ProDesignTools

How to Work 10X Faster with Adobe Stock and CC Libraries

ProDesignTools — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:54:55 +0000

Ask any creative about the favorite part of their job, and it’s unlikely someone will answer “the mundane tasks.” Things like adapting a single element across hundreds (if not thousands) of assets, or going through the pains of re-working a previewed stock photo after attaining the license. And yet, those same tasks are all too often a habitual part of what creatives still do today – and something Adobe has worked to streamline through the capabilities and tight integration of Adobe Stock and Creative Cloud Libraries.

The popular Adobe Stock service gives you high-quality, curated photos, images, illustrations, vectors, graphics, video clips, design templates, audio & music tracks, and more from a vast collection of over 890 million assets to choose from, integrated right into your Creative Cloud tools. And powerful collaboration features like CC Libraries allow you to access, share, and update assets everywhere across your desktop and devices as well as those of your colleagues, automatically.

Even in the age of AI, creatives generally still like to start with a piece of genuine content to adapt their composition from. Whether you are a marketer, graphic designer, or video editor, you can use Adobe Stock (for free!) to bypass the blank canvas and “jump-start” your work to immediately begin customizing top-drawer, professional assets to fit your vision, especially when your time or budget is limited.

Using Adobe Stock and CC Libraries: Up to 10X Faster

Content velocity continues to increase, and creatives now produce more content than ever before. But if you could save 90% of your time working with stock assets because they are now built into your everyday tools, would it be worth it? You can stop interrupting your creativity and instead search for and license Adobe Stock assets directly inside your Creative Cloud apps… Use watermarked images to see how things look, and work with preview assets – and then later they’ll be replaced with high-resolution versions the moment you license them, so you can keep your ideas flowing.

And with CC Libraries, you can create and share images, colors, logos, text and character styles, brushes, patterns, videos, and more across your favorite Creative Cloud apps. This indispensable collaboration feature makes it easy to follow and share assets, as shared libraries automatically update across all desktops and devices so that you and your team are always on the same page. Working with materials like style guides and branding elements is fast, seamless, and consistent.

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

What the Research Says on Adobe Stock

Check out this Pfeiffer benchmark report on Adobe Stock to see how 10X productivity gains can be achieved. The analysis finds that streamlining a team’s frequent repetitive operations can end up saving hours over the course of just one week.

Traditionally, stock imagery has been typically accessed through a web browser, downloaded to a computer, and edited with watermarks prior to sharing for approval, licensing, and re-editing of the finished asset. But because Adobe Stock is integrated directly into Creative Cloud desktop apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and more, you have access to the ever-growing catalog of assets without ever having to leave your design environment, and all edits made to a watermarked image are preserved once the image is licensed. In other words, many steps are eliminated from the “traditional” process of working with and buying stock imagery.

Quoting the report, “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.” And with 60,000 new assets being added daily, it is easy to find visual content that is relevant to your projects.

What the Research Says on Creative Cloud Libraries

More organizations are also using CC Libraries to manage their creative workflows and replace static style guides or production bibles. Everything is kept and shared in the Creative Cloud, while accessible from anywhere and updated in real-time everywhere – better collaboration, fewer mistakes and less time spent on mundane tasks, more time to do the work. When teams fully embrace it, CC Libraries “just work,” and before long people don’t even notice they’re there.

Quoting the Libraries research report, “Real-world productivity gains for sharing settings and assets through CC Libraries can be substantial. Applying shared color themes took seconds with CC Libraries, compared to over two minutes in a conventional workflow.”

What’s more, “Cumulative productivity gains in a workgroup situation can add up significantly: our workgroup benchmark took just over 3 minutes with CC Libraries, compared to almost twenty minutes otherwise. Beyond productivity gains, CC Libraries lays the groundwork for an increasingly efficient and sophisticated organization of creative workflows.”

This solution is much better and easier than using Dropbox, because CC Libraries give you the advantages of intelligent in-tool support with instant collaboration via live updates across all projects globally using the shared (linked) assets. That’s something that generic online storage facilities can’t touch.

As one customer wrote, “I use the libraries as they are much faster than having to grab assets from a folder every time I need them. I do automotive ads at my day job and sometimes someone wants to change a car color much quicker with libraries than with individual assets.”

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Try It Yourself

Great news: Adobe has launched a new curated collection of over 1,000,000 completely free photos, vectors, illustrations, templates, and videos from talented creators… This Adobe Stock Free collection is available for everyone to download – plus these high-quality assets meet the same standards as the paid collection, so all of them come with a royalty-free commercial license forever.

And for 10 additional paid assets of your choice at no charge, you can also tack on a free one-month trial to download any 10 premium assets here. As with the Free Collection, all standard-licensed assets are yours to keep and use always, without royalties, and with no geographical restrictions or expiration dates.

To try out the Creative Cloud apps (with CC Libraries built in), just download the free trials and get started today to see how they can help your productivity:

Download now

Get the Free White Papers

— Creative Best Practices: Experience 10x Productivity with Adobe Stock (8 pages)

— From Cliché to Mission Critical: How Stock Photography Is Evolving in Beauty, Breadth, and Efficiency (15 pages)

— Adobe Stock for Enterprise: Professional Asset Licensing for All Your Business Needs (12 pages)

— Adobe Stock for Video Production: How Integration Boosts Productivity (4 pages)

— Finding the Perfect Image: Three Ways the Right Stock Service Can Accelerate Creativity (6 pages)

— Adobe Stock Implementation Guide: A Practical Guide for Rolling out Adobe Stock in Your Company (20 pages)

— Achieving Deliciousness: Adapting to an Increasingly Content-Hungry World (20 pages)

— Creative Cloud Libraries Implementation Guide: Unlock the Benefit of CC Libraries for Your Workflow (55 pages)

— Creative Best Practices: Collaboration with Brand and Style Guides (9 pages)

— IT Best Practices: Empower Your Users with the Right Apps and Services to Do Their Best Work (12 pages)

Save Time with the Adobe Stock Free Collection

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Don’t Need Full Cloud? Get Any Single CC Tool for $10-23 a Month

ProDesignTools — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:02:23 +0000

With the fast-growing adoption of Adobe’s Creative Cloud and the recent release of the all-new CC 2026 versions of creative applications, some readers are telling us they’re not certain if they need all the tools that are included in the complete Creative Cloud offering, or aren’t ready or able to join for ~$55-70 a month…

The complete (or All Apps) Creative Cloud membership gives you the latest-and-greatest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, Animate, Dreamweaver, and others – together in a well-integrated suite with ongoing product upgrades included as soon as they’re available.

But if you don’t need or aren’t ready for Adobe’s entire creative collection on your desktop, then there is another option. This alternate route is called a Single-App Membership Plan – also known as a single-tool subscription. This plan gives you full access to the latest version of any single Adobe creative application for just US$10-23 a month – and you can choose any tool you want. And as with all Creative Cloud products, no previous purchase is necessary and no prior software is required to buy or use them.

One of the most appealing offerings here is the popular Photography Plan where for the regular price of only $19.99/month you can get both Photoshop and Lightroom on desktop – plus their iPad, mobile, and web versions – together with other benefits.

And yes, you can combine or stack multiple Single App plans together, if you want more than one tool. So, for example, you could purchase the Lightroom plan ($12/month), plus the Acrobat Pro plan ($20/month), and come out to around US$32/month, which is less than half the cost of an All Apps Creative Cloud Pro plan at $70/month.

What You Get with the Single-App Plans

Included in all single-app plans you get 100GB – 1TB of online storage and the ability to sync and share your work on virtually any device. All single-app subscribers also receive Adobe Portfolio to publish and host your own customized online work portfolio website. You also get full access to Adobe Fonts – a massive library of 30,000+ fonts – for use in desktop applications and websites (an over $25,000 value if purchased alone).

The premium version of Adobe Express is also included with all single-app plans over $20/month. This plan by itself normally costs $9.99/month.

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Importantly, none of these CC programs run online or “in the cloud” (that’s a common myth) – your single-app membership lets you download and install the software directly on your own desktop, providing you all the functionality that Adobe’s Creative Suite products had in the past, and much more… In fact, thousands of new features have been added since that time.

You can run the new Creative Cloud software on up to two of your computers, including both a Windows PC and a Mac. For more than two machines, a multiple-user edition of the single-app membership is sold via the Creative Cloud for Teams plan.

The single-app option is now available in 94 countries, making these tools more affordable to everyone without the large upfront cost… The best news is all major new releases plus ongoing upgrades are included and are immediately available for you to download and use as a member at no additional cost – there’s no waiting or paying extra to upgrade. You can always be running the best and most current version and be your most productive.

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

Which Creative Cloud Apps Are Available?

Over a dozen different Adobe applications are now offered this way – see the complete list of products you can get. And if you want to upgrade from a single app to the full Creative Cloud down the line, that’s no problem as Adobe will automatically credit your account for any unused amount.

There are both annual and month-to-month plans for increased flexibility. The month-by-month option costs more, but you can stop and start access as needed. So if there’s a period of time where you won’t need to use the software, you can simply turn it off and pay nothing – then reactivate when you want to run it again, without needing to reinstall. For the annual plans, prepaying the year upfront will often get a discount over paying monthly. And in some regions, you can even pay using PayPal instead of a credit card.

Generally, the math works out pretty attractively – for example, instead of the old days where you needed to come up with $1000 for a static version of After Effects CS6, you can get over four years of the latest and most powerful releases of After Effects (today’s latest version and beyond) with the annual Single-App plan.

All of the standard free trial downloads can also be converted to single-app memberships without reinstalling the software. And if for some reason you should decide within 14 days of joining that it’s not for you, you can easily cancel for a full refund. So there’s a money-back guarantee with no hassle.

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What are the Differences Between the Photography, Photoshop and Lightroom Plans?

A very good question so we wrote a post specifically on this topic! Please see the article here for the complete answer on what’s different between these plans and what you get with each one.

Do you have any questions about Adobe’s single-app subscription editions, or Creative Cloud in general? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!

Creative Cloud Annual vs. Monthly Plan: Which Should You Choose?

ProDesignTools — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:20:46 +0000

Most – but not all – Creative Cloud app subscriptions from Adobe offer either Annual (yearly) or Monthly (month-to-month) plans. As with most things in life, buying in larger size and making a longer-term commitment gets you a lower average cost – but is the Annual option always the best deal? The answer is: most (but not all) of the time…

So the question customers usually have is this: The Monthly plans cost more (50% higher per month) but the Annual plans have a termination fee if you cancel before 12 months is up (50% of the remaining term), so which works out better for your needs?

We’ve done the math and the solution is clear:

If you need the software for six months or less, then getting a Monthly plan (month-to-month but cancel at any time) works out better.
If you need the software for more than six months, then getting an Annual plan (12-month commitment) is better financially, even if you cancel in the second half of the year.

The tools and services you receive are the same in all cases, and ongoing upgrades come with all included products at no additional charge.

So all things considered, the breakeven point is right at the six-month mark because that’s when the 50% higher cost of the Monthly plans balances out against the cancellation fee of 50% of remaining contract obligation for the Annual plans. [See the complete Terms and Conditions for all subscriptions.]

Can you avoid paying the cancellation fee if you stop your Annual plan early? Quite possibly. Adobe will waive the cancellation fee if you switch to a different Creative Cloud plan (like changing from Acrobat or Photography to All Apps or Single App)… So typically cancellation fees only apply on Annual plans if you stop subscribing entirely before your year is up. If the cancellation fee is waived, then the pricing for an Annual plan is always a better value than a Monthly plan for the same products.

The takeaway is that Adobe wants to make sure you have the plan that’s right for you. Further, thanks to the company’s Money-Back Guarantee, you can cancel any Creative Cloud plan within 14 days of initial purchase (for any reason) via your online account… Your subscription will end immediately and you will receive a full and complete refund, with no questions asked.

Lastly, some plans do not offer month-to-month options, such as the Student and Teacher plan ($19.99/month). That’s because these subscription bundle offers are already significantly discounted from the list price. In these cases, only 12-month (full year) plans are available.

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So month-to-month subscription plans certainly have their place, for short-term or flexible use at any time – basically for any duration up to six months, or for subscribing only when you need the apps and stopping when you don’t. They allow you to optimize your payments for intermittent use. By contrast, Annual plans (as you’d expect) are always better for longer timeframes.

Undoubtedly, the best way to start with any plan is with a fully-functional free trial, to download, install, and get going right away. Or even easier: begin with the free level of Creative Cloud that Adobe offers to everyone at no cost.

If you still haven’t decided before the free trial is up, then consider signing on for just a month or two with the Monthly plan… That will give you more time without a yearlong commitment. Or, go ahead with the Annual plan knowing that you can still get a full refund within two weeks of your order, if desired.

Hope this article has helped make sense of the different options available and helped make your choice easier! Get started here:

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Special: Save 50% on Adobe Creative Cloud Pro for First 3 Months

ProDesignTools — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:06:29 +0000

Adobe just launched a new promotion they’ve only ever offered once before. For a limited time, you can save 50% on a Creative Cloud Pro plan – including Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, Premiere Pro, and many more – for the first three months of your subscription. All together, you get 20+ creative apps and services for photography, design, video, and more. What’s more, this gives you the incredible new AI features released in Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and other products. With this plan, you’ll have everything you need to create anything using these industry-leading tools.

Adobe’s Creative Cloud Pro plan usually runs $69.99/month, based on a one-year (Annual or Yearly) commitment. So with this deal, you’re getting the reduced price of $34.99/month for the first three months. This discount offer is available pretty much worldwide, from what we can tell. For students and teachers, the deal is even better – just $19.99/month for your first year, which is over 71% off the regular price of Creative Cloud Pro:

Get it now

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

Included in the All Apps plan you get complementary mobile apps plus 100 GB of online cloud storage with the ability to sync and share your work on any device. Subscribers also receive Adobe Portfolio to publish and host your own custom work portfolio website. Plus you get full access to Adobe Fonts – a.k.a. the entire Typekit library of 30,000+ fonts – for use in desktop applications and websites (an over $25,000 value if purchased normally). Another bonus is the premium version of Creative Cloud Express included in the plan.

The current 50%-off promotion for the first three months of membership applies only to the Annual (12-month) plans. Alternatively, you can go with a Monthly (month-to-month) option with more flexibility to cancel, but it also comes with a higher price. Which is best to choose depends on how long you’ll need the tools. We’ve done the math and the breakeven point is detailed here.

This offer is available to first-time subscribers who purchase directly from Adobe. Please read the complete terms of the promotion here for students and teachers, and here for everyone else. Check out this page to see everything that’s included in the plan, or download and run a free trial first:

Download now

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

You can find other current Adobe deals on our Coupons page, including the opportunity to instantly download thousands of free images from Adobe Stock’s large professional asset collection. As noted above, 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.

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.

Free! Download 90,000+ Stock Videos in HD and 4K from Adobe Stock

ProDesignTools — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:17:46 +0000

The new Adobe Stock Free Collection is simply amazing. Not only do you get 1,000,000+ free high-quality images, illustrations, vectors, templates, graphics, photos, audio tracks, and 3D models to choose from for your next creative project, but you also now get over 90,000 free professionally-shot HD and 4K stock videos to download for almost any use you desire! And there’s no catch.

All of these no-cost assets meet the same standards as the Adobe Stock paid collection, meaning they’re premium grade, curated by experts, and come with an “Enhanced” royalty-free commercial license forever. And even though all this valuable content is being furnished gratis to you, Adobe still ensures the talented producers who created it are being compensated. So, you can use this footage in all of your projects knowing that you are sourcing your content responsibly while supporting the creative community.

Here’s a wonderful selection to give you a quick idea of what’s included: it’s the Featured Free Videos page from from the Adobe Stock Free Video Collection. You can see here that this is top-notch footage and worthy of incorporating into any work you or your collaborators produce:

Check it out

The value they’re offering here is pretty incredible. Normally, Adobe Stock videos sell individually for US$79.99 apiece in HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and $199.99 each in 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels). Those are the regular prices for one single video clip. But here, you can choose any of over 90,000 different stock videos to download at any time, completely for free. Of those 90,000+ videos, nearly 60,000 are being given away in 4K resolution.

Doing the math, the total retail value of this free video collection is $14,000,000!

This includes free videos up to one minute long in all styles and orientations: close-ups, long shots, macro, aerials, looping, timelapse, horizontal, vertical, square, and panoramic.

Also included are hundreds of free video templates and motion graphics templates (MOGRTs) for easy titles, transitions, and graphics to level up your videos instantly, plus free music and audio tracks to give your creation a great soundtrack and that final professional touch.

All you need to get started is a free Adobe ID, which comes with the free tier of Creative Cloud membership. You do not need a paid membership or to be a Creative Cloud subscriber to download these, or even to be using any Adobe software at all. And the videos you receive are permanent, without royalties, and are not watermarked.

So don’t miss the entire free Stock footage collection linked below, royalty-free and production-ready. Search and find the videos and audio you’d like, and start downloading today to bring your story to life:

Download now

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More Advantages of Adobe Stock

As large as the new Free Collection is, it still represents only a small fraction of the complete Stock library, which now includes over 890 million assets of all kinds (with 60 million videos)… Of course, if there’s something you find the paid collection which appeals to you, Adobe will be pleased if you purchase it. And they even offer a free 30-day trial where you can download any 10 paid assets you like for free (videos not included).

But that is entirely optional, and there is no obligation either way. So if you prefer, you can simply use the Free Collection for as long as you like and never pay a cent.

By the way, one of the great things about Adobe Stock is how it is seamlessly integrated with the Creative Cloud tools you already use (if you do)… This means you can intelligently search for and add Stock assets to your projects and compositions directly from your current workflows. This exclusive capability turns out to be very helpful and great way to work faster, save a lot of time, and boost your productivity.

Get it now

Finally, in addition to being an Adobe Stock user, you can also easily become a Stock contributor as well – and set yourself up to make money by doing so. There are no registration or management fees, and you’ll be able to showcase your work to millions of buyers around the world and around the clock. For content creators, this is a fun side hustle and nice way to make some extra spending money.

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

Download Thousands of Free Audio Sound Effects from Adobe

ProDesignTools — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 15:06:57 +0000

The Creative Cloud bundle includes thousands of uncompressed, royalty-free, sound effects. These can be used with Adobe’s Audition desktop app, on their own or in any other tool, and for any purpose at all.

However, you don’t have to be a paid subscriber in order to download this massive library of top-quality audio effects! In fact, everyone can access and use them at no cost – they are free now and forever, for all.

Here’s how to get them. All of these high-definition .WAV audio files have been grouped together by type and gathered into ZIP archives which can be downloaded from this page, no subscription required:

Download now

Here is a high-level listing of all of the 26 categories of original sound effects included in this complimentary collection:

Ambience
Animals
Cartoon
Crashes
Drones
Emergency Effects
Fire and Explosions
Foley
Foley Footsteps
Horror
Household
Human Elements
Imaging Elements
Impacts
Industry
Liquid and Water
Multimedia
Noise, Tones, DTMF, and Tests
Production Elements
Science Fiction
Sports
Technology
Transportation
Underwater
Weapons
Weather

All together, there is over 10 GB of free audio .WAV files here that you can use for whatever you need, so don’t miss this offer! Here’s the link:

Get them now

In addition, did you know that Adobe Stock now offers audio and music? It’s not free, but there are over 85,000 tracks to choose from – and, like the sound effects above, they are also royalty-free. You can use them to enhance virtually all of your projects with professional soundtracks. They make a real difference!

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

Learn Adobe Audition – Tutorials for Beginners from Mike Russell

And if you want to learn Adobe Audition and get started editing audio in Creative Cloud, check out these excellent tutorials by audio legend Mike Russell – there’s no one better:

What’s the Difference Between the Photography, Photoshop and Lightroom Plans?

ProDesignTools — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:55:13 +0000

One sometimes-confusing aspect of Creative Cloud is the different plans for Photoshop that Adobe offers… What do you get with each one? When is Lightroom included and when is it not? Are the same versions of the programs included in the various Photoshop, Lightroom, and Photography plans?

Most commonly, customers want to know: What the difference is between the Photoshop Single-App subscription and the less-expensive Creative Cloud Photography Plan?

So here are the answers.

Adobe’s US$19.99/month Photography plan includes the full version of Photoshop for desktop, iPad, and mobile (iPhone or Android); also the premium version of Photoshop Express on mobile; as well as Lightroom – both the Cloud-based and Classic versions for desktop, plus Lightroom mobile and web.

Alternatively, with the $22.99/month single-app Photoshop plan, you get all the same Photoshop apps but not Lightroom… However, it comes with the full, premium version of Adobe Express – which normally costs $9.99/month on its own, and is not included in any other Photoshop or Lightroom plan.

If instead you’re a photographer who just wants Lightroom, then for $11.99/month you can choose the Lightroom-only plan, which includes all versions of Lightroom (two desktop apps – Cloud-based and Classic, plus LR for mobile and web), but not Photoshop.

New! For each of these plans, there is now a Monthly option (higher-priced; subscribe month-to-month and cancel at any time) in addition to an Annual (12-month commitment) option.

Importantly, the applications themselves are the same in all cases. There are no differences between the apps nor any limitations on their functions in any plan.

The following table should help make everything clearer:

Compare All Photoshop & Lightroom Plan Features

Feature	Lightroom Plan (1TB)	Photography Plan (1TB)	Photoshop Single-App	Adobe Firefly Pro
Cost per month (U.S.)	$11.99	$19.99	$22.99	$19.99
Photoshop on desktop		Included	Included
Photoshop on iPad (full)		Included	Included	Included
Photoshop on mobile (full)		Included	Included	Included
Photoshop Express (full)		Included	Included
Lightroom (Cloud-based)	Included	Included
Lightroom Classic	Included	Included
Adobe Express Premium			Included	Included
Cloud photo storage	1 TB	1 TB	100 GB	100 GB
Generative AI Credits	250 Monthly	1,000 Monthly	25 Monthly	4,000 Monthly
Adobe Portfolio	Included	Included	Included	Included
Adobe Fonts (full)	Included	Included	Included	Included
Adobe Fresco (100% free)	Included	Included	Included	Included
Adobe Bridge (100% free)	Included	Included	Included	Included

Join now

Note: The Firefly Pro plan listed above doesn’t include Photoshop on desktop; it just has the premium versions of Photoshop for web and mobile.

And Included in All Creative Cloud Plans

So with all of the above plans, you also get these additional tools and services:

Adobe Fonts, a massive library of over 30,000 high-quality fonts that you can search, browse, and use everywhere you need them. You don’t have to worry about installation, licensing, or limits, because it’s automatic and all personal and commercial use is covered.
Adobe Portfolio, which gives you a quick and intuitive way to create a beautiful portfolio website to show off your work, without having to write a single line of code.
Adobe Bridge, the full version – although this is actually a completely free application available to everyone with no subscription required.
Ongoing upgrades and updates for all included applications and services.
Access to hundreds of exclusive online video tutorials in Creative Cloud Learn.
Flexible and budget-friendly payments through monthly or yearly subscription options.
You can install all of the desktop programs on up to two of your computers, and easily move the software between different systems as needed.
All desktop applications – including Lightroom – are installed locally on your computer. You don’t need an ongoing Internet connection to use them. Adobe’s desktop apps only need to connect online once every 99 days to revalidate your membership.
Get going! Download the free 314-page guide to Digital Photography, Photoshop & Lightroom.

If you’d like to try out any of the desktop applications first, then just download the fully-functional free trials to get started:

Download now

The Top 21 Benefits of Creative Cloud’s Photography Plan

ProDesignTools — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 16:11:06 +0000

In our view, the best deal going in Creative Cloud (if you’re not a student or teacher) is the Photography plan. You get not one, not two, but three core desktop products, plus additional tools and services, for around $20 a month.

The Photography plan was originally created as a one-time special offer in 2013, but it proved so popular that Adobe eventually made it permanent. So what makes it such a great deal? With the US$19.99/£19.97/€23,99/A$30.99 per month Photography Plan, you get the latest versions of Photoshop, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and much more in the package. Here’s an overview of everything that’s included:

The full desktop release of Adobe Photoshop (not a reduced or limited version), the industry-standard image editing tool for over 35 years.
The latest Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plugin, the foundational raw imaging engine to import and enhance your photographs.
Adobe Bridge, Creative Cloud’s flagship desktop media browser and digital asset manager (although it’s true that Bridge is free for everyone).
Photoshop on iPad – the real deal on iPad, which shares the same underlying code base as its venerable older sibling, PS for desktop.
The premium version of the highly-rated new Photoshop for iPhone, as well as the Photoshop Express app to install on both iOS and Android.
New: Photoshop on the Web to edit, review, and share Photoshop cloud documents right in any web browser – anytime, anywhere.
Adobe Lightroom, Adobe’s powerful cloud-based desktop application to non-destructively edit, organize, and process all your photos.
Lightroom Classic, the original desktop-focused digital photography solution which uses your local hard drive(s) for photo storage.
The Lightroom Mobile app for iPad, iPhone, and Android, which shares many features and has connected workflows to the LR desktop apps.
1 TB of online Creative Cloud storage (upgradable), including online photo storage on Lightroom Web.
The complete Adobe Fonts library for desktop and web, with 30,000+ different typefaces for any personal or commercial use.
Full access to Adobe Portfolio, which allows you to quickly and easily build a website to showcase your creative work.
25 monthly generative credits for Photoshop and Lightroom to use Adobe’s new AI capabilities.
Ongoing upgrades and updates for all included applications and services, so long as your subscription remains active.
Access to hundreds of exclusive video tutorials in Creative Cloud Learn.
Download and use two previous major versions of your apps, if desired.
Install all desktop applications on up to two of your computers, and easily move the products between different systems you own.
The Photography plan is upgradable to the complete Creative Cloud “All Apps” plan at any time, which includes many more tools.
You can download and run a fully-functional free 7-day trial to try out all the software on your own computer and devices first.
All direct purchases from Adobe automatically come with a 14-day full Money Back Guarantee, in case you change your mind.
Get going! Download the free 314-page guide to Photography, Photoshop & Lightroom.

In addition to this Photography bundle, Adobe offers other flavors of Lightroom / Photoshop plans: one with Lightroom only and one with Photoshop only which also includes Adobe Express premium. You can compare the plans here.

But again, in our view, it’s tough to beat the value offered by the standard Photography plan – as this collection of best-of-breed professional tools previously cost well over $1,000 upfront just to get in the door, which didn’t include upgrades. Heck, Photoshop by itself used to cost $699-$999 upfront for a static copy.

So for our money – with the exception of the Student & Teacher Edition (if you happen to qualify) – the Photography plans continue to be the best deal Creative Cloud has got going, and Adobe’s lowest-priced desktop offerings.

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Further questions? See the Creative Cloud Photography plans FAQ here.

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

ProDesignTools — Sat, 17 Jan 2026 15:01:10 +0000

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

Something rare is going on for the next two weeks, 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 big 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 40-80% discount off the regular prices for your first year. This promotion is close to the lowest prices 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 three big offers are:

— Creative Cloud for Individuals: 40% 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 $41.99/month for one year. No previous software ownership or other qualifications are necessary to receive this price reduction.

— Creative Cloud for Teams 40% off: New customers save $40 per month on your first year. This is Adobe’s solution when you have a group of people or multiple users working together on creative projects, because the Teams edition offers significant advantages over the standard CC plan for individuals.

— Creative Cloud for Students 80% off: Students and teachers can now get Creative Cloud Pro All Apps for just $12.49/mo. for your first six months (80% off the normal price), then $24.99/mo. for the next six months. If you renew after your first year, the regular education plan would be $39.99/mo. after that.

These discounted CC promotions are available until Monday, February 2, 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 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 mobile apps (over a dozen strong)
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

Free Guide! Download Your Creative Career Start-Up Manual Now

ProDesignTools — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:53:12 +0000

Thirteen years ago, Adobe acquired Behance – the leading online community and social media platform for creative professionals, which is often referred to as “The LinkedIn for Creatives.” Back then, Behance had about 1 million members. Since that time, with Behance’s inclusion into Creative Cloud, growth and participation have exploded – and the Behance community now boasts over 50 million members receiving 180 million project views per month.

With Behance, you can easily upload your photographs, projects, or portfolios and gain a fantastic way to showcase, share, and get exposure for your work as well as receive feedback from your creative peers, and get inspired for future work. You can publish many types of media such as images, text, illustrations, video and audio, and follow statistics on how many views your projects are getting, and potentially make money. There’s even a very helpful job list for creatives and freelancers, with hundreds of available employment opportunities.

Note that you do not need to be a paid member of Adobe’s Creative Cloud to join and use Behance… You can be a completely free member of Creative Cloud, and/or use other software tools entirely – and you can still sign up for Behance at no cost.

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

There are many, many amazing success stories. Russian Illustrator Fil Dunsky says most of his clients come from Behance – he’s gotten commercial projects from all over the world after posting his work, and is now able to work as a full-time freelancer. (Bonus: Check out two free freelancer books further below.) Digital artist Patrick Seymour writes, “Usher’s production team saw my work on Behance and asked me to create custom illustrations for his next world tour.” Saxon Campbell recounts how “Behance turned my freelance gig into a full-time success, and I am now running my own creative studio.” Yet another designer reports, “I created custom graphics for the end credits of ‘22 Jump Street‘ after my retro-futuristic logos went viral on Behance.”

And now, here’s a terrific way to help make it happen for you. You can download Your Creative Career Start-Up Manual, a 15-page guidebook to getting started and being successful on Behance. Learn more, go for it, and take your creative career to the next level! As Milton Berle once said, “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door”:

Download now

Here are the reader reviews for this free book: “Good resource. Behance is awesome!” … “Excellent material. Thanks” … “I’m excited to really start my artistic side” … “Wow, very good” … “thank you :)” … “Very excited to know more”… “This is definitely worth a try” … “I wish I knew about this publication a year ago.” … “Cheers!”

UPDATE – Also don’t miss Adobe’s new Career Resource Center with many great learning resources, as well as the opportunity to launch your creative career and get discovered with the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship – in other words, make your portfolio stand out with Adobe as your first client!

Bonus: Download Your Free Copy of “The Freelancer’s Roadmap” (68 Pages)

Here’s another superb free book that could help you a great deal in your creative career: it’s The Freelancer’s Roadmap, a 68-page guide from the helpful team at CreativeLive… In this informative eBook, you’ll learn about putting together a high-quality creative portfolio, how to build a powerful personal brand, how to calculate your best hourly rate, how to find new clients and write winning proposals, and how top freelancers can earn a very good living.

You can download this step-by-step roadmap here:

Download now

UPDATE – Also available from that same page is The Freelancer’s Bible: Your Guide to Going It Alone… Whether you’re already freelance or thinking of making the jump, this free ebook from Route One Print is full of useful freelance advice, with tips on how to market your business, find your Unique Selling Proposition, license your work, manage client relationships, complete tax returns, and much more.

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

New Video: Ten Tips to Improve Your Creative Career

The Greatest Hits: Our Most Popular Adobe Posts & Tips of All Time

ProDesignTools — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:00:22 +0000

With one year wrapped up and a new one just beginning, it seems a perfect time to put together a review of the best and most-shared posts published here since our site launched in 2009 (over 16 years ago now!), including some very popular free books.

These are the top posts that consistently have the highest readership on our site, month after month, covering all major Adobe software products… They’re broken out by topic below in case you’ve missed any, or are new here – so bookmark, share, and enjoy!

Free Adobe Books

Download Adobe CC Design Basics, Free! New 212-Page Book
Get 6 Free Books to Boost Creativity & Inspire Your Best Work
Adobe InDesign: Get the Guide to What’s New in All Versions
Learn Animate Free – Download 59-Page Guidebook + Assets
Download Now: The Illustrator New Features Guidebook
Free! Download 30 Adobe Books at No Cost, Learn All Products

Creative Cloud (CC)

The 10 Most Common Myths About Creative Cloud
The 14 Ultimate Adobe Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheets
How You Can Save 8% on Your Creative Cloud Subscription
What’s the Difference Between CC for Teams vs. Individuals?
16 Important Facts You Didn’t Know About Creative Cloud
Using the Newest Adobe Tools Can Save You Money – Here’s Why

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop’s New Generative AI Features Are Truly Revolutionary
The Complete Guide to What’s New in Photoshop, from CS to CC
The Top 21 Benefits of Creative Cloud Photography Plan ($19.99/mo)
What’s the Difference Between the Photography, PS vs. LR Plans?
Download the “Real” Photoshop on Your Phone – It’s Here and FREE

Adobe Lightroom

Download Free Book on Photography, Lightroom, Photoshop
Two Free Books! Get the Lightroom Quick Start Guides (134 Pgs)
Photoshop vs. Lightroom vs. Elements – What’s the Difference?
Adobe Unveils the Lightroom Mobile App for iOS, Now Shipping
Using the Newest Adobe Tools Can Save You Money – Here’s Why

Adobe Video/Audio Tools

Adobe Launches Astounding New Firefly AI Video Capabilities
Get 23 Hours of Free Training for Premiere Pro and After Effects
Download Thousands of Free Audio Sound Effects from Adobe
Get Quick Start Guides and Learn Video Editing with Premiere Pro
Download the New 51-Page Guidebook to Learn After Effects Free

Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat DC Is Here: What’s New and What’s It All About?
Compare Versions: Differences Between Acrobat DC vs. XI
Download 3 Free eBooks: Acrobat DC, XI, X How-to Tutorial Guides
Over Two Hours of Free Adobe Acrobat DC Video Tutorials
Free Book on Printing in Acrobat, Photoshop, InDesign & Illustrator

Students & Teachers

How to Save up to 70% with Adobe’s Education Versions
Download Free Adobe CS6 Courses for Students & Teachers
Adobe Offers Big Discount on Creative Cloud for Education
What Are the Limitations of Student & Teacher Editions?

Direct Download Links

Creative Cloud 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018 Links
Direct Download Links for Adobe Acrobat DC 2025
Photoshop/Premiere Elements 2023 Direct Links
Direct Download Links for CS6 and Lightroom 6/CC
Adobe Captivate 2019 Direct Download Links

General How-to’s

How to Join Creative Cloud for Free – and Get Adobe Bridge for Free
How Many Computers Can You Install and Run Your Adobe Programs On?
How to Move Adobe Software Between Systems, or from Windows to Mac
So Many Different Creative Cloud Apps: Which Tools Are Right for You?
How to Work 10X Faster with Adobe Stock and Creative Cloud Libraries
How to Extend Creative Cloud Free Trials to 21 Days Long, Rather Than 7 Days

Everything Else

Adobe Fresco Premium Is Now 100% Free for All Users, No Subscription
Creative Cloud Annual vs. Monthly Plans: Which Should You Choose?
What Is Adobe Express? How Does It Work? Is It Free? (Yes and No)
Get Adobe Stock for Free and Download 1,000,000+ High-Quality Assets
Why You Should Never Buy Adobe Software on eBay or Amazon Marketplace
All Current Top Adobe Coupon Codes & Discount Promotions, Updated Weekly

What’s missing? Anything that you’d like us to cover? Any burning questions you’ve got on Adobe applications? Just let us know in the comments below and we’ll get you answers…

It’s been a great sixteen years so far, and we’re looking forward to an even better 2026 – Happy New Year!

The post The Greatest Hits: Our Most Popular Adobe Posts & Tips of All Time appeared first on ProDesignTools.

How to Use Photoshop to Create a Time-Lapse Video from Photos

ProDesignTools — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 15:12:02 +0000

Time-lapse photography videos never go out of style… Here is one of our all-time favorites from Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd – incredibly beautiful and perfect for the clear, dark nights of the season (watch full-screen):

Prior to the extensive video editing tools first introduced in CS6, Photoshop wasn’t really known for its video capabilities – but in fact it’s always been possible to take a series of still photographs (manipulated as desired) and then quickly create your own timelapse video using Photoshop Extended…

The techniques given below will work for all Photoshop releases (the latest CC or the older CS) – and Extended is not required if you do still use CS6, as the Standard version can edit video as well. The newest Creative Cloud versions are always Extended, meaning you have even better video capabilities plus can do many other cool things as well:

Get it now

Check out the complete, in-depth guide to all the features added to Photoshop in all CS and CC versions.

Here now professional photographer and Adobe Community Expert Benjamin Root walks you through how to do it, if you have a recent version of Photoshop and want to create high-resolution (4K) timelapse footage:

Or if you are still using Photoshop CS6 or older, Adobe Senior Creative Director Russell Brown gives the details below on how to make and export your own creation:

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

Surprising that you can do this in Photoshop, right? Learn more about how to edit video in Photoshop CC …and/or in Photoshop CS6 …or even (somewhat) as far back as Photoshop CS3-CS5.

If you don’t yet have the latest release of Photoshop – which has added hundreds upon hundreds of new features and advancements since CS6 – then you can get the newest releases of both Photoshop plus Lightroom together in Adobe’s extremely popular $19.99/mo. Creative Cloud Photography Bundle.

If you want to try out the new tools first (before buying), then just download and install the free Creative Cloud trials to get started today… There are plenty of excellent free tutorials to help you learn how to best use these products on your own schedule, giving you everything you need to create anything.

Download now

Download the complete manual – free PDF documentation – for Photoshop, or any Adobe tool.

Adobe Creative Cloud Adoption Grows to 41 Million Paid Subscribers

ProDesignTools — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:01:05 +0000

Adobe’s Creative Cloud has been available for over a decade and continues to extend strong adoption in the worldwide marketplace, the latest published figures show.

Per the company’s record 2025 results, recurring revenue in Adobe’s Creative segment grew approximately 11.5% over the past twelve months. In 2024, annual growth was reported as 10.9%; in 2023, it was 12.7%; in 2022 it was 13.4%; and in 2021, it was 17.3%. At the end of 2020, management said that “the Creative Cloud business has grown ~85%” from 2017, when analysts pegged the number of paid subscribers at 12 million.

So, doing the math and updating for year-end 2025, this gives an estimated new total of 41 million subscribers. This is nearly double the number from five years ago, and up 4.24 million from last year. Meaning, the run rate of new subscriptions is over 1 million per quarter – adding an average of ~11,600 net new paid members every day for the CC 2026 product line.

With the old Creative Suite tools, Adobe had an installed base of 12.8 million customers using different CS versions, which had been built up over a decade… The latest Creative Cloud subscription figures show they have more than tripled that customer base in the 13 years since CC was first released. This is powerful, because all Creative Cloud subscribers are running and collaborating with the same creative software release, the latest-and-greatest available.

Adobe stopped selling CS6 nine years ago, as the Creative Cloud compares favorably on almost all measures and is one of the company’s highest-rated major products ever – likely because it gives access to almost everything they make, all for one simple price with no steep upfront costs.

Download now

From an Adobe quarterly conference call:

In Digital Media, the transition to subscriptions is happening faster than expected. Creative Cloud has become the de facto platform for all creatives, providing the tools and services to fulfill every creative need. We are migrating existing customers from our Creative Suite installed base, as well as attracting large numbers of new users with strong adoption across our Individual, Team and Enterprise offerings.

Continuous innovation is the hallmark of Creative Cloud and the catalyst for our retention and growth. Creative Cloud innovation is forging ahead in the mobile space, where our mission is to help creatives bridge their desktop and mobile design processes into a seamless creative workflow. Our plan to deliver new value through compelling services such as Adobe Stock to augment our desktop and mobile applications is off to a strong start. We will continue to deliver new services, and partner with the broader ecosystem to make Creative Cloud the one-stop shop for creative inspiration.

Highlights in our recent quarter include accelerating adoption of Creative Cloud, driven by strong net new CC subscription additions. Across all routes to market, we continue to see solid demand for Creative Cloud, with large portions of our legacy perpetual customers moving to a subscription model. In addition, we are now migrating significant numbers of hobbyist customers who previously used Photoshop Elements and Lightroom on a perpetual basis to the Creative Cloud Photography offering. And we are seeing on Adobe.com that the vast, vast majority of people who are buying Acrobat DC are buying the subscription option.

Creative Cloud is available in over 90 countries and to get started with all the new CC 2026 tools and services, you can download a free trial instantly here:

Get it now

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

And the following comes from an earlier conference call:

In our Digital Media segment, we continued to make great progress with our Creative Cloud service as customer adoption proceeds more quickly than we anticipated. Subscriptions have grown faster than expected and, as a result, perpetual Creative revenue has fallen off more quickly. In addition to paid members, we currently have millions of customers who are trying out the free service.

In addition to success with Creative Cloud for Individuals, Creative Cloud for Teams also had strong results, growing 62% quarter-over-quarter. Teams and groups of creatives are realizing the collaboration benefits from being on the same version and the ability to seamlessly share files, fonts and preferences, and enterprises are increasing their adoption due to simplified licensing models and integration with Adobe Marketing Cloud’s digital asset management capabilities.

The Creative Cloud offering continues to evolve to ensure that we are satisfying our existing subscribers and attracting new members. In the surveys that we are doing, over 20% of the user base who are adopting the Creative Cloud are completely new customers for us. Last fall, we introduced the CC Photography Plan, providing Photoshop and Lightroom via Creative Cloud to professional photographers and hobbyists at an affordable monthly price. Uptake on this offer has been strong, and we believe adding these users is accretive to our long-term goals.

The company sees further growth ahead:

Our strategic goal continues to be to accelerate adoption of Creative Cloud, and we are focusing all of our innovation there. We’ve added thousands of new and improved features to Creative Cloud since CS6 came out in 2012, which is driving higher customer satisfaction. What’s more, we experienced strong retention among individual customers renewing at full price as their introductory promotions expired. And so we’re pleased so far with what we are seeing in terms of renewal rates, which are above what we originally modeled.

It’s nice to see that we’re ahead of the metrics we forecast, not just the annual numbers we provided last year, but also when we started this transition. And we reflect that no company has gone through a transition of this magnitude. And for us to be ahead of our goals I think demonstrates the value we’re providing to our customers. And the confidence in both the strategy and our ability to execute enables us to be optimistic about our growth prospects…

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

What’s New in Creative Cloud 2026?

Photoshop 2026 New Features

Chat With Photoshop Using AI Assistant

Download now

Holiday Giveaway! Free Creative Cloud with All-New CC 2026 Tools

ProDesignTools — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:11:31 +0000

Last month, Adobe shipped the new 2026 collection of tools and services – a milestone marking the latest major release of the Creative Cloud product line. This newest CC version contains hundreds of innovations and advancements, including time-saving features such as a new conversational AI Assistant integrated into Photoshop (!) which lets you create and edit content by chatting with natural language.

The latest apps and services are available only via Creative Cloud membership – a community which now surpasses 41 million paid subscribers. An “All Apps” membership for Creative Cloud 2026 – the best subscription plan which includes all creative tools – is what we’re giving away for free below, and this offer is open to everyone worldwide.

Black Friday is on: Get 50-76% off Creative Cloud – the best deal of the year! Save now.

In all, Creative Cloud 2026 comes with over 20 desktop applications – Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Animate, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, and others – together with complementary tools and services such as Acrobat Pro DC, Adobe Fonts, Adobe Portfolio, Adobe Express premium, Behance premium, and more. See the entire contents of what’s in Creative Cloud, where all ongoing upgrades are automatically included with your subscription.

The company also reset the free tryout periods for all programs – so anyone can now download the 2026 trial versions, install and run them alongside older releases if desired, and then use the new products free for 7 days. As before, Creative Cloud apps generally can be installed and activated on up to two systems (including both Windows and Mac), and can be easily moved between different machines as required.

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

We’ve given away over $47,000 worth of Adobe software over the years… And for this new giveaway, the prizewinner drawn will receive a fully-paid annual “All Apps” membership to 2026 Release (estimated value US$835 / €913 / £773), so you have everything you need to create anything. Thank you to the Adobe Community Experts Program for generously furnishing this exciting prize.

How to enter the giveaway? Well, it’s easy to gain up to 4 chances to win below… The contest is open worldwide – and to enter just do one (or more) of the following:

(1) Like our Facebook page «HERE» — and then also share this post by clicking the blue Facebook Share button to the left.

= and/or =

(2) We’re now on Bluesky! Follow us on Bluesky «HERE» — and then also share/favorite this giveaway by clicking repost/like «HERE».

= and/or =

(3) Leave an original comment below answering this question: “What do you plan to do with the new Creative Cloud 2026 Release?”

= and/or =

(4) Join 170,000+ readers below 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.

That’s it! Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the drawing – so if you do all four, you would receive 4 different chances to win these new professional creative tools. Be sure your email is correct so that we can contact you. One entry per reader for each method, but please do share and tell your friends and colleagues who would like the software as well.

Submissions are open until 11:59pm PST on Friday, December 26, 2025 (extended!)… The winner will be drawn at random from all valid entries, and contacted via email – and we’ll announce the lucky recipient (first name only) right here the following week. If you’re the one, we’ll send you a special prepaid Creative Cloud 2026 membership voucher completely free!

Best of luck and please spread the word…

What’s New in Creative Cloud 2026?

Photoshop 2026 New Features

Chat With Photoshop Using AI Assistant

Adobe Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2025 Offers, Deals and Specials

ProDesignTools — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 20:08:13 +0000

Yes, it’s that time of year again. Adobe is having a worldwide sale with money-saving deals lined up through Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025 (and beyond), and we’ve got the complete guide below… There are some exceptional offers for major products in this “season of savings” – with sizeable discounts as much as 76% off the regular prices!

The company is running four major promotions for the new Creative Cloud 2026 suite of tools and services. The holiday deals will run continuously until Sunday, December 7th (extended!) at 11:59pm Eastern Time. So don’t miss out, as these values only come once per year.

These four big offers are:

— Creative Cloud Pro 50% Off: Normally US$69.99/month for new customers signing up for an annual plan, now the complete Adobe CC membership (All Apps Pro) is available at a special discounted rate of $34.97/month – or £33.23/€39,30/A$56.49 including VAT – for one year. No previous software ownership or other qualifications are necessary to receive this price reduction.

— CC Student & Teacher Edition 71%-76% Off: Normally $39.99/month with a first-year price of $24.99/month, the “Pro” All Apps bundle is now offered at a further-discounted rate of $19.98 a month – or £15.98/€19,34/A$30.00 incl. VAT – for one year. To get this education price, you must meet eligibility requirements like having a school-issued email ending in “.edu” or “.k12”.

— Creative Cloud Pro for Teams 50% Off: This is Adobe’s solution if you have a group of people or multiple users working and collaborating together on creative projects. Creative Cloud for Teams offers significant advantages over the standard CC plan for individuals. New customers now save 50% per month on your first year for All Apps Pro plans – a big discount on the Teams bundle.

— Adobe Firefly Pro 50% Off for the First 3 Months: 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. Now only $9.98/month for a limited time.

To put the price into perspective, this year’s Black Friday deal of $34.97/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.

Save now

It’s Black Friday savings time. Get 50% off, or more.

This kind of deal on the Adobe Creative Cloud Pro plan doesn’t happen every day, and it won’t last forever. Now you can create in all-new ways with generative AI features in Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and more — all powered by Adobe Firefly.

Please read Adobe’s complete terms of the holiday promotion here for students & teachers, here for everyone else, and here for teams.

These three discounted year-end offers are available for direct purchases only in over 90 countries. Promos and percents off may vary between regions, but these one-time deals will give you the entire Creative Cloud – all of Adobe’s best desktop tools (over 20 of them) and services which are included in the just-launched 2026 release, plus ongoing upgrades.

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

The latest 2026 desktop releases of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Lightroom, Animate, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and more.
Thousands of new features and advancements added since CS6 in 2012.
The Premium version of the popular new Adobe Express, to quickly and easily make standout content from beautiful templates.
Access to tens of thousands of dollars of desktop and web Adobe Fonts.
Full access and use of the Adobe Portfolio website builder.
Full integrated use of Adobe’s family of mobile apps.
100 GB of online cloud storage for syncing, sharing and collaboration, option of up to 15 TB.
Ongoing upgrades and updates for all included applications and services.
Download and use of the prior release (CC 2025), if 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 Adobe deals available for the holiday season can be found on our Coupons page, including the ability to download 1,000,000+ free images and other assets from Adobe Stock. And one of the nice things about Creative Cloud 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 and activate the software within the sale period to benefit from the significant discount.

Download now

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

A new study forecasts that U.S. online holiday sales will surpass $250 billion this year, an increase of 5.3% over last year – and that Cyber Monday will remain the biggest shopping day of the season (and year). This makes sense given the efficiency and convenience of buying online – you can still get the best prices while saving on fuel and time, plus avoid the holiday crowds. With these offers you can shop in peace (and in your pajamas if you like), and not miss a great deal on software. For Black Friday Deals on anything else, there’s always BlackerFriday…!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please spread the word to share Adobe’s one-time offers with others who might benefit… 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.

It’s True: Adobe Bridge 2026 Is Completely Free for Everyone, for Life!

ProDesignTools — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:00:55 +0000

In response to our post on How to Join Adobe’s Creative Cloud for Free, we received this question from a reader:

Hi – is it really true that Adobe Bridge (the full version) is totally free to download and use forever, and I don’t have to pay for it or have a subscription?

The answer is yes, it’s absolutely true – although not that many people know about it because Adobe has not publicized it widely…

Bridge 2026 is Adobe’s flagship desktop media browser and powerful digital asset manager that allows you to efficiently locate, organize, browse, preview, and batch process your content files – including most image, vector, audio and video files. You can view (in fullscreen) and manage Photoshop PSD, Camera RAW, Illustrator AI, InDesign INDD, Adobe XD, Acrobat PDF, Flash SWF/FLV, and many other types of files and documents, all without paid programs.

While Bridge won’t edit the content of these files on its own, it works beautifully as an easy-to-use visual gateway to all your creative assets – a universal file manager and very handy utility for quickly viewing and working with your creative files in many different formats (Adobe and otherwise). Bridge can also manage & set file metadata, create collections, add image watermarks, rate & label photographs, do slideshows, perform batch file operations including renaming, browse directories without importing, support multi-user workflows, and more. And it’s available worldwide in dozens of languages for both macOS and Windows:

What’s less known is that the license to run/use Bridge is completely free from Adobe and never expires! It doesn’t matter whether you’re running a Creative Cloud free trial or a paid subscription (or even any other Adobe software at all). Regardless, Bridge will legally continue to work and be able to manage and view your media and Adobe files even if/when your trial or subscription ends.

Surprised? Well, it used to be (with CS6 and older) that Adobe Bridge was bundled together with paid programs like Photoshop and After Effects. But Adobe decided to unbundle Bridge and make it a separate download for Creative Cloud, so now this product doesn’t even require a paid subscription. This basically means that Bridge comes with all CC plans – including the popular Photography Plan – and even the 100% free level of Creative Cloud.

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

You can install Bridge 2026 either standalone by itself, or together with other applications like Photoshop (and all the rest), or even Photoshop Elements… Either way, Bridge requires no purchase, no paid membership or subscription, and not even any other Adobe tools on the same system. It installs and runs fine, and even allows updating to the latest version of the app itself plus the ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) plugin for the display and previewing of raw files within Bridge.

Adobe recommends that photographers use the more sophisticated Lightroom ecosystem to manage their photos, and that’s a product and workflow which work very well for many customers. But folks who want a simple solution – including designers who work with many different applications and file types – will still want to use Bridge. Plus, you can install and use it on as many computers as you like, your friends and colleagues can use it, your clients and customers can use it, all at the same time (and even with the same files collaboratively) – there is no cost or limit or restriction.

So how to take advantage of it? To get your permanently-free Adobe Bridge (100% legitimate and authentic full version), you can download and install it here – look for the big blue “Download app” button, which will give you Bridge via the Creative Cloud Desktop App. Alternatively, you can use the CC direct download links. Either way works fine – and it’s not a free trial, and doesn’t have any expiration date – as promised above!

Get it now

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

If you’re not yet running the most recent release of Photoshop, then you can easily get it (plus Lightroom, and all ongoing upgrades to both products included) through Adobe’s top-selling Photography bundle. If you’d like to try out the latest Creative Cloud 2026 software first at no cost, then just download the free trial to get started.

Watch: Adobe Bridge in One Minute

Here’s What You Can Do w/ Adobe Bridge

Adobe’s Julieanne Kost: Should You Use Lightroom or Bridge?

This policy could change at any time, so don’t miss this exceptional opportunity to quickly secure the full working version of new Adobe Bridge 2026 legally from the company at no cost now or ever:

Download now

How to Get New Adobe Creative Cloud 2026 Direct Download Links

ProDesignTools — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:52:04 +0000

Yesterday at Adobe MAX – the world’s largest creativity conference – Adobe unveiled the Creative Cloud 2026 release, a major new version delivering many groundbreaking advancements across the entire product line. CC 2026 brings impressive new time-saving features to these industry-leading tools and services, including a conversational AI Assistant integrated into Photoshop (!) which lets you create and edit content using natural language.

The latest 2026 software is available immediately for worldwide download via the CC Desktop App… All updates are included at no additional cost – which means everyone gets either a free upgrade or a free trial of the new versions.

But some users want or need to access the new tools directly without using Adobe’s download/app manager… This is essential when you want to keep and make permanent offline backups, copy them onto a USB drive for use anywhere, download on one system to install on another (or multiple computers) without re-downloading, have a slow Internet connection which is capped or throttled or hangs/freezes/stops when trying to use the Desktop app to download 30 GB of CC upgrades, etc. All of these use cases necessitate being able to get direct download links for offline installers.

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

New 2026 Direct Download Links Now Available

More Direct Download Links
CC 2025
CC 2019
CC 2018
Acrobat DC 2025
Captivate 2019

In recent years, the standalone installers for new releases have not been made publicly available by the company. However, good news: you can still get the new 2026 direct download links yourself by contacting Customer Service… Just reach out to Adobe’s Customer Care team via live online chat, and they will immediately give you temporary links to download offline installers for the 2026 apps that you need.

You simply need to ask them. We suggest:

Hello, I need the direct download links (offline installers) for the new 2026 releases of _________. Could you please help me?

You can connect with an agent to get the downloads here. Look for “Contact Us” or “Your contact options…” at the bottom of the page, or the Chat icon at the lower right. If asked, choose the “Download & Install” category.

We are told that all Adobe customer service reps across all locations have the ability and authorization to distribute the new 2026 standalone installers, which they can access through their internal version repository. We recommend retrying or asking for a supervisor if you run into any difficulty.

Download now

From what we’ve seen, free trial users have a harder time getting the latest installers… But if you are not currently a paid subscriber, then you could become one to access the 2026 installers you need and then cancel within 14 days for a full refund if you do not wish to continue your paid membership.

Or, You Can Do This Instead…

Here is another great option, a different way to get them. Adobe has a separate offer for you to get a free Creative Cloud for Teams trial for 14 days. Anybody can sign up for this, even just a single person. Teams plan users have access to the Admin Console for creating your own custom Managed packages to download the latest 2026 offline installers and/or previous versions – with updates included – for use wherever you want, on any computer.

You can get this 14-day tryout regardless of whether you have a paid Individual subscription, or even if you have just the free level of membership. After sign-up, you can download the app installers and get started immediately. Cancel anytime during the free trial period and you won’t be charged. Even afterwards, you can still cancel for up to 14 days after a paid subscription begins and get a full refund.

For more info, check out the Adobe help page detailing this offer:

» Start Your Creative Cloud for Teams Free Trial Now

There is no obligation to remove any of the Creative Cloud apps you install with a Managed Package; however the tools will continue to work only with an ongoing paid membership plan of some type (Individual or Teams).

But the best part is that you do not lose access to the Admin Console even after your Teams trial expires. You can still sign in to the Admin Console at any time to create new or additional CC installer downloads which you can use anywhere and with any Creative Cloud plan (including the Individuals plans). You can even download older releases.

Get it now

We’ve tried this out and it works seamlessly as described, even if you already have an Individual plan or if you currently have no paid plan at all. You also don’t need to be part of a company or have a business. If you go this route, please let us know how it goes, or if you encounter any issues!

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

Changing System Requirements

Also important to know that the minimum system requirements have changed on Mac in order to take advantage of the latest operating system features and technologies… The CC 2026 release requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. MacOS 12 (Monterey) and 11 (Big Sur) are no longer supported. If you’re not yet running a compatible version, you can get a free upgrade directly from Apple. While Ventura is the minimum, Sonoma (version 15.x) is recommended by Adobe.

On PCs, Windows 10 64-bit (version 21H2 or higher) and Windows 11 (version 23H2 or higher) continue to be the supported platforms for all Creative Cloud applications. Except for Acrobat DC, the latest CC apps do not support 32-bit or Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems – and the 32-bit support for Acrobat is being phased out.

Adobe explains that focusing their efforts on modern OS versions allows them to develop the features and functionality most requested by customers, while ensuring peak performance that takes advantage of newer hardware. For more details, please consult the complete CC 2026 System Requirements. If these specifications don’t work for you for some reason, then you can continue to use the older CC 2025 applications.

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

What’s New in Creative Cloud 2026?

Photoshop 2026 New Features

Chat With Photoshop Using AI Assistant

Download now

What’s Included with Your Free Creative Cloud Membership

ProDesignTools — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:07:44 +0000

Having initially launched over a decade ago, you know about Adobe’s fast-growing Creative Cloud, you’ve dispelled the common myths about it, and perhaps are considering subscribing to CC to join 41 million of your peers who already have…

You may also know that since Adobe stopped development of the older “CS” releases back in 2012, there have been many thousands of new features, product advancements, and performance improvements added to CC since Creative Suite ended, as well as integral new online services and resources.

But did you know that no matter what you do, you can sign up right now for a zero-cost class of membership that never expires and provides free benefits for life? Anyone can have this free level currently in 94 countries worldwide, even if you still use the older tools instead, or even if you use no other Adobe products or services at all – there’s still great value here:

Start now

Here is what you get completely free (on Windows or macOS), permanently:

Two gigabytes (2 GB) of cloud space for storing and sharing your files online (same as Dropbox). The content of your Adobe project and document files (like PSD, AI, INDD, or PDF) can be intelligently viewed in any browser, in application-specific ways… Viewers (including clients and non-Cloud members) can easily turn layers on and off, display relevant metadata, make comments, optionally download the files, and more – all without needing any other tools.
Brand new: The “real” Photoshop and Premiere Pro apps running on your phone! Photoshop is a free mobile app offering a wide range of versatile image editing tools, including layering, selection, and generative AI features, allowing users to create and edit high-quality visual content on your phone. Premiere Pro is now a free, powerful app that brings pro-quality, multi-track video editing tools and AI-powered features to your phone for creating and sharing videos on the go.
More free apps: You get the Premium version of Adobe Fresco, a unique app that brings together the world’s largest brush collection with revolutionary new technology to deliver a natural “live” painting and drawing experience… See what you can do in Fresco.
You will also receive the free version of the popular new Adobe Express, an integrated web and mobile solution that allows you to easily produce and share impactful visual content. You can create social media posts, creative graphics, web pages, and animated videos in no time.
A lifetime license for Adobe Bridge, their flagship desktop media browser and powerful digital asset manager that allows you to efficiently locate, organize, manage, preview, and batch process your content files – including most image, vector, audio and video files. Easily view and manage Photoshop PSD, Camera RAW, Illustrator AI, InDesign INDD, Adobe XD, Acrobat PDF, Flash SWF, and many other types of files and documents, all without paid programs. (Yes, it’s actually free!)
There’s also the free Starter plan for Character Animator which runs on your desktop computer (Windows or Mac) and gives you the basic features you need to create and export original animations in minutes – including pre-designed puppets, select gestures, and real-time face tracking. Have fun without any commitment!
You can even take advantage of Adobe’s incredible new Generative AI capabilities… All users on the free Creative Cloud plan receive monthly Generative Credits to create your own stunning images or vector graphics, powered by Adobe Firefly. After 10 Generative Credits are used, you have the option to upgrade to a paid plan to continue creating assets for $9.99 a month, or wait until the credits reset the next month.

Full integrated use of Adobe’s family of mobile apps (over a dozen strong), enabling you to sketch, draw, paint, create layouts, edit photos and make videos on your tablet or smartphone. Your assets and apps will be connected across your desktop computers and mobile devices, so you can do great work anywhere.
Ongoing monthly access to Adobe Acrobat Online Services. Use these handy premium web tools once per month for free to convert Microsoft Office files to PDF or vice versa, manage PDF files and pages, fill and sign forms and agreements, and share and store your documents. Free users also receive a complimentary number of requests for the helpful new AI Assistant in Acrobat to speed your document work.
No charge get started with professional Adobe Fonts: choose unlimited online fonts from nearly 1,000 available to use on your websites. You can also sync 1,500+ great fonts to use in your favorite desktop programs – including CC trial apps, older versions of the Creative Suite, non-Adobe applications, or even on iOS and iPadOS.
Valuable access to a brand new curated collection of over 1,000,000 completely free Adobe Stock photos, vectors, illustrations, templates, 3D models, and videos from talented creators – plus the opportunity to receive 10 additional paid assets of your choice at no cost.
Integration of Behance’s community and portfolio capabilities, allowing you to seamlessly create content, seek feedback, showcase and distribute your work. Behance now has over 50 million members receiving 180 million project views per month, and is a terrific way to get exposure from like-minded creatives. There’s even a job list for creatives and freelancers, with hundreds of employment opportunities.
You will benefit from a wide range of exclusive discounts, offers, and experiences from Adobe’s partners, handpicked to help streamline your creative workflow.
Plus… access to the free trials of all the new Creative Cloud 2026 tools and services. Even if you previously ran an Adobe trial in prior years, you still receive a fresh new 7-day tryout period with the latest CC release. And every time Adobe does a major upgrade to the software going forward (expected to be annually), you’ll get another new free trial.

No credit card is required to get the free Creative Cloud membership, except for the optional free tryout the full desktop tools (the last item). You can also get a free 14-day trial of Creative Cloud for Teams, an expanded offering which provides additional advantages when working together in groups.

How to receive all this? Well, if you already have an Adobe ID, then you’re good to go. If you don’t yet have an Adobe ID, then it’s just six fields to fill out, and you’ll be on your way.

Once you have your Adobe ID, see here for the next steps:

Get started

Creative Cloud: Compare Free vs. Paid Memberships

If you later decide to join the Creative Cloud as a full paying subscriber (“All Apps”), then you’ll keep all of the benefits of the Free level of membership described above – plus add all of the following:

Full access to the complete Creative Cloud 2026 toolset, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, InDesign, Acrobat DC Pro, Dreamweaver, Animate, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, Character Animator, Dimension, Frame.io and much more.
Use of the latest creative technology from Adobe with ongoing upgrades included as soon as they become available – you can always run the most recent product version.
30,000+ Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit Portfolio) that you can search, browse, and use everywhere you need them. With Adobe Fonts, you don’t have to worry about installation, licensing, or limits. All personal and commercial use is automatically covered.
4,000 monthly Generative Credits to use Adobe’s stunning new AI capabilities in your projects, including video too.
Also included for all paid CC subscribers is Adobe Portfolio, which gives you a quick and intuitive way to create a beautiful portfolio website to show off your work, without having to write a single line of code.
Full access to new and additional products that were never available through traditional perpetual licenses, including Character Animator and Dimension, as well as new iPad versions of Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.
The Premium version of Adobe Express, which enables you to create and share branded stories using your own logo, fonts, colors, templates, themes, and more. This product alone is a US$9.99/month value.
Access to 100 GB of online storage and other services from Adobe, such as free Creative Cloud Training produced by industry-leading partners.
You can install all of the desktop programs on up to two of your computers, and easily move the software between different systems as needed.
Flexible and budget-friendly payments through monthly or yearly subscription options.

And if you ever stop or cancel your paid subscription to Creative Cloud, you will still retain all the benefits of the Free membership for life.

Download now

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

What’s In Adobe Creative Cloud?

All Adobe Apps Explained in 9 Minutes

What Is an Adobe ID?

Do you have any further questions on what Creative Cloud is about, or how the free membership compares versus the paid/complete membership? Check out our extensive Creative Cloud FAQ, or just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!

Download Free Set of 83 Custom, Royalty-Free Photoshop Textures

ProDesignTools — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:46:05 +0000

We’ve got another great resource for you – a freely-available collection of custom Photoshop textures to help set your work apart… This exclusive set of 29 different handcrafted textures has been released by War Unicorn Media at no cost and is 100% royalty-free. This collection comes complete with an 18-page guide (available online or as a downloadable PDF), filled with tips and tricks on how to best use textures in your Photoshop workflow, as well as how to create your own!

Textures are super-easy to apply and use in Photoshop. Just load the texture into a new layer above your composition, and then set its Blending Mode and Opacity for how you want it to impact the photograph or image underneath. More details and ideas are given in the short tutorial video included below.

Here is James Rodel’s introduction from the accompanying guide, which is packed with examples and entitled, “Textures, the Universe, and You“:

Textures, They’re Everywhere

One of my favorite techniques when creating compositions is the ability to give a composition a “textured window” – a portal – that introduces someone looking at my artwork into my world. I also tend to use textures with color as a basis for compositions. Textures can also be used to unify seemingly disparate elements in a composition.

They can be subtle or they can be dramatic. Photoshop not only makes this process easy but also fun to explore your creativity.

This guide is a look into how I use textures in my workflow. Hopefully, you’ll pick up something new or feel inspired to make your own textures. These tips assume you know the basics of Photoshop – namely, the use of layers and blending modes.

Let’s go!

So here it is – the “never-before-seen, exclusive collection of one-of-a-kind textures for you to use, royalty-free, ad infinitum, ad perpetuam, pro gratis, forever.” The textures pack can be used with any version of Photoshop (or even with Photoshop Elements), and you’ll find the download links for both the tutorial guide and the texture collection here:

Download now

Included in the Warunicorn Collection are high-resolution textures for Parchment Paper, Coffee Filters, Construction Paper, Tea Filters, Facial Tissue, Contractor’s Paper, Ice, Paperboard, and more.

If you don’t yet have the latest Photoshop desktop software, just download a free working trial for either Windows or macOS (or try the whole Creative Cloud) – then install, run, and start texturizing your images and artwork…

And to continue learning, don’t miss dozens more free books for many Adobe products, covering recent versions of all major applications.

How to Work Creatively with Photoshop Textures, in Under Three Minutes:

From: Adobe Photoshop Essential Training: Photography by Julieanne Kost at Lynda.com

Download More Free Textures!

While you’re here, don’t miss these additional free editing tools from the pros: Erik Kuna’s Creative Texture Pack and Scott Kelby’s Sky Replacement Bundle. Give your photos an instant upgrade with high-resolution skies from Scott’s personal library plus creative textures handpicked by Erik.

Drop them into Photoshop for instant upgrades on your composites, overlays, and edits. The possibilities are endless with Erik’s 18 beautifully-shot wall photographs. Use them as backgrounds behind a model, behind a font type, or as texture to any photograph (348 MB):

Download free

And Get Russell Brown’s Free Textures Too

Russell Brown’s Paper Textures Pro add-on is another terrific source of textures that’s been around for a while, but is still as awesome as when it first came out… This free extension adds a brand new panel to Photoshop, giving you 54 cool new creative textures to work and play with. You can apply the texture you want literally with one click:

Add textures to your images with this great new panel for Adobe Photoshop CC. Included with this panel is a wonderful sampler set of textures from Fly Paper Textures. You can also add your own custom textures for even more creative possibilities.

Get it now

As the user reviews say, “Really beautiful textures and the panel works so well. I had spent hours trying to do by myself what you can get in 30 seconds with these amazing textures. You can make the images look aged, with character, really interesting and creative effects. Exquisitely done and so fast and easy to get that just perfect added touch to some of my pictures! Thank you very much flypapertextures and Russell :)”

Make sure you sign in with your Adobe ID when you install it above, so the add-on will automatically be included in your extensions the next time you launch Photoshop. To get started with Paper Textures Pro, just watch this helpful 10-minute tutorial video on how to use it:

Check out the complete guide to all the features added to Photoshop in all CS and CC versions.

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

ProDesignTools — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 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 890 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).

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.

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 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.

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Bonus: Download Your Free Copy of “The Freelancer’s Roadmap” (68 Pages)

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Subscribe Free + Download Dozens of Adobe eBooks

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