Dear Adobe, I Want to Join The Creative Cloud, Please Help

Dear Almighty Adobe,

This is not a break up letter, you know I love you, but, I have questions going around in my head…. I really want to join the creative cloud, please help.

I love the idea of the Creative Cloud. Really, what’s not to love there. Laptop/desktop/tablet integration; instant updates; $10 for the photography plan. So why haven’t I moved yet. I actually consider moving almost daily. Well not daily, you know, but quite often. If you just made those really minor tweaks, I would hop over in an instant.

I want to know that I will always have access to my files forever. Always.

Yup, with the old model, if I did not upgrade, I could still access all my files. I could export them, tweak them, and generally not be too worried about anything related with licensing once I had the original software. It would totally remove any barriers I still have if you just let me know (and pinky swear for it) that whatever files (photos in Lightroom, Premiere projects, PSDs) I have, I can always access. You made a huge progress with enabling this for Lightroom, now follow suite with the rest of the cloud. I don’t need to create new projects, just retain access to the projects I already created should I want to export again or change the format. Or even just reminisce with the monitor.

You see, I don’t want to have to pay each time I need to re-export my footage, or even export an entire Premiere project so I can use with a different, non Adobe program.

So yea, I wanna know that my work is always accessible, even if not changeable. Otherwise I kinda feel like a hostage.

Make a solid commitment that for as long as I pay, I can always access my software. Always.

No system is perfect. I know that. But I want to know that I can always access my software if I paid. Even if the authentication service is down and I cannot log in; even if I am not connected to the internet; even if I am not connected to the internet for over 30 days, (but I paid); even if Adobe decided to stop selling software and become a sandwich company. I need to know that what I paid for is accessible.

I want to know how much I am paying, and will be paying. Always.

You are asking us to commit to you, but you are not committing back to us. I saw that you made the Cloud for photographers plan a permanent one. This is definitely a great step in the right direction. Now I know what using Lightroom and Photoshop will cost me each month. But with the original plan being only a limited time offer and then extended and extended (and extended yet again) I would really appreciate a loud and clear message from Adobe regarding pricing.

I want to know not only how much a bundle will cost me today. I wanna know it for at least three or four years in advance (I knew that when it was a licensing model). Because I don’t want to find out that prices have gone up steeply and now my files and work are locked out – see previous request.

Where will you be in 20 years ?  Will you trap us all once you have our good faith and we trust you with our life’s work ?

So, those are the three major things that I would love to see happening. If you did those, I am yours for good! We know you do love to have feedback and that you do love your community, so maybe there is a chance you are already working on these issues, as long as you are already at it, here are a few more things that will probably make the transition even smoother. You know, if you feel like spoiling me.

I would love to see more bundled offers

Photographers, will obviously want Photoshop and Lightroom, so that $10/month is a pretty sweet deal. How about extending this to movie makers (at least to some extent) and provide a similar bundle for Premiere and After Effects. They don’t all have to be $9.99, movies can be 19.99 and I don’t have to use all the other stuff I don’t really care about like illustrator or in-design. Best of all, I want to combine packages and have, for example,  photography + film making for 29.99. Or if I am really one of those creative ones, and do photography, movies, graphic design, audio, web design and mobile development, then I can still get the full package.

I would love my plugins to keep working

I know this is not really related to the cloud, but it would still be awesome if all my Lightroom plugins were still working flawlessly when I upgraded to cloud. For example, Jeffrey Friedl’s wonderful workflow plugins were useless from LR5.0 to LR 5.2 (I understand that all is well now). If you could promise that my plugins will stay consistent I will upgrade. I understand that many are third party, but, this would be nice really keep on top of. Plug-in’s cost money too you know.BTW, I do appreciate the fact that you let me revert to the older versions, so not all is lost.

I like to feel loved, I would love to love the creative cloud, but it seems like I am being forced into a relationship I don’t quite understand and  I am not being listened too.  All I want is to feel part of the relationship.

Regards,

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