ProDesignTools

Download Adobe Stock for Free: Get 1,000,000+ Top-Quality Images

ProDesignTools — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:09:59 +0000

Adobe surprised everyone by giving away a curated collection of over 1,000,000 completely free photos, illustrations, templates, videos, audio, and 3D models from talented Stock providers… This Adobe Stock Free Collection is available for all to download at no cost – plus these high-quality assets meet the same standards as the paid collection, so they come with a royalty-free commercial license forever. Check out the free Stock here and instantly download whatever you want, with an incredible selection to choose from!

Adobe is doing right by the artists who created all this valuable free content, too. Even though you’re getting access to hundreds of thousands of world-class assets at no cost, Adobe still makes sure the artists are getting paid for providing it. So, you can use these assets in all of your personal, business, or commercial projects with the peace of mind that you are sourcing content ethically and respecting the artist community. But again, you pay nothing.

And for 10 additional paid assets of your choice at no cost, you can also tack on the free one-month trial described below…

Get it now

As large as the new Free Collection is, it still represents only a tiny fraction of the complete (massive) Stock library. So, the offer gets even better… Adobe also wants to give you US$50 worth of professional, high-resolution paid stock assets right now. We’re talking about premium-quality, expert-curated pictures, illustrations, vectors, graphics, templates, audio/music tracks, 3D models and more from an enormous library of over 900 million assets to choose from…

How does this work? Well, if you try out the Adobe Stock paid plan, then they will credit you with 10 superlative images you can download free within the next 30 days and use forever. You can select any of the many millions of different assets (try searching right now!), and jump-start your creative projects – or use for any purpose in virtually any project anywhere.

The standard license to use or edit this content is royalty-free and granted in perpetuity, without geographical restrictions or expiration dates. Adobe Stock works beautifully together with the Creative Cloud apps (see demonstration below), but you don’t need a paid membership or subscription to use it (not even the free level of Creative Cloud), or even to be using Adobe software at all – because Stock can also work standalone. Either way, all you need in order to take advantage of this offer is an Adobe ID, which can be quickly created for free.

Normally with Adobe Stock, single images are US$9.99 each – but you can get 10 photos to use on a Monthly basis for $49.99/month. With the Annual Plan, your price is discounted to $29.99/month – and as noted above, your first month is completely free if you sign up for this plan now:

Download now

You will not be charged for the first month’s billing cycle. It is a full 30-day free trial and you can use the assets you download indefinitely. At any time during the first 44 days, if you don’t want to continue with Stock at the lower price, then you can easily cancel the service online and owe nothing at all. If you wish to continue your Annual plan subscription, then any unused images will roll over between months (up to 120 total) for as long as your Stock membership remains active.

If you don’t wish to continue, then Adobe provides easy online cancellations. Just visit your Manage Account page at any time to cancel (or contact Customer Support in your region). And you’ll keep the ability to use your free and already-licensed assets for life.

And now, using Adobe’s powerful new AI Studio, you can take any Stock asset as a starting point and edit or tweak it to make it yours and match your creative vision. You can remove or add objects in seconds, expand or animate the image, adjust the mood, transform colors, lighting, or style, or type to describe the edit you want. You can even generate an audio or music track for any of the free Adobe Stock videos. Best of all, AI Studio is 100% free and can be used on all of the gratis content or on any other Stock asset before you license it.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

Adobe Stock is Seamlessly Integrated into Your Workflow

In addition to the rich depth of the catalog and ease of quickly finding the right high-impact image for your needs, Adobe Stock is also already deeply integrated into the CC tools… This tight connection can be an big time-saver in your day-to-day work.

You can use an unlimited number of watermarked Stock preview images in your projects and designs – and search & browse right from within your favorite apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Animate, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. Then if you decide to license any particular image(s), you can do it inside those Adobe tools with a single click, without changing any of the work you’ve created.

Once you license an image, the watermarked version is replaced with the full-resolution version and the image will be automatically updated wherever you have used it throughout your project, saving you hours of rework. The Stock asset can be saved directly to a Creative Cloud Library and is immediately available on your Desktop as well as Adobe mobile applications.

Check out this 90-second demo – it is so quick, slick and easy to use:

For more details, including the step-by-step walkthrough of how to seamlessly use Adobe Stock from inside your CC products, see the Quick Start Guide.

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And if you’re part of a larger organization, then you can use the group-enabled capabilities of Adobe Stock (such as pooled images, extended licenses, and reporting tools) to collaborate together with your coworkers on larger projects using Creative Cloud for Teams.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

Are You a Photographer or Designer? Sell Your Work on Adobe Stock

On top of being an Adobe Stock customer, you can also easily become a contributor as well – and set yourself up to make money by doing so. There are no registration or portfolio management fees, and you’ll be able to showcase your work to millions of buyers around the world, 24/7. Thanks to huge daily sales volumes and royalties typically one-third of the sales price, you could potentially earn thousands of dollars every month. Plus, there is a Bonus Program which grants complementary access to Creative Cloud for active contributors.

Just submit your best original work, and if it’s accepted after a short review period, then you’ll receive a royalty every time one of one of your images or designs is sold through the service… The submission process is simple, straightforward, and largely automated, thanks to smart auto-titling and auto-keywording tools.

Want to earn money doing what you love? You can learn more about becoming a contributor here, plus get some great and helpful tips for success here.

Terry White: Video Review of Adobe Stock

If you have any additional questions, you’ll probably find them answered in the Adobe Stock FAQ.

What’s the Difference Between Creative Cloud for Teams vs. Individuals?

ProDesignTools — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 14:16:00 +0000

What are the differences between the types of Creative Cloud membership? This is a question we get a lot, so here’s a handy comparison guide on the major differences between Creative Cloud for Teams vs. CC for Individuals. In another article, we already covered the all the differences between Creative Cloud Student & Teacher vs. regular editions.

Creative Cloud for Teams is Adobe’s volume licensing solution for businesses, studios, design shops, agencies, companies, offices, schools, and other organizations. It includes everything that CC for Individuals does, but gives you substantially more features and capabilities for managing and working with different users. It’s meant for groups (such as small to midsize businesses and departments) with multiple seats using the products at the same time. For large businesses, Adobe recommends Creative Cloud for Enterprise.

Adobe continues to increase the benefits of the Teams bundle. Here are a few of the advantages the Teams plan has added since its initial launch in 2012:

All Teams plans include Adobe Talent, powered by Behance. This means all Teams subscribers get unlimited job postings on the world’s largest creative network, a US$399/month value included at no extra cost.
Recently, all Teams plans received a storage upgrade from 100 GB previously to 1 TB included now per user, pooled across the group.
New since 2022, Teams and Enterprise customers now also have access to Frame.io video collaboration tools, in addition to Team Projects.
Also new: 180-day extended version histories for cloud documents, compared to the standard 30-day version histories.

A fast way to get a sense of all the differences is to check out Adobe’s CC Plans-at-a-Glance comparison page for business – click to open for more details:

Get it now

Free ebook: Download the Creative Cloud for Teams Getting Started Guide.

Free ebook: Download 12 Ways to Get the Most Out of CC for Teams.

So the Teams offering provides everything that Creative Cloud for Individuals does, which means open access to the world’s best creative tools (all of the same desktop apps, services, and feature upgrades as soon as they are released) – plus unique workgroup capabilities for enhanced file sharing and collaboration, flexible and efficient license management (for adding, removing, or reassigning users as needed), usage tracking and reporting, centralized billing under one contract, advanced 24/7 multilanguage support services (including two live one-on-one sessions with Adobe product experts per user, per year, via phone and web conference), and pooled licenses from a single shared Adobe Stock subscription.

What makes Creative Cloud for Teams really different and unique: Administrators can manage it all from a simple but powerful web-based Admin Console to centrally purchase, deploy, and manage all seats within your organization. You can easily add, move, or reassign users to adapt to the way your organization does business, or even reclaim assets when people leave and projects change – so your Creative Cloud membership evolves as your company evolves, and your team members can even be contractors or entirely outside of your organization.

The Admin Console is also a centralized IT deployment resource allowing you to control and customize how your users install and access both CC products and updates. You can use this exclusive portal to build your own distribution packages and provide as much platform stability as you like – and install ongoing upgrades on your own schedule, whenever you are ready. If desired, you can also block access to online Creative Cloud storage and services while users are on the corporate network.

Some other benefits of CC for Teams include: Achieving a lower cost of entry (compared to the prior perpetual model), taking advantage of predictable budgeting, volume discounts for 10 or more seats, simplifying compliance management and reporting, helping ensure usage rights with assigned seats, rigorous built-in security, and treating software purchases as an operating expense. Team users also get one extra month of offline grace period when running the CC desktop applications without an Internet connection, including when traveling remotely or internationally.

Start free trial

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

Pricing for the Team product is $99.99/month (or €86,55/£73.33) per seat on an annual basis – either paid monthly throughout the year, or prepaid up front. That gives you everything described above. Education pricing (schools, students and teachers, classrooms, colleges and universities) is $34.99/month (or €34,99/£29.49). You can also upgrade from any number of current Creative Cloud Individual memberships to a consolidated Creative Cloud Team membership.

If you only need one application, then there’s another option: CC for Teams Single App. You can choose from Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, or any one of the rest – and it includes all the same team features for admin, support, and collaboration, together with 1 TB of group online storage instead of 100 GB. The regular pricing for the Teams single-tool plan is $37.99/month (or €33,49/£27.99) for the majority of CC products, except for Acrobat Pro DC which is a third less – and for education customers, the same individual tool package is $14.99/month (or €14,99/£12.64).

All these plans are available directly from Adobe, and there is no overall minimum or maximum on number of seats you can purchase for your team, group, or SMB. With CC for Teams, you can purchase from 1-250 licenses at a time, and add on more seats whenever you want. You can buy with a credit card, PayPal, or purchase order, either paid monthly or prepaid annually. As with the regular Creative Cloud, each user can choose to run their license on either the Windows or Mac operating systems, or on both platforms.

Download now

So in a nutshell, Creative Cloud for Teams does everything that the standard CC edition does, but takes it to the next level for multiple people collaborating and working together smoothly, and makes it all easy to manage.

UPDATE – Sign up for Teams with at least 5 users and get the Creative Cloud Pro Plus at no extra cost! The new Pro Plus gives you everything in Teams plus unlimited downloads of over 550 million high-quality Adobe Stock assets. It’s the very best plan available – learn more.

Related: See the infographic on the advantages of subscription vs. perpetual.

Do you have any questions about Creative Cloud for Teams? Check out our extensive Creative Cloud FAQ, or just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!

18 Surprising Facts About Creative Cloud You (Probably) Didn’t Know

ProDesignTools — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:01:54 +0000

Having launched in late 2011, Creative Cloud has been available for well over a decade now – but we bet there are still some important things about Adobe’s flagship product line that most people don’t know…

Here’s a short list of lesser-known facts that you may not have heard (all of) before. Let us know how you did at the end!

There is a permanently-free level of Creative Cloud membership available to everyone, which includes major desktop tools and services.
Adobe Stock gives away over 1,000,000 free assets (photos, illustrations, templates, audio), including 90,000+ professionally-shot videos.
It’s not widely known, but you can save 9% on your annual Creative Cloud subscription with this one trick.
The popular Photography plan which includes both Photoshop plus Lightroom actually costs less than getting Photoshop by itself.
There are over 30 extensive free books you can download to learn all the different Creative Cloud apps.
Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and Acrobat all now offer web app versions which can run inside your browser, without nothing to install.
Adobe Fonts – a library of 30,000+ typefaces licensed for virtually any personal or commercial use – is included with all CC subscriptions.
If you’re not as interested in using AI, then you can save money with the Creative Cloud Standard plan rather than the Pro plan. Note however the Standard plan has reduced access to Adobe web and mobile apps.
Students & teachers get a huge discount on the regular price of Creative Cloud Pro – at least 70% off the first year for education customers.
People who don’t have CC subscriptions can still view or comment on Adobe files shared in a browser online, without installing anything.
Adobe offers thousands of tutorials for all apps, and they’re 100% free – so you can get up to speed quickly on any tool you’d like to learn.
Monthly/month-to-month subscriptions are better than Annual plans (and save money) if you need the CC apps for shorter periods of time.
You can quickly build a personalized website to showcase your creative work with Adobe Portfolio, included free with any CC subscription.
Creative Cloud is estimated to now have over 41 million paid subscribers, as of the end of last year.
Adobe offers a 14-day Money-Back Guarantee with full refunds (no questions asked) if you change your mind after purchase of any plan.
Adobe Express premium now comes with all CC plans over $20/month, and is also free of charge for all charities and non-profits worldwide.
There is a Teams version of Creative Cloud which offers more features than Individual plans for working in groups and in companies.
Most of the sessions from Adobe’s popular annual MAX conference (costing $1,895) are available for online replay for free.

How many of these were new to you? Are we missing any other things you think are important? Please let us know in the comments below.

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Students & Teachers: Get Creative Cloud for $20 a Month with Discount

ProDesignTools — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:01:38 +0000

The regular pricing for the Creative Cloud Pro plan – Adobe’s flagship all-in-one product offering which includes over 20 desktop apps – is US$69.99 a month with an annual membership. But what about education customers? How much is the academic discount?

We’re happy to say that all students, teachers, and education staff get a very significant discount. Adobe has reduced the price to just $19.99/month (under $1/day) for your first year. You get the latest versions of all tools and services, with ongoing upgrades included. And importantly, no previous ownership of any Adobe product is required and no coupon code is necessary. Outside of North America, the education savings can be even greater – £16.24 or €19,50 or A$23.99 per month (including VAT), meaning 71-78% off:

Creative Cloud Education Offer

Students & teachers, now get Adobe Creative Cloud Pro – including all-new tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more – for a reduced price of US$19.99/month for the first year. That’s over 70% off the regular price of $69.99! This offer is limited to one (1) purchase of one (1) Creative Cloud annual membership per customer, and may not be assigned, exchanged, sold, transferred, or combined with any other discount.

Any current or recent student or teacher (aged 13 and older) can take advantage of these deals… To show academic eligibility, the company says: “Documents dated within the last six months are considered current.” Or, if you happen to have a school-issued email address (such as “.edu” or “.k12”), then you will be instantly verified.

In terms of features and functionality, there is no difference between the education edition and the regular version. You get all the industry-leading tools in both cases, and the student version can be used for commercial purposes. The only distinction is that academic eligibility verification is required at the time of of purchase and again at yearly renewals to retain the school discount.

After your first twelve months, future renewals would be at the standard education price (currently $39.99/month) if you wish to renew. In other words, students and teachers never pay full price. And after graduating from school, you can continue to receive the lower education price until your annual renewal date. If you don’t want to continue with your membership, you can cancel online during the 12th month of any one-year term and your plan will end with no fee and no further charges.

The Creative Cloud can be installed on both Windows and Mac and in multiple languages. You can activate/run the software on two computers and easily move it between systems as needed.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

Note: The Pro plan, which includes everything, is the only subscription Adobe offers with a price reduction for academic users. Other packages – like the Single-App plans – do not offer special rates for students and teachers. The popular Photography plan – which includes both Photoshop + Lightroom at $19.99/month for everyone – is the best deal otherwise… But if you’re not ready to subscribe at all right now, then you can still take advantage of Adobe’s free level of CC membership.

Finally, all Creative Cloud subscribers receive many hours of free training with hundreds of tutorials from top providers. With Creative Cloud, there’s a world of the latest/greatest tools you can learn and use – all the best Adobe has to offer now and in the future – with ongoing upgrades included plus other benefits at an affordable monthly price point in a comprehensive bundle:

Get it now

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

Download the Creative Cloud for Teams Getting Started Guide (Free)

ProDesignTools — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:43:31 +0000

If you’ve already purchased or are considering buying Adobe’s Creative Cloud for Teams, then the free downloadable PDF guide (plus videos) below will help you learn how to best use the group and licensing management tools that come with this plan.

In this concise 10-page ebook you’ll find everything you need to get your team up and running with CC for Teams quickly and easily – including how to invite new users, assign product licenses, reassign or remove users & seats, join the team by installing and downloading the Creative Cloud apps, add Secondary Administrators to help with user management and deployment, and more. Learn how to set up and manage your membership:

Download now

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

If you’re still a bit unclear on how Adobe’s Teams plan differs from their Individual plans, then check out our major feature comparison page here:

» What’s the Difference Between Creative Cloud for Teams vs. Individuals?

In a nutshell, Creative Cloud for Teams does everything that the standard CC edition does, but takes it to the next level for multiple people (up to hundreds of users) collaborating and working smoothly together… So there are additional capabilities available to Teams subscribers which are not offered to Individual members. And if desired, it is possible to switch from an Individual to a Team membership; even one person alone can still buy and use a Teams plan.

If you prefer to try out the tools first, you can instantly download any Adobe product (or even the entire Creative Cloud) as a fully-functional 7-day free trial. Better still, you can now get a Creative Cloud for Teams free trial for 14 days for up to ten users, which is twice as long and 10X the users as the regular trial:

Get free trial

The Teams tryout gives non-expiring access to the Admin Console, which is used to manage your subscription licenses, as covered in the start-up guide above and in the videos below… Importantly, note that Adobe offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on initial purchases of Creative Cloud (all plans), so if you buy the full product now and later change your mind within the first two weeks, then you’d get a complete refund.

Bonus: Download “12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Creative Cloud for Teams”

Here’s another free download that can help you excel with this product: it’s called 12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Creative Cloud for Teams, a 13-page guide on how to boost creativity, productivity, and impact with the Teams edition. This helpful walkthrough summarizes everything it can do for you, your team, and your business, with inside tips along the way.

You can download this ebook at no charge here:

Download now

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

Do you have any questions about Creative Cloud for Teams? Check out our extensive Creative Cloud FAQ, or just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!

Creative Cloud for Teams How-to Videos

Explainer: How Does Creative Cloud for Teams Work?

How to Get Started with Adobe Creative Cloud for Teams

How to Get an 9% Discount on Your Adobe Creative Cloud Plan

ProDesignTools — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:33:52 +0000

Here’s a quick tip on how to save up to 9% on Creative Cloud subscriptions… The discount applies to the main “All Apps” membership, as well as almost all Single-App subscriptions – and it works in most countries, with no coupon or promotion code needed, and no expiration date.

The trick is to choose the prepaid option rather than the billed-monthly option on an Annual plan. It’s not widely advertised, but Adobe will give you an automatic 4-9% discount on subscriptions where the full year is paid in advance, and this lower price is offered in almost every region of the world.

In the North American countries, for example, the paid-yearly discount you can get is 9% less than the paid-monthly price – from $54.99/mo. to $49.99/mo. – for the Creative Cloud Standard plan. The annual cost then becomes US$599.88, which the same price as when Creative Cloud first launched in 2012.

The only thing to keep in mind about prepaid 12-month memberships is that cancellations are not possible before the year is up, after the initial 14-day refund period has passed. By contrast, the alternative monthly-billed annual plans are cancelable, but with an early termination fee.

Month-to-month plans are also an option. They cost more per month than the Annual plans, but there is no commitment and you can cancel at any time without a fee. Compare monthly vs. annual: which should you choose?

Is the discount available for all Creative Cloud plans?

For Individuals (the most common type of membership), the discounted rate is offered for the All Apps plan and for most of the single-app plans, except for Acrobat and Photography.

This savings is not available for the already deeply-discounted Student/Teacher education plans, nor for the more business-oriented Teams plans.

Bottom line, all standard Individuals plans of $20/month or higher qualify for this price reduction.

I’m already a subscriber. Can I still get the discount?

Yes, you may be able to. Whether you currently have an full year or month-to-month plan, you should be able to upgrade or change your plan online here, at any time during your subscription, to get the discount:

Get it now

Look for the “Annual, prepaid” option for the product(s) you want, and then change your plan to that. If for some reason you are unable to complete the switch online, then you can contact Adobe Customer Support to make the change – via live chat is usually fastest/easiest, and is typically available 24/7.

Adobe will cancel your paid-monthly Creative Cloud plan (and waive any fees), issue you a refund for the remaining days in the current month, and then sign you up for a prepaid annual plan to secure the lower CC price. You’ll see two transactions (one refund and one charge) on your credit card, and the updated plan starts right away, with no break in service.

In sum: the advantages of saving with the prepaid discount

While not everyone can afford to make the upfront payment, this trick can provide a savings rate that is better than most anything else you’ll find these days for the funds. And again, this discount does not expire. You can renew it again the same way next year if you like.

Another advantage with the prepaid option is that you don’t have to keep an eye on monthly payments and don’t need to check if your credit or debit card is under its max – and therefore, you don’t have to worry about your subscription being canceled and being assigned a penalty for early termination.

As noted above, the only aspect to keep in mind about prepaid memberships is that cancellations are not possible before the year is up, once the initial 14-day refund period has passed. Whereas the alternative paid-monthly Annual plans can be cancelled, but a termination fee may apply.

However, if you can take advantage of it, using this hidden technique can save a bunch of dollars from Adobe’s pocket and put them back into yours.

Save now

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

Students and Teachers: Save an Extra 20% on Creative Cloud, Just $16/mo.

ProDesignTools — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:47:23 +0000

[UPDATE – See all of Adobe’s current deals & discounts!]

Back-to-school is here! And for a limited time, Adobe is offering an extra-special deal for education customers… Students and teachers can now get the best Creative Cloud Pro plan at an additional 20% off the already-discounted price of $19.99/month.

This offer gives you the complete Creative Cloud – the latest CC 2026 release with 20+ cutting-edge creative apps for desktop, mobile, and web – plus 100GB of cloud storage, for just US$15.99/month for your first year. This is the lowest price Adobe has ever offered for students and teachers.

For this price, you get all the tools and services contained in the collection, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Animate, Acrobat DC, and more. These latest versions contain many new features and advancements compared to older releases. Best of all, there’s no difference in the apps or capabilities between the education and regular plans.

This promotional offer is currently available in the U.S. until Wednesday, September 2. To get the discount, visit the online Adobe Education Store and sign up with a credit or debit card (or PayPal):

Get it now

If you prefer to try before you buy, then you can download the latest CC 2026 free trials, then install and run them on your computer – the trials are fully functional. Just make sure to complete your purchase before the offer expires to get the lower price.

This promotion is limited to one (1) purchase of one (1) Creative Cloud annual membership per customer, and is open to eligible teachers and students 13 years of age and older. No previous software ownership or upgrade is required. This pricing is only available for first-time memberships purchased directly from the Adobe Store. A 12-month commitment is required.

At the end of your first year, your membership will automatically renew at the then-current rate (presently $39.99/month), unless you elect to change or cancel your subscription. Cancellation is easy and can be done online. See the complete terms & conditions here.

To learn how to best use the new products, there are plenty of free Adobe books and free online video training you can check out. What’s more, Adobe has got an excellent Tutorial Hub for Students to help get you going in no time.

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

Generally speaking, you can install and activate your purchased software on up to two computers of any kind, including both a Mac and a Windows PC… And whenever needed, you can also easily transfer or move your tools between two different systems at any time.

Find out more about Adobe’s Student & Teacher Editions, including (importantly) the notable differences between these and the regular versions.

Download now

How Does Creative Cloud Work?

What’s In Adobe Creative Cloud?

All Adobe Apps Explained in 9 Minutes

How to Move Adobe CC or CS6 Between Computers, or PC to Mac

ProDesignTools — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:31 +0000

OK, so your old computer is running out of gas, you’re upgrading or changing systems, adding a new machine, or switching from a PC to a Mac, or vice versa — and you want to move over your copy of Creative Cloud (CC) or CS6 (or CS5 or CS4) Adobe software — what do you do, and how do you do it? Just follow our complete guide below, which also works for other Adobe desktop products such as Acrobat, Lightroom, Elements, Captivate, and more.

As we’ve covered previously here, you are generally allowed to install and activate most Adobe software on up to two computers, with the restriction that the software can not used on both systems at the same time. So right off the bat, you might be good to go with installing the software on a second computer, although you may wish to double-check the licensing agreement for your product to be sure.

Deactivating Your Old System First

Adobe uses software activation to control how many of your computers are able to run their creative apps. So if you’re already at your limit of two computers and want to transfer your license over to a new or different system, then first you should deactivate the software from the old computer. In any CC program, click Help > Sign Out (for CS, it’s Help > Deactivate), and then follow the instructions to deactivate the software. Deactivating any single CC or CS application on your machine will deactivate them all.

Note: For CS tools, you may see two choices on the Deactivation screen – if so, then what’s the difference between Suspend Activation vs. Deactivate Permanently? The answer is that both will properly deactivate your product on that computer. But the first (“suspend”) will keep your serial number stored in the Windows registry in case you want to quickly reactivate the same software on the same computer later, without reentering it. However, there is no harm in choosing the second (“permanently”) option, because you can always later reactivate the same product on the same machine by just retyping the license key. In other words, it’s basically a convenience factor to store your SN.

Deactivation is different from uninstallation. If you’re permanently uninstalling Adobe software from a computer, then deactivate it first to ensure its license is freed up. If you deactivate but don’t uninstall, the next time you run Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Acrobat, etc. on that computer, you’ll be asked to reactivate or to start a free trial period.

If you can’t deactivate the software because your disk drive crashed or you changed/upgraded your hardware or you otherwise can’t access your program – and you don’t have Creative Cloud – then you may need to contact Adobe Customer Service to deactivate it for you on their end using your serial number.

After uninstalling any version of CC or CS, you can run the Adobe Cleaner Tool if you like to make sure it’s completely removed from your old system.

Setting Up Your New System

Now you’ll need two things: the software installation files (or discs), and the product’s serial number itself. Note for the Creative Cloud, this doesn’t apply – please see the next section instead.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

If you purchased the software but lost the serial number or no longer have it readily available, the first place to check is your online Adobe account. You will have one if you ever registered the program, or if you purchased it directly from Adobe… Just log in with your Adobe ID and all your serial numbers will be listed there. If you don’t see it, then try registering your product now and see if it appears there. As a last resort, you may be able to retrieve it from the computer itself using a free utility like Belarc Advisor (Windows) or Product Key Finder (Mac) – which will recover and tell you the activation keys for the programs on your system.

And if you’ve lost or can’t find your original installation file or CD/DVD, or if your machine doesn’t have a disc drive, then you can download and install a free trial of your application from Adobe servers onto your new computer, and that will convert to a full and permanent version when you enter your valid SN.

OK, once deactivation is complete, you are free to go ahead and enter your serial number key to activate a copy of the software installed elsewhere, or use it to reactivate the same application on that PC after reinstalling (for example, if you are changing disk drives or upgrading operating systems). And you should be all set.

Note: When [re]installing an upgrade version of Creative Suite, if you don’t have your prior release already installed on that same computer, then you’ll have to manually input that older license key when prompted by the setup process. In other words, you’ll need to enter two serial numbers, the old and the new. If you are continuing to use your prior release, then per Adobe licensing requirements it must be on the same computer(s) as the upgrade version.

If you run into any problems with the deactivation/reactivation process, you’ll have a short window during which the software should work in free trial mode to give you enough time to contact Adobe Support and get things resolved.

Installing Creative Cloud on More than One Computer

All of this becomes much easier with Creative Cloud memberships as well as with single-tool CC subscriptions, because these products are no longer activated using serial numbers but instead with your Adobe ID login. So moving the software to a new system (multiple machines) is really just a matter of visiting the Creative Cloud Download Center, downloading whichever CC apps you want, and then signing in with your email address…

When the tools finish installing, just log in and the CC software will automatically be (re)activated on the new hardware for you, even if you didn’t happen to deactivate first on the old machine. You’ll see a screen that says “You’ve reached your device activation limit” – but just choose another computer to sign out of and then click “Continue” to let the reactivation happen.

This makes it straightforward to switch your CC applications to a different system when needed – like when a computer crashes or is otherwise not available, when traveling or away from home, when temporarily using a third machine, and so on. Alternatively, you can deactivate using your account page on adobe.com.

For more details on how all of this works, see this CC Help document.

Creative Cloud and single-app subscribers can also skip the next two sections, as your CC products are already capable of flexibly running on both operating system platforms (both Windows and macOS), as well as freely switching between different languages as desired. All Adobe CS products, by contrast, are licensed for just a single language on a single operating system.

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How to Switch Platforms from PC to Mac (or Vice Versa)

How about if you want to change platforms, like from Windows to Mac, or vice versa? The easiest thing to do is get Creative Cloud, because (as mentioned above) a single CC license will run freely on both operating systems. For Creative Suite, it’s more complicated, because all CS software was licensed for a single operating system only. So if you are making a switch and would like to take your Creative Suite 6 license with you, then you used to be able to do what’s called a “crossgrade” between platforms, which was no charge to you and could be submitted online directly through Adobe Customer Service.

However, Adobe now states: “As Creative Suite 6 is no longer sold or supported, platform or language exchanges are not available for it.” So this means CS operating system crossgrades are not possible anymore.

But if you require a different operating system version of a non–Creative Suite/Cloud product you purchased from Adobe (such as Acrobat Pro or Standard), then you can exchange your product. All product configurations (including Student and Teacher Editions) are eligible for exchange.

There are a few provisos. One is you need to have a registered serial number to qualify (but that just takes a few minutes if you haven’t already). You must also be prepared to deactivate and delete the existing software from your computer and destroy any existing copies, as they will no longer be valid. But perhaps the most important is that you can only swap platforms to and from the most recent perpetual version available for the product.

How to Change from One Language or Country to Another

Note that this same procedure also works for requesting a change from one language set to another for a given Adobe application… You’d follow the crossgrade process described above – but choose a new and different language on the form, instead of a different o/s platform.

And the same goes if you want to move your residence to a different country or region, because the product language will usually be different in your new geography (even for English). For example, in the U.S. the language edition is “Universal English,” whereas overseas it’s “International English,” or another language.

After swapping platforms or languages, you cannot cross back to your original platform or language version. No more than five total (lifetime) cross-platform or cross-language upgrades or swaps are allowed per customer, regardless of the product. Software purchased secondhand or from an auction site such as eBay is not eligible for swaps.

There are some exceptions here. The Adobe Elements line is sold as multiplatform and multilanguage software, so would not require a crossgrade. The same also goes for all Creative Cloud products, because all languages and platforms are automatically included and you can freely and easily switch between them at any time with Adobe CC.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully that should do it! Please let us know if this article helped you out, or any questions you may have in the comments below.

And if you’d like to move away from shuffling serial numbers altogether, check out Creative Cloud for Teams to simplify management instead of single-user copies… With straightforward per-seat pricing, you get a flexible license that includes powerful workgroup collaboration capabilities and other exclusive features, plus expert support for your entire team.

Black Friday in August: Adobe Offers Amazing Deal on Creative Cloud

ProDesignTools — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:00:10 +0000

[UPDATE – See all of Adobe’s current deals & discounts!]

Something rare is going on this week, and we thought you should know about it. For one of the few times outside of the traditional Black Friday / Cyber Monday sale period, Adobe is offering a huge discount on Creative Cloud to the general public…

For a limited time, first-time subscribers to the Creative Cloud Pro ‘All Apps’ plan can get a 50% discount off the regular price for your first year. This promotion is close to the lowest price ever offered on these popular products.

This top-of-the-line package includes Adobe’s entire collection of 20+ creative desktop apps: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Acrobat Pro, Animate, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and many others. It also includes complementary mobile apps, 100GB of online cloud storage, an Adobe Portfolio website, all Adobe Fonts, and the premium version of Adobe Express.

The two big offers are:

— Creative Cloud for Individuals: 50% off. Normally US$69.99/month for new customers signing up for an annual plan, now the complete Creative Cloud Pro membership (All Apps) is available at a special discounted rate of $34.99/month for one year – that’s half price! No previous software ownership or other qualifications are necessary to receive this price reduction.

— Adobe Firefly Pro Plus 30% Off: Firefly is your AI-powered creative space to generate images, video, audio, and designs using top AI models from Adobe, Google, OpenAI, Runway, and more. Includes 10,000 credits per month for image and video creation at scale, plus Adobe Express Premium and Photoshop. Now just $34.97/month for your first year for new subscribers.

To put the price into perspective, the Creative Cloud Pro offer of $34.99/month is lower than Adobe’s Black Friday special in 2015 of $39.99/month – and Creative Cloud has gotten a lot bigger and better since then.

These discounted CC promotions are available until Monday, August 10, 2026, for direct purchases only. This one-time deal will give you the entire Creative Cloud – all of Adobe’s best desktop tools and services which are included in the new 2026 release, plus ongoing product upgrades and support:

Get it now

If your membership is canceled before the 12-month commitment has been met, a cancellation fee would apply – although Adobe offers a Money-Back Guarantee for a full refund within 14 days of your initial purchase. See the complete Terms and Conditions here.

Here’s a quick overview of what the complete Creative Cloud Pro package (‘All Apps’) contains:

The latest 2026 desktop releases of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat Pro, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and many more
New desktop tools like Character Animator and Dimension
Literally thousands of new features and advancements added since CS6 in 2012
4,000 monthly Generative Credits to use Adobe’s stunning new AI capabilities in your projects, including video too
Access to tens of thousands of dollars of desktop and web Adobe Fonts
Full access and use of the Adobe Portfolio website builder
The premium versions of Adobe Express and Photoshop on iPhone
Full integrated use of Adobe’s family of web & mobile apps (over a dozen strong), which Creative Cloud Standard does not include
100 GB of online cloud storage for syncing, sharing and collaboration, with the option for up to 15 TB
Ongoing upgrades and updates for all included applications and services
Download and use of prior releases, if needed or desired
Access to hundreds of exclusive online video tutorials in Creative Cloud Learn
Install all desktop applications on up to two of your computers
Easily move the products between different systems you own
No previous purchase necessary, and no prior software required

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

We know this question will be asked, so here it is: If you recently bought CC from Adobe – within the past 14 days – then you may still be able to take advantage of these one-year promotions. That’s because Adobe has an easy Return/Exchange Policy for direct purchases, which allows customers to swap out whatever they bought for a different choice for up to one month after purchase. Recent buyers can just submit online for a full refund and then sign up to get one of the new offers above instead.

Other currently-available Adobe deals can be found on our Coupons page, including the opportunity to instantly download thousands of free images from Adobe Stock’s large professional asset collection. And one of the nice things about Adobe software is you can always try it out before you buy… So if you want, you can instantly download any application(s) you like for a fully-functional free trial – then just be sure to purchase & activate the software within the savings period to benefit from the discount:

Download now

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

Please spread the word to share Adobe’s one-time offers with others who might be interested… And to receive notification on future discounts and promotions, subscribe to our RSS feed or like us on Facebook or Twitter… Or just enter your email and have new articles sent directly to your Inbox. We are reader-supported; when you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What’s In Adobe Creative Cloud?

All Adobe Apps Explained in 9 Minutes

How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?

ProDesignTools — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:01:16 +0000

This is one of the most common questions we get, and the answer may surprise you… The place to look to find the answer is the Software License Agreement, also called the terms of use or EULA. This agreement governs the use of your Adobe product, and is translated into 28 languages within each document. It also covers some basics about product activation.

So, in general, how many systems can you install Adobe software on, including the Creative Cloud (CC) or older software like CS6? The answer for individuals (as opposed to businesses) in most cases is two. The catch is that both computers must be used only by you and the two systems cannot be used at the same time. This policy was designed so that you could run the tools at home on your desktop PC, as well as while traveling with your laptop. Bottom line, you can just pick any two computers you own and the product should install and properly activate on both.

For example, here is the key text from the Terms of Use for CC Software:

1.1 Use of Software: Subscription-Based License. Your subscription lets you activate the Software on up to two devices (or virtual machines) at a time, however, you may not use the Software on the two devices simultaneously.

And there’s similar language in the EULA for Photoshop CS6:

2.1.3 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the important restrictions set forth in Section 2.1.4 [having to do with volume licensees], the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed … may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

Important Details – and Key Differences with CC

So the primary user may install another copy on a secondary computer for their own use, but the two installations cannot be used simultaneously. Generally, for older Creative Suite and Adobe Acrobat standalone apps, the two machines should also be of the same operating system (Windows or macOS), because the software is licensed and delivered for use on one specific platform.

However, all Creative Cloud members and single-app CC subscribers (and that includes all customers of the $19.99 Photography Plan) can install and run their tools on up to two machines of either operating system, including both a Mac and a PC. Other Adobe products like Photoshop Elements are also sold multi-platform, making it easier to mix-and-match Windows and macOS for your two installations.

Another key benefit with Creative Cloud is that it does not use serial numbers like CS did – instead, you activate CC by logging in with your Adobe ID, thereby providing the ability to more flexibly manage your usage. So if you install the CC apps onto a third computer, it will ask you if you want to automatically deactivate the other two… Just hit “Continue” at the Maximum Activations Exceeded box, and it will handle activation of your new system and deactivation of the others for you. Afterwards, you can reactivate again on one additional machine. This can be useful if you’re moving around between computers, or if one of your earlier systems crashed, or if the software is otherwise inaccessible.

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How About for Use of Prior Versions?

All Creative Cloud subscribers have access to download and use recent releases – instead of (or in addition to) the latest CC versions – together on the same machines.

For upgrade versions of perpetual Adobe software: If you upgrade but want to continue using your prior release, then per Adobe licensing terms the older product must be on the same computer(s) as your newer upgrade version.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

Licensing for Education Editions

Note that the above policies work exactly the same for Adobe’s academic versions – there is no distinction for those in this regard… However, one major difference in restrictions for all the Student and Teacher Editions is they can be run only on the customer’s privately-owned computer(s) and used solely by the eligible licensee.

Licensing for Virtual Machines and Servers

What about for VMs? Importantly, Adobe defines a computer as “a virtual or physical device,” not just a CPU – so that includes running on virtualization platforms such as VMware Fusion, Parallels Desktop, Citrix XenApp, and Oracle VM VirtualBox. The same thing goes for a dual-boot system with a product installed on both partitions, including Apple Boot Camp.

So each virtual machine you install the software on would count as a single product activation per the rules described in this article. However, this does not mean the software can be installed on a server and accessed by multiple users that are more than the number of licensed seats that have been purchased (see Section 1.2(B) “Distribution from a Server” for more details).

Final Word, and Recommendation

So there’s your answer for most current Adobe software, although we recommend confirming the terms for your particular product or suite because the license agreements are somewhat different for each package (including the Creative Cloud, Acrobat, Lightroom, Creative Suite, Elements, etc.) and version.

If you’re part of an organization, group, business, or school, and/or need more than one user or computer running the software at the same time, then take a look at the flexibility and ease of maintenance available through Adobe’s Creative Cloud for Teams offering. There you can save time, money, and headaches for multiple seats, while benefiting from direct expert support:

Creative Cloud for Teams also offers exclusive collaboration features like Frame.io and Team Projects, which enable a group of distributed users to work jointly on a single video project. Learn more about the advantages of Creative Cloud for Teams and how to easily manage multiple people working together as colleagues. You can even get a 14-day free trial for up to 10 users or members of your team.

The Complete Guide to What’s New in Illustrator, from 1.1 to CC

ProDesignTools — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:09:55 +0000

Here’s a very helpful resource provided by James Wamser – a complete reference to all versions and features of Adobe Illustrator from version 1.1 to CC 2026… Similar to his InDesign and Photoshop handbooks, it’s called the Adobe Illustrator New Features Guide: From 1.1 to CC – and this 161-page ebook is available for free download now:

This PDF guidebook comprehensively reviews and compares what’s new in each successive revision of Illustrator going from version 1.1 in 1987 up to the current CC 2026 release – and covers the details of all the major new features and material improvements along the way.

It’s a great compilation of what many people want to know when they ask what’s different between versions… Typically you’ll find articles (like this one) that give the primary differences between two single releases, but never before has there been coverage as thorough as Mr. Wamser has carefully compiled with this work – and you can get it instantly here:

Download now

Just look for the “Download PDF” icon at the lower right of your browser, once you pull up the book.

It’s also helpful to consult when you need to save back for previous versions of Illustrator (where the featuresets and file formats are older) – this way you’ll know which capabilities prior releases can support, and which they cannot.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

If you don’t already have Adobe Illustrator installed on your machine yet, then you can just download a free trial to get started right away – and then run it for 7 days free.

Here’s the story on how this guidebook was put together:

About: This guide was created by James Wamser, an Adobe Certified Instructor, to use as a reference while teaching. Feel free to share your comments, errors or how you use it:

Community Help: Thanks to Steve Werner for his help.

New Features: Taken primarily from Adobe.com, Adobe’s New Features documents and Adobe Press Releases.

Brief History:

Adobe Illustrator was first developed for the Apple Macintosh as a commercialization of Adobe’s in-house font development software and PostScript file format.

In January 1987, Illustrator 1.0 was launched (Mac only).

May 6, 2013 – Creative Cloud was announced at Adobe MAX in Los Angeles, and dropped on June 17, 2013.

The most recent major version – Illustrator CC 2026 – was released on October 28, 2025.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

What’s New in Illustrator 2026? [Video]

How to Extend Adobe Free Trials to 21 Days Long, Instead of 7 Days

ProDesignTools — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 13:05:06 +0000

How long are the free trials for Adobe software? Most people would say 7 days – but practically speaking, it’s three times as long, at 21 days. Here’s why, and how you can do it…

After downloading and installing the latest major release of Creative Cloud, your official free trial will run for seven calendar days starting from the date you sign up. Technically, it’s 7 days free before recurring billing for your subscription would begin.

Once you reach the end of those first 7 days, the trial period will end and your paid membership would begin. If you wish, you can cancel online and all the files you created will still be yours – but the software itself will no longer start on your system if you don’t continue with a subscription. And redownloading or reinstalling the apps won’t give you a new free trial.

So, if your initial trial has expired but you haven’t decided yet whether you want to keep the tools, or if you need more time to try all the features, then what do you do? Well, aha – there’s a little-known tip to prolong your tryout period, and it goes like this:

All Creative Cloud tools have Monthly subscription plans available that can be canceled at any time for any reason. Even individual apps like Photoshop or Illustrator or InDesign or Premiere or After Effects.
This is the key point. Adobe actually has an excellent Return Policy for products bought directly from them… All subscriptions are 100% fully refundable if canceled within 14 days of purchase for any reason at all, using your “Manage Plan” online (self-service). And since the software is downloaded electronically, there’s nothing physical to return.
So, if you want or need additional time to evaluate the apps, then you actually have 14 more days (after the free trial ends) where you can use the software and still get a complete money-back refund, no questions asked. If you don’t want to continue further, just cancel the plan before those 14 additional days are up for a full refund issued back to your credit card (or PayPal).

So with this easy technique, you effectively extend your Adobe free trials to 21 days because you actually have up to three weeks to make a final decision on the products. In other words, you increase the length of time that you can try out and use them without cost. And of course if you want to keep on using the tools after that, even for a short time, then you’d only be paying by the month – because with CC’s straightforward Month-to-Month Plan, you pay only for the months you need the software (as long or short as that may be).

Adobe clearly states: “If you cancel within 14 days of your initial order, you’ll be fully refunded” for all memberships, for both individuals as well as for teams. And we have done this so we can confirm that it does work! Just make sure that you get the software directly from Adobe in order for this process to work, and not from a reseller or retailer.

How the 7-day free trial works: Try Creative Cloud with a 7-day free trial. If you need more time to try all the features, you’ll still have an extra 14 days to cancel and receive a full refund.

[UPDATE: Adobe requests that you not use this approach if you aren’t serious about continuing with CC… In other words, please don’t sign up with the express intention of canceling. For that, you can just use the pay-by-the-month plan for as long as you need or want.]

Get it now

This basic approach can also be used even if you have already completed your free trial at any time in the past. So it’s especially good to know with the new Creative Cloud release being out, where all CC app trial periods were reset.

Go One Better

What’s more, you can get a separate 14-day free trial of the Creative Cloud for Teams plan, even if just for a single user. Creative Cloud for Teams offers extra features and benefits compared to the Individual plans.

Your free Teams tryout includes all the CC apps for you and up to nine other people. And importantly, the additional 14-day refund window still applies if you continue with a paid subscription after your trial has ended.

Final Details

No matter which product trial you choose – Individuals, Teams, or both – even after the final expiration of any free trial period, and even without any paid subscription at all, you can continue to keep and maintain the free level of Creative Cloud membership with permanent benefits for life, at no cost.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

Note that all Adobe free trials are fully functional and can run side-by-side on your system with older versions, without interference. You can download the Creative Cloud apps on Windows, macOS, or both – and install them on multiple computers, if desired. The free trials are easily converted to full versions without having to reinstall the software.

What’s In Adobe Creative Cloud?

How to Download and Install the CC Apps

Download now

Download Complete Guide to What’s New in Photoshop, from CS to CC

ProDesignTools — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:32:52 +0000

Here’s the brand new edition of a very handy resource from James Wamser – a complete reference to all versions and features of Adobe Photoshop from CS1 to CC 2026… Similar to his InDesign and Illustrator handbooks, it’s called the Adobe Photoshop New Features Guide: From CS to CC – and this 160-page ebook is available for free download now:

This PDF guidebook comprehensively reviews and compares what’s new in each successive revision of Photoshop from the first CS version in 2003 all the way up to the current Creative Cloud 2026 release – and covers the details of all the major new features and material improvements along the way.

It’s an impressive compilation of what many people want to know when they ask what’s different between versions… Typically you’ll find articles (like this one) that give the primary differences between two single releases, but never before has there been coverage as exhaustive as Mr. Wamser has carefully compiled with this work – and you can get it instantly here:

Download now

Just look for the “Download PDF” icon at the lower right of your browser, once you pull up the book.

It’s also very helpful to check when you need to save back for previous versions of Photoshop (where the featuresets and file formats are older) – this way you’ll know which capabilities prior releases can support, and which they cannot.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

If you don’t already have Photoshop installed on your machine yet, then you can just download a free trial to get started right away – and then run it for at least 7 days free.

Here’s the backstory on how this guidebook was put together:

About: This guide was created by James Wamser, an Adobe Certified Instructor, to use as a reference while teaching. Feel free to share your comments, errors or how you use it:

Community Help: Thanks to Steve Werner and Mike Rankin for your help!

New Features: Taken primarily from Adobe.com, Adobe’s New Features documents and Adobe Press Releases.

Brief History:

Photoshop was developed in 1987 by brothers Thomas and John Knoll, who sold the distribution license to Adobe Systems Incorporated in 1988.

Photoshop 1.0 launched exclusively for the Macintosh on February 19, 1990. Photoshop 2.5 made its Windows debut in November of 1992.

May 6, 2013 – Creative Cloud (CC) was announced at Adobe MAX in Los Angeles, and shipped on June 17, 2013.

The most recent major version – Photoshop CC 2026 – was released on October 28, 2025.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

What’s New in Photoshop 2026? [Video]

Why Never to Buy Adobe Software on eBay, Reddit or Amazon Mkt

ProDesignTools — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:15:43 +0000

Some folks think it might be a good idea to try to save a few bucks and buy Adobe software off of eBay, Reddit, Craigslist, Amazon Marketplace, or from a vendor or seller who is unfamiliar. It could be Creative Cloud, CS6, Photoshop, Acrobat, Elements, or any other title – in a retail, student, full or upgrade version… Or sometimes it’s the “OEM” scam, or the plausible-sounding “extra” volume license swindle, or an illegal black or “gray market” import.

But it’s actually not a very good idea at all. Why?

The first problem is that Adobe does not recognize these venues as valid or authorized resellers, they are fully disregarded and invalid. So as a result, Adobe will not officially recognize any of those buyers as actually owning their software.

Meaning, you think you own the genuine article but effectively you don’t. You cannot provide an accepted proof of purchase – so you can’t formally prove you own the products. You may not be able to transfer the software to someone else, nor be able to get product support or upgrade to the next version, etc… You also aren’t able to return the software to get your money back from Adobe like you normally can.

Why doesn’t Adobe recognize the buyers who go through those places? Doesn’t that seem unfair? Can’t these software vendors who you’ve never heard of before be trusted?

No, because in this area, reputation matters… a lot. The simple reason is – and the real problem is – that 90% of the software sold on places like eBay is counterfeit! Yes, it’s true. And it’s not a new problem.

And the buyer may not find out right away. Unfortunately, a serial number may be blocked or revoked later when re-activating or reinstalling Adobe software in the future. And then it’s too late.

Adobe clearly states, “Purchasing from known and trusted sources is the best way to avoid risks. Avoid all online auction sites — they’re rife with counterfeiters. The only safe way to purchase genuine software for download is through the Adobe Store.” For their top product, Creative Cloud, the software itself is non-transferable, thus it is never validly sold on eBay. Further, there is no such thing as an “OEM” version of it. And “portable” Adobe software is never real.

So you can be pretty sure that what someone’s getting on those auction and vendor sites is not legitimate, is not able to be legally transferred, and is quite likely to be fake and unsafe.

Unsafe Computer, Loss of Money, Exposed Data, Stolen Credentials, or Worse" title="Fake, Hacked or Cracked Software –> Unsafe Computer, Loss of Money, Exposed Data, Stolen Credentials, or Worse" width="276" height="200" style="margin:7px 1px 8px 13px;" class="shadow alignright size-full wp-image-43424" srcset="https://prodesigntools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/fake-software-unsafe-computer-loss.jpg 276w, https://prodesigntools.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/fake-software-unsafe-computer-loss-240x174.jpg 240w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px" />

That last part is the real kicker. A great deal of the hacked, cracked, and pirated Adobe software out there now is embedded with malware. These infections include viruses, worms, and trojans that can do significant harm to your computer, personal data, and privacy (like quietly stealing your sensitive information such as logins, passwords, and credit card numbers). Or increasingly, install ransomware to hold your entire hard disk hostage with no fix available.

Or put another way, you dramatically “increase your risk of exposure to viruses, spyware, or adware that can destroy (or, worse, expose to criminals) valuable data.” But unfortunately, many people don’t learn about this until it’s too late. Often they do this unknowingly – and are essentially paying someone to do it to them by buying the unauthorized software.

How prevalent is malware in unlawful software? Well, just one example: China reportedly has a piracy rate of 79% – and a corresponding computer infection rate of nearly 70% – both are the highest in the world. There is a direct correlation.

Yes, there can occasionally be exceptions – but there are many more damaging headlines over the years:

— “Adobe Creative Suite Crack Harvests Zombie Computers”
— “Malware Writers Target Would-Be Pirated Software Users”
— “Rogue Adobe Product Downloads Infect Machines with Undetected Keylogger”
— “Warning: The Pirate Bay Has Countless Viruses Disguised as Downloads”
— “Bootlegged Mac Photoshop Delivers New Trojan Horses”

Quoting:

The second Trojan was discovered Sunday, hidden inside torrented copies of Adobe Systems’ Photoshop program. Once installed, the backdoor software silently lets someone else take remote control of the computer and rob the sensitive data upon it.

The risk seems obvious for older or used/secondhand copies, right? But even advertised “new in box” (NIB) items in seemingly-original packaging can easily be fake (see what the FBI says about this here) – and it’s often very difficult to tell the difference from the outside of the packaging, or even from the inside.

As Adobe says, “… it can come with sophisticated-looking cases, manuals, and even registration cards. You’ll only discover software is pirated when you try to register it and can’t, often rendering the software unusable.” Or worse.

But even if the software within is authentic, it’s still breaking the law. Per the SIIA, “As this prosecution demonstrates, it is both a crime to create counterfeit software and a crime to sell authentic software without authorization.” So in any event, these buyers still face all the other issues above.

And if anyone ever offers a download or serial number that’s coming from anywhere else other than Adobe, it’s definitely not genuine, or legal. There is a flood of stolen, pirated, “keygenned” and limited-life serial keys out there, and even Adobe can’t tell right away. Even if a sale looks good at the beginning, such licenses are usually revoked thereafter, leaving the buyer out of luck.

The old advice applies here: anything that sounds too good to be true probably is, in price or otherwise… [Note that Adobe’s true Student & Teacher Editions at up to 70% off – including the $20 complete Creative Cloud – are rare exceptions to this.]

So what’s your best bet?

The only safe and legal place to instantly download any of these products (either trial or full versions) is directly from Adobe’s servers. And only safe and legal place to buy any boxed retail software is directly from Adobe itself, or through their officially authorized resellers or retailers.

They put all this in place to protect customers – not only from harmful or counterfeit software, but also protecting your rights as a legitimate buyer and recognized licensee of the products – fully able to receive customer service, technical support, important updates, and future upgrades.

See all the recommended tips on how to avoid Adobe piracy. And if the regular product prices are out of reach for you, see if you qualify for Adobe’s deeply-discounted education versions, or check out their affordable Creative Cloud bundle with the latest-and-greatest 2026 release — which is guaranteed to be the genuine article.

[IMPORTANT NOTE – Adobe stopped selling CS6 nine years ago – here’s why… So, CS products are no longer being made by the company, nor legitimately for sale through any channel in any country, from any vendor or reseller.]

Adobe InDesign: Complete Guide to What’s New in All Versions, Ever

ProDesignTools — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:15:29 +0000

Here’s the new and updated edition of a very handy resource from James Wamser – a complete reference to all versions of Adobe InDesign ever released… Similar to his Photoshop and Illustrator handbooks, it’s called called the Adobe InDesign New Features Guide, 1.0 to CC (2026), and this 159-page ebook is available for free download now:

This PDF guidebook comprehensively reviews and compares what’s new in each successive revision of InDesign from version 1.0 in 1999 all the way up to the current CC 2026 release – and covers the details of all the major new features and material improvements along the way.

It’s an impressive compilation of what many people want to know when they ask what’s different between versions… Typically you’ll find articles (like this one or this one) that give the primary differences between two single releases, but never before has there been coverage as exhaustive as Mr. Wamser has carefully compiled with this work – and you can get it instantly here:

Download now

Just look for the “Download PDF” icon at the lower right of your browser, once you pull up the book.

It’s also very helpful to consult when you need to save back to previous versions of InDesign (where the featuresets and file formats are older) – this way you’ll know which capabilities prior releases can support, and which they cannot.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

If you don’t already have InDesign installed on your computer yet, then you can just download a free trial to get started right away – and then run it for at least 7 days free.

Here’s the story on how this guidebook was put together:

About: Created by James Wamser, an Adobe Certified Instructor, to use as a reference while teaching. Feel free to share your comments, any errors, or how you use it:

Thought I would share: Got my first hands-on look at InDesign (K2) in October 1998 to provide feedback on features and output test files.

Community Help: Thanks to Steve Werner and everyone else for their feedback.

New Features: Taken primarily from Adobe.com, Adobe’s New Features documents and Adobe Press Releases.

Brief History: Adobe first previewed InDesign in September 1998 during Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote at Seybold in San Francisco. On March 2, 1999, Adobe President Chuck Geschke and CEO John Warnock previewed Adobe InDesign duing Seybold Seminars in Boston.

Adobe InDesign 1.0 shipped on August 31, 1999.

Creative Cloud (CC) was announced on May 6, 2013 at Adobe MAX in Los Angeles, and first shipped on June 17, 2013.

The most recent major version – InDesign CC 2026 – was released on October 28, 2025.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

What’s New in InDesign 2026? [Video]

Download 30 Free Adobe Books from Our Growing eBook Collection

ProDesignTools — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 14:02:45 +0000

Next to our Adobe software direct download links, easily the most popular resource here at ProDesignTools is the set of free Adobe books that we’ve put together over the years…

So we’re pleased to announce that, with the addition of the substantial (314 pages) Photoshop and Lightroom Digital Photography Guide, this no-cost collection has now grown to more than 30 different titles that you can legally download and use royalty-free, forever. These eBooks comprise thousands of pages covering all major Adobe products. So before you go and spend money for a book, you might want to check these out first!

To receive the latest and complete list of books, just enter your email address below and we’ll send it to you instantly. You’ll also join 170,000+ readers for our free monthly newsletter full of Adobe tips, tutorials, news and reviews, plus updates on new deals and exclusive coupon codes (current subscribers can just re-enter their address):

Subscribe Free + Download Dozens of Adobe eBooks

Special offer: Sign up for our popular newsletter now and we'll send you over 30 great books to learn all major Adobe tools at no cost! We won't share or spam your address, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

These digital books cover Creative Cloud (CC), Creative Suite (CS6 & older), Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, XD, Animate, Premiere, After Effects, Lightroom, Elements, and more...

Just enter your current email and get all the books for free: *

* A standard, free Adobe login is required to download some of the books. See our Privacy Policy for more details on how we safeguard your address and never share or sell our subscriber list.

Bonus video training! We’ll also send you unlimited free access to over 200 new Adobe classes and tutorials with the content links you’ll receive instantly above.

Our newsletters don’t waste your time – just a quick overview with pointers to the best articles, discounts, and scoop on new products plus other important Adobe resources. We are proud to say we’ve saved our readers tens of thousands of dollars over the years!

Hope you enjoy the expanding collection of books, to help you further along your creative journey.

And Don’t Miss this Offer…

Perhaps the best deal of all is the new Free Collection at Adobe Stock, where you can instantly download more than 1,000,000 photos, illustrations and videos to use in all your creative projects. These hundreds of thousands of world-class assets are all furnished at no cost to you, even as Adobe still makes sure the artists are getting paid for providing them:

Download now

Can You Pause or Suspend a Creative Cloud Subscription? It Depends

ProDesignTools — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:15:17 +0000

There’s a question which keeps popping up on the Adobe Forums:

So customers want to know if it’s possible to temporarily halt a subscription or put it on hold and then continue it later… Maybe you won’t be needing to use the software for a while, are busy/working on another project, or will be away on vacation and want to save some money.

Well, is it possible to take a break? The answer is yes and no – it depends on which type of plan you have from Adobe.

Annual plans

If you have an Annual (Yearly) plan, then pausing a subscription is not something that either the company or the customer has the ability to do… In other words, there is not an option to freeze a 12-month Creative Cloud membership; only to cancel (or change) it.

But canceling an Annual subscription early can incur a termination fee if you’re not in the final month of your plan. One alternative to canceling is to change to a different plan, which is usually no charge. The new plan could be for different tools, and could cost more or less than your current plan. If you switch to a different plan, a new 12-month term will begin with the new product.

See the following guide for what to know before changing or canceling, which should help you find the best solution and possibly save some time or money:

What You Should Know Before Canceling Your Creative Cloud Subscription

With an Annual subscription, it’s not possible to withhold payment as a strategy to freeze a subscription because the payments you owe to Adobe will continue to mount up under the legal contract you agreed to when you signed up.

Note: The Creative Cloud Student & Teacher Edition is always an Annual plan; a shorter term subscription for the education version is not offered.

Monthly plans

If instead you have a Monthly (month-to-month) plan, then you can suspend your membership at any time with no fee, and your subscription will continue to the end of your current month. Then it will stop, but you can restart at any point in the future, should you need full access to Creative Cloud again.

After canceling, your account will revert to the free level of Creative Cloud membership. Importantly, your available cloud and online storage will be reduced to 2 GB. See this page for more details on what happens to your cloud storage and files (and other features) after canceling any CC subscription plan.

If you later renew or reactivate your plan down the road, your paid membership will return with full access to all your Creative Cloud apps and services.

So customers who need an on-and-off type of membership – or want the ability to pause or reinstate their usage at any time – find that the Monthly plans work best for that type of flexibility, though they do cost more per month.

Learn more about the pros and cons of Annual vs. Monthly plans here, including the breakeven point on which one to get:

Creative Cloud Annual or Monthly Subscription: Which Is Better for You?

How about turning off auto-renewal?

If you want to stop the auto-renewal of any plan, then you should know that currently, the only way to stop your plan from renewing automatically is to cancel your membership.

As noted above, Monthly plans have no term commitment can be canceled at any time with no fee. After cancellation, the plan will not auto-renew.

To turn off auto-renewal on Yearly plans, you need cancel in the last (12th) month of your one-year commitment, and then your plan will not auto-renew. Adobe will notify you via your account email address when your 12-month renewal date is approaching.

In both cases, you can restart your plan at any time and restore full access to your Creative Cloud tools and services.

If you wish to contact Adobe Customer Care or have questions about your account, then visit this page for live online chat, which is the primary way to get in touch. Or to reach them by phone, see the comprehensive list of phone numbers by geography, including hours and languages.

Do you have any questions about the tips in this article or how Adobe’s plans work? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!

Here’s the Best Way to Get Adobe Direct Download Links

ProDesignTools — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:35:24 +0000

Adobe is discontinuing public direct download links for older versions of their software – not just for subscription products like Creative Cloud, but also for non-subscription and older legacy software like Creative Suite.

To replace them, the company has launched a new online portal to download the standalone installers you need. This web-based facility is free and self-service, meaning you can get these desktop installers immediately without having to contact Adobe Customer Care:

Download now

All you have to do is sign in to your online account with your free Adobe ID, and then enter your serial number or license key. This will instantly register your software with Adobe (if it is not already), and then if the installer is still available, a “Download” button will appear so that you can access the offline installer file for the language and platform you need, on Windows or Mac. For example:

Products available through this new facility include Creative Suite (CS6, CS5.5, CS5), Acrobat, Photoshop/Premiere Elements, Lightroom, Captivate, eLearning Suite, and Technical Communication Suite. All you need is a valid serial number. If you’re not sure how to locate your serial number, then see this help page.

Get it now

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

How to get direct download links for Creative Cloud apps

What about downloading desktop installers for older versions of Creative Cloud? Well, Creative Cloud does not have serial numbers because it is a subscription-based product, so this facility is not the way to obtain standalone/offline installers for Creative Cloud.

Instead, you have to contact Customer Care directly and request offline installers for Creative Cloud apps. Adobe has an “N-1” Support Policy, meaning that the two major releases available for download are Creative Cloud 2026 (the latest version) and Creative Cloud 2025 (the previous version):

Download now

Naturally, most customers download their Creative Cloud tools through the CC Desktop app, for the current and previous release. This app is very useful but it doesn’t give you access to the actual .exe/.dmg installer files themselves, should you need them for any reason now or ever in the future.

These reasons include having your own backup copy available should you ever need it, as well as for hardware or operating system compatibility with your particular computer, because Adobe is always advancing the official system requirements in future releases of Creative Cloud… This especially applies if you have an older computer or are running an aging operating system.

For example, Windows 10 reached end of support (“retirement date”) on October 14, 2025, and Adobe is phasing out support for it. So if you depend on your Creative Cloud software running on Windows 10, then it’s probably a very good idea to secure the specific app installers which will still run on Windows 10 because going forward, future CC versions may not work on Windows 10 should you ever need to reinstall.

Other reasons to download the offline installers include standardizing your work on a common product version (and file format) together with your colleagues, or possible compatibility with third-party software like plugins or extensions. Or, maybe even just having a personal preference for a particular CC release – we see that a lot too.

For any of these reasons, if you think you may not always run the latest Creative Cloud release and might need to access or reinstall your current version at some point down the road, then we very strongly urge you to request those files now from Adobe Customer Service before the N-1 Support Policy ages out your release and then you can no longer get it under any circumstances:

Get it now

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

New activation process for legacy Adobe apps

Last year, Adobe instituted a new higher security sign-in and activation process for older, non-subscription apps including Creative Suite 6, Creative Suite 5 and 5.5, Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements, and Acrobat perpetual. After launching the application on your computer, you now need to sign in using a QR code, like so:

Open the built-in camera app on your smartphone or tablet, point the camera at the QR code on your computer, and then tap the banner that appears on your device. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish signing in.

Once you have logged in from your mobile/tablet device or web browser, you will have automatically activated the Adobe app on your desktop computer.

If you have any difficulty with the QR code, then try using a different mobile device to complete the process. Verify that it has unrestricted access to the Internet and has the latest iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS updates installed. A smartphone or tablet are the easiest way to complete the sign-in, but a webcam from a Mac or Windows computer can also be used to trigger the QR code.

For customers using older computers, make sure to follow the guidance on this help page to ensure you’re using the right security protocol in order to communicate with Adobe’s servers. If you are also trying to use older applications, we suggest that you follow the recommendations given by Adobe here to update your computer to a secure version of Windows or macOS.

After all of those things are in place, then you’ll have a better chance be able to download the product updates for the legacy apps to bring them to their last available version using Adobe Update or the Adobe Application Manager.

Finally, note that this new sign-in process does not affect the offline activation procedure, which remains as it was before.

See the top highlights: What’s new in Creative Cloud 2026?

What’s New in Creative Cloud 2026?

Photoshop 2026 New Features

Chat With Photoshop Using AI Assistant

Download now

Get Adobe Stock for Free + Download 1,000,000 High-Quality Assets

ProDesignTools — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:10:22 +0000

Adobe is fast growing its curated collection of completely free stock photos, vectors, illustrations, videos, audio, and templates from talented providers – with now over 1,000,000 assets! The popular Adobe Stock Free Collection is available to everyone at no charge – plus these high-quality assets meet the same standards as their paid media, so all of them come with a royalty-free commercial license forever. Check out the free Stock here, and download away!

Adobe is doing right by the artists who created all this valuable content, too. Even though you’re getting access to 1+ million unwatermarked, world-class assets at no cost to you, Adobe still makes sure the artists are getting paid for providing it. So, you can use these assets in all of your personal, business, or commercial projects with the peace of mind that you are sourcing content ethically and respecting the artist community. But again, you pay nothing.

No subscription or credit card is required to access and download any of these Stock assets. All that you need is a free Adobe ID, if you don’t already have one. Here’s a quick one-minute video review of the free portfolio:

Download now

As large as the new Free Collection is, it still represents only a tiny fraction of the complete (massive) Stock library. If you’d like to go beyond the free assets, then Adobe has really been sweetening the pot lately for you to try out the paid content as well… These are engaging, hand-picked images, illustrations, vectors, pictures, design templates, graphics, video templates, 3D models, audio/music tracks and more from a vast collection of over 900 million assets to choose from – and they are all 100% safe for commercial use.

And they’ve made the free paid-asset trial a lot simpler for everyone… All new Stock subscribers now get the first month including 10 downloadable assets completely free (worth $50), with no payment required until the second month. But if you cancel during the first month, then your credit card is never charged – and your service continues until the end of that first month. Even if you cancel up to 14 days after the second month begins, you’ll still be fully refunded.

On top of that, they’ve enabled easy online cancellations for any customer who decides not to continue. Cancellations can be made at any time by visiting your Manage Account page (or by contacting Customer Support in your region). Even after cancellation, you can continue using your free and licensed assets for life.

Note: You do not need to be a Creative Cloud subscriber to sign up for Stock (not even the free level of CC), or even to be using Adobe software at all – because Stock can also work standalone. Either way, all you need in order to take advantage of this offer is an Adobe ID, which can be quickly created by anyone for free.

So now at no risk and no charge, you can have US$50 worth of professional, high-resolution stock images, forever. With this plan, you can mix and match standard images, HD or 4K videos, templates, audio, vectors, and more – prices vary. The standard license to use this content is royalty-free and granted in perpetuity, with no geographical restrictions or expiration dates.

Sign-up is immediate and fast, so you can choose and download your best favorite assets right away:

Get it now

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

Adobe Stock is Seamlessly Integrated into Your Workflow

Better still, Stock has some really cool features that integrate the service with all of your favorite tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as impressive Visual Search capabilities to make it easy to use and fast to find the perfect image for your needs. You can search, edit and license right inside your apps, using advanced filters to discover the perfect asset.

The Stock integration with the CC tools is very helpful and a big time saver. For example, you could do a quick search to find a dozen Stock images to try out and see which one works best. You can drag them all into Photoshop and then continue to edit and manipulate your composition. Then when you’re done and have decided which ones to keep, just tell Photoshop to license them – and those preview images will be seamlessly replaced with the full-quality, non-watermarked versions, while retaining all of your edits without missing a beat!

An independent research report found that “Adobe Stock provides tight integration with Creative Cloud applications that resulted on average in 10x efficiency gains over working with common stock image services in the benchmarks conducted for this research. Productivity gains measured in these benchmarks are very significant.”

This can save you serious time: “… licensing, replacing, and making multiple image adjustments takes 42 seconds in Adobe Stock, versus 7 minutes and 16 seconds with other stock providers.”

Get it now

And if you’re part of a larger organization, then you can use the group-enabled capabilities of Adobe Stock (such as sharing pooled images) to collaborate together with your coworkers on larger projects using Creative Cloud for Teams.

Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!

Are You a Photographer or Designer? Sell Your Work on Adobe Stock

On top of being an Adobe Stock customer, you can also easily become a contributor as well – and set yourself up to make money by doing so. There are no registration or portfolio management fees, and you’ll be able to showcase your work to millions of buyers around the world, 24/7. Thanks to enormous daily sales volumes and royalties typically one-third of the sales price, you could potentially earn thousands of dollars every month. Plus, Adobe recently added a Bonus Program which grants complementary access to Creative Cloud for active contributors.

Just submit your best original work, and if it’s accepted after a short review period, then you’ll receive a royalty every time one of one of your images or designs is sold through the service – via both Adobe Stock and Fotolia. The submission process is simple and automated, thanks to the smart auto-keywording and auto-categorization tools.

Selling your work to the millions of creatives on Adobe Stock is an easy way to add more revenue that both complements your creative career and diversifies your portfolio. Contributing to Stock can be part of any creative lifestyle, whether you’re looking for a full-time commitment or a part-time gig. This can provide whole new opportunities to expand your portfolio and earn meaningful income – essentially, helping you to make money doing what you love. Heck, with a little ingenuity, you could potentially even turn your next vacation into a paid holiday.

If you have any additional questions, you’ll probably find them answered in the comprehensive Adobe Stock FAQ! Or feel free to ask them below.

Learn After Effects Free! Download 51-Page AE Guidebook Now

ProDesignTools — Thu, 21 May 2026 15:05:15 +0000

Over the years, we’ve put together a large collection of free Adobe books that we share with you, our readers, here… This extensive set of helpful ebooks has now grown to over 30 different titles that you can legally download, use, and learn from for free, forever.

These instructional books cover Creative Cloud, Creative Suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, Dreamweaver, Animate, XD, Lightroom and more – but until recently, we haven’t had a solid offering for Adobe After Effects.

Fortunately, this changed with the publication of the “Motion Graphics in After Effects that Speaks to Your Brain” guidebook, which comes from Adobe Community Professional and renowned AE guru, Dr. Mathias Möhl.

Dr. Möhl started writing this book before Covid, and then generously decided to provide it 100% free for everyone for an unlimited time with no strings attached, as his contribution to supporting the community during the pandemic. His advice: use your time wisely and keep learning new skills, as they’ll help you to run a successful business when you’re able to launch one. Thanks to his hard work, you can download the book for free here:

Get it now

Here is the overview description of this 51-page guide:

So, you’ve started playing around with After Effects, maybe watched some YouTube tutorials, and wondering what the next step is? Or perhaps you already know After Effects pretty well, but still feel there’s a gap between you and a ‘real’ motion graphics professional? Well, there is a difference between knowing how to use the software and creating good motion graphics. For the latter, you need to know not just which buttons to click, but also a great deal about design, workflow, and even how your audience’s brain works.

This book is here to bridge the gap between what you can figure out with learning by doing and what you need to know to become a professional motion graphics artist.

The first quarter of the book gives you a solid foundation in animation and design (color, type, layout, storyboards and music), before moving on the meat of the volume: animating, keyframing, staging, focus, squashing and stretching, templates and automation.

You can download this guidebook for offline viewing in Apple Books or ePub or Zip format via the link given below, or read it there online in your web browser… It is not available in Kindle or PDF format because of many essential videos embedded within the content, which those platforms do not support. The full digital ePub book (or Zip file) is ~420 MB in size:

Download now

What’s more, there’s now over 23 hours of top, expert-led video courses for Premiere Pro and After Effects available for FREE for a limited time here.

Here are a few reader reviews for the book:

“Fantastic book with amazing explainer videos. This is a great place to start.”

“Excellent reference! Helped fill in some gaps in my knowledge. And it’s free!”

Thank you for writing this. I’ll be sharing this informative resource with many people.

“You should 100% download this free eBook if you are getting into MoGraph and AdobeAE.”

“Read this book. Very useful; I learned a lot of things. Thanks for this book!”

“This free eBook simplifies principles that everyone in the field must know.”

“A great case study project with tons of AE tips and tricks.”

“Simply put, the most useful book you can read on After Effects.”

You’ll need After Effects itself to complete everything as outlined in the book. If you don’t have the software yet, just download a free working trial for any CC 2025 product for Windows or Mac (or try the complete Creative Cloud) – then install and start right away.

Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2026 direct download links and free trials.

If you prefer video training instead (or in addition), then check out the free Adobe Learn Series for After Effects. For more free video tutorials on many different tools and topics, see the 200 new courses and sessions from the Adobe MAX conference.

And to continue learning, don’t miss dozens more free books for many Adobe products, covering recent versions of all major applications… This large collection includes the official Adobe user manuals, which are comprehensive in size and scope.

Free Stock! Download 1,000,000+ premium assets from the new Adobe Stock Free Collection

After Effects Book Trailer Video

Dr. Möhl, the author, has just one request:

If you’ve enjoyed this free AE book, please recommend it to others. Take a few moments to rate it on Apple Books or Goodreads, write a review, or tell your friends about it. Thank you! This makes a big difference for us – it helps us to continue creating content for you, and helps others to discover the book.

ProDesignTools

Download Adobe Stock for Free: Get 1,000,000+ Top-Quality Images

Adobe Stock is Seamlessly Integrated into Your Workflow

Are You a Photographer or Designer? Sell Your Work on Adobe Stock

Terry White: Video Review of Adobe Stock

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Bonus: Download “12 Ways to Get the Most Out of Creative Cloud for Teams”

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Final Word, and Recommendation

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What’s In Adobe Creative Cloud?

How to Download and Install the CC Apps

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What’s New in Photoshop 2026? [Video]

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What’s New in InDesign 2026? [Video]

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Download 30 Free Adobe Books from Our Growing eBook Collection

Subscribe Free + Download Dozens of Adobe eBooks

And Don’t Miss this Offer…

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Can You Pause or Suspend a Creative Cloud Subscription? It Depends

Annual plans

Monthly plans

How about turning off auto-renewal?

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How to get direct download links for Creative Cloud apps

New activation process for legacy Adobe apps

What’s New in Creative Cloud 2026?

Photoshop 2026 New Features

Chat With Photoshop Using AI Assistant

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Adobe Stock is Seamlessly Integrated into Your Workflow