I am loving my Adobe Creative Cloud these days. Never did I think I would be saying that since they seem to have roped us all into a monthly subscription where there are no more CD installs and therefore, no more using the software indefinitely even long after new versions are released. Am I right? My first encounter with Adobe Photoshop was version 7.0. back about 2001. I still have that software installed on an old computer, and for the most part, I can still complete a lot of tasks using that version. It wasn’t until I was teaching class recently, and a client said that the 7.0 version was the same version she was still using at her office, that I realized I could no longer support living in the past. It was time to loosen up the purse strings, latch on to this subscription concept and start appreciating the benefits that this new business model now provides.
First of all, updates are automatic, to a certain degree. While updates will run automatically for Adobe Reader and Acrobat Pro, users will be notified of update options for their remaining products. Adobe provides an option to install a new version while also keeping the former version intact. This allows a user to explore the new version, while not disrupting work that had been previously started. When no conflicts between the versions have been detected, the old version can be easily uninstalled.
But updates have been part of our world in application software for many years. The greatest features of the new Adobe Creative Cloud include mobile usage with light versions of apps, free cloud storage, free fonts from Adobe Fonts, file syncing and sharing features and new desktop application trials. In individual apps, we are seeing upgrades to the Home Screens, as well as live preview and customizable features to the user interface. Out of 21 desktop apps in Adobe CC, 19 of them have had some major renovations.
Just last month I tried to pull up a before and after photo on my phone to show a co-worker. When I realized I couldn’t show her because I didn’t have the Creative Cloud app on my phone, I was highly disappointed, but it also made me realize that there are many more out there who don’t even realize that can be done. Once the Creative Cloud app is downloaded to the mobile device, the options are almost endless: files, libraries, Lightroom photos, Cloud docs, mobile creations, offline files and even deleted files. Take a picture, edit it in Photoshop Fix, and export to social media in about a minute’s worth of time. Amazing! Or a job was completed in the office, but there was no time for sharing or posting before needing to pick up the kids from daycare at 5:30. Easy fix. While in the office, save your work to a Cloud library, and file syncing will automatically take place. After getting home, pull up the file, look it over and send it. Job done and another task completed!
Subscription status with Creative Cloud entitles each user to 100GB of storage space, however, files can be shared with non-subscribers, who receive 2GB for free. This storage space, while not much, is enough to use for temporary storage of Adobe files that either want to be shared with someone personally or even to pass through an approval process in the office.
Another benefit of Creative Cloud is the use of the Adobe Fonts, formerly known as TypeKit fonts. As a font fanatic myself, I love it when I have access to new fonts that I can use for both personal and commercial reasons at no extra charge. In the Creative Cloud window, click on “Fonts;” then click on “Browse All Fonts” to pick one you love for that special design. With over 15,000 to choose from, the possibilities are endless.
While each of the above listed items are wonderful, there are hundreds more changes that have taken place among all the individual programs within Adobe. Photoshop has undergone major changes such as locking workspaces, content aware updating, easier masking, multiple undo commands, viewing long layer names, and text filling with Lorem Ipsum, just to name a few. They have also added the “Texture” option in the Camera Raw settings. Turn your photos into high quality photography. Illustrator made improvements with gradients and content aware, upgraded to the ability to make global edits and enhanced the fairly new puppet warp feature. Live previews, trimming and zoom features have also been improved.
InDesign has redefined publishing by adding auto layouts, which mean if you change the size of a publication, the content already filling the pages will automatically adjust to fit. One can now import PDF comments, use the content aware feature and have visual font browsing. However, the ability to use SVG files is my favorite. With this, multiple colors in a single letter or glyph can be used. Creating country flags or even skin tones in emojis has never been easier!
In addition to all the imaginative apps available in the Creative Cloud, never forget that Adobe Acrobat/Reader has also continued to upgrade and enhance user preferences as well. The Document Cloud has become one of my best friends, as I can access any of my Adobe document files from wherever I have Internet access.
For more information on any of these Adobe courses and others, check out our upcoming schedule at LRS Education Services, or contact us via email at getsmart@lrs.com or by phone at 877-832-0688 extension 1493. I hope to see you in my upcoming classes!
Kelly A. Cummings
Education Instructor
Kelly.Cummings@LRS.com