[NewsPoster]

Adobe has introduced a wide range of software updates, dropping the Creative Suite branding as the company continues to embrace its Creative Cloud subscription service. New features have been added to Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash Pro, After Effects, Muse and Dreamweaver, among other titles.

Photoshop CC now includes a tool to help reduce the effects of camera shake, along with a redesigned Smart Sharpen utility and improved upsampling. Users can also apply RAW edits as a filter in any layer, while 3D editing and image analysis capabilities are now available without upgrading to Photoshop Extended.

Notable new features in Adobe's video-production software include a redesigned interface and streamlined editing in Premiere Pro CC, along with Cinema 4D Integration in After Effects CC. Web developers can also take advantage of 64-bit architecture and a modernized UI in Flash Pro CC, a new CSS Designer in Dreamweaver CC and parallax scrolling in Muse CC.

Adobe launched its Creative Cloud system nearly a year ago, enabling users to pay monthly fees for access to Creative Suite licenses rather than buying the software outright. Over 500,000 people are said to be participating in the paid program, alongside several million free memberships.

Finalizing the transition, executives at the company's Max conference confirmed that new features will no longer be added to the Creative Suite editions. CS6 apps will still be sold and supported, however the CC software will only be available via subscription.

The new software is expected to arrive sometime in June. Creative Cloud subscriptions are available for $50 per month for a full year, or $75 on a month-to-month basis without a longer commitment. Access to individual programs can also be obtained for just $10 per month, while discounts are available for owners of earlier CS software.

[que_ball]

So thats it then.

CS6 will be the last version you are allowed to own. Rentals only from this point forward.

If you stop paying your monthly fees then you will no longer be able to keep using the software and all you have left will be the data files you created.

The concern I have right now is there isn't a middle ground package that doesn't include all the video stuff. Many many customers have no use for the video tools and so it's a big jump in price for them over what they used to pay for the volume licensing update plans on smaller packages like the popular CS6 design and web premium version of the package.

If you were paying for master suite and paying for the upgrade plans the switch to creative cloud actually saves a few bucks over the old plans, so Adobe can claim that creative suite users save money on the new system. But only if you were buying the top end package before.

[Mr. Strat]

This puts the screws to us for some of our labs on campus and employees who use packages smaller than Master.

[pottymouth]

This is going to be a friggin nightmare. I'm at the whim of my clients as to which software versions I'm required to use for each project. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

On the one hand, I work with clients who still use versions as far back as CS3 because they can't justify the cost of upgrading 100+ users for features they don't really need. These people are definitely not going to be interested in CC.

But on the other hand, I also work with clients that just love living on the bleeding edge and I'm sure they'll JUMP on this garbage. How/If I'll be able to upgrade to CC to continue to work with them while keeping CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, and CS6 running smoothly alongside CC remains to be seen.

For my personal use, it's looking like I'm DONE paying for Adobe apps. Last version I bought was CS5 and I've saved thousands by not buying 5.5 and 6. I'm sure as hell not going to be paying monthly for it!

[James Katt]

The biggest problem with Adobe's subscription plan is that if you ever stop subscribing to Creative Cloud, the files you create which are in an Adobe's File Format are dead and inaccessible to you. You thus have lost access to your own files. With CS6, you can stop upgrading the software but you still have access to your files. With Creative Cloud, you HAVE to subscribe or you lose your data.

The only way to prevent data loss is to save the files - as you work - in formats which are open and accessible to other applications. For example, save your final photos in JPEG or TIFF formats. Once you quit Creative Cloud, the Adobe format files are forever lost to you.