There’s been lots of lots of hoopla, buzz,
excitement, confusion and misinformation about Adobes announcement of the
Creative Cloud. In my Lightroom classes, this has been the biggest source of
questions and concerns. Basically, Photoshop as we know it going forward is going totally
subscription based and you will no longer be able to buy a stand alone boxed version
or download a copy of it anymore. You have to subscribe to the Adobe Creative
Cloud to get Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud). There a rumors floating about the
Adobe may offer a package especially tailored for Photographers that includes
Lightroom and Photoshop CC…I’ll keep you posted. But as it stands now…this is the way it is.
Please note, you’ll still be able to buy Lightroom
standalone without subscribing (even though it’s also included in the CC).
First I want to clear up
some misconceptions about Creative Cloud that I’ve seen and heard many times
over the past couple of weeks. There seems to be confusion over what the
‘cloud’ part of Creative Cloud means. Contrary to what I have read on some
posts Adobe’s creative Suite is not a cloud service, but instead a subscription
package that allows you to download the applications and install them locally
on your computer.
The main difference between
Creative Cloud and Creative Suite is that the applications check every 30 to 90
days to see if your subscription is valid – an Internet connection is required
for this – and if your subscription is no longer active, the plug is pulled on
your software. Otherwise there’s no real difference in how the software works
as far as the user is concerned. The Software still needs to be downloaded and
installed to work.
With
the “cloud” you don’t need a constant internet connection you can be totally
offline for 2 or 3 months at a time. You don’t have to store your images in the
cloud. Your images can be stored on your system just as they are now. You can
keep running older versions alongside the CC versions if you want to. Think of
it as “renting” the software. With
the rental fee you don’t have to pay for the upgrades…they download
automatically as soon as they are released, and you have the most current
version with any new fixes, bells and whistles.
LR5 will be included in Creative Cloud, but
you won’t have to subscribe to Creative Cloud to get Lightroom. You’ll be
able to keep buying it via perpetual (non-subscription) license as we do now.
If you are a photographer and are not using
Lightroom, you should…now. No more
fussing and complaining, just do it.
It is the best solution for Photographers, especially with
Photoshop/Bridge going to Creative Cloud.
The best and most cost effective solution going
forward will be to purchase and stand alone version of Lightroom and either
keep using your current version of Photoshop of subscribe to a single app membership
for the newest Photoshop for $9.99 per month.
Lightroom was designed by and built for
photographers…if you are a photographer Lightroom is for you…period! I offer many classes, workshops or one
on one training in Lightroom if you still need convincing!
If you have downloaded the Lightroom 5 beta and
will be using LR5 when the final version is released you will already have many
of the new and cool features and upgrades in the upcoming Photoshop CC. The
Radial Gradient Filter, Upright Lens Correction Adjustments, Non-destructive
Cloning and Healing Brush. Now I have used these new cloning and healing
brushes, my trips to Photoshop are even further reduced! Plus you also get
Smart Previews along will all the other great features already included in
Lightroom 3 and 4!
More information…..
