Adobe price changes in January

[Thin_Ice]

Hello,

i am running creatieve cloud on an old MacBook for 3 years now (Lightroom + Photoshop).

I also use an iPad Pro with the mobile version, but am disappointed that this works only with low resolution copy’s. The iPad route is not OK.

i am mainly an analog shooter and use photoshop for negative conversion and Lightroom for tweaking my digitised positive analog images. I am a very basic user (4x/month 2 hours, 12 images?).

The subscription price is ridicolous for this usage.

Last month, my Lightroom classic stoppend syncing to the cloud and needed an update. The update is impossible due to the old OS on the Mac.

Summarised they want me to buy a new computer and rise the subscription, for editing 12 images a month?

2000€/ 4years laptop depreciation =500€/year

subscription 15€/ month (or 18€?). X12 months = 180€/year

this gives a cost of 4,72€/ image @ 12 images/month

hey Adobe….. Darkroom wet prints bedome cheap compared to your rates including hidden costs.



when you factor in the annual depreciation of your digital camera, the cost/ keeper image for a hobbyist becomes even more ridicoulous.

Steven

 

[Zeee]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

It would be useless after I got the next camera release. Something I experienced within a year of owning a perpetual licence software.

Only the Develop and Map modules are disabled. My edits are there forever for me to export, I can still use the DAM and I get some cloud storage space for life.

Before subscribing I thought about the future. If I ever decide to quit that means I don’t want to use it anymore. I’ll get another developer and continue from there.

 

[Zeee]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Yes, of course, thats how subsciptions work isn't it. You pay for Netflix then when you stop watching they give you your money back. You pay for a monthly magazine then, as long as you return all the back copies they give you your mony back. Got a car on contract hire? What a bargain. Use it for three years and give it back and they give you your money back.

I've never been able to understand why people think software is any different to any other asset you pay to use.

When I use cellphone, a telecom company has to build infrastructure capable to serve all users. More users, more investments.

When you want to stream video to all your users You need capable servers - more powerful if you have more users.

When You produce software - there is no cost difference if you sell it to one user or one million users.

Except for all the R&D that went into LrC since LR6. By LrC 8 I knew I could never go back to 6. Version 14 is something else. I have saved hundreds every year by using Portfolio and stopped buying/updating 3rd party apps.

Not sure what the point about this part of the conversation. It’s be rehashed multiple times. If someone does not like how the subscription model works and think it’s a rip off then don’t get it. No one is forcing anyone into anything. I do that with other companies.

Hence comparing software - which is a product that can be manufactured in whatever volume without additional cost - should not be compared to anything that requires investments to serve many clients.

 

[Zeee]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

Except they become useless when a new camera is released. I have older versions of perpetual software I cannot use.

If you don’t like how subscription works it is pretty simple. Don’t get it. I stopped using other companies because I disliked their business models.

Adobe is not for you. Never get it because you will be sorry.

 

[Zeee]

Hello,

i am running creatieve cloud on an old MacBook for 3 years now (Lightroom + Photoshop).

I also use an iPad Pro with the mobile version, but am disappointed that this works only with low resolution copy’s. The iPad route is not OK.

i am mainly an analog shooter and use photoshop for negative conversion and Lightroom for tweaking my digitised positive analog images. I am a very basic user (4x/month 2 hours, 12 images?).

The subscription price is ridicolous for this usage.

Last month, my Lightroom classic stoppend syncing to the cloud and needed an update. The update is impossible due to the old OS on the Mac.

Summarised they want me to buy a new computer and rise the subscription, for editing 12 images a month?

2000€/ 4years laptop depreciation =500€/year

subscription 15€/ month (or 18€?). X12 months = 180€/year

this gives a cost of 4,72€/ image @ 12 images/month

hey Adobe….. Darkroom wet prints bedome cheap compared to your rates including hidden costs.

when you factor in the annual depreciation of your digital camera, the cost/ keeper image for a hobbyist becomes even more ridicoulous.

Steven

You should get rid of it and never use it again. Ever!

 

[hectorsm]

From their FAQ it says:

Why is the price of my photography plan (20GB) changing?

We are committed to continually improving our plans to meet the needs of all creative users, from enthusiasts to professionals. The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan has embraced the latest advancements in digital imaging and continues to be a powerful solution for editing, organizing, storing, and sharing images for anyone interested in photography.

Since its launch over a decade ago, the Photography plan (20GB) has maintained its competitive pricing, all the while expanding to include highly sought-after apps like Lightroom for mobile, Photoshop for iPad and the web, among others.

Recent additions to your membership include tools capabilities like Select Subject, Remove Background, and the Contextual Task Bar in Photoshop and Lens Blur, Denoise, and hundreds of Premium Presets in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. In addition, we are committed to supporting photographers and continuing to innovate across our platform, including Lightroom Classic.

I don’t quite understand their argumentation. Wasn’t their argument to introduce the subscription plan that it would allow them to finance new developments? And now they say, to finance it, we need to ask 50% more? Did they forget that people were already paying every month for 10 years? If subscription was not covering their costs of new developments, then what would be the advantage over a perceptual license?

Yea, that's not a clear answer to the question. It's more of a PR response. They're basically saying, "we want to increase the monthly prices plan because we believe our software got better".

Adobe's revenues have been skyrocketing over recent years, so it's not like they need more money to pay for their developers, regardless of inflation. The real answer would have been something like "we increased the monthly prices simply because we can". But that will bother some people, so they felt the need to give the above PR response.

 

[Reilly Diefenbach]

Dated 2024/12/15

https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/12/15/all-new-photography-innovations-pricing-updates

Paid the year in advance for $120. Thanks, Adobe, for keeping the exact same price as ten years ago.

I don't want to hear anybody's sob story. Do your research!

 

[Reilly Diefenbach]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

Except they become useless when a new camera is released. I have older versions of perpetual software I cannot use.

If you don’t like how subscription works it is pretty simple. Don’t get it. I stopped using other companies because I disliked their business models.

Adobe is not for you. Never get it because you will be sorry.

A number of posters have been slagging Adobe for many years now. I very much doubt he has a subscription.

 

[Marcin 3M]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Yes, of course, thats how subsciptions work isn't it. You pay for Netflix then when you stop watching they give you your money back. You pay for a monthly magazine then, as long as you return all the back copies they give you your mony back. Got a car on contract hire? What a bargain. Use it for three years and give it back and they give you your money back.

I've never been able to understand why people think software is any different to any other asset you pay to use.

When I use cellphone, a telecom company has to build infrastructure capable to serve all users. More users, more investments.

When you want to stream video to all your users You need capable servers - more powerful if you have more users.

When You produce software - there is no cost difference if you sell it to one user or one million users.

Except for all the R&D that went into LrC since LR6. By LrC 8 I knew I could never go back to 6. Version 14 is something else. I have saved hundreds every year by using Portfolio and stopped buying/updating 3rd party apps.

Not sure what the point about this part of the conversation. It’s be rehashed multiple times. If someone does not like how the subscription model works and think it’s a rip off then don’t get it. No one is forcing anyone into anything. I do that with other companies.

Great that a new car model does not require R&D. No crash tests, no other destructive testing Should they charge endlessly for its ability to move?

And ASIC circuits in a new TV set or a new monitor or whatever...

And both car and TV uses software.

Luckily we don't have to pay lifelong fee for a medicine we took to cure a flu... But considering "new businesses model" who knows?

Hence comparing software - which is a product that can be manufactured in whatever volume without additional cost - should not be compared to anything that requires investments to serve many clients.

 

[Zeee]

From their FAQ it says:

Why is the price of my photography plan (20GB) changing?

We are committed to continually improving our plans to meet the needs of all creative users, from enthusiasts to professionals. The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan has embraced the latest advancements in digital imaging and continues to be a powerful solution for editing, organizing, storing, and sharing images for anyone interested in photography.

Since its launch over a decade ago, the Photography plan (20GB) has maintained its competitive pricing, all the while expanding to include highly sought-after apps like Lightroom for mobile, Photoshop for iPad and the web, among others.

Recent additions to your membership include tools capabilities like Select Subject, Remove Background, and the Contextual Task Bar in Photoshop and Lens Blur, Denoise, and hundreds of Premium Presets in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. In addition, we are committed to supporting photographers and continuing to innovate across our platform, including Lightroom Classic.

I don’t quite understand their argumentation. Wasn’t their argument to introduce the subscription plan that it would allow them to finance new developments? And now they say, to finance it, we need to ask 50% more? Did they forget that people were already paying every month for 10 years? If subscription was not covering their costs of new developments, then what would be the advantage over a perceptual license?

Yea, that's not a clear answer to the question. It's more of a PR response. They're basically saying, "we want to increase the monthly prices plan because we believe our software got better".

Adobe's revenues have been skyrocketing over recent years, so it's not like they need more money to pay for their developers, regardless of inflation. The real answer would have been something like "we increased the monthly prices simply because we can". But that will bother some people, so they felt the need to give the above PR response.

Again a slight misunderstanding about how business works. It's not about what they need. It is what stakeholders which incudes stockholders expect. To make as much money as you can and if you have great year it does not matter. You have to do better next year.

Do you really think DXO, C1Pro, ON1, Topaz, etc are out there for you? Topaz broke its promise about free lifetime upgrades/updates. If they had of continued to do that they may have dine under. Every company has to make business decisions.

If someone thinks Adobe is too rich and charges too much should not be using it.

 

[Zeee]

Thread started out pretty good. Going over the changes which is really a nothing burger for current costumers. No price increases if you opt for one time payment. I'm sure it will inconvenient for some but that is life. Find something else if you need to. We've made all types of adjustments to counter the recent inflation pricing. If one day I can't afford $120 a year for my favourite hobby then I'll go back to Canon's DPP.

It did drag out the same old boring Adobe being sued, disabling the Develop if you stop paying and so on. Heard it all before. If you don't like it don't get it or ever use it.

 

[Thin_Ice]

Hello,

i am running creatieve cloud on an old MacBook for 3 years now (Lightroom + Photoshop).

I also use an iPad Pro with the mobile version, but am disappointed that this works only with low resolution copy’s. The iPad route is not OK.

i am mainly an analog shooter and use photoshop for negative conversion and Lightroom for tweaking my digitised positive analog images. I am a very basic user (4x/month 2 hours, 12 images?).

The subscription price is ridicolous for this usage.

Last month, my Lightroom classic stoppend syncing to the cloud and needed an update. The update is impossible due to the old OS on the Mac.

Summarised they want me to buy a new computer and rise the subscription, for editing 12 images a month?

2000€/ 4years laptop depreciation =500€/year

subscription 15€/ month (or 18€?). X12 months = 180€/year

this gives a cost of 4,72€/ image @ 12 images/month

hey Adobe….. Darkroom wet prints bedome cheap compared to your rates including hidden costs.

when you factor in the annual depreciation of your digital camera, the cost/ keeper image for a hobbyist becomes even more ridicoulous.

Steven

You should get rid of it and never use it again. Ever!

I will get rid of it. I already was looking for alternatives before the price rise and have used digicam and affinity before.

Steven

 

[Zeee]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

Except they become useless when a new camera is released. I have older versions of perpetual software I cannot use.

If you don’t like how subscription works it is pretty simple. Don’t get it. I stopped using other companies because I disliked their business models.

Adobe is not for you. Never get it because you will be sorry.

A number of posters have been slagging Adobe for many years now. I very much doubt he has a subscription.

As I said before and I'm selecting anyone specific. This news was just not juicy enough to press the "I told you so" button. Even if there had been an increase, which I have expected, it has been 8 years for me. If you go back to the origins of subscription it's from 2013 which was $10. This thread won't hit 150 fast enough. :-D

 

[Zeee]

Hello,

i am running creatieve cloud on an old MacBook for 3 years now (Lightroom + Photoshop).

I also use an iPad Pro with the mobile version, but am disappointed that this works only with low resolution copy’s. The iPad route is not OK.

i am mainly an analog shooter and use photoshop for negative conversion and Lightroom for tweaking my digitised positive analog images. I am a very basic user (4x/month 2 hours, 12 images?).

The subscription price is ridicolous for this usage.

Last month, my Lightroom classic stoppend syncing to the cloud and needed an update. The update is impossible due to the old OS on the Mac.

Summarised they want me to buy a new computer and rise the subscription, for editing 12 images a month?

2000€/ 4years laptop depreciation =500€/year

subscription 15€/ month (or 18€?). X12 months = 180€/year

this gives a cost of 4,72€/ image @ 12 images/month

hey Adobe….. Darkroom wet prints bedome cheap compared to your rates including hidden costs.

when you factor in the annual depreciation of your digital camera, the cost/ keeper image for a hobbyist becomes even more ridicoulous.

Steven

You should get rid of it and never use it again. Ever!

I will get rid of it. I already was looking for alternatives before the price rise and have used digicam and affinity before.

Then you will be making a good decision based on your requirements. Good luck.

Steven

 

[Marcin 3M]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

Except they become useless when a new camera is released. I have older versions of perpetual software I cannot use.

If you don’t like how subscription works it is pretty simple. Don’t get it. I stopped using other companies because I disliked their business models.

Adobe is not for you. Never get it because you will be sorry.

Well, I don't buy camera every month. Tbh, I skipped everything between D800 and Z8. Doing so made me a great savings. So no problem.

It is not that I like or don't like subscription. I see problem elsewhere.

And yes, Adobe as well as any other company with this business is not for me. I'll rather go back to silver halide photography.

 

[hectorsm]

From their FAQ it says:

Why is the price of my photography plan (20GB) changing?

We are committed to continually improving our plans to meet the needs of all creative users, from enthusiasts to professionals. The Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan has embraced the latest advancements in digital imaging and continues to be a powerful solution for editing, organizing, storing, and sharing images for anyone interested in photography.

Since its launch over a decade ago, the Photography plan (20GB) has maintained its competitive pricing, all the while expanding to include highly sought-after apps like Lightroom for mobile, Photoshop for iPad and the web, among others.

Recent additions to your membership include tools capabilities like Select Subject, Remove Background, and the Contextual Task Bar in Photoshop and Lens Blur, Denoise, and hundreds of Premium Presets in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. In addition, we are committed to supporting photographers and continuing to innovate across our platform, including Lightroom Classic.

I don’t quite understand their argumentation. Wasn’t their argument to introduce the subscription plan that it would allow them to finance new developments? And now they say, to finance it, we need to ask 50% more? Did they forget that people were already paying every month for 10 years? If subscription was not covering their costs of new developments, then what would be the advantage over a perceptual license?

Yea, that's not a clear answer to the question. It's more of a PR response. They're basically saying, "we want to increase the monthly prices plan because we believe our software got better".

Adobe's revenues have been skyrocketing over recent years, so it's not like they need more money to pay for their developers, regardless of inflation. The real answer would have been something like "we increased the monthly prices simply because we can". But that will bother some people, so they felt the need to give the above PR response.

Again a slight misunderstanding about how business works. It's not about what they need. It is what stakeholders which incudes stockholders expect. To make as much money as you can and if you have great year it does not matter. You have to do better next year.

Do you really think DXO, C1Pro, ON1, Topaz, etc are out there for you? Topaz broke its promise about free lifetime upgrades/updates. If they had of continued to do that they may have dine under. Every company has to make business decisions.

If someone thinks Adobe is too rich and charges too much should not be using it.

Agreed about the investor "stakeholder" expectations. But their response to the question does not resemble anything you and I mentioned. It was just a pure PR or marketing BS response. That was my point.

 

[Zeee]

I give them money (capital), they transfer me their code - for a certain period of time.

After this time they return me my capital, I return them their code.

Do DXO, C1Pro, ON1 and others do this? If after 6 months I don’t want it anymore and I send the code back do I get half my money back? That would be fair right?

No, but they also don't disable my software when I won't pay subscription fee for the next period.

Except they become useless when a new camera is released. I have older versions of perpetual software I cannot use.

If you don’t like how subscription works it is pretty simple. Don’t get it. I stopped using other companies because I disliked their business models.

Adobe is not for you. Never get it because you will be sorry.

Well, I don't buy camera every month. Tbh, I skipped everything between D800 and Z8. Doing so made me a great savings. So no problem.

Neither do I but I did get caught up in that cycle. When the R72 is released Adobe will have RAW support for it before it is shipped. This you can use perpetual software forever is dream.

It is not that I like or don't like subscription. I see problem elsewhere.

You do, I don't. I was sceptical in 2018 but once I got past the trolls telling everyone LrC would send you files to the cloud so I went for it. I love it. I dropped Zenfolio so the Adobe plan that came with Portfolio cost less per year. Since Adobe Denoise AI that is around another $100+ a year in savings for me.

And yes, Adobe as well as any other company with this business is not for me. I'll rather go back to silver halide photography.

I started there. Read all of Ansel's books, built a 4 by 5 field camera kit sold by Bender and had the darkroom. Made my own up-rite rinse tanks and dodging and burning tools. Got a $5 vacuum cleaner at a garage sale and make my own vacuum table.

It was a lot of fun but I'll never go back to the darkroom. I do apply Ansel's teachings when I edit in the digital darkroom. I don't use presets for my B&W edits. All from scratch and found some really good videos on how to do it. I could not repeat the development of any file unless used the history. I just go to town on it. Once I counted about 75 edits.

Each to their own when it comes to these things.

 

[ishwanu]

I've never been able to understand why people think software is any different to any other asset you pay to use.

It's not different. Pay once and continue to use it. That's been the arrangement with every computer I've had, and every piece of photo gear I've had. It doesn't seem odd at all to expect the same with the software. In fact, dozens of software titles that I've installed and still use work in that way. Only one of them does not.

 

[Storare]

Has anyone worked out what, if any, the implications of this are for those of us who have bought annual packages and stacked them ? I'm fully paid up until 2029.

I am in the same situation and haven‘t been able to get an answer from Adobe.

Worst case you get a refund for the prepaid amount and start all over with the new subscription - I guess ?

Have You tried contacting Adobe?

It would be tricky to refund as they wouldn't know what you've paid.

My guess would be they'll let them run and leave you re-subscribe at the end of the pre-paid term. I doubt the number of subscribers who've used the tactic to keep costs down isn't very great, so easier to just leave us alone.

My account states that I will have to pay 14,95 $/mth., when my stacked prepaid amount expires in 2028. In order to stay at 9.95$ I think that I will have to change my subsription now so that it will stay at 9,95$ in 2028, No response from Adobe. Thoughts?

--Tom


T.Storare

 

[MattPointZero]

With these new changes that option may have gone :-(

Maybe - but then you could argue that the annual pricing isn't changing, and the black friday deal is an offer on the annual pricing, so no real need for it to? Let's hope!