I stopped using Lr back in the spring before the Adobe announcement of a CC only option to move forward for Ps ... I utilize and am dire need of a fully functional slideshow and book option as both are very integral to my workflow. Both options in Lr are severely limited and abysmal in Lr compared to other options. I did not invest in Lr since v1 just to own ACR with a different UI ... While I very much appreciate all the hard work expended on the Develop module ... I also expected that the entire Lightroom application would receive equal attention ... it has not.
I've owned Photoshop since 1993 ... I already have ACR ... many times over ... I don't think it is worth a monthly stipend just to have RAW compatibility for new cameras to maintain my Ps workflow (especially considering we no longer are compelled to update cameras every 18 months just to remain competitive) ... it's so much easier to switch to a software developer that doesn't include a built in expiration date with their software.
I have moved my entire RAW workflow to Aperture 3 ... while it may not have all the bells, buzzers and whistles that the Lr Develop module may have ... it does what I desire for slideshows and books like no other ... thus saving me countless hours and the task of exporting tens of thousands of derivative files in the process to use other software solutions. There is no greater joy than to create something from scratch in a software that has no limitations for such output ... yes, maybe on a few images I could achieve slightly better output in Lr ... but if I have to offer a slideshow that can only handle a single transition, single audio tract, can't fit a slideshow to the audio tract, or only print a book using Blurb ... What actual benefit is all that supposed "superior" image processing to my bottom line?
The CC licensing model offers nothing more than the opportunity to enhancing Adobe's bank account while depleting my own ... regardless of what improvements they may decide to offer, or not offer ...(like, after 38 years as a professional photographer I can actually make use of a Camera Shake tool? ... I spent the last four decades precisely honing my skills to avoid the need for such a "fix") ...
So ... with the May announcement of the CC only model to offer the only pathway to receive future advancements in Ps ... I'm done with Adobe. Not because I think their software is inferior ... but, because of the way they have made decisions over the past several years on how they advance their current offerings. They either deem my concerns as trivial or in the extreme minority ... or ... they just don't care. Either way, they no longer have my best interests at heart ... Why should I spend one cent more to further their financial gain?
I have been using Ps since v2.0 in 1993 ... I had been using Lr since the very first public beta for v1 ... I almost feel that that my entire effort to use Adobe software was in vain ... because their own interests trump mine to the extreme. Commerce is a symbiotic relationship, buyers do not advance without sellers or vice versa ... Unfortunately, CC only guarantees that Adobe will benefit ... not so much for their subscribers. Once in the system, there are absolutely zero guarantees that Adobe will offer a product that will enhance a subscriber's livelihood ... zero guarantee that will happen. Yet, so many think the pathway is a golden opportunity.
My plan of action for the future is to continue with Aperture 3 for my RAW workflow and use my current perpetual license for Ps as long as I can make it viable for pixel editing ... then move on to whatever vendor who still offers perpetual licensing. I don't really care who that is ... nor am I worried I won't have options. I'm not the only business person of this mindset and there will be more than a few young, enterprising entrepreneurs who will step up and answer the call.
Even with the offer for Ps and Lr for $9.99 a month ... if I must use other options for Slideshows and Books ... where is the advantage for my bottom line to spend more money with Adobe? ... doing so, I will not receive the tools to complete my daily tasks. An offer for a bad deal at half the price is not a good deal for the consumer ... only a less expensive bad deal.
So, no thanks Adobe ... I'll keep what I have already paid for and seek other options to move forward. I may fail in the process ... but I would much rather own a modest cottage in the country ... than to be beholding to another entity forever for a temporary penthouse in the sky paying in perpetuity ...