That was our topic yesterday on “The Grid” in response a Petapixel.com article titled: “Adobe, This is Why Photographers Are Hating On You.”
I’ve embedded the episode (below); Not a lot of visuals, so you can just let it play in the background if you like, but we covered some interesting points.
Have a great Thursday everybody!
-Scott
Adobe is consistently crashing and the design is based on old computer systems. At the same time Adobe wants to steal from you with subscriptions. NO THANKS! I am very happy with adobes replacement such as capture pro, affinity photo, Davinci and the list goes on. never pay for subscriptions people. Its always better to purchase a one time license. because the next update isn’t alway worth the renewal fee, and you save money.
Hi guys, this is Adam Marsh, the author of the article “Adobe, This is Why Photographers Are Hating on You”
I’m happy to debate this in further detail as there’s obviously not a lot of room for depth & breadth in a blogpost like that.
My experiences with Adobe started out great, and over time, became a severe annoyance. My experience with this isn’t unique.
There are of course many other positive aspects of what Adobe is currently doing with their subscription model. I can log into the computer and Creative Cloud tells me there is an update available for Lightroom for example, click update. While that is happening I can read about the new cool aspects or features of the latest release, lets say the Texture slider, while the product is updating then immediately try it out. I am constantly current with the latest features or enhancements. I do not have to read about the features, visit the Adobe site and try to figure out when I can part with the $140 upgrade cost (or whatever it is).
Another really cools thing is I can install both Lightroom and Photoshop on two computers in the home. Now the cost is $5.00 per month for both products! My wife and I both love photography. Both products are installed on both hers and my computers. Two industry standard applications on each computer for $5.00 for each computer per month. That is amazing! Now, I do more post processing than she does, but that is not the point. Both products are available on each computer.
Also, with the subscriptions, we can use both Portfolio and Spark (granted in their basic configurations), two wonderful tools to create online presentation platforms. Granted, basic, but really cool none-the-less.
Two industry standard programs for photography, installed on two PCs each, two great presentation platforms (I have not looked at Behance yet) for $10 a month or one trip for two to Statbucks, or half the cost of a visit to a fast food shop for two, or half the cost of a visit to a movie theater or less than the cost of my Netflix monthly change. And I am always current with the very latest release for both applications. Not a bad deal at all actually.
So let those who complain about Adobe moan if they wish. But, when did Adobe ever have to claim that LightRoom was as good as, oh, name some other application?
Adobe also likes the subscription model because it steadies the cash flow and eliminates many of the peaks and valleys in their revenue streams, and as a user and as (very minor) shareholder that is good. In the grand scheme of my life, Adobe subscription pricing is probably at the bottom of my list of problems. I agree that the high dollar suite pricing was not sustainable.
Plenty of other options to fit budget and philosophical bents of users.
I’m not an Adobe hater, but I do have concerns about the future of a subscription model offered by a pseudo monopoly. It’s not a matter of if end users will experience difficulties, but when. It’s only human nature for such entities to end up out over their skis at some point. I haven’t seen any evidence that Adobe has reached pure perfection and is immune from vulnerabilities of human frailty. We are already seeing the Adobe executives and their crack marketing department making decisions that needlessly muddy the waters that offer up the environment for articles like the one linked from Petapixel to be written.
If there is misunderstanding, confusion and yes, even ‘hate’ in some corners of the market place, Adobe does have at least some responsibility for these negative aspects occurring.
I never quite “get” the folks complaining about the annual pricing model. From a business perspective, I now budget for the suite as part of my OPEX, instead of how I used to – as CAPEX. Also, with the continuous updates, I am certain I always have (close to) the latest version(*). Finally, the subscription price is less expensive (SUBSTANTIALLY!) then buying the individual licenses for all the programs I use, esp. when updating annually (which I used to.)