Pro video blog…Produced by Philip Johnston DoP/Editor

ADOBE-CC

 

At the best part of £43 a month Adobe’s Creative Cloud is losing customers not helped by the major hacking scandal a few months ago when we were told to change our passwords ASAP.

On a daily routine I never use Premiere Pro or many of the APPs given as part of the monthly subscription known as the “Creative Cloud”.

I do need Encore which is Adobe’s DVD authoring program but Adobe don’t see a future for Encore and stopped supporting it over 18 months ago. I also use Photoshop which Adobe has recently packaged at about £8 per month to include Lightroom.

If I could get a single copy of Encore I could swap over to the cheaper £8 package saving me £35 a month.

Many of my colleagues are in a similar boat but having PCs are intending to move over to Edius 7 at £461 plus vat. Edius is capturing more than just the imagination now that Adobe are set on continuing with the cloud system of software delivery.

Alistair “I have Premiere 5.5 and have spent in the region of £2K over the last few years upgrading from one version to another but being locked into a subscription  with Adobe does nothing for me other than to look else ware. I have heard a lot of good things about Edius but as usual don’t know anyone who has the program to let me see it before I buy a copy.”

Last month Adobe had a major server problem causing no end of problems with peoples subscriptions and gave a lot of us time to re-think this cloud business.

For many professionals £43 a month is not a vast sum of money to pay for a major editing platform plus all the other goodies the CC entitles you to download but it’s more the principal of being locked into a never-ending increasing subscription scheme that annoys people.

Adobe are already changing the goal posts with there Photoshop deal, lets hope they can broker more deals like this to keep their world wide 3.5 million subscriptions…live !

Adobe_Creative_Cloud_

Matt “As Adobe Premiere Pro is neither my key edit platform nor a regular one, I too am Leaving the Creative Cloud sincere introductory rate is ending. I simply do not get the value.

I am returning to CS6, which provides all I need without the commitment and the complications. The Internet based license checking had disaster on two occasions when needing to edit far from an Internet connection. Adobe’s billing system is prone to forget key details like rolling subscriptions. I had to revert to FCPX on both jobs.

So, as I have spent more time updating and managing the software than actually using it, I am ditching Creative Cloud, unless clients specify it and I will add an appropriate charge to cover short term rental.

There was a time when a freelance editor would manage three packages to remain fluent on their clients’ chosen platforms. Adobe Creative Cloud’s cost structure assumes that this is the primary platform, come what may. Or, cynically, people will err more to CC in order to get value from it and this starve other platforms.

Final Cut Pro X is getting better and better at longer projects and in handling greater numbers or durations of assets. In the earlier years, this was not the forte of FCPX, and Adobe Premiere was a backup that did “grown up” things like BITC and key frames colour correction.

Whilst we’re still waiting for a few needed features in FCPX, the Adobe Creative Cloud experience – for this user at least – a trial that didn’t work out well. Increasing cost, strident licensing that doesn’t understand the current lack of Internet, the security breeches and loss of private info, the upward cost spiral and the truculent billing system that required three hour tech support chats add up to a ‘thanks but no thanks’.

A return to CS6 is not a long term fix, though. I fear that planned obsolescence is a part of Aobe’s plans, and who knows what lies beyond Yosemite for Mac users such as I.

But I can’t bear the thought of not having Audition – nee CoolEdit Pro. Such a shame Adobe walled this in as a bundle – again, Adobe’s policy of only selling Suites may suit Adobe but not the users.

And you, Philip, using the DVD software part of CC – Encore was effectively hidden from CC users and required some research and fiddling to actually download and install software we were rightly entitled to. Encore was not visibly part of the Creative Cloud.

But these are just the crazed rants of a frustrated Mac user. Bon Voyage, all you CC users – and Adobe, you’re part of the reason I have to commit to FCPX.”

Positive

Sean “Even if your only program used was After Effects, $50/month is a great deal, considering that you would have to pay something like $900 outright for the package in the perpetual model. That means you are getting the same software for a year for only $600. Consider all of the additional updates and new features that they are now making each year.

If a user can’t make $50/month off of at least one of the many applications in Adobe CC, then they probably don’t deserve to have it anyway.

Did you bother to watch the annual release keynote? Did you see all of the new free pad apps including Adobe Line, Adobe Sketch and Photoshop Mix that now work with Photoshop, Illustrator and the like? You can mask out photos with your fingers, draw in Illustrator with a stylus on your iPad.

But seriously, why do I like Adobe CC? Because I can see from talking to them and from other events that I have attended that they are serious about supporting the big players in industry with their product, from the national and global news channels to the big studios. They have their ears open and are constantly improving. For instance, you can now color grade right in Premiere Pro, and not copy and paste the color grade to each subclip, just grade the main clip and it will flow to all the rest itself.

“Premiere Pro CC 2014 has Live Text templates making titling faster and easier, and features in-app access to Masking and Tracking features that were formerly exclusively the province of After Effects. With Master Clip Effects, an adjustment made to the Master Clip in your timeline — for instance, color correction — ripples down to every part of that clip in your sequence. Mercury Playback Engine performance has been improved, specifically its OpenCL performance, and Adobe has added a GPU-based debayering for RED media. It adds support for new camera formats as well as improving support for some other formats. Integration between Premiere and Speedgrade is improved, making working between the two faster and easier.”

I have been following you for years and I suppose I should not expect otherwise, you’ve always pretty much beat up on Adobe and Premiere Pro, but at least state it as opinion, rather than fact.”

HDW : Sean you may have paid $900 outright but it was yours, upgradable and you were not beholding to Adobe, remember £430 is this year what will it be 3 years down the road.

FCPX costs you £200, Motion 5 £35 and Compressor £35 one off downloads why can’t Adobe split their APPs into bite sized chunks like Apple then you only buy into what you use.

author

Having been working in the video business since 1988 I have amassed a great amount of knowledge of both the kit and production values over the last 30 years.

15 thoughts on “Opinion “ADOBE’s Creative Cloud is losing customers”

  1. I moved to Edius when Adobe went to subscription and really like it. It is amazingly fast and does everything I need to do. Premiere Pro keeps adding bells and whistles, most of which I don’t use.

  2. If you want an authoring programme, it is worth looking at Sony DVD Architect which gives you most if not everything you need to create a DVD or Blu-Ray from suitably rendered files. I think you can buy it as a stand alone, but it comes with Sony Vegas Pro 13 which is also an excellent editor. It allows you to work in most formats and to render to most formats.
    We are using Vegas Pro to edit in full 4K, the limitations being more in the hardware than the software.
    Sony upgrade Vegas Pro about once a year. There are weaknesses (stability is one, although this is better now than it used to be).

  3. How do you know Adobe are losing customers? Do they share their subscription and sales data with you?

    HDW : Simple I do a straw pole with Adobe users asking them what they use and their thoughts on subscription.

  4. I personally find it good value. The server downtime did not affect me at all. Along with Photoshop & Bridge, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Speedgrade, Lightroom and Acrobat – all programs I use – some more than others – I’d say the value is very good. In addition they’re all great programs and it’s all tax-deductable. What’s not to like?

    HDW : If you use a few programs like yourself its a great tool and cost effective.

  5. I am happy with CC, though I only use AE, PS, PR and sometimes AI. It would be nice to see a package price for the video guys as I do not need the rest of their stuff.

  6. As a former FCP7 user, I did a 30 day trial of FCPX and of Premiere CC. Bottom line, the move to Premiere Pro was simple. It’s the easiest transition. If you’re a kid who doesn’t do this for a living and has tons of time to learn a whole new way of editing then I’d say take a good look at FCPX. But CS6 was like FCP8. And Premiere Pro CC was like FCP9 and now there’s Premiere 2014 which is like FCP9.5. There was no downtime in my business and that mattered most.

    I find the subscription model awesome actually. Saves me a crap ton over having to buy upgrades every other year. Is it perfect? No. But is it worth it? In my opinion, yes. 100%… Better recheck your straws there HDW. 😉

  7. I for one just cut my ties with Adobe and unexpectedly I am not too upset. I can appreciate the ‘all you can eat’ appeal of CC and have paid for it since it started, but no more. I just don’t use enough of it to make it worthwhile for me, and the constant charges are not worth it to me. For those that need it, fine, but I like having a product that I can pay for and just use without constant updates and reoccurring costs. All my add in tools need a Mac, so I decided to just cut my costs and stick with FinalCut X or use Lightworks and Resolve when forced to my PC. After over 25 year with Adobe tools I am oddly at peace with the separation. To each their own of course, no disrespect to those who like Adobe’s model.

  8. £43 a month? Yes – for EVERYTHING!
    I’m getting Lightroom & Photoshop for less than £10 a month. It’s all I need and is a damn sight cheaper than the hundreds that Photoshop alone used to cost per version.
    Your article is pure FUD

    HDW : It’s £516 a year…this year… and you are tied into Adobe, FCPX is £200 one off payment and beats Premiere hands down. If you are stuck with a PC you can also cross grade to EDIUS 7 for £300 one off payment.

  9. £516 is nothing if it’s the core of your business and keeps you constantly up to date with the latest version and support. The difference in this and the other pricing models would surly be pretty low down in your priorities when deciding which software package best suits your production needs.

    As for FCPX beating Premiere hands down, that’s very much dependent on you individual requirements and taste.

  10. I respect your experience and knowledge and have followed your blog for years, but I just don’t get why you say things like ‘FCPX beats Premiere Pro hands down’ as if it were a generally accepted fact, and without at least telling us why you think so? Premiere Pro is a solid editor and is getting more and more intuitive with each update. If you are upset with Adobe because of the Cloud sales model, that’s fine, say so. But if you slag off the individual Adobe products because you hate the cloud model, that doesn’t seem like fair reporting…

    HDW : Sean I have worked with Premiere Pro for about 2 years and its no way near the same product as FCPX…remembering I hated FCPX when it first came out.

  11. I could equally say FCPX is terrible and not a patch on PP. Both opinions are valid as opinions. However, given the rigorous testing you do of products here it is a little less than objective and factual – and a great deal less than we have come to expect of hdwarrior.

    HDW : Yes its my opinion and having worked on both platforms FCPX is clearly better IN MY OPINION what more can I say…£200 one off fee against £43 x 12 a year for a host of programs I will never use is nonsense.

  12. 600 per tear is way more than 1899. at once and has much more restrictions.

    I still use Premier/ AE / PS / AI / SB cs5. I have gotten 3years out of it and still see no need to upgrade Though i have CS6 also. with the Cloud you can not loose your subscription so when you are not paying you are not able to touch any of your old projects. You own nothing and nothing includes your previous projects.

    I do not want to pay just because i want to revisit a project i already did. I will never use CC because of this. Yes as far as integration Masters Suite or any bundle from Adobe is about as good as i have seen it done. But FCP as a suite use to have the same tittle. They lost half the market with FCPX. However, FCPX, Motion and any version of PS cs3 or better can do a lot of the same thing. Especially if you throw in Logic or ProTools.

    They will keep the CC model as it makes it so they can get paid for ever from any pro user. I know they did it due to piracy but they could make it so that i pay a subscription until i reach the dollar amount they want for the software. But then i want to own it. They could also make it so that the software needs to re-authorize every 6 months to reauthorize a particular engine in the software. This would make it so that if a person copied it from another unless they have an actual subscription release it would not work longer than 6month. They could even charge 50 bucks to move it from one computer to another.

    I am not going CC. i already know how to use 4 different NLE’s i do not mind learning another.

  13. It was a big a surprise to me few years back when Adobe decided to pull the plug on my one year older Photoshop CS6. A quick chat with their support suggested that they discontinued their older products which included support, they tried to slither their way into getting me to dump money in into their cloud crap. That’s where I drew the line, Adobe was officially dead to me. I will not ever opt for cloud assisted software. Might as well hand cloud based businesses your personal life, if you care very little about your personal data.

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