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firedept

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jul 8, 2011
6,277
1,130
Somewhere!
First off I am not looking for this to be about a debate as to whether Adobe is right or wrong about their changes they are making. That is another subject all together.

I am a user of Adobe Creative Suite CS6. It is a large part of the software I use for my design business. As most users of Adobe software are aware of the changes coming with their Creative Suite moving to Creative Cloud. I am asking for opinions on what to do with the changes coming.

I own Master Collections CS4, CS5, CS5.5 & CS6 physical disc sets. All purchased from Adobe and are legit copies.

I am a bit apprehensive about the Creative Cloud, even though there are some things about it I like in regards to additional features. Biggest draw back for me is not physically owning the software and if I quit subscription, I am no longer able to access any files created with Creative Cloud unless I resubscribe.

I have been offered a great deal on the first year of Creative Cloud at $19.99/month, but after that goes to full price at $49.99/month.

My question:

1. Stick with CS6 and look for cheaper options down the road.

2. Go to Creative Cloud and pay, what I think is expensive subscription fee's, and just continue to use from year to year. No way to recover any additional cost from clients.

3. Go to Creative Cloud and sell off all my physical disc copies to help offset cost of subscription fee's for a couple of years. But eventually, will some where down road have to pay full cost out of pocket.

I have been debating this in my mind since Adobe made its announcement, but have been unable to make a decision I can live with. I am hoping your opinions will make this easier for me.

Thanks for all your advice in advance!!!
 

exegete77

macrumors 6502a
Feb 12, 2008
529
6
Howdy. I have CS4 Premier and have to look at the same scenario. However, design is not my business, just one of many tasks. I can get the CS6 for $600 Education or go with the CS Cloud. After looking at it carefully, I will not go with the subscription. Even if I buy CS6, I can make up the difference in two years. And I am not locked into the Cloud. What happens if you don’t continue subscription, well, you are out of luck. And CS6 will continue to be updated/fixed as time goes on.
 

shinji

macrumors 65816
Mar 18, 2007
1,329
1,515
Use CS6 for as long as possible.

If it stops working in future versions of OS X, or someone saves a file you need to work on without any backwards compatibility, then it's time to upgrade.

...but not much point in keeping the physical disc copies of 4-5.5, is there? Maybe you have a use for it on other machines, but otherwise I'm not sure what benefit you get out of keeping them.
 

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,373
43,265
My question:

1. Stick with CS6 and look for cheaper options down the road.

2. Go to Creative Cloud and pay, what I think is expensive subscription fee's, and just continue to use from year to year. No way to recover any additional cost from clients.

3. Go to Creative Cloud and sell off all my physical disc copies to help offset cost of subscription fee's for a couple of years. But eventually, will some where down road have to pay full cost out of pocket.

I have been debating this in my mind since Adobe made its announcement, but have been unable to make a decision I can live with. I am hoping your opinions will make this easier for me.

Thanks for all your advice in advance!!!

The question boils down, do you want to pay a monthly (or annual) fee for the right to pay CS, or continue to use CS6 and not pay an annual fee. At some point you may have to finally migrate over to the creative cloud but why do it now. Is there a compelling feature that you cannot live with in Create Cloud? If not, stick with CS6 as long as you can.
 

Bending Pixels

macrumors 65816
Jul 22, 2010
1,307
365
Since you use Creative Suite on a daily basis, and you've upgraded to each new version, going with Creative Cloud may make sense. Adobe has confirmed that they're not going back from their subscription model.
 

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
...
I have been offered a great deal on the first year of Creative Cloud at $19.99/month, but after that goes to full price at $49.99/month.

My question:

1. Stick with CS6 and look for cheaper options down the road.

2. Go to Creative Cloud and pay, what I think is expensive subscription fee's, and just continue to use from year to year. No way to recover any additional cost from clients.

3. Go to Creative Cloud and sell off all my physical disc copies to help offset cost of subscription fee's for a couple of years. But eventually, will some where down road have to pay full cost out of pocket.

I have been debating this in my mind since Adobe made its announcement, but have been unable to make a decision I can live with. I am hoping your opinions will make this easier for me.

Thanks for all your advice in advance!!!
  1. Stick with CS6 for now. Start looking now to see if there is other software that can do what you need. I'm sure Adobe will be offering the introductory price for a while. And even if Adobe drops the $19.99 special, you will not have paid Adobe for several months and then it doesn't matter if it's $50 per month you have paid Adobe less than if you start the subscription today.
  2. Check for alternatives before you go to the Adobe's cloud.
  3. If you have full versions (not upgrades) sell off the old versions that you don't need now, otherwise wait until you decdide on Adobe's cloud.
 

alexkent

macrumors newbie
Apr 5, 2007
6
1
…if I quit subscription, I am no longer able to access any files created with Creative Cloud unless I resubscribe.…

Depending on exactly which parts of the pieces of Creative Suite Cloud you use, this may be a myth.

Photoshop for one will let you open .psd's (or any other file type) from newer versions in older versions. The only bits that break are the features which are not available in the version you are opening the file in and in that situation the ability to edit the missing feature is lost, but the visual appearance will be maintained. For instance if you opened a CS6 PSD with a 3d layer in CS4 (3d was new to CS5 right?) then you'll still be able to see the 3d layer, it'll look the same, you just won't be able to edit it.

Also, John Nack on his blog reports there will be more news about Adobe's support for this.


If you've been buying the Master Collection for the last X versions (and i mean, you've been able to justify the large expense of doing this, thus i assume you must be using many of the apps across the range), then two things come to mind:

1) you're not going to get any package or even collection of packages from different vendors that comes anywhere near close to the tool set Creative Cloud gives you. Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects… these are massively powerful tools each that stands with few (or no) peers.

2) you're going to be saving money (or at worst, spending the same at the full $50 per month) renting Creative Cloud than you've been spending on Master Collection upgrades.

I would stop worrying and take the plunge.
 

firedept

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jul 8, 2011
6,277
1,130
Somewhere!
The question boils down, do you want to pay a monthly (or annual) fee for the right to pay CS, or continue to use CS6 and not pay an annual fee. At some point you may have to finally migrate over to the creative cloud but why do it now. Is there a compelling feature that you cannot live with in Create Cloud? If not, stick with CS6 as long as you can.

maflynn: You are right on point. There is no compelling feature that I MUST have, just some that would make my work quicker. But I have been able to work with out them so far.

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I believe I have made my decision now. I will probably stay with CS6 for now until I have no other option but to go to the Cloud. I can only imagine what my physical copy will be worth for the small freelancer or business that can not afford the subscription fee's when I go to the Cloud.
 

raischub

macrumors newbie
May 31, 2013
1
0
What comes next...

And here it is (tata): The new overwhelming great solution from MS for you: Windoofs creativest cloud!!
Nothing has changed but you will get 1 gb of online storage and a few other useless gimmicks (enough that we can name the baby "cloud" and tell that to our stack holders)
All that and the full access to our OS for the little monthly fee of $50!!!
No longer great barriers for you to use this great OS and your PC! Only half the price of boxed version (today :)
Always get automatically the newest updates like Windoofs Pissta or Windoofs 8 (If you want them or not and with no possibility to aware. If we want to kick out XP we will do.)!
It´s absolutely great, astonishing, amazing. Create your World!
Sugar glossy pink BS!

The small print:
Windoofis will connect to your bank account and when there is enough money it will start up. Else not.
Yes, we have full access to your cloud files and can handle them as we like. We are also allowed to cut access without any reason. But we will not do. May be... Trust us... Like you ever did (har har)
You will never lose FULL editable access to your files (as long as you pay).
No, there are not so many other Apps (in most cases none) that can read and FULLY edit your creations. We tried to not tell you this. Xuse, that we don´t pointed out better.
No we are not longer motivated in doing updates (we never were a lot), as you will have to pay anyway.
And yes, it´s true, we will not longer sell other packaged OS, as we indirectly promised a few month ago, when we said, that our latest OS would be the last upgradeable (and forced you a little bit, to bring your old versions to actual). Xuse again - that´s part of our new philosophy.
Yes, you will always have to upgrade your hardware if we decide, it´s necessary. Elsewise you can use our provided old version (we will not give our non subscribing long time users) but you have to pay for the latest. Sorry for that.
Ehm, yes, you are a kind of Beta-tester in future. Ehm, and we don´t give any warranty for anything. Ehm, good luck.
(May be our new updates - if they ever come to table - will not break any workflow like in the past. And if: Now you can be sure it hurts all users not only that, who installed first).
No, YOU don´t have to decide if it´s good for you. So it´s not any longer only an option. It´s a must, you must like.
Yes. it´s true, we bought also the competitor with the hooked fruit and all the others, so we are a monopolist right now. But you have enough choices to go nowhere. So take it or not. We are not forcing.
No, we are not listening to concerns, especially not if you are only a loser. Sorry, user was meant.
And we even don´t care about you.
 
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