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Adobe changing payment options for $10/month photography plan
- Thread starter mollyc
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A warning: Adobe's wording is very tricky. I was on "annual plan, paid in advance." But I looked at my credit card, and it was $9.99/mo. That is a monthly plan, really. OK, there was no convert button, so I cancelled the $9.99 plan - and then could not sign up for the $120/yr plan because "you already own this plan."
I ended up having to get customer service to fix it.
I also noticed that I was only shown the $120/yr plan when I went to another browser NOT logged into Adobe.
They make it pretty hard to navigate. The excuse is that they have a lot of products, but Amazon has even more and I don't ever get mad at their site.
I ended up having to get customer service to fix it.
I also noticed that I was only shown the $120/yr plan when I went to another browser NOT logged into Adobe.
They make it pretty hard to navigate. The excuse is that they have a lot of products, but Amazon has even more and I don't ever get mad at their site.
Not fully correct. Yes Affinity's apps open psd files, but although most layers transfer fine, all psd layers, paths, etc. are not necessarily properly retained. Affinity provides a great suite of apps at very good value and does not hijack our work.
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That's a problem even with paid up front software. Imaging trying to build aircraft with a 30+ year support lifespan. Literally there is very little hardware they were designed on still operating or available to run the software which is certified. Airbus A380 project nearly went down the crapper because there were compatibility issues between CATIA v4 (1993) and CATIA v5 (1998-2013) packages. I mean I used to use Macromedia Fireworks back in the late 90s. Do you think any of my original stuff is readable? Nope.
I use Lightroom. I keep the library clean and export everything flattened. If I lose Lightroom, I'll merely be sad for a couple of days until I get over it.
Files flattened to generic formats like JPEG or TIFF are obviously not an issue. Folks who do the work, save the flat file and then just use the flat file forever have no problem. The issue arises when we save layers [lots and lots of layers], many hidden, so that the same work can be repurposed when needed in the future. Common in print advertising.
Unlike your Airbus example, I absolutely expect to be able to continue to use a layered image file from a decade ago [after buying hardware/software upgrades as necessary]. And without paying Adobe every month whether or not I am actively working in Adobe apps.
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So, I tried the same this morning.
Seems not possible:
Was there some special way that you re-applied the renew?
I use 46 year old software when I’m working with (academic) print (TeX). There are ways. Some manuscripts I have still compile from the late 90s fine.
I would in your case, charge the customer the privilege. $30-50 a month on a commercial print project is a rounding error from experience unless it’s bottom of the line stuff.
There are a few other notable changes to the Adobe subscriptions that I didn't see mentioned but are worth noting:
- The 20 GB Photography bundle is going to $14.99/month for existing users but will not be available to new subscribers after January 15. It is technically being discontinued which means existing subscribers may be on borrowed time.
- The 1 TB Lightroom-only plan is going up by a smaller amount to $11.99/month and now includes Lightroom Classic (also priced at $119/year if paid annually).
- The 1 TB Lightroom and Photoshop plan is unchanged at $19.99/month or $239/year.
I had this problem too. I had to contact Adobe Customer service to get it resolved.
*sigh* I was guessing such.
I'm currently holding the position that I just don't need CC anymore.
Really sorry, I just saw your reply! I ended up talking to a human, after failing with the Help Bot in the bottom right hand corner. That was the only way it happened.
Looks like even PS Elements is also a victim. In some ways worse than the more expensive options. Now it's a 3 year lease ~$50CDN/Year. It has all the downsides of a subscription with none of the positive. You pay for three years but none of the changes introduced in year 2 and 3 will be available to you without paying again. Moreover when Adobe no longer supports your particular Mac OS at the end of a term you no longer have Elements and no way to get a newer version without updating your computer as well. 
I have been giving Elements 2024 a trial, but it appears there is no way to buy it. Meaning I am looking at PS Elements 2025 which given the addition of several AI modules will no doubt be much more bloated without offering any real improvements. Somewhere in the past couple of decades Elements has dropped the Color Variations option. Doesn't sound like a big deal but without it Elements has no way to deal with color crossover, which can be a big problem for those of us at higher latitudes and/or altitudes. Especially in winter.
Long story short; If Adobe continues to fail to respond to my request to Purchase the 2024 version, I will learn to work with one or more of the alternatives I have been exploring. By now I am getting comfortable with AffinityPhoto1, add in Preview for those times I don't need as much power and I should be fine.
FWIW; ON1 PhotoRaw proved to be at least somewhat unstable on my new M4 mini, so I did not really give it a full workout. Will give it another month or two and give it a second try. Can't say the layout really grabbed me.
I have been giving Elements 2024 a trial, but it appears there is no way to buy it. Meaning I am looking at PS Elements 2025 which given the addition of several AI modules will no doubt be much more bloated without offering any real improvements. Somewhere in the past couple of decades Elements has dropped the Color Variations option. Doesn't sound like a big deal but without it Elements has no way to deal with color crossover, which can be a big problem for those of us at higher latitudes and/or altitudes. Especially in winter.
Long story short; If Adobe continues to fail to respond to my request to Purchase the 2024 version, I will learn to work with one or more of the alternatives I have been exploring. By now I am getting comfortable with AffinityPhoto1, add in Preview for those times I don't need as much power and I should be fine.
FWIW; ON1 PhotoRaw proved to be at least somewhat unstable on my new M4 mini, so I did not really give it a full workout. Will give it another month or two and give it a second try. Can't say the layout really grabbed me.
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As this discussion makes clear, there are plenty of great options out there. Many of those have made overtures toward subscription offerings, too, so that's still the general trend. Because Affinity is really after Adobe's vast publishing market, they remain steadfast in keeping it a relatively cheap one-time purchase per major version. This lets them attract punters and build up their customer base.
Adobe's revenue from photographers is "spare change under the cushion" compared to its other target audiences, such as publishing, targeted advertising, and marketing analytics. Of course, Adobe's genAI capabilities, while perhaps interesting in photography, have vastly more profitable use cases in other areas of graphic design and publishing. Long story short, they're not likely to change the terms of their subscription services any time soon, especially since they make money hand-over-fist. They're a vast empire of tools and businesses, of which Lightroom is a tiny part, Photoshop itself notwithstanding.
I keep an Adobe subscription because I love Photoshop and am used to it. If I need to stop subscribing at some point in the future, there's Affinity (at least for now). Many of the newer subscription offerings either offer a dual approach—subscriptions for the latest and greatest or a one-time purchase with minimal upgrading (a year at most, generally). Capture One, my own preferred raw converter, and Photo Mechanic fall into that category. Other companies are just toying with subscriptions right now but you can tell they like the idea for obvious reasons.
Choose your poison .
Adobe's revenue from photographers is "spare change under the cushion" compared to its other target audiences, such as publishing, targeted advertising, and marketing analytics. Of course, Adobe's genAI capabilities, while perhaps interesting in photography, have vastly more profitable use cases in other areas of graphic design and publishing. Long story short, they're not likely to change the terms of their subscription services any time soon, especially since they make money hand-over-fist. They're a vast empire of tools and businesses, of which Lightroom is a tiny part, Photoshop itself notwithstanding.
I keep an Adobe subscription because I love Photoshop and am used to it. If I need to stop subscribing at some point in the future, there's Affinity (at least for now). Many of the newer subscription offerings either offer a dual approach—subscriptions for the latest and greatest or a one-time purchase with minimal upgrading (a year at most, generally). Capture One, my own preferred raw converter, and Photo Mechanic fall into that category. Other companies are just toying with subscriptions right now but you can tell they like the idea for obvious reasons.
Choose your poison
.
I very reluctantly paid for PS Elements 2025, after they did a temp price drop to under $100CD. Part of this is that the M4 mini is mainly my wifes computer and she's familiar with the ins and outs of a much older version of PS Elements.
Most of the key features have not changed much in the past 15-20 years. One exception is that color variations has disappeared from the menus. This was very useful for dealing with color crossover, say shadows biased towards the cyan while highlights are normal to yellow. Absent curves for each color channel the new version of Elements has no easy way to deal with crossover.
The big changes fall into the clutter category. Elements now nibbles or takes a large bite out of every side of the available screen real estate. For those of us using a standard 24 inch monitor (Typical of the Elements target demographic), this is a major irritant.
Because I am working from old negs or slides sometimes the Elements Healing Brush is a very useful tool. It works differently from the cloning tool in that you simply run it over the scratch or dust speck you want to remove. No option click to select the part of the image you want to paste over the speck or scratch. In 2025 the clone tool is still available in the tool bar, but to get the healing brush requires going into 'Guided'>Special Effects> Dust and Scratches. An extra step to be sure, and a royal pain at times as the regular tools are not available in the Guided mode.
I do hope that at the end of the 3 years Adobe offers the option of outright purchase especially to those whose OS no longer supports the latest version PS Elements. [Sarcasm]Realistically that is about as likely as peace in the Middle East, but one can always hope.[Sarcasm]
Most of the key features have not changed much in the past 15-20 years. One exception is that color variations has disappeared from the menus. This was very useful for dealing with color crossover, say shadows biased towards the cyan while highlights are normal to yellow. Absent curves for each color channel the new version of Elements has no easy way to deal with crossover.
The big changes fall into the clutter category. Elements now nibbles or takes a large bite out of every side of the available screen real estate. For those of us using a standard 24 inch monitor (Typical of the Elements target demographic), this is a major irritant.
Because I am working from old negs or slides sometimes the Elements Healing Brush is a very useful tool. It works differently from the cloning tool in that you simply run it over the scratch or dust speck you want to remove. No option click to select the part of the image you want to paste over the speck or scratch. In 2025 the clone tool is still available in the tool bar, but to get the healing brush requires going into 'Guided'>Special Effects> Dust and Scratches. An extra step to be sure, and a royal pain at times as the regular tools are not available in the Guided mode.
I do hope that at the end of the 3 years Adobe offers the option of outright purchase especially to those whose OS no longer supports the latest version PS Elements. [Sarcasm]Realistically that is about as likely as peace in the Middle East, but one can always hope.[Sarcasm]
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adobe says the healing brush is still available. it might be nested in with another tool. you should be able to use the keyboard shortcut j to get to it. you’ll have to scroll down in this document to the right section.
Retouch and correct photos
In Adobe Photoshop Elements, use a variety of tools to retouch or correct your photos. You can remove spots or unwanted objects, fix red eye (or pet eye), move and reposition objects, remove haze, correct camera distortion, and correct many other problems.
they are dff
I use full PS, but the basics should be the same. J gets you the healing brush, spot healing brush, patch tool, etc. Elements might not have all the same options, but you can hold the shift button and cycle through whatever they are.
Clone is the S key. They act similarly but are different tools and thus different menu items and shortcuts.
I use full PS, but the basics should be the same. J gets you the healing brush, spot healing brush, patch tool, etc. Elements might not have all the same options, but you can hold the shift button and cycle through whatever they are.
Clone is the S key. They act similarly but are different tools and thus different menu items and shortcuts.