Did something I swore I was never going to do

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RikWriter

RikWriter

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When Adobe made Photoshop subscription only, I swore I'd never succumb to the subscription model of software. I had CS4 and that would work fine for me. I also bought the Topaz suite, which was a one-time purchase and I was set. I'd use Sony's free software to convert my RAW files into TIFs, use CS4 to process the TIFs, use Topaz to denoise and sharpen, then take them back to CS4 and turn the TIF's into jpegs for the internet. For a two-week trip in Yellowstone, it would take me nearly two weeks to process the files and I'd usually only process a couple hundred out of four or five thousand.
Then I went on a group trip to Sax-Zim in January and the guy I was rooming with had Lightroom and Photoshop and showed me what that stuff can do nowadays and...

Shoot. I did it. I subscribed for a year at least.

Now I'm going back through images from the last 4 or 5 years to see what I could have done if I'd had it the whole time.
 
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I also succumbed recently. Patching a workflow together with a variety of apps got to be too cumbersome, then my antique CS5 refused to work on my shiny new M1 computer. Processing the photos is much more productive now.
 
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I did the same. Was going to hold onto my old non-subscription package but the ongoing updates updates contained many new useful features that I was missing out on. Adobe camera Raw also was constantly becoming more capable, so I had to swallow my pride as well and succumb to the subscription model.
 
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RichF said:
I am very happy with the subscription model. $120 / year seems reasonable to me to get frequent and valuable updates
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I laugh at the price. For two Charbucks a month everything they have added in the past year, wow. For travel photography I can pretty much do everything in LRc. Select wildlife goes to Photoshop for a more detailed process, but really they have added so much that anyone that hasn't looked in a while should go room with the guy the @RikWriter roomed with.
 
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BarkingBeans Coffee said:
I laugh at the price. For two Charbucks a month everything they have added in the past year, wow. For travel photography I can pretty much do everything in LRc. Select wildlife goes to Photoshop for a more detailed process, but really they have added so much that anyone that hasn't looked in a while should go room with the guy the @RikWriter roomed with.
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It wasn't the price I objected to, it was the concept of subscription-based software. I still don't like it.
 
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RikWriter said:
It wasn't the price I objected to, it was the concept of subscription-based software. I still don't like it.
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I first started using Photoshop in 1986. I, too, was horrified when Adobe went to a subscription format. I became less and less horrified over time when I realized I didn't have to pay several hundred dollars every couple of years for a handful of CDs with updates that were out of date the minute I installed them, and when CC became so seamless that I receive automatic updates every few days that I don't have to mess with. I still maintain the entire Adobe subscription, which includes virtually every Adobe product, costing me about $60 per month. My wife, as a CPA, has to spend well over $3000 every year for her software, and it is no fun at all (to me, anyway). Since post-production is such a major part of all still and video work these days, I consider this a real bargain for all the pleasure it gives me. Heck, it costs me over $100 just to fill up my pickup truck. And my truck doesn't process photos worth beans.

I still refuse, however, to pay Microsoft for a subscription. Apple's free apps do everything Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc. can do, also allowing me to export to MS Office formats for my PC-loving clients. For better or worse, the subscription structure is here to stay. Some are good value. Many are not.
 
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BirdDogDad said:
I first started using Photoshop in 1986. I, too, was horrified when Adobe went to a subscription format. I became less and less horrified over time when I realized I didn't have to pay several hundred dollars every couple of years for a handful of CDs with updates that were out of date the minute I installed them, and when CC became so seamless that I receive automatic updates every few days that I don't have to mess with. I still maintain the entire Adobe subscription, which includes virtually every Adobe product, costing me about $60 per month. My wife, as a CPA, has to spend well over $3000 every year for her software, and it is no fun at all (to me, anyway). Since post-production is such a major part of all still and video work these days, I consider this a real bargain for all the pleasure it gives me. Heck, it costs me over $100 just to fill up my pickup truck. And my truck doesn't process photos worth beans.

I still refuse, however, to pay Microsoft for a subscription. Apple's free apps do everything Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc. can do, also allowing me to export to MS Office formats for my PC-loving clients. For better or worse, the subscription structure is here to stay. Some are good value. Many are not.
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FWIW - PC users don't need Microsoft Office either. Libre software is free and just as good as Office. I've been using Libre for years.
 
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BirdDogDad said:
I first started using Photoshop in 1986. I, too, was horrified when Adobe went to a subscription format. I became less and less horrified over time when I realized I didn't have to pay several hundred dollars every couple of years for a handful of CDs with updates that were out of date the minute I installed them, and when CC became so seamless that I receive automatic updates every few days that I don't have to mess with. I still maintain the entire Adobe subscription, which includes virtually every Adobe product, costing me about $60 per month. My wife, as a CPA, has to spend well over $3000 every year for her software, and it is no fun at all (to me, anyway). Since post-production is such a major part of all still and video work these days, I consider this a real bargain for all the pleasure it gives me. Heck, it costs me over $100 just to fill up my pickup truck. And my truck doesn't process photos worth beans.

I still refuse, however, to pay Microsoft for a subscription. Apple's free apps do everything Excel, Word, Powerpoint, etc. can do, also allowing me to export to MS Office formats for my PC-loving clients. For better or worse, the subscription structure is here to stay. Some are good value. Many are not.
Click to expand...

BTW, you can still buy a one-machine license for Microsoft Office that doesn't require a subscription. Downside is, it's only good for that computer and if you change machines, you have to buy it again.
 
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Butlerkid said:
FWIW - PC users don't need Microsoft Office either. Libre software is free and just as good as Office. I've been using Libre for years.
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RikWriter said:
BTW, you can still buy a one-machine license for Microsoft Office that doesn't require a subscription. Downside is, it's only good for that computer and if you change machines, you have to buy it again.
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I didn't know that. Will tell my wife, as I think she is still trying to run Office 1954. Thanks. I always load the same software on both my desktop and my laptop, so one-machine limitations are a no-go for me. It is still a chore transferring licenses from an old computer to a new machine. Even Apple has a few hoops one must jump through.
 
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At some point, all software will no doubt be subscription-based, it's just where we are "at" in today's world and I don't even give it a thought. It's not something that I think is important enough to rebel against. So I jumped onto the Adobe band wagon long ago and also use the Microsoft package...both of these packages make my life easier! For $10 a month I can quickly and easily manage my photo library, create books and slide shows, get new fonts, create website presentations and other graphic pieces, and also play with creating AI images for fun. I think it's a great deal!
 
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RikWriter said:
When Adobe made Photoshop subscription only, I swore I'd never succumb to the subscription model of software. I had CS4 and that would work fine for me. I also bought the Topaz suite, which was a one-time purchase and I was set. I'd use Sony's free software to convert my RAW files into TIFs, use CS4 to process the TIFs, use Topaz to denoise and sharpen, then take them back to CS4 and turn the TIF's into jpegs for the internet. For a two-week trip in Yellowstone, it would take me nearly two weeks to process the files and I'd usually only process a couple hundred out of four or five thousand.
Then I went on a group trip to Sax-Zim in January and the guy I was rooming with had Lightroom and Photoshop and showed me what that stuff can do nowadays and...

Shoot. I did it. I subscribed for a year at least.

Now I'm going back through images from the last 4 or 5 years to see what I could have done if I'd had it the whole time.
Click to expand...
I caution you to read up on the Lightroom Library Module prior to trying to use the software. Adobe is the best place to turn for this initially. Here is a link to the Lightroom Classic (desktop version) user guide, there is also one for LR, LR is the mobil version. https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/user-guide.html. Reading the information first will hopefully help you to avoid some of the first-time user issues.
 
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RikWriter said:
I do, too, but Word is my stock in trade, what I use to make a living. I'd rather pay for it on two computers than have yet another subscription.
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I don't know if Libre would work for you....but it is free and the mostly are compatible with most Office files. Using Libre I can still save a file as a .doc file type (or a spreadsheet as a .xls file type!).
 
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Butlerkid said:
I don't know if Libre would work for you....but it is free and the mostly are compatible with most Office files. Using Libre I can still save a file as a .doc file type (or a spreadsheet as a .xls file type!).
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I'll look into it. But I have to deal with multiple different editors and two different publishers and Word is the one common currency in the publishing industry.
 
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Viathelens said:
I caution you to read up on the Lightroom Library Module prior to trying to use the software. Adobe is the best place to turn for this initially. Here is a link to the Lightroom Classic (desktop version) user guide, there is also one for LR, LR is the mobil version. https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/user-guide.html. Reading the information first will hopefully help you to avoid some of the first-time user issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
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I still use the Photoshop 5-CS. I tried the week free deal and dumped it in short time. Been considering to try it again. So much has changed since CS 5. One I was really annoyed with is when I made a crop the image would move under the crop, not the crop box. Drove me crazy, silly i know. And I have two machines (windows) that I use, will I need a monthly subscription for each, or can I use the one for both> If I recall correct, we do download the program, or no?
 
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I am a heavy user of several Adobe products, and for me, while there might be other/better applications, the integration plus the convenience of Creative Cloud saves me untold time, which is on my case the most scarce resource. I'm working with a client on a full branding package now, and use Ps, Lrc, Pr, Ai, Ae, Au, Id, as well as Acrobat Pro, Color, Fonts and Stock. And they all work together. So when I change an element (eg logo color), it cascades fairly accurately. I especially appreciate how they treat color so I know that as long as I am in the right space, a hex is a hex. It's also a great package when I communicate with printers and other vendors. They are far from perfect and slow to fix bugs, but they eventually get to it.
 
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Charles Loy said:
I still use the Photoshop 5-CS. I tried the week free deal and dumped it in short time. Been considering to try it again. So much has changed since CS 5. One I was really annoyed with is when I made a crop the image would move under the crop, not the crop box. Drove me crazy, silly i know. And I have two machines (windows) that I use, will I need a monthly subscription for each, or can I use the one for both> If I recall correct, we do download the program, or no?
Click to expand...
One for both. Two machines allowed.
 
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