TGIF: Change Happens

 

Not Friday, however need to respond to a couple of interesting photographic changes have recently occurred.

 

First, the growing demand to replace still photography with video.  Photojournists, wedding, commerical and editorial photographers are increasingly being asked/required to produce - along with a still image - a short video showing motion. Still working thru this in my mind and will comment later in another post.

 

Secondly, the announcement this week by Adobe that they are going to cloud based subscriptions for their Photoshop. 

 

No more boxed sets with hard copy.  No more purchase price for the software.  Rather there will be a monthly fee.  Initially ten dollars per month that will, in a years time, increase to twenty dollars per month.  The user fee will automatically collected by being connected to the web.

 

Lots of questions.  Updates/changes will be automatic - whether you want them or not.  Requires the computer, using the software to be "on the web" to collect the fee.  Annual cost would be higher that the present updating costs.

 

The short story is that as a consumer, you are not in control of what you are paying for.

 

Solutions?  Recall - for a number of reasons - I have moved away from big/heavy SLR cameras and their large lenses, instead using smaller mirrorless cameras and lenses. My present hard copy of photoshop processes mirrorless images very nicely.  In fact, my present copy offers much more than needed.  See no need -at this time - to "buy in" to the Adobe cloud.

 

Should my cameras change - not likely - and their replacements not be compatible with the present software, then choices would be either join the cloud or use something other than photoshop.

 

Believe I have purchased my last Adobe product.

 

Change happens.  Recall

 

 

Now closed and replaced by home and/or cable delivery.  Adobe seems to be following this delivery model. I wish them well, and for now will not be joining them.

 

Additional - added after reading many web sites.

 

Believe that Thom Hogan pointed out something that I never considered, when he wrote:

 

"But here's the big thing I've decided is the real problem here: when you switch from selling something as a product (boxes) to selling it as a service (cloud), you're now in the service business, and you'd damned well be at the top of your game in terms of customer support. Those customers are paying you every month and expect good 24/7 support in return. Adobe needs to turn around their customer service attitude, and fast. If I'm paying money for something every month and get the kinds of answers I've gotten from their customer service that I've received in the past, I'm  going to be a little more upset than I was."

 

Product vs. Service.  Will wait and see how Adobe works this out.