Adobe Creative Cloud

[Bumpkin]

Just about the push the button on this having been using CS3 for many years. Anyone on here using it and have anything good or bad to say

A significant investment over time; It's a subscription based licensing model, that for what I need, will cost < £27/month in the first year, but apparently gives good flexibility and built in future proofing. That £30 only gets me three applications but currently that's all I need. The full package is another £20/month which gets you everything in the Adobe stable.

The alternative is to drop over £1300 combined in one hit on CS6 Design Standard suite and another app that's in the cloud but not in any of the CS6 suites for a perpetual licence. CS6 is at the end of the road, last perpetual licence suite Adobe will be doing and already superseded by apps in Creative Cloud. So I would then need to run this for four years+, accepting that I'll be starting with out of date software that will stay as is, to show a cost benefit.

If there was any viable alternative to Adobe then I would seriously consider it but the expectation of clients and co-workers dictate that I must have Adobe software.

 

[gavinbell]

Not got a student or teacher in thefamily?

Educational CC cheaper!! and they let me renew at end of year at discount price knowing I was not a student! If you dont ask you do not get.
But the cloud is ok - uptodate versions and you can play with any of the software. Assume you can put it as a tax deductable - and is easier than using cracked versions.

 

[Bumpkin]

Thanks Gavin. I had briefly looked at the educational option as I have two daughters, one in primary and the other secondary school. However, as a business purchase it needs to be in the name of my company rather than the name of a minor so dispensed with that idea pretty promptly. Yes it would be tax deductible and apparently the provision of a UK VAT number gets that lopped off as well. I'm on the HMRC Flat Rate scheme so I have a question in at my accounts at the moment questioning if I can do that as it's an effective 20% discount as the scheme doesn't actual take outgoings into account, just an assumed percentage of turnover.

There seems to be a lot of resentment and sabre rattling on the Adobe CC forums about the injustice of it all as well as, with the same breath, statements of the many problems encountered. I was assuming that this was the militant vocal minority though. I would prefer a perpetual licence but it looks like Adobe have decided that the subscription gravy train is all they want to do. Makes sound financial sense for them, no doubt, as well as tackling piracy head on.

An upgrade from my current CS3 suite isn't possible as it's actually licensed to my previous employer so I'm already on dodgy ground with that. Going to a legit CC solution would mean that my business is also be end to end correctly licensed software-wise which would be advantageous.

 

[deangsadv]

I've recently signed up, coming from a registered version of cs5 (I think) Got an email from adobe offering lightroom and photoshop for. £8 a month couldn't resist as the previous version didn't support raw from my new camera. If your version isn't registered it may be worth doing so and see what they offer. Just re read and see your copy is already registered,why don't you get another copy from somewhere, if you know what I mean, and register that, my copy didn't come from adobe.

 

[Fanum]

That's a hell of a lot of dosh

Then again, I'm a dodgy bastard who wouldn't use a suite like that unless it was 'acquired' free

If you really do want to do it the 'straight' way, the student licensing has to be well worth looking at

 

[Bumpkin]

Thanks deangsadv, The 'Photoshop Photography Program' plan is part of what I'm aiming to get along with a Single-app plan for Illustrator, comes in at a tad under £27, minus the VAT that's nigh on £22 so not really worth trying for an upgrade price as you can only get the 'complete' plan and that's more than £27 inc. VAT/mth for the first 12 months and then almost £47/mth thereafter. I only need, for the time being anyway, PS, LR and AI. The beauty of the way it works that if circumstances dictate that I need, for example, InDesign and Acrobat Pro in 6 months time I can upgrade to the full plan without penalty.

 

[Bumpkin]

That's a hell of a lot of dosh

Then again, I'm a dodgy bastard who wouldn't use a suite like that unless it was 'acquired' free

If you really do want to do it the 'straight' way, the student licensing has to be well worth looking at

A lot of cash, yes. Adobe has never been cheap and exactly why it's the last software I use to be properly licenced. Whilst image manipulation is something I do as part of my business I could, quite easily, use other tools. However, clients and collaborative working with others means that at the least Photoshop and Illustrator are regrettably pretty well essential. Photoshop and certainly Illustrator don't feature heavily in my work-flow, the latter gets used only a couple of times a week at most. However having to contact designers that have sent me files asking them to send CS3 compatible versions is a tad embarrassing.

With two school age kids in the house the educational licencing option would certainly be the route I'd take if I was using Adobe software for leisure. But as it's for business use I can get quite a bit back on VAT and corp. tax as well as remaining squeaky clean in terms of licencing. As with the upgrade option I mentioned previously the educational plan is for the complete set and probably (on phone ATM so can't easily check) as expensive or more, than the combined lesser plans I'm considering.

I think I've made up my mind to go with the CC option. Can see me being frustrated re. having already out of date software before I've already begun otherwise.

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[Dansin]

Apart from getting the vat back, isn't the cost 100% deductable anyway? An expensive way to purchase software but it doesn't sound like you have much choice. For personal stuff I always question whether I really need it, if its a business need I just get on with it. Once the £47/month kicks in spread it over your clients invoices.

 

[Bumpkin]

Firstly; Thank you all for your input on this, much appreciated. All constructive food for thought.

100% deductible, yes. The VAT angle I'm waiting on my accountant for a reply on that in respect of paying for it ex VAT, as the flat rate scheme makes concessions for outgoings so I'm not sure of the legitimacy of making the same claim twice as it were. Having said that I only get an effective 5.5% back anyway, so would welcome the break...

Being mindful of outgoings is a necessity of a small business. I might get carried away otherwise. VAT registration is voluntary in my case and something of a business vanity thing. There are good and lean times and lower monthly outgoings when in the latter phase are obviously desirable.

The real question was that of buying the now dead in the water CS6 suite, with it's perpetual licence, on a one off purchase. Or go for the Creative Cloud option and be paying forever more. In my heart of hearts I think CC wins the day.

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[Shep]

I had a similar quandary with Corel Draw, when i started to create a 'two centre' business (i.e. mirrored set ups in the shop and at the home workshop) buying Corel Draw X6 with a secondary licence was quite pricey, but yearly rental was manageable and included the licensing to have the full software available at both places of work. Works for me OK and is fully tax efficient.

I also have CS4 and CS5 but can't really get on with it if i'm honest

 

[RedRick Esq.]

Buy a Mac !
" Aquire" CS5 or 6 or whatever is the current version and bob is your uncle as "aquired" software for Mac doesnt require all the cracks for MS etc

 

[Bumpkin]

I had a similar quandary with Corel Draw, when i started to create a 'two centre' business (i.e. mirrored set ups in the shop and at the home workshop) buying Corel Draw X6 with a secondary licence was quite pricey, but yearly rental was manageable and included the licensing to have the full software available at both places of work. Works for me OK and is fully tax efficient.

Interestingly enough Adobe allow installation and use on two machines so long as they are not used concurrently. Means that you can run desktop and laptop or split between two locations as in your scenario. Obviously have two employees working at the same time and using the same software is outside the licence even if some sort of login/logout process doesn't physically prevent it.

I also have CS4 and CS5 but can't really get on with it if i'm honest

Horses for courses I suppose. Having worked with any software for years it's difficult to make a change, just look at the Mapsource/Basecamp split Having siad that CS7 (which is what CC effectively is at the moment) is probably going to be quite a shift from CS3 which is what I'm used to.

Buy a Mac !
" Aquire" CS5 or 6 or whatever is the current version and bob is your uncle as "aquired" software for Mac doesnt require all the cracks for MS etc

Respectfully; sorry, that isn't going to happen. All my current machines are MS; 4 servers (2 local and 2 in a data centre), 3 desktops a laptop and netbook. All software that I use and have paid up licences for are for MS. My main client is MS orientated as are all the others I deal with. Whilst I accept that the traditional user base for Adobe tended to be Mac users, over the years that has shifted somewhat.

Accountant just emailed to say VAT ex. price is OK with Flat Rate VAT accounting so that's effectively brought the price down to £22.05/mth

 

[RedRick Esq.]

Interestingly enough Adobe allow installation and use on two machines so long as they are not used concurrently. Means that you can run desktop and laptop or split between two locations as in your scenario. Obviously have two employees working at the same time and using the same software is outside the licence even if some sort of login/logout process doesn't physically prevent it.



Horses for courses I suppose. Having worked with any software for years it's difficult to make a change, just look at the Mapsource/Basecamp split Having siad that CS7 (which is what CC effectively is at the moment) is probably going to be quite a shift from CS3 which is what I'm used to.



Respectfully; sorry, that isn't going to happen. All my current machines are MS; 4 servers (2 local and 2 in a data centre), 3 desktops a laptop and netbook. All software that I use and have paid up licences for are for MS. My main client is MS orientated as are all the others I deal with. Whilst I accept that the traditional user base for Adobe tended to be Mac users, over the years that has shifted somewhat.

Accountant just emailed to say VAT ex. price is OK with Flat Rate VAT accounting so that's effectively brought the price down to £22.05/mth

Fair point on the Mac thingIf the VAT is fully allowable then the rest of iot should go through against tax as a legit expense then so whats to worry about

 

[Bumpkin]

A guy I work with occasionally has a spare CS3 licence that he's going to let me have so that I can get the full package at an upgrade price for the first year

 

[er-minio]

We converted the three CS3 licenses we had for my team at work into Creative Cloud accounts.
Not a problem (apart from the normal bugs on Adobe software...).
Go for it.

 

[Bumpkin]

The guy with the CS3 licence came good this evening, it was 'buried' somewhere with all his old software. Have signed up, Illustrator and Photoshop downloading now

With discount and VAT taken off (I'm on flat rate scheme) it's £22 plus change a month for the first 12 months. That's an insignificant dent on finances so I'm very pleased.

Thanks for all your input