Thoughts from an Apple Fanboi

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Jeff Markgraf] “And a Fanghoulie is a fan of Sven. Usually restricted to Chicago.”

And here I thought this thread couldn’t get any better.

-berwyn

[Bill Davis]

[Andrew Kimery] “This might be a stupid question but how would CC screw up her work as a top tier freelance artist and designer?
“

As noted, my wife’s the project manager in this case working with numerous art directors, designers, production artists and other project stakeholders. Many of them are top tier freelancers.

She was on the phone with one such female designer/freelancer who expressed extreme concern that when Adobe forces users to the subscription model, she (the designer) will be forced to pay monthly whether or not she has projects she’s working on or not. (she’s has young kids at home and balances motherhood and her freelance career) – and specifically she mentioned wondering if Adobe goes “all subscription” – there may come a time when the software evolves to require capabilities beyond her current machine – forcing her on a machine replacement/upgrade cycle that she simply may not be in a position to fund.

I can see someone in her position getting stuck in a “my kid needs braces, and so I can’t get a new computer right now, but the latest “cloud” update to my subscription software says it won’t run on a machine without “capability A” and mine doesn’t have that.

Having just gone though something like that with FCP-X (my original MacPro’s card wasn’t Open CL compatible, so it didn’t want to let me install the software initially.) Thankfully I had a more modern laptop that I could switch to.

With X there was no subscription and therefore no “monthly checkin” to check the license status – so I was willing to accept that if I wanted to run X, I needed the right hardware ONCE upon installation.

But once purchased – it’s at least mine to use as I see fit without anyone checking on my ownership status.

Those are the sort of issue she became concerned about when she heard about the “cloud only” initiative.

This woman is a wonderfully talented professional. She’s also a relatively new mom and her skills and her access to the digital tools she needs for her professional work are intertwined. So it’s not always just a working editor in a seat at a “shop” that represents the pro user.

There are lots and lots and lots of people using these tools. And I’m not sure it’s smart to have a “if you’re a pro – you can surely afford $50+ a month forever for licensing”

Just reporting on what happened a few hours ago in my living room when Linda walked through after her seventh phone call check in with this particular artist today.

FWIW

Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.

[Walter Soyka]

[Bill Davis] “and specifically she mentioned wondering if Adobe goes “all subscription” – there may come a time when the software evolves to require capabilities beyond her current machine – forcing her on a machine replacement/upgrade cycle that she simply may not be in a position to fund. “

This gets at one of the big misconceptions around Creative Cloud. You still download and run the software on your own computer — and you decide when to install updates. There are no forced updates.

A relevant FAQ entry:

As a Creative Cloud member, am I required to install an upgrade to a desktop application when it becomes available?

No. You are not required to install any new version of the desktop applications available in Creative Cloud. You can continue using your current version of the product as long as you have an active membership. You have flexibility on when you install a new release to take advantage of new product features, if you choose to do so.

Todd Kopriva has also mentioned here [link] they will be making old versions available for download, going back at least five major versions.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Andrew Kimery]

Thanks for taking the time to clarifying, Bill. In the post below Walter clears up some misconceptions that pertain to your wife’s colleague’s fears. I think it would help easy her mind some if you were able to pass this info on to her.

[Walter Soyka]

[Bill Davis] “She was on the phone with one such female designer/freelancer who expressed extreme concern that when Adobe forces users to the subscription model, she (the designer) will be forced to pay monthly whether or not she has projects she’s working on or not.”

Also, she wouldn’t have to pay all the time if she didn’t want to. She could choose to pay as needed. You can rent a single app for one month with no additional commitment for $20.

Get a gig that needs Photoshop? Pay $20, build the cost into the project’s fee, and use it for 30 days. Whoops, you need Illustrator, too? Add it. You finish those jobs with nothing else lined up, stop paying. A job comes along next month for InDesign? $20.

I think CC is viable for freelancers, too. Before CC, she would have had to pay $1300 upfront for Creative Suite Design Standard to take on these jobs — that’s more than two years of full CC, and that doesn’t get you upgrades.

https://www.adobe.com/products/creativecloud/buying-guide.html

On a separate note, I’d be really interested to hear your take on something, Bill. Starting a new thread…

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events