Why are Twitter users calling Adobe accounts a scam? Read the receipts
You know those Twitter accounts? The ones that are obviously corporate shills hiding behind the identity of “Debbie from Wisconsin” or “Ross from Atlanta”? They can usually be spotted a mile away – their tweets are too corporate-sounding and they just love their companies a little too much (we’re looking at you, fake Amazon employee accounts).
Turns out, Adobe also has these accounts. Adobe, the graphics software known for being industry-standard – or industry-monopolizing, depending on who you ask – in art, animation, and graphic design.
They’re also known for their exorbitant prices, be it a monthly subscription to just Photoshop for $9.99/month (or about one streaming service), their entire Creative Cloud for over $50/month, or the Cloud for only $239/year – that is, if you’re a teacher or student. Otherwise, you’re forking over just under 600 bucks. Per year. 😱😱😱
Oh look adobe is trending again. Remember a few years back when I cancelled my monthly subscription with a month left, paid the cancellation fee and then was met with a $450 bill from Adobe the next month with no explanation? Remember that?
— lou-ellen (irradiated) (@louceph) April 13, 2021
On top of that, Adobe is reportedly as ruthless as cable with it comes to canceling your account with them, as one Twitter user claimed they were met with a $450 bill for dropping their subscription. Apparently, those monthly subscriptions are actually annual contracts according to some other Twitter netizens, sucking hapless artists & designers into shelling out big bucks to create their work. 😡😡😡
Of course, since today is also #PortfolioDay, where artists showcase their life’s work on social media, you might find an account or two singing Adobe’s praises. And due to their prices, making any starving artist say holy $%&#, Twitter’s having none of it. Here are the latest tweets shutting down Adobe and any fake corporate account coming their way.
I'm seeing multiple folk today discussing how Adobe suckers people into "monthly" subscriptions that're actually annual subs in disguise, including massive predatory cancellation fees. I escaped their bullshit. Here's my script. Reuse as needed. pic.twitter.com/pqldtHZ2jR
— Christopher Ruz #TheRaggedBlade (bit.ly/2RKCNlf) (@ruzkin) April 13, 2021
Pro tips
Whenever Adobe’s trending, the good netizens of the world band together and show people strapped for cash what to do if they’re on the receiving end of a big cancellation fee.
Since Adobe is trending, please considered the alternative softwares that are not only free and open-source, but even better than any of Adobe's products. pic.twitter.com/wwHZwykYsF
— Crimson Mayhem (@Crimson_Mayhem_) April 13, 2021
Cheaper alternatives
Plus, the good people of the world are sharing their favorite cheap or free software swaps to avoid Adobe altogether.
Ah, I see Adobe is trending for absurd subscription fees. I thought this would be problematic back in 2014. pic.twitter.com/kM58I5i7HA
— Jen Sorensen (@JenSorensen) April 13, 2021
Word of the day is “Plunderstorm”
Cartoonist Jen Sorenson plugged her 2014 comic from when Adobe changed their model to a “cloud” She warned us of the dangers of a cloud account (and more cloud accounts) becoming the way of the future, gouging your hard-earned paycheck month after month, year after year.
given that adobe is trending i made this pic.twitter.com/xe9WQhObS0
— Nico! 🧀 (@thatonenico) April 13, 2021
You wouldn’t steal a DVD
Twitter’s reminding all starving artists that piracy is a thing, and if you see someone with pirated software that looks like an Adobe account, no you didn’t!
We understand that some people need to cancel but tbf – #Photoshop used to cost a fortune on its own & now we have a large range of products to use for a monthly fee.
We would like to know what you think…#Adobe #Creativecloud #creatives
— EMCd (@emcdeurope) April 13, 2021
Defending Adobe
This account is obviously from a company, but a lot of “Karens from Delaware” also kinda sound like this.
Concept Revamp for:@_TeamDecay🥵
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Using my name so you guys have an understanding on what it would look like with names :3
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This logo is so much fun to use😍
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Tools Used:
– Adobe Photoshop
– Maxon Cinema 4D
– Adobe Illustrator
– Magic Bullet LooksLove u all💙 pic.twitter.com/BWx8tMTdhc
— Nexz (@Nexx_zz) April 13, 2021
Someone loves their Photoshop
Lots of this videogame designer’s work is credited to Adobe. To be fair though, lots of art accounts on social media also credit the tools they use to make their art. Plus, this account clearly belongs to someone who works for the industry, which is currently chained to the “industry standard”, Adobe 😓
Yeah no adobe’s actually the worst fucking company to ever exist pic.twitter.com/HEc5CX5O2H
— Unknown from M.E (@DarkBlueLink1) April 13, 2021
Cancellation fee receipts
This Twitter account came armed with receipts when Adobe started trending.
on that adobe thing
when you're a contractor working to fit into a team, you can't just pull whatever software you want and expect it to go over well.
if the company has PS files, and those don't perfectly convert into whatever you're using and vice versa, you screwed yourself.
— World Representative Janzer 👑 (@Janzer_) April 13, 2021
Sad but true
This account rightly pointed out that when you work in the industry with a team of other artists, and the industry standard is Adobe, you can’t just pluck whatever free software is out there as a replacement. 😩
Short answer: Not worth it.
Long answer: Adobe will continue with this rubbish until it isn't seen as the art & design industry standard anymore, and that's not going to happen any time soon bc the employers and teachers don't want to learn anything new. pic.twitter.com/SHLeRea1qV
— TansaMakes (@TansaMakes) April 13, 2021
Time to cancel Adobe?
The better question is: can a giant cloud service like Adobe, which again is considered the “industry standard” in the content creation world, even be canceled at this point?
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What are your thoughts on Adobe? Are you an artist, animator, or designer who’s chained to your Adobe account? If so, we want to hear from you in the comments below!
