Photoshop CS4 is $699. That’s about the price of an intermediate-level guitar. If you were even semi-serious about playing the guitar, you probably have one that is worth at least that. Yes, Adobe software is a bit expensive, especially when looked at relative to most other software pricing. But it’s the premier product for design. Despite it’s shortcomings, for love or money there isn’t a better product.
I just can’t imagine having design being your career or a serious hobby and not being able to invest that much into the tools of the trade. It’s investing in yourself. It’s like if you wanted to be a great bass player but you weren’t willing to actually buy a bass, so you just used a washtub, broom handle, and twine.
Well said. Also, I’m surprised so many designers complain about the prices when:
A) It’s a deductible business expense
B) It will more than pay for itself (probably in just one paying gig)
It’s actually only deductible as a business expense if you’re self-employed
Yeah, and if you’re a designer that works for someone else, chances are they’re footing the bill.
I just bought CS4, and I have to say Chris, you are spot on. best money i ever spent.
I agree, but it is a shame that the price could be a barrier to some students.
Photoshop has to be one of the most copied software packages, with hundreds of thousands of students sharing it around campus and the greater design community.
Surly Adobe could lover the price and have enough new buyers to still make the same if not more profit.
thousands @ $600 OR hundreds of thousands @ $200/300?
I agree that any designer/serious hobbyist should own/have it – any means possible.
@Gavin They do :) their student editions are very cheap. but they make you jump through alot of hoops to get a student license :).
I don’t know if the price you pay equals to the amount of seriousness you take in your profession. A starving freelancer may love to have CS4 but hasn’t pulled in as many projects as the pros to afford a $700 product. He may have the skill, the passion, and everything else but has 4 kids, a wife and a mortgage to pay/support.
@stephanie – Photoshop is kind of crucial to be a designer. If you’re a designer that’s not using Photoshop, what are you using? I don’t think there are a whole lot of people getting paid as designers who don’t use photoshop. And if you’re not getting paid, then it’s not really your career. I guess I just don’t understand how a “designer” gets in the situation where they really are a designer, but they don’t already have photoshop.
If the only thing you know how to do is design and you don’t have photoshop and not enough money to get it, you’re probably going to have a tough time making any money. How did you become a designer in the first place?
I’m starting to confuse myself now. Hopefully somebody understands what I’m trying to say. It seems really recursive. It’s like, what came first: the chicken or the egg?
@josh I do see your point. It’s just I think of it from a novice standpoint. Someone fresh into the industry that can have the chops to become a designer but not the money to get a lot of the pro tools. Keep in mind that there ARE other software out there that people use that is almost equivalent to Photoshop (GIMP as an example).
But point is taken. Any experienced designer (which I guess is “serious”) would have photoshop, whether self bought or provided by their company.
I’m not a designer at all, I just know a lot of them that are talented as hell but just can’t compete with pros when bidding on projects.
Being a student myself i have bought the student license twice already (Mac & Win) and it’s pretty cheap. Getting the license isn’t any trouble at all.
I actually bought the web bundle a few years ago and the creative suite last year.
The web bundle (Photoshop CS2) license even included commercial use. Well i have used it quite often, so it was really worth it.
Strongly disagree on the “cheaper license gets more buyers” point about students. Most of my friends use a stolen copy. Not because Photoshop is too expensive but because they’re not willing to pay any money at all.
@max I agree about the license thought. I don’t think student licenses being cheaper would attract more buyers, but just give an alternative route to people who do want to pay for it but can’t afford a normal license.
However, I don’t think a good alternative route to not being able to afford it is to use a stolen version either. If no one pays for it, good products like Photoshop wouldn’t be available. GIMP (while maybe not AS good as Photoshop) is open source and has most of the same capabilities.
@Stephanie Well morally i totally agree (good work deserves good pay) but since many students never paid for their copy and Adobe already makes profits, they obviously don’t depend on the money from students.
You mentioned the open source movement, which also provides high quality software without the financial benefits. Imagine all the money Adobe got from people actually buying PS, donated to open source products. I am convinced the result would be by far superior to Photoshop. Did i mention i’m a huge fan of open source products?!
Well don’t get me started on open source products. As i mentioned, I bought Photoshop and i do think it was totally worth it! Also i appreciate student licenses (many companies don’t offer any).
@Max Adobe certainly does make a lot of money but take into consideration that their sales drop (much like the music and gaming industry) because people started pirating everything. I digress though.
I bought Photoshop. I like it. It was worth it. I even bought a fully licensed version of it. I’m not even a designer but something I needed and could afford at the time. So in all my responses, I didn’t mean to say Photoshop is bad and not worth it. Just I personally don’t think just because you have it and can draw something in it makes you a good designer, which is the impression I got was being said when I read the post. I could have been wrong, and that is fine.
So your saying that if you lower the price, you will not increase the sales? Wow Adobe has it down. What do you think would happen if CS5 is $100 more than CS4? Becasue the new features cost more to develop than any in the previous versions.
I dont really think there is a debate about designers using Photoshop, its the best at what it does by a mile. Designers only use alternatives becasue they cant afford PS or out of protest for having to pay at all.
Well not having to pay at all is not really an option. Unless they make it free to use but $1 every time you save?
They have to get paid dont they?
While I understand that photoshop is a great tool and all, their is no replacement for knowing what to do. Owning photoshop does not a “designer” make. It is a tool. 99% of design has nothing to do with what tools you have.
To say that someone is not a designer if they don’t have photoshop is elitist and fanboyish.
That being said, perception is 90%of the law. If I show you a really cool logo I create in lets say it, The GIMP, and told you it was done in “photoshop” you would not know the difference. And neither do the customers.
The deal with software is that most people learn how to use a program which is actually quite complicated at first. Then you show them another piece of software which does the same thing and they have to relearn their productivity rhythms. Instead of giving the new software a chance 90% of people become frustrated and give up, forgetting the learning curve they had to learn the first software and declare one inferior to the other.
That being said I actually have to hide the tools I use every day to make a living whenever I go to an association meet-up because of attitudes like the one in this post….
Every meeting someone talks to me about the new tool in CS4 and how it does blah blah blah and how did I get along without it… I just smile and wave. 99% of what I do in photoshop was there in version 3.
I see your point but its not the same. A god musician can make a $100 base sound great.
Anonymous Coward, wow interesting post. Completely agree with you. The one thing people hate more then “first” comments on youtube… Is change! xD
Industry standard 3d-packages are another good example, I have seen some amazingly creative and high quality work done in the free program Blender3D, what ever you learn and dedicate yourself to will most likely work.
Photoshop just has all the tools, lots of tutorials if you need a particular problem solved, thousands of users, and does a spectacular job at what it’s designed for. Well worth the price IMO.
To be honest im not sure I could even do my job without photoshop..
I know there are alternatives such as Gimp and stuff like that but when you use all the whole cs4 package it is pretty much unbeatable.
And the software will pay for itself in a couple of jobs anyway..
I think Anonymous Coward said what I was trying to say, but he did a better job.