No More Creative Suite After CS6
Adobe has just announced that Creative Suite will cease to exist after CS6 (in name at least), and be replaced exclusively by Creative Cloud. On its most basic level, that means there won’t be perpetual licenses for future Adobe products (though, for now, you’ll still be able to buy CS6 in that format) and instead all of their Creative Cloud software will be available by subscription only.
Adobe Systems said today that it will not release new versions of its Creative Suite software package. Instead, the maker of Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat, is shifting focus to Creative Cloud, which makes its software available through a monthly subscription that starts at US$50 for an individual if they sign up for at least a year.
Adobe is the latest traditional software company to make a big bet on the cloud-based subscription model pioneered by companies such as Salesforce.com, NetSuite and Google.
What will the Cloud cost you?
The price is probably the most common complaint I’ve been hearing. But if we break it down into long-term costs for the subscription compared to the cost of the perpetual licenses, the subscription actually comes out on top.
A new (not upgraded) license for Creative Suite 6 Master Collection is US$2,600. An upgrade license will cost you anywhere from $550 (if you already had the CS5.5 Master Collection) to over $1,000 (if you had any of the other CS5 or 5.5 products). Adobe has historically offered major upgrades every 18 months or so, which means the monthly breakdown is between $30 and $58 per month. And if you have to buy the entire Creative Suite new, then you’re looking at a cost of over $144/month for 18 months.
Adobe is offering CC subscriptions for new users for $50/month, and for “upgrade” users for just $30/month for the first year (and CS6 users will get an even steeper discount for the first year). The other big advantage is that you won’t have to fork over a large payment up front. This makes it much more affordable for new designers or small agencies, and will obviously reduce start-up costs for new freelancers or agencies. This could encourage a lot of great designers to strike out on their own.
A team version of Creative Cloud includes everything individual members receive plus 100GB of storage and centralized deployment and administration capabilities. Creative Cloud for teams is priced at $69.99 per month per seat. Existing customers, who own a volume license of CS3 or later, get their first year of Creative Cloud for teams at the discounted rate of $39.99 per month per seat if they sign up before the end of August 2013.
What good can come out of this?
What’s surely cool is that now the service integrates Behance, the world’s leading online creative community, but also and more importantly the update to Creative Cloud includes Adobe’s next generation desktop applications including Adobe Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC,Dreamweaver CC, Premiere Pro CC and After Effects CC. Adobe’s desktop tools, previously known as Creative Suite (CS), are now branded CC to reflect that they are an integral part of Creative Cloud and have been reinvented to support a more intuitive, connected way of creating. It also seems that the new versions of Premiere Pro and After Effects support OpenCL!
It means that the software will be able to render videos much faster when using third-party effects and this can geatly improve your experience with Premiere Pro if you own an ATI card. Many Macs feature Radeon video cards, so this is a very much welcomed update!
The verdict?
While transitioning to the cloud is going to be an unwelcome change for some designers and other creatives, overall, I think it’s good news for the industry and for creative pros. You’ll have access to more programs and more features for less money. And you’ll get updates on a more consistent basis, without added cost.
While I’m sure we’ll continue to hear complaints from some sectors of the design community, overall I think most creatives will embrace CC once they give it a chance.
Sources: Webdesigner Depot, MotionVFX
