Adobe Releases Creative Cloud 2015 Applications, Introduces Stock Image Service

Adobe has just released the latest major version of its Creative Cloud suite, 2015. With it, Adobe says it’s brought unprecedented innovation and even greater integration across both its desktop and mobile apps. Today also marks the release of Photoshop Mix, Color CC, Brush CC, and Shape CC for Android, all of which are available right now on Google’s Play Store.

With the 2014 release of Creative Cloud, Adobe installed the updated versions alongside the previous ones. With 2015, the option is given to do the same thing, or conduct a proper upgrade. Desktop or taskbar shortcuts will not be updated, though; those will have to be re-added manually.

While we were briefed on the basics of what Creative Cloud’s 2015 release brings to the table, most of the specifics were not explained until just today. Before you peruse the official blogs and Adobe website, here’s an overview:

Most of the performance improvements are made possible thanks to the GPU, although Adobe notes that other basic performance improvements have been made as well, such as to the main interfaces in select apps.

Whereas the fall update poured a bunch of integration functionality on us, this 2015 release proves that a lot more could have been done. Share assets and entire files between mobile and desktop apps easier than ever.

Interestingly, just a month after we rolled out our responsive site design, Adobe Muse gets an update to help make it easier to pull it off. Also worth noting is the update to After Effects, allowing you to preview without interruption. The addition of animating 2D characters may also be a feature some AE users will want to take advantage of.

As with all major Adobe application releases, the 2015 versions bring new splash screens. The updated Photoshop one is a bit special, as it commemorates the software’s 25th anniversary.

With this 2015 Creative Cloud release, Adobe has introduced a new app / service that’s long overdue: Adobe Stock. It could seem a bit odd that Adobe would decide to get into this market at this point in time, but it’s able to offer something to its customers that others can’t: integration with Creative Cloud.

Adobe stresses that the interoperability is what’s going to make Adobe Stock so great, and for those looking to sell their photos, Adobe’s market-leading rates may lure you in. For customers looking for a one-off image, it’ll cost $10, while 10 images can be had each month for $50. With this particular plan, if 10 images are not snatched during the month, the excess will get carried over to the next month. For serious content houses, 750 images can be had each month for $200.

Here’s where things get interesting. If you have a Creative Cloud subscription – any at all – you’ll be able to save 40% off of the 10 images/mo plan, bringing it down to $30/mo. That perk even applies to the Photography plan, which costs $10/mo. Yes – you’re reading me right. You can choose to either get 10 images per month for $50, or subscribe to the Photography Plan (Photoshop + Lightroom) first and then get both for $40/mo.

There’s also something to note for sellers: Adobe offers a 33% payout, which can either seem great, or horrible. If someone purchases a one-off image, you’d receive $3.33, but if the subscriber has the $200/mo plan, that’d value each image at about $0.26 – and 33% of that isn’t even going to be worth it to most people.

As mentioned at the top, Adobe has just released Photoshop Mix and a couple of other apps to Android, catching the platform up to speed with the fall release of Creative Cloud. There are a couple of brand-new iOS exclusives, though, such as Hue, which allows you to copy a color scheme from the real-world, as well as Premiere Clip, which can take advantage of Hue.

Overall, another mammoth release from Adobe, and one you can upgrade to right now if you have a Creative Cloud subscription.