To cloud or not to cloud?
No longer the question anymore, as Adobe Creative Cloud Suite on DVD or disc does not exist.
Is this a bad thing? Should you sign up to the Adobe Create Cloud?
Those are the real questions today when looking to get the best software for creative design.
Adobe Photoshop and Premier have long been the leader when it comes to creative tools. Whether you are a professional graphic designer, photographer or the occasional photoshop hobbyist.
Adobe is not about to give up their title of being the #1 choice for many professionals.
The new cloud-based platform appears to be the key to maintaining their status as a leading company in the field of digital creative tools.
Check out the following video for a better description of how it works.
I still use my old DVD based Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 7.0. They still work well but they are showing their age when it comes to formatting in newer video versions and sharing on social media is hit and miss.
Key Advantages to Cloud-Based Suite
- Instant software updates and ability to download new apps as they are released
- Cross Platform integration, an example is you can start creating on your smartphone and finish the fine details on your desktop.
- Live sharing of tasks with a team
- Integration with Behance leading creative community
- Access to Adobe Portfolio where you can create a website to share your work.
I used to like having a DVD format but now with the cloud-based suite offering such more range and various plans it is no wonder the DVD was eliminated. With the DVD platform, we only had a couple of choices that would be costing 1000s of dollars up front to purchase.
Many times you would get applications with a set that you never needed or used.
Creative Cloud suites are broken down for specific users. Then various monthly plans are categorized on users different requirements.
The 4 Categories
- Individuals
- Business
- Students and Teachers
- Schools and Universities
Break Down of the 4 Categories
Black Friday Deal Through to Nov 25, 2016
Now $10 off / month for the All Apps and All Apps + Stock Image yearly plans
Individual Plans
- Photography 9.99/month US$ -Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC, includes portfolio website
- Single App 19.99/month US$ – Pick the App of your choice -Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Muse, Dreamweaver, Animate, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition or InCopy, includes portfolio website and 20G storage
- All Apps (Most Popular) 49.99/month US$ – The full collection of over 20 apps for desktop and mobile, including Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC, portfolio website, 20G cloud storage and premium fonts.
- All Apps and Adobe Stock 79.98/month US$ – Full collection of 20+ creative apps, 10 free Adobe Stock images /month (first month free along with the 10 free images) You cancel risk-free within the first month.
Business Plans
- All Apps 69.99 / month US$ (per license)– Full collection of 20+ creative apps, team website, premium fonts with up to 100G of cloud storage, dedicated 24/7 support
- Single App 29.99 / month US$ (per license)– Choose the app of your choice, team website, premium fonts and up to 100G storage
Students and Teachers
- Photography 9.99 /month US$ – Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC, includes portfolio website -requires institutional affiliation
- All Apps 19.99/ month US$ (promotion plan 1st year for new members, plan saves at least 60%)-Full collection of 20+ creative apps, portfolio website, premium fonts and 20G cloud storage- requires institutional affiliation
Schools and Universities
- All Apps-34.99 / month US$ per user, for small workgroups and departments – Full collection of 20+ creative apps, central console to manage license, up to 100G cloud storage, 24/7 tech support and 1:1 experts – requires institutional affiliation
- Single App 14.99 / month US$ per user, for small workgroups and departments – Choose the app of your choice, central console to manage license, up to 100G cloud storage, 24/7 tech support and 1:1 experts – requires institutional affiliation
- All Apps 299.88/year US$ per device, for classrooms and labs – Full collection of 20+ creative apps -contact 800-685-3638 to order Device License plans
- Single App 155.88/ year US$ per device, for classrooms and labs – Full collection of 20+ creative apps -contact 800-685-3638 to order Device License plans
Take Note Of Theses Deals
Add Adobe Stock to any Creative Cloud Plan and you get 10 free images
Free 30 day trials
Free Apps /free download apps to use with Creative Cloud
1000s of tutorials and access to a community of Adobe Cloud users.
My Review Score
9 / 10
There is not a competitor that I know of that has all these tools available that seamlessly integrate together so well. I would give it a 10 but I still would like to see the price to be lower for both the use of the Adobe Cloud Platform and the stock images. The stock images still seem quite expensive and out of my price range as an independent blogger. I still prefer to pay $99/ year for unlimited downloads at GraphicStock.
Let me know what you think and leave a comment below. Remember sharing is caring, why not click on one of the social icons on the left and share with your friends.
Cheers
Paul
Hello from Paul and Brenda
Hey guys,
I think there is no choice but to use the cloud especially with respect to getting updates when they become available. Product support is very important these days and keeping updated with the latest formats is crucial.
I like the benefits of cross platform integration. This would be pretty useful for me since I tend to do a lot of work from home too, as well as spending days in my office.
DVD’s are definitely on the way out.
Hey Craig,
The benefits of having Adobe products as a cloud based platform are to numerous to mention. The on the go updates and the cross platform integration are probably the most important. Having the ability to start a project on your phone, then continue on a tablet or desktop computer is the only way to go theses days.
Cheers
Paul
With technology advancing and taking over, I think this was a great move by Adobe to move their platform to a cloud based service. I really enjoyed your opinion on the topic and thorough review. I never have really found a reason to purchase Adobe Photoshop or Premier but definitely am glad I don’t have to buy a disk now if I want it. Thanks for an awesome review!
Your interest is appreciated. I agree with the move to cloud based services. I like the integration I get with Google apps, being able to sync all my devices. I found the integration was just as good with Adobe Creative Cloud when I used the free trial. I may end up putting my DVD disk version onto the shelf and take advantage of the Black Friday deal with up to 20% off.
Cheers
Paul
I’m on old hand at using Adobe Photoshop, so I got used to the CS versions right up to Photoshop CS5. They were very, very good. They installed on my computer and all I had to do to edit my photos was to attach my DSLR camera and everything worked fine.
I have tried Photoshop CC and absolutely hated it! It’ll be great if you’ve got super-fast optic fibre broadband. But with a basic broadband connection, it takes ages to do the various steps in image processing.
Oh, and I think Adobe charge too much. I understand why they no longer offer disk versions of their software, but this cloud thing is just too slow for me.
Having a slow internet connection can be a big disadvantage when using a cloud based service. In most cases it just means having to reorganize how you do your work or it may be a way that Adobe is promoting the use of their already available online library of stock images. I feel that as with anything with added advantages there will always be some disadvantages compared to old versions. I believe that the advantages do outweigh the disadvantages of cloud based services. The Adobe stock images are priced out of my budget range and that is why I use GraphicStock.
Aside from blogging, I am planning to do photo editing for offline customers here in my place. They are asking me if I can take photos of them, for personal and business purposes, for a fee. It is the reason I am considering getting Adobe Photoshop software.
One thing that intimidate me is, I don’t have formal training related to this. Do these software come with manuals and instructional stuff so I can learn them all by myself?
Your blog post has been bookmarked for future reference. Thanks for sharing.
If you have never used any Adobe graphic design software before, there will be a learning curve. I too, never had any formal training but once you figure out the basic tools and keyboard shortcuts it really becomes second nature to use.
Adobe Creative Cloud site has loads of tutorials here. They are specifically categorized for beginners or experienced.
I wish you the best of success with your work from home business.
I would love to hear how you are coming along, so thank you for bookmarking this site. I hope to hear back from you in the near future.
Cheers
Paul
Hello Paul
I have an interest in learning how to do Photoshop especially through Adobe. How easy is it to learn without any background knowledge in this industry. I have realized you can make some good cash online with Photoshop skills as a freelancer
Or if not adobe which other software can make this process easy? Hope I am not demanding too much
Thanks
The hardest part is getting to understand where to access the tools. You can customize your tools in a way that you only see the ones you use the most. You play with it a bit you will understand where and why Adobe places tools in particular areas you will know exactly where to find a specific tool. They also have many keyboard shortcuts that come in considerably handy. You can find tutorials on their site, they have a member forum that you can access…and of curse the internet is full of tutorials for any specific task you want to do.
It is all doable without a formal education.
Another option for software that is free is GIMP. The available tools and layout is quite similar to Adobe Photoshop. Obviously the integration to other Adobe applications like Adobe Lightroom, illustrator and such are not there.
Best of success
Paul
Adobe Creative Cloud is great! I have the all apps plan for $49.99 a month. I only use about 4 of the apps but it is well worth the price.
If you take the time to learn how to use the apps then it is worth it to not have to pay and wait for a designer every time you want an image or anything.
InDesign is my favorite for creating print materials!
Cool to see an actual user of Adobe Creative Cloud comment on the product. Getting the all App plan is the best value, even if you don’t use them all.
It is so rewarding to create your own graphic content and the tools from Adobe are some of the best out there.
Adobe does have a Stock Image plan as well but I prefer to use a cheaper service through GraphicStock using their Promo Code
Cheers and keep on creating
Paul
Hi Paul,
I haven’t used Photoshop since the 1990’s, when it was on DVD, so haven’t had any recent experience.
They have always had an awesome reputation, and like most software these days, is all online.
$9.99 a month is very cheap, and if you are a creative person, you certainly need to look at this Suite.
Thanks for the info.
Cheers
Adobe does have a great reputation. Even with so many other options online today Adobe is able to maintain a strong lead in providing a robust system for the hobbyist to the professional. An Adobe cloud suite starting at amazing prices. Well worth to give it a try.
Cheers
Paul