There is a continuous conversation among the top technology companies about taking services into the cloud. Adobe is no exception to this trend. Coming at the end of May, you will have full access to Adobe’s Creative Cloud, along with Creative Suite 6. So, why the cloud for Adobe’s Creative Suite? The answer, says Scott Morris, Senior Marketing Director at Adobe, is because customers are struggling with how to publish online in a world that’s going mobile with tablets and social interactivity.
Adobe’s Creative Cloud is all about the tools that publishers need along with features and services that will continue to grow. For only $49.99 a month, you will get everything, including all Creative Suite 6 tools and applications. For people who work on a team, Adobe is offering expanded Team features for an extra $20 per month, per seat.
The first question you might ask is if all of the applications will be stored in the cloud and if you’ll be streaming the applications while using them in a browser. The answer to that is no. You will download the applications from Creative Cloud and then you will install the application to your desktop and/or or laptop (you can install the same license to more than one machine, but you’re asked to not use more than one machine at a time, they are single-person licenses). You will have access to download both the Mac and Windows versions with your single license. So, if you use a Mac at home and a PC in the office, then you won’t have to buy two different licenses. You simply download and install the version that suits your needs best.
After downloading and installing, you then work with the application on your local machine and can save all of your work locally. All Adobe asks is that you go online at least once per month to verify your active subscription. If you do let your subscription lapse, then you will be able to keep all of the creative content that you saved on your local machine. If you decide to renew your subscription within a certain time frame, then all of your work that you saved online will still be there.
The Adobe Creative Cloud allows you to store and share up to 20 GB of your creative content in the cloud, which includes an active desktop synch feature. The Creative Cloud will allow for file sharing, commenting, downloadable content or view-online only content. Adobe will also host up to five different websites for you as part of your subscription, which includes unlimited publishing to iPad and Android devices. You will be able to set the configurations to however you want.
But wait, that’s not all! Adobe will be introducing some new tools to complement the Creative Cloud. The new tools include Muse, SpeedGrade, Prelude and Edge. Muse is a tool for designers to create and publish websites just as if they were designing a page layout. Designers will not have to know any code at all to use Muse. They can simply concentrate on the design aspects to make sure their site looks good. SpeedGrade is a video production tool and Prelude can help video professionals manage metadata logging. Edge is for creating interactivity in HTML5 and some say it will eventually replace Flash as time goes on. Edge is great for creating animated content using only HTML5 and JavaScript. Edge is also for designers who are not developers, but the software does provide a full panel code window if you do want to dive deep into the code. When the Creative Cloud launches, customers will have access to Edge Preview 1 and the full version will be available this summer. Also included will be Adobe TypeKit and a Digital Publishing Suite for iPad and Android devices.
With all of the applications in the cloud, upgrades will be continuous. No longer will customers have to wait for the next version to be released. Instead, with everything in the cloud, there can be constant upgrades. This is a tremendous boon for brand new applications like Edge. When Creative Cloud launches, you’ll have access to Edge Preview 1, then a few months later there should be Edge 1.0 with more features, then perhaps a few more months down the road there will be Edge 1.1 with even more enhancements. Your monthly subscription to Creative Cloud will grant you access to all of the latest innovations and upgrades for all of the applications. Customers will also have early access to any other new software as developed by Adobe.
With all of these continuous upgrades it might be easy to get lost in confusion. But don’t fret on that front either. There will be a community for help, tips, tricks, galleries and inspiration; the community feature will become available later in 2012.
For starters, the Creative Cloud will include CS6, Muse, Edge Preview and iOS Touch Apps and more. As the year goes on, more applications will be added, such as Lightroom 4, Digital Publishing Suite, Edge 1.0, Community Features and Team.
And, as a final note, the Design Premium and Web Premium suites will now be combined into one suite for version 6. CS6 is all about performance and productivity, simplified workflows, cutting edge technology innovation, and the ability to effortlessly deliver stunning HTML5 experiences to iPads and other mobile devices; all with a new modern user interface.
