It has been nearly a year since Adobe launched their cloud subscription version of CS6. I am still amazed by the fact that so many people seemed to have missed it (especially colleagues and peers in the graphics/technology world). Yet, when I inform them about the product, they always say the same thing, “Wow, that is great – I didn’t know about that!”
I thought this might be a good starting point for DIY Marketing. Adobe Cloud removes one of the biggest obstacles (large investment cost) that keep new people from using professional, print and digital publishing applications like Adobe Creative Suite. The same holds true for industry veterans who fell behind because they simply couldn’t afford the hefty upgrade costs.
How it Works
Adobe Cloud is an option where you pay a monthly fee and get access to all the core Adobe products along with a couple of useful extras. Here are the basic subscription levels at the time of this post:
– Single App: $19.99/mo
– Annual contract: $49.99/mo Individual; $69.99/mo Team (per user)
– Month to Month (No Contract): $74.99/mo
– Students, teachers: $19.99/mo Individual; $39.99/mo Team (per user)
If you are a current registered user of an earlier suite product (CS3 or newer), Adobe also offers the introductory rate of $20/mo for the first year.
Included in the subscription: Acrobat Pro, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, Adobe Premier and much more – for complete details, go to Adobe Creative Cloud.
Learning Curve – the Second Biggest Obstacle
So you are in, but don’t really know how to get started. As a mostly self-taught designer/developer, I know how daunting a new application or platform can be. Thankfully, there are boundless resources on the web to help you along these days. Check my Resources page for my favorite along with a quick overview on each. For my part, I will be posting Tutorials for Adobe and other useful tools/platforms that I hope will help beginners and experienced professionals alike (first one set to launch March 19th).
Now Get To It
I love anything that brings the power of media out of the hands of the few and into the hands of the many – Adobe Cloud is a great leveler. With access to the right creative tools, a person gains the power and potential to educate, spread ideas, create connections, sell products or possibly even change the world.
Today media content touches more than it ever has – it permeates every aspect of our daily experience and has become more powerful than ever before. With Adobe Cloud, more people can access and contribute to that experience – with talent; hard work and the right tools, the possibilities are limitless.