New rant against Adobe

[Godfrey]

Had to laugh: Yesterday for the first time in years I wanted to put together an image that required multiple layers to implement it (a composited satellite map image with overlays for streets and my motorcycle route...). I had to install the legacy Java stack on macOS 10.12.6 for Photoshop CS5.51 to launch and run (long since removed from the standard installation). But it did, ran just fine too, and it only took me half an hour to remember how Photoshop worked well enough to complete my simple task.

I never used plug-ins very much, if at all. All of my old scripts worked just fine.

PS seems so overly complicated now for my photographic use! :toocool:

G

 

[Satrycon]

aha...is that the CC version ?

i use the perpetual lightroom


though there are some very nice Acros b&w styles for capture 1 [film styles]

Yes, but the plugins stopped working in Photoshop with High Sierra v10.13.3.

Joe

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I'm trying to cancel my Adobe plan, but they have made it more or less impossible. My intention was to reduce from a full plan, which at the moment costs me around $60 per month, to PS only, but their (probably intentionally) dysfunctional website makes me so angry that I'll probably leave them for good and go for a combination of C1 and Affinity Photo instead. Cancelling my credit card seems to be the only way to stop the bloody thing :cussing:

 

[Frankly]

I used to rant about a lot of things.

Figured out that it's easier, faster, and healthier to buck up and buy a new computer, tablet, and phone every five years and pay whatever Adobe asks for the latest Photoshop scam. And avoid all the third party plug-ins, betas, and "revolutionary" applications.

When they do mess up there is a user base of millions shouting so they do updates quickly.

There's few to zero hardware conflicts and security holes.

I can spend my time at photography instead.

Since Photoshop 0.9 I have thrown away more time and money on quick fixes, plug-ins, patches, work-arounds and the like than I've given Adobe or Apple. Might as well realize their business model depends on people buying new stuff continually and either accept it or find a pre-subscription era machine and OS, install from CDs, unplug from the internet and use older cameras.

Of course I have an old Mac Iici in the basement running QuarkXpress and Live Picture in the basement ;-p

 

[archiM44]

I wonder why I have no problems at all with my Adobe LR+PS subscription
I run a not very new (3 year old) iMac on Sierra after being advised by my computer advisor not to upgrade.
Lightroom CC classic and PS run perfectly. I send my RAW files to a specific C1 session in Capture One pro 11 with one shortcut click because that is my processor of choice
I can access all my NIK elements (which were originally purchased from the first site and later downloaded from Google) perfectly from both programs as well as from C1 11.
Because the LR catalog is stable, allows synchronizing correctly and is very fast I use that. The catalog in Capture One has been a disaster for me. I have tried it many times but it is very slow to load my 50,000 images and keeps giving problems.
I have tried other programs (OnOne Photo RAW, Luminar etc.) but regret the purchases.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I wonder why I have no problems at all with my Adobe LR+PS subscription
I run a not very new (3 year old) iMac on Sierra after being advised by my computer advisor not to upgrade.
Lightroom CC classic and PS run perfectly. I send my RAW files to a specific C1 session in Capture One pro 11 with one shortcut click because that is my processor of choice
I can access all my NIK elements (which were originally purchased from the first site and later downloaded from Google) perfectly from both programs as well as from C1 11.
Because the LR catalog is stable, allows synchronizing correctly and is very fast I use that. The catalog in Capture One has been a disaster for me. I have tried it many times but it is very slow to load my 50,000 images and keeps giving problems.
I have tried other programs (OnOne Photo RAW, Luminar etc.) but regret the purchases.

As long as I didn't do any changes, there were no problems. However, since they increased the price of my total CC package a few months ago, I wanted to change to the same package that you apparently have, PS + LR. For my geographical location, it wasn't possible to do that on their website and the website refused to connect me to their chat.

There have been problems before though. A couple of years ago, they cancelled the promotional package I had at the time, claiming that my credit card didn't work. They were only willing to re-start it at the full, normal price.

The current problem may have been solved by contacting them on FB messenger. The person I got in contact me said he or she would "cancel the automatic renewal" of my membership. He didn't say when that would come into effect though, next week, next month or next year, and when I tried to ask, there was no answer.

 

[Photon42]

I know this is that rants thread. But I just wanted to say I had only two times issues with Lightroom so far over the course of the full Lightroom lifecycle.

Both with the LR Classic/PS subscription model. On the first case, when the Software won't open anymore, Adobe support was actually very quick in helping me. They had 3rd level support remotely fixing the issue on my machine just a couple of hours after the event occurred.

The second issue happened with my installation of LR 7.1 -> 7.2 upgrade. After that - the import function tool forever. A simple downgrade to 7.1 and later upgrade to 7.3 solved the issue with me.

Could they simplify their offering, subscription tools and improve consistency between what the advertise and what they offer? Yes - certainly. I have however yet to see a piece of software for around CHF 11/mon (I live in Switzerland, if that matters) with gives with the same catalog and image processing envelope as the LR/PS combo. Consistency and ease of workflow yet powerful tools at hand is important for me.

Ivo

 

[Shashin]

Yet one more reason to convert to C1. Just sayin.

How does C1 handle my Pentax medium-format files? I might actually consider C1, but the company needs to stop being so petty and realize some people do not buy their cameras.

 

[tcdeveau]

How does C1 handle my Pentax medium-format files? I might actually consider C1, but the company needs to stop being so petty and realize some people do not buy their cameras.

There are ways you can strip the metadata and tricking C1 into thinking it's an IQx50 file. The usual caveats apply though and P1 may figure out a way to stop users from doing that at any time. I just used LR and PS with my 645z files when I had it.

Personally I think if they're not going sell products that compete at the 645z/X1D/GFX price point or sell products that compete with the X1D or GFX period, they may as well sell a standalone C1 license to users of those cameras. The vast majority of ppl who have bought 645z/X1D/GFX etc aren't going to pay the premium for Phase hardware anyway, so it's not like they'd be losing sales on a significant number of digital backs by doing so. They can do what they want though and maybe they do have an X1D/GFX competitor in the works. Who knows.

Adobe software has worked out pretty well for me. I wish it were easier to move the grad filter after placement. They used to have a little dot that you could grab and move around where to where you want on the picture (like any of the brushes) after placement but that seems to have gone away for me, or I'm just not seeing it.

The other thing that irks me is now I have about 3 different versions of PS and LR each on my computer. I thought by going to the CC model, one version would simply be upgraded, and not that it would keep installing separate applications for major updates. I just realized the other day that I was using an older version of lightroom because, even though I had done the update, I wasn't aware that the update actually installed another separate application instead of updating the version I was using. :facesmack:

Not terribly happy being a slave to the subscription model but I've just accepted it is what it is, and incorporate Adobe costs into my yearly photo budget. I know it's the principal of the matter and not the actual $$, but $9.99/month LS/PS subscription is a drop in the bucket compared to what I've spent on gear the past two years anyway. Financially, what I've spent on subscriptions is less than what I'd pay every couple years to upgrade in upgrade costs, so it's not too big a deal. I'm about to be a student again for the next 4-5 years so will probably jump on the student plan for their entire software suite in the meantime. It's just easier and less of a headache for me right now to continue to use LR/PS than look for DAM alternatives anyway.

Good to know about high sierra breaking NIK. I still haven't upgrade to High Sierra. I've been a NIK user long before they were purchased by Google and still use their plugins periodically. Their U-point tech is great for making simple adjustments easily. That being said, I'm trying to stop using plug-ins altogether in my work flow for exactly these reasons.....

 

[JohnBrew]

I finally solved my Windows pain by getting a MacBook Pro. I now no longer have to deal with a minimum of two notices a day stating I need a security update or that my software is out-of-date. And I can finally use the latest PS 2018.

 

[Paul_Kerfoot]

I'm trying to cancel my Adobe plan, but they have made it more or less impossible. My intention was to reduce from a full plan, which at the moment costs me around $60 per month, to PS only, but their (probably intentionally) dysfunctional website makes me so angry that I'll probably leave them for good and go for a combination of C1 and Affinity Photo instead. Cancelling my credit card seems to be the only way to stop the bloody thing :cussing:

What if the subscription model is only the beginning, how long will it be before you are not permitted to store your files locally and are forced onto the cloud. At that point, Adobe effectively possesses your data (and you don't) and can charge you to access it (at what price). What guarantees that your data is secure and you are the only one with access to it.

 

[Frankly]

What if the subscription model is only the beginning, how long will it be before you are not permitted to store your files locally and are forced onto the cloud. At that point, Adobe effectively possesses your data (and you don't) and can charge you to access it (for a price). What guarantees that your data is secure and you are the only one with access to it.

And once our images are confined to big data's cloud servers the SPLC, ADL, and various other authoritarian censors will be policing your imaging just like they are already doing on social media. Anything they don't like will be a "hate image" and in the UK that means jail time and a shiv in the kidneys. Here in the USA you'll simply never work again.

Epson and Canon will have connectivity so the images will not be allowed to print. If you do dare to view them online after submitting proof of age and a financial link you'll be tracked.

"But it's for the safety of the children" and most people will go along with it.

Hey, being a censor could be a great job for art professors who don't get tenure!

 

[archiM44]

I just went to the Manage Plan window in a few clicks, and of course didn't click the option to Cancel Plan or payment because I'm quite satisfied.
But I don't understand all the (eventual) problems that are being posted.

 

[fotografz]

I just went to the Manage Plan window in a few clicks, and of course didn't click the option to Cancel Plan or payment because I'm quite satisfied.
But I don't understand all the (eventual) problems that are being posted.

"What Ifs" can be anything a person can dream up.

"What If" Siri starts criticizing your photography as you are processing it? "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that". "That is a terrible edit Dave". "What were you thinking when you took that horrible photo Dave"? Shouldn't you delete that cat image Dave"?

Dave: "Shut the F up Siri!

- Marc (AKA: Dave)

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I just went to the Manage Plan window in a few clicks, and of course didn't click the option to Cancel Plan or payment because I'm quite satisfied.
But I don't understand all the (eventual) problems that are being posted.

I also came to that window. Then, when I clicked cancel plan, I came to a window with two cancellation options and an instruction that said that id there was no activation button on the first one, I should use the second one. But neither had an activation button. There was a "contact customer support" button though. I clicked that one whic brought me to another page with little or no content that was useful, but an option to go back to Manage Plan.

It was very similar to when I played "Adventure" on IBM 370 consoles without a graphic interface bak in the seventies :wtf:

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Just to illustrate what I mean:

The top subscription in this photo was my original CC subscription. It was cancelled by Adobe in October, allegedly because they weren't able to charge my credit card. The bottom one is my current subscription which I have cancelled. However, in spite of me finally getting in touch with them through FB, they apparently weren't able to cancel it properly, only do something about the payment routine so that my card wasn't charged 1 May. The result is that it's still listed as active, not cancelled, and I keep getting these messages when I open one of their applications, warning me about how many days are left before I can't use their wonderful products. When they get to zero days, I'll book a PS/LR subscription rather than this all included subscription and go back to CS6 for Illustrator etc.

And here's the reason why I quit; a price increase of nearly 50% last autumn, and nearly 100% since the autumn of 2016, one year earlier:

USD 1 = THB 31

 

[JohnBrew]

My Adobe renewal is in August. I'm almost (but not quite) confident enough to ditch them for Luminar.

 

[iiiNelson]

Just to illustrate what I mean:

The top subscription in this photo was my original CC subscription. It was cancelled by Adobe in October, allegedly because they weren't able to charge my credit card. The bottom one is my current subscription which I have cancelled. However, in spite of me finally getting in touch with them through FB, they apparently weren't able to cancel it properly, only do something about the payment routine so that my card wasn't charged 1 May. The result is that it's still listed as active, not cancelled, and I keep getting these messages when I open one of their applications, warning me about how many days are left before I can't use their wonderful products. When they get to zero days, I'll book a PS/LR subscription rather than this all included subscription and go back to CS6 for Illustrator etc.

And here's the reason why I quit; a price increase of nearly 50% last autumn, and nearly 100% since the autumn of 2016, one year earlier:

USD 1 = THB 31

Don’t know how easy it is for you but for me I had to call to actually cancel my subscription. They purposely make it as difficult as legally possible. They will also try to tack on fees as cancellation time but fight them or escalate by threatening legal action... at least I did to prevent it.

 

[DougDolde]

Agreed: You cannot even change your CC payment method from PayPal to a credit card online !

You have to call customer service ! I've had enough of this BS and have gone back to CS6 which I have a perpetual license for.

 

[apocolibri]

When I read threads like this it makes me happy to be a luddite!
I'm still using Aperture for cataloging and Iridient Developer for those occasions when the camera I'm using was released after Aperture lost support from Apple.
My Nik, Topaz and other plugins work great... and I feel fiiiine!