Over the past couple of weeks, I've seen Adobe advertise a lot on YouTube and other photography sites. I haven't seen Adobe advertise their Lightroom and Photoshop subscription packages for a few years. Not since I left a couple of years ago. I just couldn't justify the $13 and change a month just for Lightroom and Photoshop. I did the majority of my edits in Lightroom CC now Lightroom CC Classic. I went into photoshop maybe 5-6 times for every 100 edits. Even if. I purchased ON1 Photo Camera Raw 18.5 about 2 years ago for around $90 or so. I get free upgrades and I actually own the license to the software now.
If I wanted to edit footage on my laptop, I would have to spend about $60 a month on Adobe's subscription model. For the edits I do, Wondershare's Filmora 9 was perfect for me. I just colour correct, sometime straighten my footage and remove the noise if there is any. I paid about $180 for ON1 Photo Raw and Filmora 9. I get free updates and I own the software for a one time payment. Now that I edit mostly on my 2018 Apple iPad Pro, I use various software that cost me in total, less than $40 combined. I get free updates and upgrades, if any cost less than $5. Why spend $60+ a month for Adobe's product?
Subscription services like Adobe's are great for the company and investors. For folks like me who shoot semi-professorially, it's not worth it. If I was working for a company with staff on board and the company could write it off, fine. Just as long as someone else pays for it.
I try and get everything right in camera so I don't have to use software to edit the kaka out of everything. That has always and always will be my philosophy.
