Libor Kubín Adobe has introduced new versions of its programs. That's why we decided to interview Michal Metlička, who leads a team of specialists for digital media in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
Hello Michal. Yesterday was the first day of Adobe Max. What new has Adobe prepared for users?
We've introduced new versions of our creative apps that will be available as part of your Creative Cloud membership. For those who are already in Creative Cloud, the application will automatically become available on June 17. But there is also a large amount of news in integrated cloud services. And let me add that Creative Cloud comes in two main versions. For companies, there is a version of Creative Cloud for team, which has a license tied to the company. Creative Cloud for Individual (formerly CCM) is for individuals and is tied to a specific natural person.
Will Creative Suite 6 continue to be supported?
Creative Suite continues to be sold and supported, but remains in CS6.
But you have completely shut off CS6 users from the news.
We offer discounted Creative Cloud membership to users of previous versions. This will give them all the updates, but keep their existing CS6 license. Adobe has a vision of an end-to-end solution that connects a continuously expanding and updated set of tools on the desktop with a range of services available through the web. We believe this is a better long-term solution for customers than the current state of having to wait 12-24 months for new features.
What about "boxed" users?
Boxed versions are no longer sold. CS6 electronic licenses will continue to be sold and will be further updated with technical updates (support for new RAW formats, bug fixes). However, CS6 will not include new features from the CC versions. New versions of CC are available within Creative Cloud.
I have the impression that the subscription form will not be very popular with users.
It's more of a change in thinking for the user - suddenly it has complete production tools plus a number of additional services that would previously cost 100 CZK and more for a reasonable monthly fee without the need for additional expenses for upgrades. When you do the math - CC comes out cheaper than apps + upgrades.
We launched Creative Cloud a year ago and the response has been very positive. We crossed 500 paying users in March this year and our plan is to reach 000 million users by the end of the year.
In my opinion, the future is clear - Adobe is gradually moving from classic licenses to Creative Cloud membership - i.e. a subscription for access to the entire Adobe creative environment. Some details will certainly change in the future, but the direction we are heading is quite clear. I think this will be a positive change for users and will allow for a much better ecosystem for creators than was possible in the current model.
It is a different business model, but some users will not be able to accept this form for various reasons. For example, the company will be prohibited from accessing the Internet...
I don't think they can accept it, but of course there will be users who would like to stay with the earlier model - they can move on, but they will stay with CS6.
We will have a solution for companies with restricted access - we allow the Creative Cloud team to create internal installations, so they don't have to download applications from the web.
What is my reason for moving to Creative Cloud? Try to convince me…
You get absolutely all creative apps from Adobe - design, web, video + Lightroom + Edge tools + cloud storage + DPS Single edition publishing + cloud sharing + Behance request + 5 web hosting + 175 font families, etc. for a price that is much lower than what you spend monthly on gas. In addition, you will continuously receive all the new features that Adobe gradually introduces in the products. You no longer have to wait 12-24 months for an upgrade, but you will get new features or services as soon as Adobe completes them.
Plus, you don't need to invest a large amount up front to acquire a license – your production tools become part of your normal operating costs. And don't forget that the initial investment in classic licenses didn't end there, but you also invested in upgrades to new versions.
I'm a little confused about your prices. 61,49 euros, you also offer a 40% discount…
The price of 61,49 euros is for an individual user including VAT. But we're bringing a number of special offers for existing customers to make it easier for them to switch to Creative Cloud. For example, business customers can now order Creative Cloud for team at a discounted price of 39,99 euros/month. The discounted price applies to customers who order before the end of August and pay for the whole year. We have other offers for individual users as well, which will also make the transition very easy. Do not forget that the user of our applications is entitled to install two licenses - one on the work computer and one on the home computer. This, in conjunction with cloud storage and synchronization of settings, brings completely new possibilities and ease of work.
The system requirements are not exactly small... (and not even for disk space).
New apps are gradually 64-bit, and we use a lot of GPUs, process video without transcoding in real time, etc., so there are demands. The advantage of Creative Cloud is flexibility. Applications are not installed as a whole package, but individually. So you can decide and install the apps you need every day, and you can install other apps when you need them.
Fireworks is not in the new Creative Cloud. He disappeared. And what happened to Photoshop?
Fireworks in the new Creative Cloud remains, but has not been updated to the CC version. Photoshop no longer has two versions, Standard and Extended, it has been unified into a single version.
Let's take a look at the news.
Photoshop CC – Camera RAW filter, Shake reduction (removal of blur caused by camera movement), Smart Sharpen (better algorithms for image sharpening that do not create unwanted artifacts), Intelligent upsampling (better algorithms for increasing image resolution), editable rounded rectangles (finally), smart object filters (non-destructive filters - blur, etc.), new easier tools for creating 3D, and of course everything related to the connection to Creative Cloud - synchronization of settings, connection from Kuler, etc., etc. The new Camera RAW filter is also very interesting - actually many of the new things you may know from Lightroom 5 will now be available in Photoshop through this filter - non-destructive perspective comparison, a circular filter, a non-destructive correction brush that now works like a real brush and not a circular selection.
Still conditional actions (possibility to create branches within actions and better automate repeated processes), work with CSS and others.
That's not all, but I can't remember more right now. (laughter)
And InDesign?
It is completely rewritten to 64 bits, has retina support, a new user interface unified with other applications, faster processes. Revamped epub support, 2D barcodes support, a new way of working from fonts (possibility of searching, defining favorites, interactive insertion), integration of Typekit fonts, etc. In addition, within Creative Cloud you have various language versions available, including support for Arabic, for example, which previously required another license.
In connection with the new version, I am thinking of backward compatibility. Will InDesign still only be able to export to a lower version?
InDesign CC allows you to save a document to be compatible with InDesign CS4 and higher. Otherwise, within Creative Cloud, the user can install any version that was released in Creative Cloud in the last 5 years - any language, any platform, they can even have multiple versions installed at the same time.
What about other programs?
Illustrator CC - has a new Touch Type tool allowing a new level of work with fonts and modifications at the level of individual characters - support for Multitouch devices such as Wacom Cintiq. Any transformation – multitouch again, brushes that can also contain bitmap images, CSS code generation, new functions for working with textures, inserting multiple images at once (ala InDesign), managing linked files, etc.
Premiere Pro - new more efficient editing tools for faster work, directly integrated ProRes codecs on Mac and Avid DNxHD on both platforms, Sony XAVC and more. OpenCL and CUDA support in the new Mercury playback engine, improved multi-camera footage editing, multi-GPU export support, new audio tools, integrated color grading filter supporting Speedgrade looks presets, etc.
What about sharing, teamwork. How does Adobe handle this?
Creative Cloud is shared as such, or in conjunction with Behance. Here you can present not only your finished portfolio but also ongoing projects. Creative Cloud has new support for folder sharing and better setting of sharing rules, but I haven't tested the exact details yet.
I saw that CC users get some fonts for free…
Typekit, which is part of CC, now allows you to license not only web fonts but also desktop fonts. In total, there are 175 font families.
How much does a font license cost for the web and how much for the desktop?
Fonts are licensed under Creative Cloud, so you have them paid for as part of your membership.
An iPhone also appeared on the screen during the keynote. Was it an app on the display?
Edge Inspect. It enables a live preview of the web project in progress on various mobile devices.
Are there any other mobile news on Adobe Max?
We've introduced the new Kuler for mobile - you can take a photo and choose color themes from it and Kuler will create a matching palette for you - for me with poor color vision, any tool that helps me match colors is amazing.
When will Adobe evangelists like Livine visit the Czech Republic again?
Jason will not be here this year, but we are preparing an event for the beginning of June (the date is not yet certain). There will be European evangelists along with the local team.
Michael, thank you for the interview.
If you're interested in digital photography, graphics, publishing, and Adobe, visit Michal Metlička's blog.
The option to choose has disappeared (not everyone needs everything) and it will noticeably affect freelancers (note that Adobe is only talking about companies). E.g. if you upgraded with Adobe CS Design Std. ob version, you paid approx. 15 for 000 years. You will pay CZK 3 again. That's a heck of a difference for a freelancer and triple the price.
Hello Jacob,
my mistake, that I mainly mentioned companies. Freelancers, on the other hand, have it a little cheaper, because they can use (if it's enough for them) Creative Cloud for Individual. It hasn't been possible to upgrade the version for some time anyway, so the option was either to stay on one version as long as possible and then buy it again or Cloud.
It is clearly advantageous for a user who starts using the possibility of having all products + other services available. For someone who uses only a few programs (Design Standard), it works out similarly to buying every upgrade.
Michal Metlička
As a freelancer, I completely disagree with you and after reading discussions on English and American forums under articles on this topic, I am not alone. The price is €61,91, which after conversion is approx. CZK 1550 per month and 18600 per year! Like my colleague above, I bought upgrades about every 2-3 years at a price of about 15-17 thousand. The fact that the price is lower for the lure does not affect the fact that it is and will be expensive, and basically my data will be unusable for me after not paying the subscription. Thanks a lot!
And secondly, I still don't understand why the dollar exchange rate against the euro is reversed in America???? Why should we pay more than them, and thirdly, if they don't have the cost of box distribution etc, why is the price still so high?
The main problem is in the course for Europe, and because the user no longer has the option to buy/pre-order only what he needs, such as the Creative Suite package types. Why should I pay for 18 programs or how many there are, when I need about 5 programs?
Adobe simply realized that it has no competition in the current situation and is finally making a mistake. Unfortunately, one thing happens in this state. Even the loyal ones who buy packages here for about 10-15 years will think about an alternative - which is not completely easy after the destruction of the competition - or they will get crack versions that will 100% come here.
Hello,
the lower price for the first year is an effort to favor users who have already invested in our software. If you are comparing the full annual price (including VAT), then you need to compare it with the initial license purchase + subsequent upgrades.
Skipping upgrades was no longer possible - Adobe already made this change last year.
The exchange rate between the dollar and the euro is not changed, even though the software is really more expensive in the European Union. The price in euros is the same as the price in dollars (1:1). Unfortunately, it is something that we cannot influence locally, but we are at least grateful that the difference compared to classic licenses has decreased.
Mr. Metlička, you have annoyed me enough with your answers. Either you can't count (which I don't suppose) or you are clearly demagogic lying!
The exchange rate is clearly reversed, or 40 USD : 49 EUR will come to you as 1:1 (by the way, when converted to CZK it is 790 : 1270, i.e. the difference is more than half).
Please don't spit in our face if you're already screwing us, your paying users.
I understand that there is little you personally can do about this absurd situation (USD/EUR), but nobody is forcing you to make fools of us. It is unworthy of you and us.
Hello,
it's really 1:1, which doesn't make me happy either, but the course is not reversed (it used to be).
In the USA you see the prices without tax, here we have to add VAT. But VAT is not charged by Adobe, but by the state.
I really don't mean to lie to you here and I don't.
Michael M.
Dobrý den.
It is not entirely clear from your statement whether the listed prices (which I took from the official website) are with or without tax.
Secondly, even if the price in EUR already includes tax (which is strange, because it is different in each EU country) and the price in USD is not, as far as I know, there is no tax of 23%, but a maximum of 10%.
So can you clarify for me, what about the prices and their taxation?
Either you don't have the correct information about skipping the upgrade, or you can knowingly... In Canada and the USA, it was done without any problems (after calling the Sales Dept.) - in January, we upgraded CS4 and CS3 to CS6 in the company...
It is possible that you somehow managed to get an exception. Adobe warned about the change in the rules all last year (it was supposed to happen at the beginning of last year), but it finally didn't come until January 2013.
Michael M.
This is how it works normally here... it's called doing business...
If I look in the amsoft e-shop, I see the option to upgrade from both 5.0 and 5.5. So how come you can't upgrade by one version?
Otherwise, I think that with this move, Adobe will encourage more development of competing products, and that's a good thing.
Even in that case it's 30 vs. 50 thousand, which is hardly "breaking even". Adobe has no full-fledged competition and at the same time suffers from piracy. So it was decided to squeeze the maximum out of customers. And the ever-increasing US/EU price difference, previously defended by boxes/localizations, is just another form of monopoly arrogance.
Hello Jacob,
you are not right about the increasing price difference. Previously, the course was really turned against the European Union, but now it is at least 1:1. I still don't enjoy it, but it's better than before.
There is only one possible solution to repeat the 1984 advertisement, or to imitate the solution that Adobe offered against the dominant arrogant Quark. There must be a free solution for converting files stored in the cloud version to CS6. Then everyone will be satisfied, both users who want everything new and are not interested in the price, as well as those who are not looking for customers just to have a shot at big brother.
Where did you find out that it is not possible to upgrade two versions or even two versions - in Canada and the USA it was done without any problem - simply called the Adobe sales department and arranged a "deal" ...
If Adobe wanted to imitate the Office 365 model, it did it completely wrong. With office, I can choose whether I want a box or a subscription. For an Office 365 subscription, I can choose from many subscription models, depending on the size of the company and usage, as well as whether I am a business or home customer. These models also fundamentally differ in price.
And as a bonus. With a subscription, I can install Office on up to five of my devices, regardless of platform. So I have a completely legal new office on my workstation with win, and twice on my MacBook, once under mac os (version 2011 there) and once on windows in bootcamp. The annual subscription is also discounted compared to the monthly subscription.
None of this is enabled by Adobe. There are many users from the ranks of freelancers or smaller companies who use, for example, only three products. For me, for example, Photoshop, Flash and Acrobat. I'm not looking for anything else. And I really don't want to pay for something I won't use.
The second very important thing is that when upgrading boxed versions, the customer can choose one very important thing and that is - when to pay for the upgrade - i.e. plan costs according to need and possibilities. With a subscription, he still pays, and as I said, for something he doesn't even need.
So for me, CS6 in Web premium version will remain the last version for me for as long as possible and I hope that before I really have to use new versions something changes a lot at Adobe. And I would just humbly allow myself to point out that this is not an isolated cry from the crowd, but practically everyone from the ranks of small entrepreneurs that I know perceives it this way.
Hello, I don't normally write comments, but this has to be commented on. I myself use Adobe products at work, I even teach their use at university for several years, but the current situation clearly forces me to look for competing products. He's even recording it to create new competition. It's a shame that they got bought by Macromedia, because they would be the best solution today. Just to give you an idea, 99% of students do not have legal licenses and this current policy means that a large part will switch to other programs during their student years and will not buy these products in the future. Well, I guess I'll start to believe that only Open Source should be taught in schools, and let students continue to decide freely what to buy or not to buy in life.
1:1 prices are a mockery, it doesn't even need to be commented on, for example fontshop or linotype have the same... I think that Mr. Metlička will not influence, but he can present the opinion of Adobe management users, because at least a price comparison would mean more paying customers from our region .
Personally, I was looking forward to Adobe coming up with an improvement to Fireworks, but unfortunately, a big disappointment.
In my opinion, this situation bodes well for everyone staying with CS6. After all, you can work creatively with your head in the clouds even with the CS2 version.
I have been presenting my opinion on EU vs. US prices to our American colleagues for quite a few years now. :( Also thanks to this, we achieved lower prices for the Czech versions earlier.
I will also add a comment about the price. It's strange that companies calculate the exchange rate 1:1, but probably no one told the banks that they should also calculate it that way. So where is the difference of around 25% against the euro? Adobe has outrageous software prices, and by introducing such an outrageous subscription, they think they will solve something. In my opinion, the opposite is true and I think that even the CC version will somehow spread illegally at such exorbitant prices. If the programs cost around 3 to 5 thousand, then it is not worth it for any company or entrepreneur to pirate it, and Adobe's earnings would be greater than with the current model. Just to be clear, I do not have and have never used any program from Adobe, not even the free one. As a layman, I don't need it. I just don't understand the business model and the thinking. It seems short-sighted and counterproductive.
They're scumbags. I absolutely do not understand this step of theirs. They just want to extract more money from their loyal customers. As if it wasn't enough that for years only updated tools cost absolutely exorbitant prices.
This is for graphic designers to get used to Gimp. ;-)
personally, I would avoid the abbreviation CC, which in the world of creatives means Creative Common and is associated with cheekbones and rights..
By purchasing CC, we become dependent on Adobe's fee policy, even if the initial offer for existing CS users is quite friendly (for 1 year :-/), no one can guarantee that the friendliness will not disappear after a few years…. on the contrary, prices will start to increase...various fees and surcharges will be added...which, under the pressure of cutting you off from one or another functionality tomorrow, we will pay and pay. I'm afraid I'll have to hold out as long as possible and explore the possibilities of the "competition",... maybe something new will appear or Adobe will change their mind.... Personally, I'm "pissed off", Michal...
There is no tax on most electronic purchases in Canada and the USA (ie, in Canada there is only federal GST - 5%). Even if it were, there is an easy solution - established virtual branches of the company where Sales Tax = 0% - Oregon, Montana, Alaska ... or in Canada - Alberta.
.
Otherwise, the problem of different US x EU prices is easily solvable. At least Australians have been doing it that way for a long time - a US charger credit (can be bought anywhere in the US or on eBay) and a purchase in the US Adobe store... :-)
Thrown rag to programmers! (hackers). I wonder how long Adobe will last. See Windows :-)
I just remember how about a year and a half ago a lot of people switched to Premiere claiming that it was Final Cut Pro 8. And what about today? Apple wants about 270 Euros for FCP-X and I always have it. Well, we have to make do with Pixelmator for pictures. So there is competition in data. I myself edited on FCP-X every day for more than a year and I probably didn't have a better editing software in hand. On the other hand, dear Premiere... just let Adobe go crazy.
So I was wondering if you have any other alternatives to these programs.
I'm quite interested in what other options there are besides Adobe:
Premiere = Final Cut, Sony Vegas, Avid
Fireworks = for example Sketch by Bohemians Coding
Dreamweaver = Sublime Text 2
Photoshop = Aperture will be enough for some, GIMP for some, I'll look at Artweaver, Sumopaint, Pixelmator myself
Illustrator = Inkscape, Xara
InDesign = Quark
Unfortunately, Quark is not an alternative to ID. He stayed a hundred years behind the monkeys
I think one more type of user has been forgotten, the enthusiastic photographer or amateur "graphic artist" who buys Photoshop once every 5 years "to play". Elements simply still does not have the freedom of editing for an advanced amateur, and Aperture is a different category of tool.
It's just that for many people, using SW is not a profitable activity, but rather a form of entertainment - they will definitely not pay any monthly fees. It is not an economically important group for Adobe, but somehow the user base is being lost, only a handful of insiders will be able to control their products, who will be able to earn money for regular license payments.
And the thing that annoys me the most is when I call Adobe at 12 noon today, Thursday, regarding the purchase of a multi-license, and the machine tells me on three numbers every time that they are closed on this holiday, or that I should call during business hours. No one anywhere on all these numbers: 800701472, 239016347, 222191950 so I have a feeling that it can't even be bought...
That's still nothing. Charles University bought an annual cloud license (TeamReady) for its DTP. In October 2012 - Adobe still hasn't made it work, they say it's complicated. But of course they took the money.
As a freelancer, I do not agree with the whole change. The advantages of the cloud are there, I admit it, but there are a lot of buts that the user then does not see:
– I will buy Photoshop CC and use it for a year for the price of a monthly rental. OK, the price still works out better than if I bought a box.
Jenze, then situations arise that make it really difficult:
– as soon as I start paying for the cloud, it will eventually become more expensive. OK, I don't want to pay, so adios to you Adobe.
- Backward Compatibility. The vast majority will certainly stay with cs6, in the best case. But what is needed in x years when backward compatibility will only be possible for photoshop CC? Well, you're wrong, says Adobe, and I recommend you subscribe to the cloud.
– in time, there will be other versions, or rather new tools, and your PC will start to lag quite a bit. Adobe will say you have weak hardware, upgrade.
So that price will not only be for the subscription, but you will also have to buy a more powerful PC in time, after the price increases you will have to accept them, etc., etc.
This needs to be looked at now, otherwise some will pay.
My opinion is that a certain majority will not go to the cloud, and Adobe will be surprised that their plans have not been announced. There is a petition on the net against this new move by Adobe and more and more people are signing it.
In my opinion, adobe should have left the possibility to upgrade when I want and of course without raising prices in the future. So I will download the software from the net when it has to be done. The new function is useful for some, but not for others, and he would like to wait to see what the next version will bring.
Well, well, when there is nowhere else to go, you need to tie up the client properly. AND
this can be done well by subscription and complete linking with his work. Once
CS6 will be legendary - the last true suite of tools, not services.
It is the result of a corporate mindset where these companies don't care
individual.
Unfortunately, Adobe is very aware of its power. But I do not have
fear, in time an alternative will come. I also grew up under the influence at school
Autodesk products, but luckily there is competition/quality in the CAD area
much bigger and now I don't even need a plugin from Autodesk. It just was
need to get rid of the mantra that Autodesk is the best. I believe similarly
it will also come to Adobe. People just want to be free. Even though they tell me now
how much will they give me for half until I have an independent option
anytime off and on any cloud is an addiction to theirs for me
free decision and I don't want that.
I have always seen software as
a tool, not as a service. Just like I don't have a rented drill in the workshop,
I don't even want to have a rented illustrator in my computer.
Creative Dead?