PetaPixel reported today the discovery that Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan subscription, which includes Lightroom and Photoshop and has been priced at $9.99 per month is now priced at $19.99 per month, doubling the monthly subscription fee.
In a statement to PetaPixel, an Adobe sales representative confirmed that the $9.99/month plan “is no longer being offered on the website for many customers.” We visited the plan page and confirmed that the $9.99 plan no longer includes Photoshop, but Lightroom only. The representative also told PetaPixel that the new pricing is not yet “set in stone.”
For now, you can still get the Creative Cloud Photography Plan with both Lightroom and Photoshop by going to this page, or by calling Adobe sales, but there’s no indication how long this will be available.
Adobe’s move to a subscription-based model in 2013 was not a popular one, as photographers were accustomed to “owning” rather than “leasing” their software. While it’s arguably not unreasonable for Adobe to raise prices over time, suddenly doubling the cost is sure to generate a negative response. At the time of this writing, a poll on PetaPixel’s article is currently showing that nearly 84 percent of more than 2,000 respondents say they would cancel their subscription if Adobe commits to this change.
It’s a risky move. Though Lightroom has become the de facto standard for most professionals and enthusiasts, there are some excellent alternatives to Lightroom and Photoshop that can be purchased rather than subscribed to. For professionals and serious enthusiasts, Capture One Pro is a leading option to replace Lightroom and is offered with a perpetual license for $299. For Mac users, Pixelmator is powerful Photoshop-like app that sells for $39.99 on the Mac App Store. For Windows users, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate is a complete workflow and processing solution for $89.95. Skylum’s Luminar is a cross-platform alternative that receives regular updates, and now includes digital asset management features. And though Apple recently announced the end-of-life for Aperture, the pro-level app for which Apple cancelled future development in 2014, the free Apple Photos app pre-loaded on macOS and iOS devices offers a solid organization and processing solution that will satisfy the needs of many hobbyists.
That may be a good thing for Adobe, but it will adversely impact subscribers like myself. Intermediate Amateurs/Hobbyists like myself will have to decide if the cost is worth it. Microsoft photo software keeps improving, and several other consumer products are available for less money. This will certainly cause people like myself to reconsider any benefit of the “subscription” model.
This also could drive people like myself out of photography, which is already an expensive hobby.
People used to pay $500 per year to upgrade Photoshop. $10, or even $20, per year is a bargain.