So for someone purchasing Photoshop for the first time, and who intends to keep it up to date for the foreseeable future, there is practically no ongoing cost difference at all.įurthermore, as long as you are a subscriber, you will always have access to the most up to date version of the software you subscribe to, and Adobe are suggesting that features will be added as they are ready, rather than being bundled in to big releases, which should mean that the updates are more regular.Ī single app subscription with an annual commitment costs £17.58 per month at the moment, and at this rate, it will take over three years for your running total to equal the initial outlay you would need to make with the old system of purchasing stand alone products. As the new Photoshop CC is essentially the same software as Photoshop CS6 Extended (The super duper version), the subscription cost is roughly equal to the previous quasi-annual upgrade cost, and you are allowed access to this price whether you have purchased the software before or not. Becoming a subscriber effectively adds you to the list if customers who would buy the updated versions every time they were released, but crucially without the cost of the initial purchase. So what do you get for your money under the new system? Although the need for continuing subscriptions may indicate that you effectively get nothing for your money (and I do have sympathy for this view), it doesn’t tell the whole story. Whilst this commitment is small change compared to the previous up front cost, it does have one crucial drawback: once you stop paying your subscription, your software will no longer work. The bottom line though is that in order to get a full copy of Photoshop after the current iteration (CS6), you will have no option but to sign up for a subscription costing anything from £18 per month for a single application (or £9 if you are able to upgrade from a previous version of the software) up to £47 per month for the full suite of applications (£27 for existing customers). The age of almost annual product refreshes are however gone and a new subscription model is now upon us, and this has raised eyebrows far and wide. Of course, upgrade versions were available at usually greater than 50% reduction, but this still amounts to significant annual investment to keep you up to date. The cost of the whole suite of software ran in to several thousands of pounds for each full incarnation, and even photographers who chose to purchase Photoshop on its own would be left with a hole in their wallet to the tune of over £600, or £900 if they needed the extended version capable of 3D modelling. If you don’t know what all this talk of Creative Cloud is actually about, let me explain: In the past Adobe has usually updated its suite of software every year and half or so, providing better performance, more refined capability and new tools to help creatives in their work. As usual, it depends on your perspective, what your current and future usage of Photoshop is likely to be, what other services you may need from Adobe and how you organise your photographic library. Paul is a commercial architectural photographer in Birmingham and sometimes dabbles in a little landscape photography when he is allowed out!
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