_Genie16B8]

Awesome.  That'll save money on heating fuel.

[ACT.onn]

Hello Bill

The problem is that originally when I started this post, no one could get a post marked as helpful because there was no way for one person to give the correct answer for everyone because each set of steps never seemed to work twice in a row. Out of all the posts on the topic there was no clear path to move files to, no easy to understand steps, no correct set of steps or no one who managed to get it right on the first try.

If it had been:

1. Download

2. Double Click self extracing file

3. Say yes and next until dialog says complete

4. Use content

I wouldnt have cared how I got the content. It would have worked and I would have been working.

Even better:

1. Open Adobe Application Manager

2. Select Functional content and click "install"

3. Use content

But it wasnt. Even the nicely intentioned people who put up steps on how to were getting something wrong because, even after trying a number of ways multiple times and trying to carefully follow each step I was coming up with nada. Something in the instructions were missed, something was being written in a way that caused missunderstanding or something was assumed. The biggest problem was that Adobe's own page on the way to install was a disaster.

As much as i am a computer tech, I have been in computers for more than 20 years, you name "it" I would say that if I don't do "it" regularly then i have probably tried to do it once at least, I was baffled by the instructions on that Adobe page.

Regardless, they seem to have cleared it up now, the next time I have to reinstall I will be going over that page with a better understanding, but hopefully Adobe will have pushed it through the cloud by then.

[the_wine_snob]

I understand your frustrations.

As the Additional Functional Content, for perpetual licenses, does not change (much), I wish that it was still included on the installation discs. However, that will not help the CC (Creative Cloud) subscribers, and certainly understand Adobe needing to accommodate them, and possibly their reticence to handle that Additional Functional Content via two ways.

It also did not help, that there were some problems, from the get-go.

However, through the pain of some, others can probably benefit, when they upgrade, and come upon this problem.

Good luck,

Hunt

PS - at least it is not quite so bad as the CC versions, and perpetual versions of Photoshop reverting to trial, with the latest upgrade...

[Stan Jones]

As the Additional Functional Content, for perpetual licenses, does not change (much), I wish that it was still included on the installation discs.

That's part of the problem; it did change, dramatically. There was an initial functional content installer. As far as I can see this has not changed. It installed various content for Premiere and Encore (and AE?). Bizarrely, it deleted the Encore CS5.5 library. It only installed a very few templates, not the full set of templates, nor the buttons etc that have been part of the Encore library. Eventually, the full content was made available, but with much confusion, some due to Adobe odd attempts to clear it up and some due to us users who couldn't quite believe the installer itself was what woud be fixed. To this day, the download for the full content is on the blog servers.

Still don't get it.

[the_wine_snob]

Yes, it is unfortunate, that for whatever reason, Adobe did not do a better job at this, or at least vet everything, prior to release.

I still think that it amounted to "a bridge too far."

Hunt

[GraphiteGal636]

Hi ACT.onn

Sorry didn't reply to your last post busy Christmas etc.  Saw that you were edited due to the "pirate" links.  bit OTT but never mind. 

Do you, or perhaps anyone else know why the content is treated separately to the rest of the Adobe Suite anyway?  Or is it?  I've only ever downloaded trial versions before getting the CC one. 

Whilst I and many other's probably sympathise with companies and understand that there will never (?) be such a thing as bug free software - it seems to take an inordinate amount of time to fix any such issues;  And as you rightly say ACT, with the resources and quality of staff a company such as Adobe will have at their disposal, it's not really acceptable as EU's of products to wait when your livelihood can depend on delivering projects to ever decreasing deadlines.  And using Adobe program's can be so frustrating at times. 

Anyway rant over.  Lets hope CS7 proves less painless or the process to iron out problems is not as slow as the "The Hobbit".

[mikesuttonbooya11]

Funny enough, it is August 16, 2013 and this is still an issue.  I had to do a double-take when I read the post about how Adobe was going to be addressing the issue in a future update.  I'm going to throw a huge wrench in the cog here and say that I'm on a mac.

I downloaded the CS6 functionality stuff from the link provided, but the installation app won't open.  I've tried it a ton of times, but it just sits there.  Since this is now a "help me" thread.... please help me!

[Stan Jones]

Is this the page you are using?

http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/multi/library-functional-content-missing.html

And you are finding that PremierePro_6_Content_LS7.exe does not run?

[mikesuttonbooya11]

I'm on a mac.

[Stan Jones]

Sorry; do you see install.app?

[mikesuttonbooya11]

Yep. I click on it and nothing happens.

[Stan Jones]

I don't recall that problem. Problems finding the download, getting the download complete, and finding it installed in the right places. But not smply running the installer.

I would check to see that the download is complete: it should be 1.1GB.

Is the file on the desktop?

Is there another way to "run" it other than clicking on it?

I assume you are logged in as an administrator?

[GraphiteGal636]

Mike

Are you still running CS6?

I've been "persuaded" by Adobe to hand over £47/month for the new Cloud version and this problem has now gone away.  Although other's have appeared but that's another story.  Encore has been dropped and the PPro stuff now included as it should be within the main installer.

I Did get mine to work eventually by doing this as the unzipped content installer didnt work for me (Win 7 64).  I know you are on Mac but you should have similar directories:

1) Load up PPro and create a new Title on the timeline.

2) Save it to the default template folder.

3) Navigate to this same folder, once there, copy the unzipped templates to this same directory.

4) go back into PPro and the templates should now appear.

This worked for me.  Not sure why the installer didn't and I initially thought corrupt files but after downloading three separate times and getting same install error.  Went through this manual process and it cured it.

I Now have loads of different issues with CC but hopefully they will be addressed in the latest patches released.

[mikesuttonbooya11]

That makes sense. Honestly, I was just trying to find a simple lower third, but it would obviously be quicker to just make one.

This is more just a minor annoyance, but it is staggering and frankly quite alarming that Adobe hasn't addressed what seems like such a simple issue for over a year (and counting).

Sent from my Galaxy S®III

[mikesuttonbooya11]

It makes me chuckle that customer support here just completely gave up. Adobe CS on display right here! This is one of the reasons my office didn't switch to Adobe until FCP became basically unusable. We'll likely switch from Adobe again once a decent competitor enters the market.

[GraphiteGal636]

It just makes me so angry that there is this monopoly of large companies and software and they are able to charge whatever they like.

I like Adobe software, never used FCP so can't comment on that, though I did read quite a lot on the subject of version X.  

Used Photoshop for years but only recently got into Video Editing.  But, the monthly charge is quite an expense for me although it did work out cheaper for CS6 than buying a licence.  I'm not sure of the merit in completely taking this option away from end users'.  Unfortunately, there don't seem to be that many professional alternatives available.  A lot has already been said on this subject and it's not really on topic.

Really I am not surprised that people continue to pirate software.  Whilst I don't condone it, a lot of friends are programmers' and they have to eat after all;  it would surely be better to reduce the monthly charge and sign more people up to an authentic version of the product.  

lol, rant over.   I've just had to reinstall Audition and Premiere anyway as they still haven't sorted that issue where if Audition is installed after Premiere, you can't edit sound directly.  The option is greyed out in the menu.  Happy Days !

[mikesuttonbooya11]

Yeah, I really liked FCP, but they pretty much stopped supporting any kind of professional version of the software. They went the dumbed down, highly accessible route… because it's Apple.

I did get this figured out for anyone else who may have the same issue. After being unable to open the installer app, I found the actual template files and just drug them over into the applicable Premiere Pro folder.

After you mount the CS6 Content drive, click on which program you want to install the templates for (Premiere Pro or Encore). The template files are found in PAYLOADS>AdobePremiereProFunctionContent6.0All>AdobePremiereProFunctionContent6.0All.dmg

Mount that and then open the Assets1 folder. Drag all four folders (Styles, support, Templates, Textures) into Applications>Adobe Premiere Pro CC (or CS6, if that's what you're using)>Presets.

Hope that helps anyone else who was having the same problem I was.