Photoshop Turns 30, Updated With Dark Mode Support on Mac and Object Selection Tool on iPad

[ArtOfWarfare]

With so many decent non-subscription alternatives on the market now, I assume Adobe is staying alive due to their entrenched user base that's into their whole ecosystem and for whom it would be too expensive to switch. Hmmm ... maybe Adobe is modeling itself after Apple....

Apple doesn't charge monthly subscription fees to use their software... unless you're talking about their newer everything as a service business model, but apart from Apple Arcade, I think Apple is just copying their competitors, not being the first to try subscription fees.

And I get all those subscription fees - there's constantly new content available. It's charging subscription fees for software that receives new features infrequently that doesn't make any sense.

 

[buttongerald]

With so many decent non-subscription alternatives on the market now, I assume Adobe is staying alive due to their entrenched user base that's into their whole ecosystem and for whom it would be too expensive to switch. Hmmm ... maybe Adobe is modeling itself after Apple....

Uhh, what? No, Adobe is modelling itself after Adobe. They introduced the Creative Cloud subscription model 8 or so years ago.

And you can say what you want about the subscription, I know it is kind of a bummer to always have to pay and connect online at least once here or there to verify, but Adobe still rules the roost when it comes to design software.

Affinity have great applications no doubt, but they're not on the level of Photoshop or Illustrator yet and it will be many a moons before those two programs stop being the industry standard.

 

[CollinH]

I assume Adobe is staying alive due to their entrenched user base that's into their whole ecosystem and for whom it would be too expensive to switch.

As a design professional who is in precisely the situation you described, yes. Except the "expense" in switching lies for the most part in the time and hassle factor.

I have the Affinity app suite and would love nothing more than to leave Adobe on the side of the road, not only due to the cost difference but also to gain overall performance and capabilities from the newer technologies. But my clients' in-house work teams have file sharing expectations, plus there's the immense catalog of existing files, plus the simple workflow habits borne out of using a certain tool over a substantial period of time. All of which is to say the Titanic is difficult to turn quickly. I very clearly recall the awkward phase (which lasted for years) during which most all professional layout and design work migrated from Quark to InDesign. Defacto industry standards don't get rewritten overnight.

I for one am trying when I can, especially on smaller projects or when the above issues aren't a factor. Regardless, I'm stuck with a CC subscription for the foreseeable—and Adobe knows it.

 

[hailey bee]

I ditched Photoshop after Apple killed CS6 with 64-bit-only apps in Catalina.

Wouldn't pay for a subscription to a closed-source bloated monster polluting OS with multitude of Adob* demons.

 

[MacGizmo]

How about a proper full-screen mode that doesn't mess up the entire window management on the Mac every time you use anything else but photoshop?

Amen! Adobe's resistance to built-in OS functionality is mind-boggling. It's not like Full-Screen mode is something new to the macOS.

And quite frankly, the "dark mode" they added really only applies to dialog boxes... which use the macOS dark mode colors... which do not match Adobe's built-in dark mode UI. Heck, the item highlight color of drop-down menus of tools doesn't even match the highlight color of the main menubar drop-downs.

Unbelievable.

If it wasn't for CMYK support I would just use GIMP. I can't stand Adobe anymore.

Affinity's suite of apps supports Pantone and CMYK color spaces.

 

[kaycrystal626]

Dark Mode? Isn't Photoshop CS always has dark grey theme already!

 

[Victor Mortimer]

The only thing that I really want from Adobe is Lightroom since there are no great alternatives. RawTherapee and Darktable are fine but UI needs improvements.

On the other hand, I use Affinity Photo and Designer. Not going to Photoshop or Illustrator anytime soon.

There's a GREAT alternative to Lightroom, and it still works in macOS 10.15 with a little help:

Releases · cormiertyshawn895/Retroactive

Retroactive has been discontinued. You should transition from Retroactive to supported apps such as Music, iTunes for Windows, iMazing, Photos, Darktable, Lightroom Classic, and DaVinci Resolve. - ...

github.com

[automerge]1582131911[/automerge]

Dark Mode? Isn't Photoshop CS always has dark grey theme already!

Yeah, that's what I'm not understanding. The first thing you have to do when installing it is fix the idiotic dark mode.

The second thing is dragging all the tools out of that idiotic window that wants to pretend it's running on Windoze 95.

 

[mannyvel]

Amen! Adobe's resistance to built-in OS functionality is mind-boggling. It's not like Full-Screen mode is something new to the macOS.

If I remember correctly, Adobe went to a single-codebase design a really long time ago, and only plugins used native stuff. Adobe will probably never use a native API, since they've already implemented so much stuff in their own code.

 

[Defthand]

Guess I’ll continue on with CS6 which is still working great.

Impressive. Which OS version are you running it on?

 

[rp2011]

I hate paying for monthly fees as much as anyone, but i think all the non subscription apps want to lull you and make you feel comfortable as you become dependent on them before they lunge that razor sharp dagger into your complacent naive backs.

 

[aaronhead14]

Hey Adobe, this 30th year anniversary would make a good time to release a non-subscription version of Photoshop. Just sayin.

 

[macduke]

Wow. It seems like it wasn't very long ago when Photoshop turned 20 and that seemed amazing at the time. Where has the time gone?

 

[fmcshan]

Dark mode is a welcome addition to Photoshop but I wish we got this feature when macOS Mojave was first introduced almost two years ago.

 

[Morgenland]

Still no pay once version?

Guess I’ll continue on with CS6 which is still working great.

What are the best pay once alternatives?

CS6 Standalone denies to work under Catalina.
It was my daily used program.

I angrily deleted it, didn't let myself be re-educated to a subscription idiot, and was amazed not to miss it at all since then. I enjoy Affinity.
[automerge]1582140707[/automerge]

Wow, time flies like a rainbow-colored spinning beach ball. I started using PS1 in college, and have used every version of photoshop since 1988. I'm not a big fan of the subscription model, but I understand why they did it. For what I do, there really is no alternative.

The next big tool addition should be A.I. enhanced interpretation integration: "I see you are selecting the gray background and making a mask, would you like me to do that for you?" Why yes I would. And while you are at it, do this entire folder full of images.

Do you really think that Adobe can still work out something like that? The time will come when even loyal followers will realize how their wallets are emptied, obviously not to feed good programmers.
Admittedly: whoever creates Dark Mode can surely perform similar miracles...

 

[Morgenland]

I hate paying for monthly fees as much as anyone, but i think all the non subscription apps want to lull you and make you feel comfortable as you become dependent on them before they lunge that razor sharp dagger into your complacent naive backs.

Strange naive fantasy.
The fact is that old Adobe has become too big and has to feed too many employees and prospects, and is therefore forced to exploit its customers. A new company would be more careful, because non-subscription models are becoming more and more attractive to young and new customers.
At some point, everyone determines the annual expenditure, and wakes up.

 

[827538]

Impressive. Which OS version are you running it on?

I just realized it doesn't work anymore, I use it so infrequently these days.
[automerge]1582145074[/automerge]

CS6 Standalone denies to work under Catalina.
It was my daily used program.

I angrily deleted it, didn't let myself be re-educated to a subscription idiot, and was amazed not to miss it at all since then. I enjoy Affinity.
[automerge]1582140707[/automerge]


Do you really think that Adobe can still work out something like that? The time will come when even loyal followers will realize how their wallets are emptied, obviously not to feed good programmers.
Admittedly: whoever creates Dark Mode can surely perform similar miracles...

I think I'll get Affinity, looks good!
[automerge]1582145084[/automerge]

I believe the most popular options are Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher, all by Serif.

Look here: https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

Thanks!

 

[rp2011]

Strange naive fantasy.
The fact is that old Adobe has become too big and has to feed too many employees and prospects, and is therefore forced to exploit its customers. A new company would be more careful, because non-subscription models are becoming more and more attractive to young and new customers.
At some point, everyone determines the annual expenditure, and wakes up.

well let’s hope you’re right, but Darkroom already announced their subscription only model switch.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-to-subscription-model-for-new-users.2223240/

 

[gugy]

I know a lot of people love to bash Adobe. Sure they can do better but I love Photoshop and After Effects. Right now my gripe is that they should optimize it for multiple cores.
That said, yes it would be nice to to have a purchase option but overall the master subscription, I don't think its a bad value if you consider all the apps and Adobe Portfolio that saved me at least $240p/y from Squarespace.

 

[krell100]

If you can just fix all the annoying bugs please Adobe.

 

[rp2011]

I know a lot of people love to bash Adobe. Sure they can do better but I love Photoshop and After Effects. Right now my gripe is that they should optimize it for multiple cores.
That said, yes it would be nice to to have a purchase option but overall the master subscription, I don't think its a bad value if you consider all the apps and Adobe Portfolio that saved me at least $240p/y from Squarespace.

Access to a nice bundle of quality apps through their subscription. If it was anyone else but Adobe, a company that’s been around for 30 years and their library of professional apps, I would probably balk at the model. But I think it’s viable for all that you get.

 

[rembert]

Comparing Photoshop to Affinity Photo is a joke. If you're using this as a professional tool, photoshop is like 1000x more complex and powerful than Affinity Photo. It's like paint on steroids, photoshop is still way ahead.

Could be. I have been using Photoshop for ages as my professional tool to do part of my work. I switched to Affinity and hey, I can still do my job and I do have more fun in doing so - ever tried switching between Affinity Photo and Designer and back again with the same file, that's nothing short from being miraculous.

Besides, my bankaccount benefits here as well. Guess I don't need that 1000x more complexity Photoshop is said to offer.

 

[gugy]

Could be. I have been using Photoshop for ages as my professional tool to do part of my work. I switched to Affinity and hey, I can still do my job and I do have more fun in doing so - ever tried switching between Affinity Photo and Designer and back again with the same file, that's nothing short from being miraculous.

Besides, my bankaccount benefits here as well. Guess I don't need that 1000x more complexity Photoshop is said to offer.

Affinity is a nice app. The only problem is if you have to exchange files with clients/companies then it is a deal breaker. The industry is heavily dependent on Adobe. For me is impossible to jump since the entertainment/motion graphics/design industries are all Adobe based.

 

[carl76tr]

If you’re looking for a Lightroom alternative, consider Capture One. It’s not perfect, but it’s no more flawed than Lightroom.

I’d like to move from LR to Capture One, but does it support HEIC yet? Last I checked, it didn’t.

 

[rawweb]

Congrats Ps! Looks like brother Ae is 27 and cousin Pr is sweet 16. The coding is probably just as old. Maybe when they each hit 30 they'll introduce better GPU, Multi-core and competitive Metal support.

 

[ErikGrim]

There's a GREAT alternative to Lightroom, and it still works in macOS 10.15 with a little help:

Releases · cormiertyshawn895/Retroactive

Retroactive has been discontinued. You should transition from Retroactive to supported apps such as Music, iTunes for Windows, iMazing, Photos, Darktable, Lightroom Classic, and DaVinci Resolve. - ...

github.com

[automerge]1582131911[/automerge]


Yeah, that's what I'm not understanding. The first thing you have to do when installing it is fix the idiotic dark mode.

The second thing is dragging all the tools out of that idiotic window that wants to pretend it's running on Windoze 95.

Introducing Single Window UI to the Mac was the first sign that Adobe was going down the drain UI-wise.