[NewsPoster]

Adobe has announced a new Creative Cloud plan, the Photoshop Photography Program. The tier will cost $10 per month on a yearly basis, and bundle access to Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5, plus Adobe's Behance portfolio site, 20GB of online storage, and Creative Cloud training resources. While a person is subscribed, updates will be delivered automatically. The program should launch within the next few weeks.

Some restrictions are in place. Users will have to already own Photoshop CS3 or later, and the current offer will expire at the end of 2013 (though the rate will remain in effect for those who have subscribed). The normal alternative to the Photoshop Photography Program would be a $20-per-month Photoshop CC membership, which doesn't include Lightroom.

[lockhartt]

Sounded like a waste given the requirement that you already own Photoshop and it would expire in less than 6 months, but... it's the $9.99 per month offer that expires, not the rate itself. If you're in by December 31, 2013 you get to keep the $9.99 per month rate. At least until they decide to raise it because nobody is buying anything else in the new Adobe Creative Cloud world order

[kerryb]

Boo Adobe.

[andi*pandi]

Most people who already have CS3 will just keep on using that instead of paying a monthly fee.

[t_hah]

There are two types of users.

- Professionals who use Photoshop on a daily basis (8 hours/day).
- Hobby users, who use Photoshop occasionally (maybe 8 hours/week or /month).

The current pricing might be good for professional users, who make a living using Photoshop. But it is too expensive for the hobby users, who don't use PS that much.

Adobe could come up with a "pre-paid" type user fee for the hobby users. Because hobby users probably don't want to pay the same price as the professional users, since they don't even use the software as much and probably as extensively.

Lets assume that a pro user uses PS on an average about 160 hours/month (20 days * 8 hours). They currently paying 10 USD for this, which comes to about 0.0625 USD/hour.

With this, how about a pre-paid plan, where a hobby user could open an pre-paid user account with a minimum of 10 USD, and then be charged by the hours of use. The hourly rate could be double of the pro user: 0.125 USD/hour.

This way if a hobby user ends up using the software about half the time of a pro user, then they could consider switching to a professional plan. Otherwise they could continue paying the hourly rate on their pre-paid account.

If Adobe came out with this plan and a similar rate, I would sign up right away.

But with the current plans, my many years old Photoshop will do just fine.

[Infinitewill]

The first in Adobe bat$h!t crazy pricing structure alignments. This is what Photoshop CC should have been priced at from the start.

[coffeetime]

I am a professional user and Adobe Cloud pricing structure is fine with me. I agree with t_hah that there should be a hobby user version. The first thing came to my mine is Photoshop Element. Also tracking hourly usage on Photoshop CC for hobbyist sounds a bit strange but whatever it takes to get them on their way in becoming a pro user will benefit Adobe. Adobe Cloud pricing structure I think will be tough for fresh graduated students to commit.