We have been using the Photoshop CS6 Beta for a month now and admit that it is an impressive release. Now, Adobe have revealed the full Creative Suite 6 Package will feature updates to all key products including Illustrator, InDesign and Premiere.

As anticipated, shelling out for the full CS6 Master Collection will be pricey – £2,668 for new buyers, £476 to upgrade – which puts CS6 out of reach for a number of potential buyers. This year Adobe have provided a solution to this problem: Creative Cloud.

Adobe Creative Cloud – Selling the Mobile Apps

Launched in 2011, Creative Cloud was originally marketed alongside Adobe’s range of mobile Apps. Signing up to Adobe’s cloud service would allow users access to all of Adobe’s tools on desktops, tablets and smartphones.

The cloud service meant that users could seamlessly work on projects on multiple tools and devices – you start an idea on your iPad on the train and finish it off at home – with files saved on the cloud.

Adobe used it’s new Apps collection to market Creative Cloud in 2011 because it would have been a hard sell to push it as a new way of accessing old products.

Creative Cloud has yet to take off as many feel that it doesn’t offer much more than buying Creative Suite itself. Adobe were unlikely to grab a new section of the market (those priced out of buying Creative Suite outright) just by offering up some mobile apps.

So will this change with the release of CS6?

CS6 on Creative Cloud

Photoshop CS6 is clearly an impressive product and it follows that InDesign and Illustrator will also have been given a great makeover too.

It is likely that a lot of Adobe users will be persuaded to upgrade to the latest version with a big discount. But what about new Adobe users, who would have to pay over £2,500 up front to use the software? That’s a lot of money for a first time buyer.

Well they can get the full package for just £46 a month (cheaper for students or those who already own Photoshop CS5) which also includes all the mobile apps and the ability to store your documents on Adobe’s cloud servers and access them from multiple machines.

So which is better? Buying the products themselves to keep forever or paying for a subscription?

Creative Cloud vs Creative Suite

Creative Cloud is the clear winner for one reason alone. At just £46/m it would take 4 and a half years to spend the same amount as those who shell out the full £2,668.

In that time, Creative Cloud customers are given real time updates to all products. Cs7 coming out? No problem, upgrade for free. Creative Suite owners will have to shell out another £500 to upgrade.

Extra Services

Adobe Creative Cloud comes with Device and PC Sync and Cloud Storage. This means you can work from multiple devices on the go and access your files anywhere in the world.

This has great possibilities for designers who may take an iPad or Netbook to client meetings and then move to a computer for more in depth work.

Another future possibility is the ability to edit photos using Photoshop on your camera. Last year Polaroid announced the first Android enabled camera. Adobe’s Android apps are all included in the Creative Cloud package and so presumably you could edit photos directly on camera. With cloud storage you would then be able to edit them seamlessly on your desktop. Now that is worth £46 a month.

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adobe creative cloud, adobe cs6, adobe subscription, creative cloud, illustrator cs6, indesign cs6, photoshop cs6

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