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ZDNET's key takeaways
Canva's free Affinity tools make Adobe's subscriptions hard to justify.
Combining Canva and Photoshop costs half of Creative Cloud.
Adobe's AI limits and device restrictions push users away.
Oh, Adobe. I've been an Adobe user for a very long time. My primary tool is Photoshop, which I have used daily since before there was a World Wide Web.
I dabble with the other tools in Adobe's Creative Cloud suite. I primarily use Illustrator to create vector designs for my laser cutter, and Lightroom to enhance some RAW-format photos. My wife loved Adobe Express until they completely changed the UI one night. And I used Premiere, the Adobe video editing tool, until it crashed more than 100 times during one video. I switched to Apple's Final Cut Pro (which has a one-time fee) after that.
Also: Canva's new 'Creative Operating System' wants to be your one-stop-shop for AI design
Photoshop used to sell as a standalone software product. I bought it back in the 2010s for $700. I also paid upgrade fees relatively regularly. And then, Adobe launched the Creative Cloud subscription plan, which started at $50 per month and is now $70 per month.
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