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Adobe adds Lightroom to Creative Cloud subscription

Part of Adobe's sales pitch for its subscription plan is that more products and services will be added. Lightroom 4.1 is the first such expansion.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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Adobe Systems fulfilled a promise, adding its Lightroom software for editing and cataloging photos to its Creative Cloud subscription.

Adobe launched the Creative Cloud in May, a $50-per-month subscription that grants access to Photoshop, Illustrator, and other Creative Suite 6 software along with online services and other perks. Adobe pledged to add Lightroom to the mix, and last night it announced its availability.

"We'll be adding even more great stuff to Creative Cloud over time; Lightroom is just the beginning," Jeffrey Tranberry, chief customer advocate for Adobe's Digital Imaging group, said in a blog post announcing the move.

Lightroom competes chiefly with Apple's Aperture, version 3.3 of which arrived this month. It brought support for the newest MacBook Pro models with the high-resolution Retina display; Lightroom currently lacks that support. Lightroom 4.1 arrived in May with its own collection of modest improvements.

The Creative Cloud subscription is a major departure for Adobe, which has historically sold perpetual licenses to its software. With the Creative Cloud, also available for $75 per month for those who don't want to make an annual commitment, the software stops working if you stop paying for it. But the up-front cost is lower, especially for those who want the full $2,599 Master Collection.

For customers of CS3, CS4, or CS5 products, there's a $30 option with an annual commitment. Another version for corporate customers, priced by the seat rather than by Adobe account holder, will cost $70 per month for annual subscriptions