KindaSpikey Loc: English living in San Diego

So I'm thinking of taking the plunge and getting PS and LR. I'm guessing that quite a few of you guys are already using them, so all I really need is know is what the cost is? Can it be bought outright for a one time payment, how much?
Can it only be bought with a monthly subscription, and how much is that?
If there's a choice between one payment for life, or the monthly subscription, which is the best value? And finally, if there is only one method of payment (either one), is there a "best way" to get it, maybe with a discounted price? Thanks in advance,
Ray.

SalvageDiver Loc: Huntington Beach CA

Monthly subscription only.

$10/mo for the photography plan.

jcboy3

It is subscription only, $9.99 a month. I see lots of ads for Student/Teacher versions for $60 or less, but the Adobe site only lists a Student/Teacher version of Creative Cloud All Apps for $19.99 (from $29.99) for the first year. Not sure about verification, since I only want the Photoshop subscription (I use Final Cut Pro for video and don't do graphics design anymore).

It's a great deal if you use Photoshop a lot (I do, and have since 1994 with version 3.0). That would have been very expensive to personally keep up with Photoshop upgrades over the years, but I had a deal with Adobe to get free upgrades every other release and my other upgrades were covered by my business.

If you don't use or want to use Photoshop, then it's pretty expensive. You might look at ACDSee as an alternative; that's a more traditional purchase, but I don't know what their upgrade policy is.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

It's only by subscription, with the least expensive option being $9.99/month. You can prepay a year, so it "feel" less like a subscription and more like an annual purchase of upgrades. You may not "need" or think you need Photoshop at first, but it does a lot of "stuff" that is beyond Lightroom's capabilities. If you pay monthly, a fee applies if you cancel after 2 weeks, if you prepay the 12 months, the payment is non-refundable.

https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/photography/compare-plans.html

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

The monthly payment of $9.99 on the Photography plan is on an annual contract that you agree to. You don't get to pay the $9.99 for a month or two and then quit. There is a free trial, but I don't remember how long it lasts. Two weeks?

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

The subscription model rules for LrC and PS. This includes Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), LR and PS for your phone, as well as a spot to set up a free web site using Adobe's My Portfolio. A good deal for $9.99/month.

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

Just buy Photoshop Elements, it's a dumbed down version of Photoshop and you can buy it outright and own it forever and never have to worry about paying the monthly ransom. I'm sure it will do everything you will need in PPing your images. You don't have to have Photoshop or LR.

I stayed with CS6 and own it outright and it still does most of what I ever need to do to an image. Other stuff you might look at owning outright if you don't already know of it, is On1RAW 2022, that is great software too and you OWN it, not rent it. Also look at Topaz Labs, again you can own it and buy whatever suits your needs and these two I have owned for years, and they are great.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Alas, the PS/LR trial is only seven days. That sure doesn't seem long enough! here

The PS Elements free trial is 30 days, if you're interested in comparing. Click here.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I have the Adobe Photography Plan that costs $9.99/month. It includes Photoshop, Lightroom (the cloud based, use-anywhere, use-on-anything version), Lightroom CLASSIC (the professional tool used on the desktop in a studio), and Adobe Bridge. The plan also includes a little bit of Adobe Cloud storage (20GB) that I don't use, and some other goodies I don't use.

There is no "one payment for life." There never was... It was only an illusion. You "bought" it, meaning you got a package with a disc and a box and manuals and an END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT (EULA), but once they no longer supported it, you were stuck with it on whatever computer and operating system you had that would still run it. You had to pay to upgrade to continue using it on that NEW computer with the NEW OS with all the new features and supported cameras.

Now, since the software is downloaded and installed over the Internet, there is no box with disc and manuals. The EULA is in the software itself. You can use the software as long as you continue to subscribe. You can suspend for months at a time, then resubscribe and get the latest version and keep going.

The monthly fee has been stable for many years. It makes it easier to budget for than paying several hundred dollars for several applications, plus expensive upgrade lump sums every few years.

The Photography Plan is one of my MOST satisfying expenditures. It has so much to offer. It is always up-to-date. They pushed updates last night for Adobe Camera Raw (the raw file processing engine used by Bridge, Photoshop, and the two very different Lightrooms). (They now support the new Panasonic Lumix GH6 camera raw files, so I'm getting VERY tempted to order one. That only took six weeks from camera announcement to support in ACR, which is pretty good for creating a NEW profile for an entirely new sensor.)

I got my subscription by downloading and installing the Adobe Creative Cloud application, setting up an account, then choosing my plan. If you already have an Adobe ID, you can sign in with that and set up the rest of your account.

If subscriptions don't make sense for you, there are lesser options out there, and there are a very few non-subscription applications that are a bit different but similar enough for some folks that they prefer them.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

It's almost funny how some see it as "paying the monthly ransom" and 15 million others see it as fair charge for using great post processing software. For me, the endless discovery of new, cool techniques ("tricks"?) is well worth the monthly fee.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Amen, Bill.

NOTHING is truly free. Software development is hard, tedious work. Doing it on the level of an Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, or any other major player, takes vast resources. Yet folks are always looking for "cheap." I consider my subscriptions to be a fair exchange for always having access to the latest features and fixes. I just want stuff that works, not tools that fight me when I start using them.

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

I have spent thousands of dollars on camera gear, that never updates or upgrades itself. You have to replace it. It is the same today, as the day you bought it.

The best photo money I spend is the miniscule $9.99/mo plus tax for the latest, greatest, constantly improved and upgraded software. Lightroom/Photoshop, best deal in photography...for serious photographers.

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

AzYooper Loc: Sun Lakes AZ (Almost Phoenix)

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Increasingly, camera releases tend to be field upgradeable. Since the early 2000s, cameras have had upgradeable firmware. At first, camera companies would simply fix programming errors in their operating systems. Now, however, a camera can actually evolve between its release and the time it is too old to support modern features. My Lumix GH4 got upgrades for half a decade. Most were new features and refinements of old ones.