Monday, December 02, 2013

Adobe Creative Cloud, Freebie Fridays, Dragon Award

Welcome to December! My month-long hiatus is over and I am back, refreshed and ready to go. I’m sure I missed a lot, so I will be making the rounds and catching up on everyone.

Everything seems to be going to “The Cloud” these days. Your music, photos, movies - even data - stored there. I’m old fashioned and prefer physical or downloadable copies, and I’m leery of any Cloud storage unit. However, the Cloud does provide some really innovative changes and advancements in technology. One of those is the Adobe Creative Cloud.

What is Adobe Creative Cloud?

In the past, you purchased Adobe software and physically installed it on your computer. Now you can pay a monthly fee to access their products in the Cloud - and more:

“You'll always have access to the very latest Adobe desktop apps, including Adobe Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, and more. Simply download the latest updates when you're ready.
“Your entire creative world is synced and organized for you across multiple devices. It’s now integrated with Behance, bringing your work and your creative community together for the first time. Find inspiration fast. Post work in progress right from Photoshop to get feedback from other creatives around the world.
“You can build and publish websites, mobile sites, iPad apps, and other content for any medium or device.
“You'll have access to every Adobe creative tool and service, along with a growing library of video tutorials to help you explore new tools and ramp up fast.
“There is also Creative Cloud for teams. Add or reassign seats in minutes. Give everyone the latest versions of the same tools. Never worry about compatibility. And seamlessly share files from any device with 100GB of cloud storage.”

Annual plan is $49.99 a month for access to all of their programs and apps. The individual program is $19.99. (20GB of cloud storage.)

One of the biggest advantages is in the upgrades. Their software updates every 12-18 months. Rather than paying hundreds for the upgrade, you simply download it for free. It’s all part of your monthly plan. If you’re looking at a program that is $300 and upgrades every year, the Creative Cloud single program plan will cost less than $240 during that same year.

If you are an Adobe program user, check out Adobe Creative Cloud!

Has anyone else signed up for Creative Cloud?

I was also honored by Father Dragon Al with the Golden Scale Award. He is a wise old dragon and I’m thankful he thought of me during his one year celebration.

Milo James Fowler is continuing his Friday freebies with Tis More Blessed.
I will be offering several books in a giveaway on December 13. Thank you for this giveaway opportunity, Milo!

See you Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Post.

26 comments:

Rhonda Albom said...

Welcome back.

I ran out and bought CS6 as soon as I heard about Adobe Cloud, before they were all out. Great review, and I can see the advantages of the cloud, however, I prefer my own copy. I don't use it every month, so it would be hard for me to justify the cost.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Glad you had a good break from blogging. Not heard of Adobe Cloud but it sounds cool.

Jennifer Shirk said...

I know what you mean. I'm even leery of ICloud for my phone. LOL But it is something to think about. :)

Congrats on your award!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Rhonda, Photoshop is something I used daily, so it's worth it for me.

Jennifer, storing my writing in the cloud just scares me.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

The Adobe Cloud gives you access to a lot of programs, which is cool.

Bish Denham said...

Happy to see you back! You deserve the Golden Scale Award. As for Adobe, I have never used it except to read things that are sent to me in Adobe!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Karen, I thought this was pretty ingenious.

Bish - LOL!

nutschell said...

Adobe Cloud sounds promising!
Thanks for leaving a wonderful message on my blog today. I love that you're supporting our typhoon relief efforts! Looking forward to featuring you this Wednesday!

hugs,
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

This is the first time I've heard of the Cloud. I'm more overwhelmed by technological advances, and sticking with real books and a phone I use for phone-calls.

Glad you had a well-deserved break, Diane.
xoRobyn

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Cool! I use Adobe, but I have the kind that came on a CD. I like the idea of having it in the cloud.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Glad you're back. I don't work in Adobe but I see how that would be something useful for those who do.

Robin said...

Haven't considered using The Cloud, but it is good information to file away...

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Nutschell, I have the book now and look forward to Wednesday.

Robyn, that is a phone is supposed to be used for, isn't it?

Elizabeth, if you use even one of their products, it's worth it!

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, L. Diane,

I didn't know you were out of the blogosphere, too.

Interesting news here. I had heard about this. I have an new apple computer, so I have iCloud. It does have all the bells and whistles that adobe does, but for now it works for me. I have all the creative devises I need to get my work done for the moment…

Yes, I will be announcing by COFFEE bloghop and three special blogger friends will be awarded with this intoxicating elixir from the mountains of COLOMBIA.

I hope you'll join in the fun!

Oh, BTW, I did get your book. It's waiting for me in Chicago (I'm currently in Florida for the next two weeks). Thanks again! I can't wait to read it.

Kimberly said...

Welcome back. I haven't heard of the Adobe Cloud, but maybe because I don't use Adobe. Not yet anyway. :)

J E Oneil said...

I'm glad to see you again! I hope you had a nice November. Really, you didn't miss much. It was NaNo after all.

Making everything digital is one of those ideas I can't believe isn't catching on faster. I especially like the free upgrades thing. I sure hate paying for the same thing more than once.

David T List said...

Photoshop CC sounds awesome! I'm still using Photoshop CS 4 and it's only a matter of time before it grows even more antiquated. Those programs are expensive! This was a good idea on their part. Almost as good as simply reducing the price!!

Jo said...

Glad you enjoyed your month off.

Cloud is not for me.

Ella said...

Hi L. Diane! I missed you~ I am happy you enjoyed your time away!

I am also leery about the Cloud-I need to read more about it. It does sound amazing~ Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Congrats on your Golden Scale Award-how wonderful!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

I'm of two minds about the cloud. I own an ancient version of a program which miraculously still works. Thankfully it's not part of a cloud system. I know it inside out and I paid for it once. With the cloud and the regular upgrades, often one a year, I'm a little wary. More often than not, I don't need all the bells and whistles that come with the upgrades. I'm kinda getting set in my ways ;) At the same time, I love the concept.

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS on your Golden Scale Award!

Maurice Mitchell said...

I was nervous about using the cloud for a long time, but I finally embraced it after losing countless files from corrupt or lost backups. Welcome back L!

shelly said...

Don't believe I'll be signing up for the cloud . As of late, I've been using iPhone for all my writing needs. My computer died.

Glad to see you back.

klahanie said...

I'm thinking about using Adobe Creative Cloud. I'll check out the prices in British pounds. We usually get ripped off.

It was great to see you at Al's party.

Gary

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Michael, coffee bloghop? You have my attention. Good to know the book is waiting for you when you get home.

JE, the next generation will know nothing but digital.

David, I was using CS2 - ugh!

Lynda, I wasn't sold until I got a new computer and the drivers to make one of my really old programs work were no longer available. I had to upgrade and the Cloud was cheaper than buying it in the long run.

Shelly, you're writing on your iPhone? You are dedicated.

Gary, you'll have to check the exchange rate - LOL!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane .. the iCloud is an interesting new addition to technical life ... after the New Year I hope to really address technologies and get myself updated ... and understand things better ..

Thanks for telling us about Adobe - it's good to know .. cheers Hilary