Adobe Creative Cloud

As reported by Petapixel, some customers are being shown a Photography Plan pricing of $19.99 per month instead of the up-until-now-normal $9.99 per month subscription fee. The Photography Plan (which includes Adobe Photoshop CC & Lightroom CC/Classic CC) has been the same price since it was introduced in 2015, representing an excellent value to customers (not many goods and services have remained the same price over that same period of time). I think it's safe to say that Adobe will raise its Photography Plan pricing at some point, but doubling its price in one fell swoop will leave most photographers very unhappy, especially those who were uncomfortable with subscription licensing in the first place.

Are Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC/Classic CC worth $19.99/mo? For working professionals and those serious about photography, absolutely. However, a majority of photography hobbyists will find the increased price significantly harder to swallow, leaving them searching for non-subscription based viable alternatives, such as the free and open-source GIMP.

It remains to be seen whether or not Adobe follows through with the price doubling strategy, but if you'd like to lock in the $9.99/mo rate for some time, you can purchase 12-month Photography Plan subscription licenses right now to extend the current plan pricing. In fact, I purchased a 12-month license last night after reading the news, and I'm considering purchasing another one.

To be a successful commercial photographer (in whatever capacity), producing high quality images should be your number one priority. However, your second priority should likely be building a brand and marketing strategy. A good place to start? Your logo. It will ideally be featured on your website, letterhead, business cards and image watermarks.

In this Adobe Blog post, the Creative Cloud team offers some solid suggestions to consider when designing your logo.

Want to create a unique shape for your logo? Adobe Photoshop CC's paint symmetry feature may help. [Sean]

From the Adobe Blog:

Skim the pages of any fitness magazine and you’re likely to see a Nike Swoosh. Glance up at a billboard and you might see Mastercard’s dual circles staring down at you. Do you recognize these brands? Of course. What makes their logos work? First, recognize a logo on its own is not a brand identity, but just one part of it. Think of all the pieces of your identity together and how they can be aligned visually with your logo to make up a cohesive and effective brand identity.

Whether you’re trying to establish a new brand or get creative with one that’s already well-known, an effective logo is key. Context and style may vary from year-to-year, but the principles and best practices that guide logo design remain unchanged.

When we think about the elements of effective logos, here are some things to keep in mind.

From Adobe:

New Raw HDR Capture Mode

We’re excited to announce that Lightroom Mobile now has a new raw HDR capture mode that lets you achieve a dynamic range on your mobile device that was previously only possible shooting with an DSLR or mirrorless camera.

This new HDR mode harnesses the power available in the latest mobile hardware on both Android and iOS. These updates, version 2.7 for iOS and version 2.3 for Android, were released today and make the HDR mode available for free.

The new HDR mode works by automatically scanning the scene to determine the correct exposure range and then capturing three DNG files which are then automatically aligned, merged, deghosted, and tonemapped in the app. You get a 16-bit floating point DNG, with all of the benefits of both an HDR and a raw photo, which is processed by the same algorithms with the same quality as the HDR technology built into Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom.

Previously, capturing an image in HDR either meant using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, capturing multiple exposures, copying to your computer, and then merging in an application like Photoshop, Adobe Camera Raw, or Lightroom. Alternatively, you could capture an HDR JPEG on your phone, though those images normally used only two shots and often failed to capture the full range of tonality in difficult lighting scenarios. By capturing three raw shots and merging on the phone, you get a greatly increased dynamic range with the ability to edit and share right away. Creative Cloud members get the additional benefit of automatically syncing with their desktop, ensuring that the photo, plus all of the edits that were made to the photo, are backed up and available in the desktop version of Lightroom.

Our very own Russel Preston Brown has created a great tutorial for using this new HDR capture mode within Lightroom Mobile, check it out! below.

When we started working on HDR for Lightroom Mobile, we realized that adding desktop-caliber, pro-quality processing algorithms to mobile devices is no easy task. Our team was able to make some pretty amazing breakthroughs that eventually made it possible.

For iOS users, the HDR mode requires a device that can capture in DNG, such as an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 7, 7 Plus, iPhone SE, or iPad Pro 9.7?.

For Android users, at this point only the Samsung S7, S7 Edge, Google Pixel, and Pixel XL are supported. So that we’d adhere to our stringent quality and reliability requirements, our primary goal was to ensure the stability of the app while enabling the algorithms to provide the highest possible quality. Thanks to the processing and memory available on the Samsung S7 and Google Pixel devices, we were able to achieve the quality and capabilities required by these incredibly powerful algorithms. The team is working hard to support additional devices as quickly as possible.

Other features in these releases

In addition to the new raw HDR capture mode, iOS and Android users get the following new features:

iOS

• Export Original, enabling you to export the original files, including DNGs captured in the camera as well as raw files imported through Lightroom Mobile and Lightroom web (Lightroom Desktop does not upload originals to the server)
• Gestures to rate and review in the Rate & Review mode, greatly speeding up your review process
• New Force Touch and Notification Center widget, making it even easier and faster to launch Lightroom’s camera
• As well as a new option available in settings, Prevent From Sleep, which will keep the screen from locking as long as the phone is plugged into power, improved synchronization stability and speed, and general bug fixes, performance enhancements, and UI tweaks

Android

• For Android Creative Cloud members, the Radial and Linear Selection tools are now available
• As well as general bug fixes and speed improvements

Download Lightroom Mobile

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From Adobe:

SAN DIEGO–The power of 10,000 creative people is in full force today at Adobe MAX 2016, the world’s leading creativity conference. Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) will showcase next-generation Creative Cloud innovation, including a new breed of applications in experience design, photography and 3D compositing, as well as exciting developments brewing in the company’s research labs. Adobe is also announcing Adobe Sensei, a new framework and set of intelligent services spanning the entire Adobe Cloud Platform, aimed at dramatically improving how customers design and deliver digital experiences. Adobe MAX will feature keynotes from inspirational creative leaders, including filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, fashion designer Zac Posen and photographer Lynsey Addario. To view the keynotes on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 9:30 a.m. PDT and Thursday, Nov. 3 at 10:00 a.m. PDT via a live stream, visit: http://www.adobe.com/go/maxkeynote.

“Adobe MAX is where the creative community comes together to see the latest in Creative Cloud innovation and be inspired by the world’s best creative minds,” said Bryan Lamkin, executive vice president and general manager, Digital Media at Adobe. “This year, we’ll be showcasing amazing breakthroughs in experience design, photography, virtual reality, character animation and 3D compositing.”

Adobe Showcases Innovation Coming to Creative Cloud

• A new Mac release of Adobe Experience Design CC (XD), the first all-in-one tool for designing, prototyping and sharing user experiences for website and mobile apps, is now available with two highly anticipated features - Layers and Symbols support. First made popular in Adobe’s flagship design tools Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC, XD reimagines Layers and Symbols to address the specific needs of user experience (UX) designers. Designers using XD can now easily share prototypes and get feedback in real-time. At MAX, Adobe will give a sneak peek at new capabilities that enable real-time collaboration including co-editing of documents, visual versioning and Creative Cloud Libraries enhancements. This innovation helps individuals and enterprises keep pace with the surging demand for high-quality content.
• Project Felix is an industry-first design tool that enables graphic designers to easily create high-quality, photo-realistic images by combining 2D and 3D assets for projects such as product shot comps, scene visualization and abstract design. Users have in-app access to 3D models, materials and lights from Adobe Stock as well as the ability to customize specific properties like materials, perfect lighting and adjust camera angles. Real-time rendering allows users to preview work while editing and before exporting to Photoshop to complete their design.
• For filmmakers, advancements in virtual reality, character animation and 3D across Adobe’s video tools set the stage for the future of video. The next release of Adobe Premiere Pro CC includes auto-aware virtual reality (VR) that seamlessly detects and applies the correct setting to stereoscopic and monoscopic media. First introduced at IBC, updates to Premiere Pro, After Effects CC and Prelude CC will also include a Beta of Team Projects that allows teams and enterprise customers to co-edit and collaborate on Creative Cloud projects. Adobe is also releasing a new Cinema 4D renderer in After Effects that will speed up efficiency and quality of 3D content generation. In addition, a new Social Publishing Panel (Beta) in Premiere Pro is powered by Adobe Marketing Cloud technology and enables quick exporting of videos to social channels, as well as data analysis of video content.
• Adobe Sensei is a framework and set of intelligent services built into the Adobe Cloud Platform that leverages Adobe’s massive volume of content and data assets to enable customers to work faster and smarter. For creatives, Adobe Sensei automates mundane tasks, allowing them to spend more time on inspiration and design. Adobe has leveraged machine learning and AI for many years within its creative applications enabling capabilities like Facial Recognition, Content-Aware technologies and Camera Shake Reduction. New Creative Cloud features that leverage Adobe Sensei include Adobe Stock Visual Search, and Match Font and Face-Aware Liquify in Photoshop. For more information on Adobe Sensei see separate press release.

Advances in Adobe Stock

Adobe Stock is evolving the way people market and sell their work to peers. At MAX, Adobe announced a partnership with Reuters, the world’s largest international multimedia news provider, to bring Reuters video and photography to Adobe Stock’s new editorial collection. Available through Adobe Creative Cloud, creatives will be able to access Reuters editorial content including:

• Reuters photos covering news, sports and entertainment events with thousands of images added every day and over twelve million images in the archive
• Reuters video footage covering all major events across the globe, including the unique Reuters archive library of historical news footage featuring over a million news clips

Released as a beta in September 2016, the Adobe Stock Contributor site is now available at MAX and allows users to sell their creative work to the world’s largest creative community from within Creative Cloud. The expanded Adobe Stock service now offers more than 60 million royalty-free, high-quality photos, videos, illustrations, graphics and 3D models, as well as the addition of templates, a new asset type designed to help users kick-start new projects. Adobe Stock also leverages machine learning to dramatically improve search and contributor workflows, including a new auto-keyword feature (Beta), that save time by automatically generating the first five keywords of each image based on keywords from successful similar images.

Adobe is also introducing a new way to find, purchase and manage individual fonts from premier foundries including Frere-Jones Type, Type Network/Font Bureau and Émigré with the new Adobe Typekit marketplace. Complementing the Typekit subscription included in the Creative Cloud membership, Typekit marketplace will integrate across Creative Cloud tools to nearly double the number of individual fonts available for use. Businesses and consumers can use Typekit marketplace to more easily find and purchase fonts for professional or personal design projects, including websites, marketing materials, invitations and more.

Creative Cloud Applications Receive Major Updates

Updates to Creative Cloud include new offerings and functionality that enhance collaboration, learning and discoverability to help users deliver their best work faster. Key updates include a modern new interface and fast, flexible coding engine in Dreamweaver CC and a new Photoshop universal search bar that allows users to quickly search tools, panels, menus, Adobe Stock assets, help content and tutorials. Adobe Spark allows anyone to easily create and share stunning content and Creative Cloud paid members now have access to exclusive features in Adobe Spark. Adobe is also bringing its popular mobile applications Photoshop Sketch, Adobe Comp CC and Photoshop Fix to Android with this release.

• For the latest updates to Photoshop CC, Photoshop Sketch, Photoshop Fix and Photoshop Mix, and an introduction to Project Felix, click here.
• For graphic designers, updates to Illustrator CC and InDesign CC can be found here.
• For web designers, updates to Dreamweaver CC and Animate CC.
• For filmmakers, a comprehensive view of the latest video and audio tools news can be found here. In addition, updates to Character Animator (Beta) and Audition CC.
• For more information on the Adobe Photoshop Sketch update introducing Photoshop brushes from designer Kyle Webster, click here.
• For more information on State of Create: 2016, a global survey from Adobe that found investing in creativity pays off with tangible benefits – from higher income to greater national competitiveness and productivity.

Pricing and Availability

Updates to Creative Cloud desktop software will ship to Creative Cloud members before the end of the year. Membership plans are available for individuals, students, teams, educational institutions, government agencies and enterprises. Adobe’s new and updated mobile apps are available for free download from Apple App Store and Google Play now. When adding Adobe Stock to any paid yearly Creative Cloud membership plan, creatives can save up to 40 percent over purchasing stock content separately.

B&H carries the Adobe Photography Plan.

From Adobe:

Photoshop 2015.5.1 Update (8/8/2016)

8/8/2015 – Today we released Photoshop CC 2015.5 update version 2015.5.1 (Mac and Windows) to address several issues.

Customer reported issues resolved

• Fixed customer submitted crashing issues
• Subtool reverts to primary tool after using keyboard shortcut
• Unable to Export individual layers that are nested in Artboard > Group
• “Rasterize EPS Format” dialogue box doesn’t remember Mode setting
• Embed color profile result reflects whatever it was set last time
• Text accidentally commits when try to transform Paragraph text using bounding box transform handles
• Cursor doesn’t correctly change to Commit cursor to differentiate from Rotate and Move cursor
• Print color is off when using App Manage Color (Mac only)
• Error: “Could not apply the workspace because the file was not found” when opening a file
• Several fixes and improvements for Select and Mask:
• Select and Mask: Command not available on non-pixel layer masks
• Select and Mask: Refine Edge Brush Tool creating artifacts along the brush stroke in mask
• Select and Mask: Redraw corruption (RGB 16bit/32 bit) with Show Original in certain zoom levels (preview mode “black and white”)
• Select and Mask: Using the Refine edge brush on one area of a pre-existing selection may cause certain hard edges in another area to change a few pixel values, especially when the image is in very high resolution
• Select and Mask: Using brush tool with feather 8 or more and zoom level 50 or lower get redraw issue
• Select and Mask: With a selection, the output defaults to selection, even if the previous output setting was a mask
• Select and Mask: Inverting a selection outputs the original selection
• Select and Mask: Crash when double-clicking adjustment mask
• Select and Mask: Program error when image is multi-channel

How to get the updates

Launch Photoshop and choose Help > Updates.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

From Adobe:

Application Updates

Better collaboration with Libraries
Manage distribution of read-only Creative Cloud Libraries so they can be used by team members, but not changed or deleted.

Updated Libraries panel
Find the assets you need faster with new filtered search of the Adobe Stock and icons that make it easy to identify licensed Stock assets.

Selection and Masking Space
This new dedicated workspace helps you make precise selections and masks more easily than ever. Use tools like Refine Edge Brush to cleanly separate foreground and background elements.

Everyday tasks, accelerated
Photoshop CC opens documents faster and delivers greater responsiveness. Plus, Content-Aware Fill is up to 3X faster with even better results, and the Font menu shows lists of fonts up to 4X faster.

Content-Aware Crop
Photoshop uses Content-Aware technology to intelligently fill in the gaps when you use the Crop tool to rotate an image or expand your canvas beyond the image's original size.

Match Font
Photoshop can now analyze, identify and match Latin fonts from an image or photo, taking the guesswork out of finding the perfect font for your design.

Improved artboards
Now you can duplicate a layer or layer group into other artboards, quickly change artboard backgrounds, and view artboards with transparent backgrounds.

Export enhancements
A new checkbox makes it a snap to embed color profiles in PNG or JPG files.

Adjust facial features
Face-Aware Liquify automatically identifies eyes, noses, mouths, and other facial features and then makes it easy to adjust them. Great for retouching portraits.

Work easier with glyphs
Apply alternate glyphs for specific characters directly from an in-context menu.

3D printing to Microsoft 3MF
Windows 10 users: Preserve all the rich color and texture of your 3D models by printing directly to Microsoft’s open-source 3MF format.

Create patterns with Capture CC
Use Capture CC on your mobile device to turn any image into a pattern. Save it to a Creative Cloud Library, and then use it as a pattern or pattern fill in your Photoshop projects.

Showcase your work with Adobe Portfolio
Now when you use Adobe Portfolio to create a beautiful website to show off your Photoshop images, you can include custom landing and contact pages to better connect with viewers.

Works with Adobe Experience Design CC (Preview)
Copy and paste your Photoshop CC assets directly into Adobe XD, the new all-in-one tool for designing and prototyping user experiences for websites and mobile apps.

And so much more
Also includes: A new preference to use the legacy Healing Brush, improved responsiveness of touch gestures, new options when exporting artboards, and so much more.

To find out more about these updates, check out the Photoshop Features on Adobe.com.

B&H carries the Adobe Photography Plan Subscription Cards*.

* Note: Adobe has officially ended their affiliate program so we request that you purchase your Adobe CC subscriptions from B&H in order to support the site.

From Adobe:

SAN JOSE, Calif. — June 16, 2015 — Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today launched a milestone release of its flagship Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services. The 2015 release of Creative Cloud includes major updates to Adobe’s industry-defining desktop tools, including Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and InDesign CC; as well as new connected mobile apps for iOS and Android. The company also shipped Adobe Stock, the industry’s first stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools creatives use every day (see separate press release). In addition, Adobe announced an expanded Creative Cloud enterprise offering that includes enterprise-grade administration, security, collaboration and publishing services for design-driven brands, businesses and large organizations.

“The 2015 release of Creative Cloud is packed with innovation. Adobe Stock, our brand new stock service, makes 40 million photos, vector graphics and illustrations accessible directly within your favorite CC desktop apps. Our CreativeSync technology deepens the connections between desktop apps and mobile apps on iOS and Android; and major updates to Creative Cloud’s infrastructure and administrative capabilities makes this an essential upgrade for enterprise customers,” said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media, Adobe. “Creative Cloud 2015 is our most powerful and comprehensive release to date.”

At the heart of Creative Cloud is Adobe CreativeSync, a signature technology that intelligently syncs creative assets: files, photos, fonts, vector graphics, brushes, colors, settings, metadata and more. With CreativeSync, assets are instantly available, in the right format, wherever designers need them – across desktop, web and mobile apps. Available exclusively in Creative Cloud, CreativeSync means work can be kicked off in any connected Creative Cloud mobile app or CC desktop tool; picked up again later in another; and finished in the designer’s favorite CC desktop software.

Desktop Tools Take Giant Leap Forward
With the 2015 release of Creative Cloud, Adobe magic and Mercury performance provide speed and technology breakthroughs across 15 CC desktop applications, including:

• Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Photoshop CC introduces Artboards, the best way to design cross-device user experiences in a single Photoshop document and quickly preview them on a device; and a preview release of Photoshop Design Space, a sleek new work environment focused on the needs of mobile app and web site designers.
• Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC both gain the new Dehaze feature, which appeared first as a MAX sneak in October 2014. Dehaze, eliminates fog and haze from photos, including underwater shots, for startlingly clear images. Haze can also be added to a photo for artistic effect.
• Premiere Pro CC furthers its lead in the market with the addition of the Lumetri Color panel for powerful color corrections using intuitive sliders and other simple controls; and Morph Cut, which makes it easier to deliver polished interview content by smoothing out jump cuts in talking-head shots to create a cohesive, polished sequence.
• After Effects CC now has Uninterrupted Preview to allow artists to adjust a composition’s properties and even resize panels without impacting playback. Also, the groundbreaking Adobe Character Animator brings 2D figures to life using a webcam to track facial movements, record dialog and apply movements in real time onto a pre-configured character.
• Illustrator CC is now 10 times faster and 10 times more precise than CS6. Powered by dramatic boosts to its Mercury Performance Engine, users can now pan and zoom smoothly without delays. With the new Chart tool (preview), designers can also create beautiful custom charts and share them with others via CC Libraries.
• InDesign CC gets its own Mercury performance surge with zooming, scrolling, and paging through complex documents now twice as fast. InDesign now also allows users to publish and distribute documents with a single click.
• Dreamweaver CC has new responsive web design capabilities that let designers quickly lay out and build production-ready sites that adapt to any screen size.
• Adobe Muse now includes instant access to premium fonts from Typekit.
• And much, much more. Additional updates to these and other CC desktop applications make this one of the biggest releases in years.

Mobile to Desktop Workflows Enhanced with Android Support, New Mobile Apps
Since Creative Cloud was introduced in 2012, Adobe has championed the idea that mobile devices should be integral to the creative process, with free companion mobile apps working seamlessly with CC desktop tools. Adobe today released Brush CC, Shape CC, Color CC and Photoshop Mix on Android for the first time, bringing connected mobile workflows to millions of creatives worldwide. Adobe has also updated many of its popular Creative Cloud mobile apps for iPhone and iPad, including Adobe Comp CC, Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, Illustrator Draw, Brush CC, Shape CC and Color CC.

In addition to these updates Adobe debuted Adobe Hue CC today. Hue CC provides an easy way to capture and share production-quality lighting and color schemes – for video, film and broadcast – by using an iPhone camera and then applying these light and color moods into a Premiere Pro CC or After Effects CC project.

Adobe Stock Content Service Launched, With Deep Creative Cloud Integration
Adobe Creative Cloud is evolving into a vibrant global marketplace. Adobe Talent, introduced in 2014, connects the world’s best creatives with work opportunities from major brands and agencies; and today the company launched Adobe Stock, the first stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools that creatives use every day (see separate press release). Now creatives can jump-start projects, with access to 40 million images, right within tools such as Photoshop CC, InDesign CC and Illustrator CC. Adobe also announced it will offer industry-leading rates to photographers and designers contributing content to Adobe Stock.

Creative Cloud Enabling the Digital Transformation of Enterprises
Major enhancements to Creative Cloud for enterprise were also announced today: a solution for large commercial, education and government customers who must radically speed the development and publishing of customer experiences, as part of their digital transformation strategies. This edition includes all the product features from today’s Creative Cloud 2015 release, plus expanded security options and deep connections with Adobe Digital Publishing Solution (DPS) and Adobe Marketing Cloud. Two new security capabilities ensure protection of corporate assets, including customer-managed encryption keys and a new managed service hosting option, which offers dedicated storage behind a customer’s firewall. Creative Cloud for enterprise also supports an upcoming release of DPS, empowering existing teams in organizations to rapidly design and publish mobile apps without writing code. A public beta of this major update to DPS is available this week, with more information available at http://adobe.ly/dpsnextgen. Content from Creative Cloud for enterprise also syncs with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), a key component of Adobe Marketing cloud, to accelerate marketing campaigns by streamlining creative-to-marketing workflows.

Pricing and Availability
Today’s updates to CC desktop and mobile apps are immediately available for download by Creative Cloud members as part of their membership at no additional cost. Membership plans are available for individuals, students, teams, educational institutions, government agencies and enterprises. When adding Adobe Stock to any paid yearly Creative Cloud membership plan, creatives can save up to 40 percent over purchasing stock content separately. For pricing details, visit: https://creative.adobe.com/plans. An innovative web experience for customers, showcases the new features and capabilities launched today, at http://makeit.adobe.com.

Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan is only USD$9.99 per month and includes Lightroom CC across desktop, web and mobile, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Mix (for iPhone and iPad). The Photography Plan is an excellent value and easily the most productive $10.00 that I spend each month. [Sean]