I’m a creative. I’ve used InDesign since version 1.0. I’ve built my career with Adobe tools.
Adobe Creative Cloud peaked around ten years ago. Since then, it’s totally jumped the shark. I’m not even talking about the company, just the software and its features.
When I open InDesign, Photoshop, or Illustrator I’m trying to work. It’s software I’ve used for, in some cases, 25 years. My point is, I know it inside and out.
The past few years, every new “feature” gets in the way of my work. Adobe has been changing things that already worked very well, or has added extra steps to do something that used to be easy.
Even worse, Adobe has started to fill its software with notifications that can not be disabled. Invasive blue dots. Invasive blue buttons. Invasive blue overlays that stay visible on the screen even when the software is minimized. Rich tool tips that aren’t disabled by the option to disable rich tool tips.
Adobe has lost me as a devotee. It’s been taken over by venture capital. The company only cares about adoption of new features.
Now, I use it out habit. Because my workplace provides it. Because it’s what folks on my team are used to… but because they’ve come to the ecosystem so late, they only know a fraction of its capabilities.
If Adobe faces demise, I will mourn what if once was. But not what it has become.
Been using Photoshop since 3.0 released on windows. I knew when they went cloud that shit was going sideways, but it was the acquisition of substance painter that did them in for me. Even though CC was kind of a mess, instead of building on the value proposition and including substance, they decided to have it as a separate charge.
Fuck adobe. Fuck subscription software.
“Fuck Adobe” is my near-daily mantra. I actually utter it out loud at least once a day, if not more. I used to teach PS and worshipped at the temple of PS. These days, FUCK ADOBE!!! I cannot wait for ANYTHING to replace Photoshop/Adobe. Adobe MUST die!.
Consider supporting ArmorPaint. It’s not a full Substance replacement yet, but it’s affordable and evolving well.
yeah I haven’t spent any time with it for about a year, it’s time to circle back. Thanks for the reminder.
We can always use older versions. I stayed in cs6 until I migrated full FOSS
Not if it’s for work, generally speaking.
Interesting to read. Since I never used Adobe products much (aside from PDF) I can only notice the parallels: it’s not only there.
It’s everywhere.
Even excel is a hot mess when doing basic things like scrolling and it redraws a. Simple worksheet. Everything has degraded to total inefficiency.
A software giant like that can only go two directions:
- suck the installed base tit for paychecks while cutting costs as much as possible
- grow, innovate, expand
They are still trying to be 2 when a lot of people would like them to be 1, and they have to show new feature adoption statistics to prove that all their expensive employees are still worth paying.
See, that’s a false dichotomy.
Modern corporate America demands expansion and growth. But expansion and growth do not need to be required for innovation.
That’s where Adobe is a victim of the vulture capitalists who’ve taken it over.
Both of them can grow profits, which is what’s demanded. Yes, investor demand for constant growth is the pressure that causes it, but the dichotomy is all too real.
Good, fuck Adobe.
I mean, I use every alternative I can. Vapoursynth scripts, libraw-based projects, random GitHub repos, DaVinci…
But there are some features I just can’t get great support for outside of definitely-not-high-seas Lightroom Classic:
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Good lens profiles for weird lenses.
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Proper HDR PQ/HLG editing and AVIF/JXL export support.
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RAW support for newer cameras, like my little R50V
I have yet to try DaVinci’s photo editing mode though. That’s very interesting.
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Good. Adobe is crap
We’re in a mature software stage for these art software applications. Easier to catch up than create new features that people make essential to their workflow. Today it’s commercial alternatives that have closed the gap well enough. Someday in the future open source stuff will. It’s inevitable
But now Adobe has generative tools. Every wannabe artist and ass CEOs will look into it as a primary feature.
It’s only a matter of time before the open source stuff gets those features too, if people want them. There’s plenty of decent open source generative AI out there. I’m sure people can find creative ways to incorporate them.
A few years ago I replaced Photoshop with Affinity. Affinity’s user interface is pretty awful, even compared to Photoshop, but it does at least run a bit better. A few years ago I switched from premiere pro to da Vinci resolve, and though resolve has a bit of a learning curve, overall I think it’s better than premiere - it’s definitely faster and crashes a lot less.
I’m hoping that audacity 4 is a good enough audio editor to replace audition - we’ll see, audition is actually pretty good imo but I’d accept a slight downgrade if it means I can get away from Adobe entirely.
Affinity is good, and runs OK on Linux with recent versions of wine. Resolve is very good. A credible alternative to Premiere, though Fusion isn’t all that compared to Ae.
Ardour is great right now. As is Reaper.
Reaper for DAW if you’re okay with a learning curve.
This is great news for everyone.
Not for Adobe lol
Maybe not a good look to go “AI! AI! AI!” when the actual creatives who use the product get attacked for using AI:
I mean isn’t it more of that the industry is just recognizing the war that Adobe started years ago?
full disclaimer all I’ve read is the damn headline
that article is like an alternativeto list
After CS6 did Adobe started going downhill, beginning with subscriptions replacing paid licenses.
Currently using Krita, and sometimes Paint(dot)net for touchups.
Autodesk next, please
Obligatory comment: we’re never getting that hbomberguy video
I choose to believe, one day he shall return
'bout time
Good
