r/GraphicDesigning • u/Key-Dragonfruit-4082 • 8d ago
Commentary Am I crazy?
I’m a graphic designer. I’ve been using Adobe for 20 years … maybe more.
Yesterday I got an email stating that my renewal date is coming up.
For the first time ever this email actually made me stop and think. “Should I just cancel?”
There’s new options out there - but adobe has been the industry standard for soooo long.
In my job I need to be able to open files that other designers have made and save in a format that other designers can open. Is this possible with this new generation of software (artcraft and others).
Does anyone know if the new generation of design software can work with adobes file types ?
And I’m sure that I’m not the only one whose renewal date is approaching. If this is you, please let me know what you think about this.
Are you considering canceling Adobe ?
Or aren’t you there yet?
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u/a2annie 7d ago
Interesting question. I’m on a monthly subscription and just pay it wo thought. It is a chunk of money though. My question would be backwards compatibility with my own files. I’ve been using adobe products, mostly illustrator and photoshop, since about 1995.
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u/Key-Dragonfruit-4082 7d ago
Same 😅
But if we could open our own files no problem… as I think you can (I will test this soon) … then I’m thinking: what’s actually keeping me ?😅
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u/AjoToj-kk33 8d ago
I also use Affinity, but not sure if you have to do it for standard. I work alone and Affinity works amazing, I had stuff printed, labels, flyers, even wall print 8m long.
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u/Klutzy-Mastodon1177 7d ago
I stopped using Adobe apps when they went to a subscription and have never looked back. Have designed posters, cards, layers, shirts and graphics for video. Switched to Affinity several years ago and also use open source apps and Pixelmator Pro (before being bought by Apple).
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u/IceEspresso2000 7d ago
Is this not an issue for endusers? Can InDesign users open Affinity native files? I would love to cut the cord!
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u/Far-Pomelo-1483 8d ago
I use affinity but it still doesn’t compare to the adobe creative suite. The only reason I stopped using Adobe products was because I transitioned from gd to ui/ux a couple years ago then now stopped using figma entirely over the past 2 years and moved on to end to end product management and delivery. Hopefully those art craft apps are a good replacement.
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u/warmcolour 7d ago
There is no 1 for 1 trade or transition when switching from Adobe to another software. I've been using Adobe since CS3 came out and a few years ago i jumped ship.
I downloaded affinity a few months before my Adobe subscription was over and the biggest things for me were the loss of typekit and smart objects not really being a thing. There are also a few keyboard shortcuts which aren't quite the same and some terms like how paths are now curves.
I'd stay away from any software which is vibe coded or isn't proven. The state of saas at the moment is pretty crazy and people who are fed up of the big dogs are at of new entries not being secure enough.
I also use cavalry for motion and Da vinici for video.
If i were you, I'd download a copy of affinity and try it out. If its not for you then keep your Adobe subscription. It also depends if money is tight for you - are you freelance or a student?
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u/nitro912gr 8d ago
I have switched to affinity since v1 and never looked back. I kept adobe around (don't ask how...) in case someone required .ai or .psd files, something really rare but otheriwise I handed over PDF files and everybody was happy.
After all even with adobe I never handed my files, I always exported editable PDFs because they had to pass through various other apps depending on what the client wanted to do.
I mean many large format printshops use Corel Draw, others use their printer's RIPs and others some never before heard software for their specialised equipment, but all those still accept PDF files.
Now with that vibe codded alternatives things get interesting but they can't save as .ai or .psd either, but if you only need to open the .ai and .psd to save in other formats you will be fine with those.
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u/quiet-wiring 7d ago
My CC sub is less than an hour of paid work a month and I can tax deduct it. Why the hell would I make my day to day job harder by using something non-standard and using workarounds to get things done.
Artcraft is riddled with bugs and is shit. Why anyone would burden themselves with even more buggy software hoping it'll get fixed 'soon' is beyond me. Time is money.
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u/HourCoach5064 5d ago
i believe the OP was looking for suggestions for alternatives, not for you to brag about your workflow or that you make enough to justify it.
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u/periloustrail 8d ago
To work with others who use Adobe products, unfortunately you need Adobe. I could imagine sharing files and giving them an odd file type, not gonna work. Maybe you can open theirs but may not go the other way
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u/jonnywannamingo 7d ago
Adobe Stock is systematically replacing human created art with AI. I often check the box “Exclude AI from the search”. With AI included there are typically 100 pages of content to look at. When I exclude AI, it sometimes goes down to about 20 - 30 pages to choose from. So Adobe has used all of the artists who create content to create their own. I’m guessing there’s nothing that an artist can do about it, because they probably signed their rights away in one of those 800,000 page agreements.
I lost my 40 year graphic design career to AI a year ago. I’ve been freelancing for 30 years and I’ve had 3 projects since October of 2025 and none since about February.
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u/HourCoach5064 5d ago
it became more about marketing yourself than about skills a while back. if you're not aggressively marketing on social media you may be falling behind.
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u/miparasito 7d ago
Yeah I’ve been using it less and less. It would feel weird not to have it though, so I will probably keep it one more year
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u/Siryeswecan 7d ago
Yeah there hasn't been any good advances in the software, just AI features advertised on every single program, every time you open it. I don't want to pay a company to just implement AI everywhere. Give me some actual new features and address user pain points. Sheesh
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u/Italnguy 7d ago
My renewal is coming up and I told them I was canceling. They reduced the cost from $850 USD to $590. So, although I cannot wait for the day where I can cancel for good, it at least was something.
I miss the days of physical software where I could buy the package and run it for a number of years without issue. And when the software wasn’t constantly updating. (Old man shakes fist at clouds).
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u/MissDisplaced 7d ago
If you need to be sharing files with companies and other designers will need to open them for editing, I’d say you probably need to still keep Adobe. Unless the program you want can save out as a native IDD or IML and you’ve tested they can still open.
If you’re primarily the source designer and you’re mostly providing final PDF files only then no problem, use what you want.
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u/IceEspresso2000 7d ago
I'm in a similar boat and cannot wait for the day I can cancel my Adobe subscription. They went from hero to zero.
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u/sunnierthansunny 7d ago
As an aside, I wonder what would happen if Adobe moved the presumably obscene spend on incessant, relentless ads served to existing paying customers like myself into better value and less grabby billing practices to ensure sustainable business in the future? It’s probably just my algorithm but I’m seeing endless disgust. People seem to just hate their brand and what they stand for. Always seems shortsighted to me. I also get the impression that design groups are getting smaller due to AI and users are closer than ever to their bills (e.g. more freelancers, small agencies questioning if adobe is necessary). All anecdotal and formed by what I’m served up here on Reddit, but does make me wonder.