Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Adobe Launches 'Fresco' Painting and Drawing App for iPad
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I welcomed the subscription model until I realized what a horrible value it is long-term. To avoid pushback from developers who think we expect lifetime upgrades, it's important to clarify that you're advocating for a pay-per-version model—not a pay-once model.
I downloaded on my 11" Pro and I have to say the brushes have noticeable lag compared to Procreate & Affinity, especially the custom ones I keep in my cloud library. They're so far behind at this point. I love Adobe's desktop products but their foray into mobile has been so underwhelming. Much better products out there.
The Mac/PC versions have trials you can download from their website. That will give you the time to at least test a sample of your files.
Generally where things fall down in my experience is export to PSD after doing work in Affinity and needing to interact with someone using CS2/CS4. Non-destructive adjustment layers and text in particular. Text layers seem to import fine, but I think there are some rendering differences there.
I am OK with a subscription model. A software that I pay forever will last forever and be updated forever. As apposed to creating version 2, 3, 4... that needs repeated purchases with old versions getting outdated and unnecessary upgrade hassles.
That said, this price can't be right. $10 per month seems tooooo much.
That said, this price can't be right. $10 per month seems tooooo much.
Last edited:
I tried Fresco for the last 3 hours.
As a Procreate user I was sceptical at first, mainly because of the previous crippled experiments of Adobe in the mobile art apps field and for the subscription model which I’m not a big fan of, but once I got to know the app ( pretty easy and intuitive to learn, good job there) I started loving it.
What makes it in my opinion better than Procreate is the brush engine: Kyle’s Photoshop brushes were already ahead of any competitor, and they work beautifully in Fresco, but what really blew me away are the live brushes. Never I thought I could experience on iPad such realistic brushes, they really look and react like the real medium ( the simulation of the watercolour is mind-boggling!)
The app is still missing features like shapes and clipping masks, but they’re meant to be released in the future.
I suggest to any digital ( and even traditional) artist to try Fresco as it could be a real game changer if supported adequately ( which I guess it will considering the subscription model).
As a Procreate user I was sceptical at first, mainly because of the previous crippled experiments of Adobe in the mobile art apps field and for the subscription model which I’m not a big fan of, but once I got to know the app ( pretty easy and intuitive to learn, good job there) I started loving it.
What makes it in my opinion better than Procreate is the brush engine: Kyle’s Photoshop brushes were already ahead of any competitor, and they work beautifully in Fresco, but what really blew me away are the live brushes. Never I thought I could experience on iPad such realistic brushes, they really look and react like the real medium ( the simulation of the watercolour is mind-boggling!)
The app is still missing features like shapes and clipping masks, but they’re meant to be released in the future.
I suggest to any digital ( and even traditional) artist to try Fresco as it could be a real game changer if supported adequately ( which I guess it will considering the subscription model).
Nonsense. There are still good developers out there making it work. Pixologic, for example, makes it work just fine. Bought ZBrush back in 2005, haven't paid for an upgrade since and they seem to be thriving. Don't confuse corporate greed with simply making a good product.
+1 for Affinity products. They make quality software.
Zen brush had one mandatory upgrade 7 months ago and then one 3 years ago.
All the developer’s focus now goes to Zen Brush 2. You did not pay for an update because there is no update. Comparing a hobby app with a pro app is not fair. Some people want constant huge new features and updates. Usually one time purchase apps start with a good base, a couple of years of small improvements and then abandoned. They might be in the App Store, but will only have minimal mandatory updates. That’s not what every professional wants.
That’s said, I still think Adobe’s pricing here is too much for an iPad app.
Apple does not allow developers to charge for updates. auto-renewing subscription is the only way we can pay our rent next year. Charging people for 3 or 4 years of support up front just isn't feasible. I found that out the hard way with an app I had released on the AppStore the day it opened. I agree this price is a bit high for the product. But I am about to release the same price for an app I'm releasing, and I've got actual potential users looking at the app and my price telling me I should charge more. Though, it's more of a B2B kind of product, so the numbers are usually a bit higher.
I'm also going to offer consumable purchases for 1-off uses of the app, mainly as a cheap price for potential customers determine whether they like the product without making any long-term commitments, but any mass market user of my app will appreciate the budget ability of a fixed rate per month so their costs can't balloon up with extra use.
they, like everyone else, are pushing their subscription model. Like some companies, including many of the big ones until very recently, they are also offering it as a one time purchase for many multiples of the monthly cost. I suspect those are a small fraction of their sales, and they could not stay afloat from that licensing model alone.
I already know this point and agree it is bit Apple's fault to have designed the AppStore that way and I hope it changes, it will be better for everyone. What I meant was, you build a product, charge it upfront and start working on the next sell-able update. And while you are at the next big update you certainly can patch bugs (means patch only bugs no feature and that too for 6 or 8-months or a year). If your next product is good enough people will buy again.
Now, with this, there will be....
'a' - kind of people who would not update and will be happy with what they have.
'b' - kind of people who would update alternatively, skipping 1 or 1 update (possibly me)
'c' - kind of people who would update at every major update.
BUT with such exorbitant price, I, a potential v1 user will not go for it at all.
And sorry if i'm bugging you....just wanted to get the point across and get yours.
Honestly I've sworn off Adobe's software at this point. As somebody who likes to draw but doesn't make my living off it, Adobe's software is too expensive, especially when there are more cost effective and better options. Even if Adobe was a pay once thing like back in the CS days, Affinity Suite is just so much nicer. I've been working a lot in Affinity Photo recently and while there are some funny quirks (you have to tell it you want pressure sensitivity on your Wacom... who buys a Wacom and doesn't want pressure sensitivity!?) You can get used to the different way that they do some things, it's insanely powerful. Also the ability to quickly and easily mask raster layers to vectors is a dream!
I'm working on a graphic novel project now, and I'm doing my inking in Procreate on my iPad Pro, and my colouring on Affinity Photo, and the work is far better than anything I ever did in Photoshop.
I'm working on a graphic novel project now, and I'm doing my inking in Procreate on my iPad Pro, and my colouring on Affinity Photo, and the work is far better than anything I ever did in Photoshop.
The fact that I need to pay $120 a year for this is the deal-breaker for me. Very bad marketing decision. If Fresco did have a powerful watercolor simulation as they had claimed, I'd consider. But the simulation is weak. It just doesn't look real at all. For anyone looking for a really powerful simulation of watercolors, get Rebelle 3 for the desktop instead. More versatile, cheaper and you own it. If you desperately need to paint on the iPad, get an Astropad app that connects your iPad with desktop mac.
And why not considering those on the photography plan pay more than those who pay for just Photoshop?
They do? The Photography plan is $9.99/month. Photoshop as a single app is $20.99/month, but with 100GB of CC storage, Adobe Fonts, Fresco, etc.
Hmm, ok, thanks for the correction. That's changed since I last looked. Maybe I saw some kind of promotion..
Zhenya, what cloud do you live in?
I've bought a lot of software in the last few years, specifically not a single subscription software was included (and I know many who do the same).
If you use a calculator, you'll immediately see that every subscription model is a fraud.
Therefore IMO your above statement is support of fraud.
Affinity has excellent sales figures because they don't try subscription scams.
[automerge]1569945318[/automerge]
Photoshop CS6 is still available (even after January 2019) as stand-alone. sHe who seeks is wise and finds.
And Fonts? You'll find 100000 free, what better fonts are the Adobe fonts?
Zhenya, probably you belong to Ad☺be Fresc☺ Marketing....
Last edited:
