Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications and services from Adobe that gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, along with a set of mobile applications and also some optional cloud services. In Creative Cloud, a monthly or annual subscription service is delivered over the Internet.^[2][3] Software from Creative Cloud is downloaded from the Internet, installed directly on a local computer and used as long as the subscription remains valid. Online updates and multiple languages are included in the CC subscription. Creative Cloud was initially hosted on Amazon Web Services, but a new agreement with Microsoft has the software, beginning with the 2017 version, hosted on Microsoft Azure.^[4]

Adobe Creative Cloud

Developer(s)	Adobe
Initial release	July 17, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-07-17)
Stable release	CC 2025 / October 14, 2024; 1 day ago (2024-10-14) [1]
Operating system	Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
Predecessor	Adobe Creative Suite 6
Available in	English
Type	Software suite
License	Software as a service
Website	adobe.com/creativecloud

Previously, Adobe offered individual products as well as software suites containing several products (such as Adobe Creative Suite or Adobe eLearning Suite) with a perpetual software license.^[5]

Adobe first announced the Creative Cloud in October 2011. Another version of Adobe Creative Suite was released the following year.^[6] On May 6, 2013, Adobe announced that they would not release new versions of the Creative Suite and that future versions of its software would be available only through the Creative Cloud.^[7][8][9] The first new versions made only for the Creative Cloud were released on June 17, 2013.

Current applications and services

The Adobe Creative Cloud retains many of the features of Adobe Creative Suite and introduces new features;^[10] foremost is the instant availability of upgrades, saving to the cloud, and easier sharing. In June 2014, the company announced 14 new versions of the Creative Cloud essential desktop tools, four new mobile apps, and the availability of creative hardware for enterprise, education and photography customers.^[11][12][13]

The video disc authoring program Adobe Encore and the web-focused bitmap editor Adobe Fireworks were both discontinued by Adobe in 2013, but were still available as downloads via Creative Cloud until May 2019.

Packages

Adobe offers four tiers of the Creative Cloud subscription service for individuals (there are other types for Business and Schools):^[14]

• Photography, which contains some photography-related features of Adobe Creative Cloud and access to Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC.^[15]
• Single App, which contains all the features of Creative Cloud plus access to a single application of the user's choice in the suite out of a list of 11 selected applications.
• All Apps, the main tier of Creative Cloud that contains all the features of Creative Cloud plus access to all applications within the suite.
• All Apps + Adobe Stock, which contains all the standard features of Creative Cloud plus features for Adobe Stock.

Desktop, mobile, and web services

The following contains the services found on Creative Cloud.

Icons	Product name	Latest major version	Available in	Supported OS
	Acrobat	DC 23.0	Standalone package Creative Suite Creative Cloud Technical Communication Suite	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web
	Aero	Beta (0.23.4)	Standalone product	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
	After Effects	CC 2024 (24.2.1)	Standalone package Creative Suite Creative Cloud	Windows, macOS
	Animate (formerly Flash Professional)	CC 2024 (24.0.2)	Standalone package Creative Suite eLearning Suite Creative Cloud
	Audition	CC 2024 (24.0.3)
	Behance	N/A	Standalone product Creative Cloud	Android, iOS, web
	Bridge	CC 2024 (14.0.1)	Creative Suite eLearning Suite Photoshop Creative Cloud	Windows, macOS
	Capture		Standalone product Creative Cloud	Android, iOS
	Character Animator	CC 2024 (24.2)		Windows, macOS
	Color (formerly Kuler)	N/A		Web (formerly iOS and Android)
	Comp			Android, iOS
	Creative Cloud Desktop app	6.0.0		Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web
	Dimension	CC 2024 (3.4.11)		Windows, macOS
	Dreamweaver	CC 2024 (21.3)	Standalone package Creative Suite eLearning Suite Creative Cloud
	Dynamic Link	N/A	Standalone package Creative Cloud Creative Suite
	Express	N/A	Standalone package Creative Cloud	Web, Android, iOS
	ExtendScript Toolkit	CC	Standalone package Creative Cloud
	Fonts (formerly Typekit)	N/A		Web
	Fresco	2.0.3		Windows, macOS, iOS
	Illustrator	CC 2024 (28.4.1)	Standalone package Creative Cloud Creative Suite
	Illustrator Draw			Android, iOS
	InCopy	CC 2024 (19.0.1)	Standalone package Creative Cloud Creative Suite	Windows, macOS
	InDesign	CC 2024 (19.0.1)
	Lightroom	CC 2024 (7.1.2)		Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, web
	Lightroom Classic	CC 2024 (13.1)	Standalone package[16] Creative Cloud	Windows, macOS
	Media Encoder	CC 2024 (24.2.1)	Creative Cloud Creative Suite
	Photoshop	CC 2024 (25.6)	Standalone package Creative Suite Creative Cloud eLearning Suite	Windows, macOS, web
	Photoshop Camera		Standalone package Creative Cloud	Android, iOS
	Photoshop Fix	1.3
	Photoshop Mix
	Photoshop Sketch	3.4
	Portfolio	N/A		Web
	Prelude	CC 2024 (22.6.1)	Standalone package Creative Suite Creative Cloud	Windows, macOS
	Premiere Pro	CC 2024 (24.2.1)
	Premiere Rush	CC 2024 (2.10)	Standalone Creative Cloud	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
	Spark Page	3.1.0		iOS
	Creative Cloud Express	1.0		Web, Android, iOS
	Spark Video	2.1.4		iOS
	Stock	N/A		Web
	XD	CC 2024 (57.1.12)		Windows, macOS

Hidden helper tools

• Adobe IPC Broker is an app bundled with Creative Cloud running in the background. This hidden program runs a process that integrates multiple Creative Cloud apps such as Photoshop or Illustrator.^[17]

Discontinued products

• Flash Builder, formerly Flex Builder, was an integrated development environment (IDE) built on the Eclipse platform meant for developing rich Internet applications (RIAs) and cross-platform desktop applications for the Adobe Flash platform.
• Flash Professional (now Adobe Animate) is Flash's content authoring application.
• Fuse, formerly Fuse Character Creator, is a 3D character animation application originally developed by Mixamo. It was acquired by Adobe Systems in June 2015 and was discontinued while in beta testing.
• Ideas CC is a mobile digital sketchpad app that lets you design almost anywhere using vectors, layers, and color themes.
• Kuler CC, later called Adobe Color CC, was a color theming app for mobile devices. It was developed and marketed by Adobe Inc. through Adobe Creative Cloud.
• Muse is a discontinued offline website builder used to create fixed, fluid, or adaptive websites, without the need to write code.
• Premiere Clip is a timeline based video editing software on mobile platform.
• Preview CC is an app for previewing mobile designs.
• Scout is a profiling tool for Flash SWF files.
• SpeedGrade was a tool for performing color corrections and developing looks for Premiere projects. SpeedGrade was discontinued on August 22, 2017, but could still be used by subscribers at the time.^[18] Features from SpeedGrade are now found in the Lumetri Color Correction feature in Premiere Pro.
• Story was a screenwriting and film/TV pre-production online application which integrates with the Premiere Pro family. It allows users to create movie scripts for their movies.
• Voco is an unreleased audio editing and generating prototype software by Adobe that enables novel editing and generation of audio.

Reception

The change from perpetual licenses to a subscription model was met with significant criticism.^[19][20] Although Adobe's cloud-based model caused disagreement and uncertainty,^[19] and incited annoyance^[21] and conflict,^[22] a survey by CNET and Jefferies revealed that despite complaints most of its 1.4 million subscribers^[22][23] plan to renew.^[24][25]

Criticism

Shifting to a software as a service model, Adobe announced more frequent feature updates to its products and the eschewing of their traditional release cycles.^[26] Customers must pay a monthly subscription fee. Consequently, if subscribers cancel or stop paying, they will lose access to the software as well as the ability to open work saved in proprietary file formats.^[27]

Although investors applauded the move, many customers reacted negatively.^[28] This shift has been met with mixed reviews by both corporations and independent designers, with many people expressing their displeasure on the web^[29][30][31] and through multiple Internet petitions.^[32] Among these was a Change.org petition which reached over 30,000 signatures within a few weeks of the announcement.^[33]

Creative Cloud has been criticized for broken file syncing, one of its core features.^[34][35] In May 2013 Adobe announced that it was suspending the file-sync desktop preview "for the next couple of weeks".^[34] Reviewers of Creative Cloud were disappointed with the functionality of the cloud storage^[36][37][38] and were "far from convinced by Adobe's subscription model".^[39] Some users were concerned that they would be forced to upgrade their computer hardware when it is no longer supported by the current version of the Creative Cloud software.^[40]

Some of their customers experienced a loss of trust in Adobe as a company and an attendant rise in anxiety.^[41][42] Despite significant customer criticism over Adobe's move to subscription-only pricing,^[43] the company announced that it would not sell perpetual licenses to its software alongside the subscriptions: "We understand this is a big change, but we are so focused on the vision we shared for Creative Cloud, and we plan to focus all our new innovation on the Creative Cloud".^[44]

In May 2014 the service was interrupted for over a day due to a login outage leaving graphics professionals locked out of Creative Cloud.^{[45][46][47][48][49]} Adobe apologized for this global Creative Cloud failure.^[50][51] When initially asked whether customers would be compensated, the company's Customer Service responded: "We cannot offer compensation for the outage. I'm so sorry again for the frustration."^[52][53] Adobe later announced that it would review compensation on "a case by case basis".^[54] The outage was heavily criticized, as was Adobe's software as a service model in general.^[55]

Online articles began offering examples of replacements of Adobe products,^{[56][57][58][59][60]} with competing products directly offering alternatives, and launching promotions for dissatisfied Adobe customers.^[61] Adobe, however, claimed that Creative Cloud is its "highest customer satisfaction product in the creative space" and that even prior to Adobe's move to a pure subscription model, "more than 80 percent of customers who bought products from Adobe's Web site picked CC over CS."^[44]

Although Creative Cloud was expected to curtail the piracy of Photoshop,^[62] which is one of the most pirated pieces of software,^[63] Creative Cloud was hacked and its applications made available via unauthorized means a day after it officially launched.^[64][65] Adobe claimed that the subscription payment plan would make its software more accessible to users who previously pirated it.^[66]

On May 14, 2019, some Creative Cloud users received emails from Adobe stating that licenses to previous versions of Creative Cloud applications had been terminated and that users could face civil action from third parties if they did not update the software on their personal computers. A representative from Adobe confirmed the letter's authenticity. The situation prompted renewed criticism of Adobe's subscription-only business model.^[67]

Adobe users who sign NDAs could be in trouble after Adobe updated its terms of service to force users to share their content with Adobe, a clause that will compromise any NDA.^[68]

See also

• List of Adobe software

References

1. "Adobe Puts Greater Power & Possibility in Hands of Creators, Teams & Marketers at Adobe MAX 2024". Adobe Newsroom. October 14, 2024. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
2. Shankland, Stephen (May 11, 2012). "Adobe launches Creative Cloud subscription service". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
3. Ekin, A. Cemal (May 8, 2013). "Creative Cloud or Captive Consumer?". Keptlight. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
4. "Adobe and Microsoft partner in the Azure cloud to help businesses transform customer engagement". News Center. September 26, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
5. Weber, Harrison (May 26, 2013). "Adobe Abandons Its Creative Suite to Focus on Creative Cloud". The Next Web. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
6. Weber, Harrison (June 18, 2014). "Adobe launches Creative Cloud 2014 — its first massive update since killing the Creative Suite". VentureBeat. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
7. Muchmore, Michael (May 6, 2013). "Adobe Ditches Creative Suite for CC: Creative Cloud". PC Magazine. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
8. Cunningham, Andrew (May 7, 2013). "Adobe's Creative Suite is dead, long live the Creative Cloud". Ars Technica.
9. Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey (May 6, 2013). "Say Goodbye to Creative Suite: Adobe CS Is Now Creative Cloud". Gizmodo. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
10. "Adobe Announces All New 2014 Release of Creative Cloud". The Wall Street Journal. June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
11. Nathan Olivarez-Giles (June 18, 2014). "Photoshop Mix for iPad, Lightroom for iPhone Arrive With Adobe Creative Cloud 2014 Update". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
12. "Adobe launches sweeping upgrade to its Creative Cloud lineup". The Next Web. June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
13. "Adobe's 2014 Creative Cloud update: Desktop upgrades, new mobile apps, creative hardware". ZDNet. June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
14. "Creative Cloud pricing and membership plans". Adobe Systems. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
15. "Lightroom and Photoshop - Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan". adobe.com. Adobe Systems. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
16. "Compare pricing & plans | Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan". www.adobe.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
17. "AdobeIPCBroker.exe Windows process - What is it?". www.file.net. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
18. "Modern Color Grading Software". gamut.io. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
19. "Adobe's Creative Cloud Move Causes Outcry And Confusion". Forbes. May 9, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
20. Ashleigh Allsopp (May 13, 2013). "Adobe Creative Cloud: Reactions, responses and reassurance". Macworld. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
21. "Adobe shares soar to new record on cloud hopes". Financial Times. December 13, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
22. Shankland, Stephen (September 17, 2013). "Adobe exceeds 1M Creative Cloud subscriptions; stock rises". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
23. "Adobe's Creative Cloud Surpasses 1M Subscribers, But Q3 2013 Revenue Falls To $995.1M". Techcrunch. September 17, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
24. Maundze, Aderito. "New Extended Version Of Creative Cloud To Bolster Adobe's CC Subscriber base". Forbes. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
25. "Despite complaints most Adobe Creative Cloud subscribers plan to renew". CNET. CBS Interactive. March 13, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
26. Summers, Nick (May 6, 2013). "Adobe Abandons Its Creative Suite to Focus on Creative Cloud". The Next Web.
27. "Adobe casts cloud on budgets". The Columbian. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
28. "Adobe's Subscription-Only CC Release Carries Obvious Upside But Big Risk". Forbes. June 17, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
29. Haley, Sebastian (May 11, 2013). "Adobe exec: Creative Cloud complainers will love us once they try us (interview)". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
30. Fee, Jess (May 13, 2013). "Adobe's Move to the Cloud Incites Anger and Other Top Comments". Mashable.
31. Allsopp, Ashleigh (May 24, 2013). "Adobe Creative Cloud: Reactions, responses and reassurance". Macworld. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
32. Bennett, Neil (May 15, 2013). "Analysis: The real reason Adobe ditched Creative Suite for Creative Cloud". DigitalArts. IDG. Archived from the original on July 3, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
33. "Some Artists Give Adobe's Cloud Switch a Critical Review". Fox Business. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013.
34. Clark, Jack (May 17, 2013). "Adobe's Creative Cloud fails at being a cloud". The Register.
35. "Adobe Creative Cloud FAIL; Suspends File Sync Service | BWWGeeksWorld". Forward Geek. Wisdom Digital Media. May 19, 2013. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
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37. "Adobe Creative Cloud Review". blurMEDIA. August 28, 2012.
38. "Adobe Creative Cloud Review". Maclife.com. June 29, 2012.
39. "Adobe Creative Cloud review". Alphr. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
40. "DV Fanatics Blog: My Problem with Adobe Creative Cloud". Blog.dvfanatics.com. June 3, 2013.
41. "The Creative Cloud Chronicles: Freeing the Captive Consumer". Graphics.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
42. "Why I won't subscribe to Creative Cloud". Alphr. Dennis Publishing. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
43. Shankland, Stephen (March 25, 2014). "As Adobe customers howl, Corel offers education discount". CNET. CBS Interactive.
44. Shankland, Stephen (March 25, 2014). "Dislike Adobe's Creative Cloud subscriptions? Tough beans". CNET. CBS Interactive.
45. Chayka, Kyle (May 15, 2014). "Adobe's 'Creative Cloud' Goes Offline—and Takes a Million Designers With It". The Daily Beast.
46. "Adobe ID failure takes Creative Cloud down for nearly 24 hours". appleinsider. May 15, 2014.
47. McAllister, Neil (May 15, 2014). "Graphics pros left hanging as Adobe Creative Cloud outage nears 24 hours". The Register.
48. Northrup, Laura (May 16, 2014). "Adobe Creative Cloud Login Outage Takes Users' Productivity With It". Consumerist.
49. Goodin, Dan (May 16, 2014). "Outage of Adobe Creative Cloud, more than a day old, locked out app users". Ars Technica. Condé Nast.
50. "Adobe apologises for global Creative Cloud failure". The Daily Star. May 18, 2014.
51. "Why Adobe's Creative Cloud is a really, really bad idea for the sheeple". Network World. May 16, 2014.
52. "Destructive DRM Strikes Again: Creative Professionals Blocked From Using Adobe Products For Days". Techdirt. May 19, 2014.
53. Banks, Adam. "Creative Cloud outage leaves Adobe users unable to work". MacUser. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
54. "Adobe Offers Refunds for Customers Impacted by Creative Cloud Outage". NDTV Gadgets. NDTV Convergence Limited. May 19, 2014.
55. Dabbs, Alistair (May 16, 2014). "Cloud computing is FAIL and here's why (Stick that online service up your SaaS)". The Register.
56. Muchmore, Michael (June 21, 2013). "7 Adobe Photoshop CC Alternatives". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis.
57. "Build Your Own Adobe Creative Suite with Free and Cheap Software". Lifehacker. Gawker Media. January 17, 2013.
58. Anthony, Sebastian (May 8, 2013). "Bring out the GIMP: Adobe Photoshop and Creative Suite to become subscription-only". ExtremeTech. Ziff Davis.
59. Evans, Duncan (May 24, 2013). "Alternatives to Adobe's Creative Cloud". Macworld. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
60. Gaines, Kendra (June 26, 2013). "15+ alternatives to Adobe Creative Cloud". WebdesignerDepot.com.
61. Shankland, Stephen (March 25, 2014). "Adobe competitors pounce after subscription backlash". CNET. CBS Interactive.
62. Hession, Michael (May 6, 2013). "Will Adobe's Move to the Cloud Finally Keep the Pirates at Bay?". Gizmodo. Gawker Media.
63. Ziegler, Chris (June 20, 2013). "Adobe's subscription-only Photoshop CC has already been pirated". The Verge. Vox Media.
64. Reisinger, Don (June 20, 2013). "That was quick: Adobe's Creative Cloud already pirated". CNET. CBS Interactive.
65. Lee, Adriana (June 21, 2013). "Cracked With a Vengeance: Photoshop CC Pirated In One Day". TechnoBuffalo.
66. Andy (May 9, 2013). "Adobe: Photoshop Pirates Aren't Bad People Who Like to Steal Things". TorrentFreak.
67. Bode, Karl; Koebler, Jason (May 14, 2019). "Adobe Tells Users They Can Get Sued for Using Old Versions of Photoshop". Vice. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
68. Adobe users just now getting upset over content scanning allowance in Terms of Use

External links

• Official website