Adobe
Once upon a time, software and apps were a one-shot deal: You went to CompUSA, paid your $50 or $100 (or $500) and walked out with a shrinkwrapped box full of CDs or DVDs. All that, of course, is ancient history: Nowadays, nearly everything is cloud-based, meaning you always have access to the latest version and features, be they Office 365 or Adobe Creative Cloud. Indeed, Adobe’s cloud suite delivers always-on access to 20-some apps for $20 to $52 per month — it was on sale through Friday, August 30 (the deal is still showing up on Adobe’s page). And if you’re looking for “just Photoshop,” the company offers a very reasonable Photography Plan (Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop and 20GB of cloud storage) for just $10 per month or $120 per year.
But as attractive as those deals are, they’re still subscriptions that you’ll need to pay “forever” — or at least as long as long as you want access to the apps. That’s why it’s nice to see that one-and-done software purchases are still available. No, these aren’t standalone versions of the pro-level Creative Cloud apps. Instead, they’re Adobe’s stripped-down Elements software — but both are currently on sale. Photoshop Elements for image editing and Premiere Elements for video editing are discounted by 40% each from now through Sept. 3. They don’t have all the features of the full, pro-level Creative Cloud software, but many users will find these perfectly suitable for casual use. You can even download 30-day trial versions so you can try before you buy.
Here’s a quick overview of each — along with some notable alternatives. Note that The Techy Trends may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Premiere Elements gives you a slice of Adobe’s pro-level Premiere video editing tool at a much lower price.
If you want to make sure that Elements is right for you, you can download the trial version at Adobe.
Windows alternatives worth considering ($54 to $80): CyberLink Powerdirector, Corel VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio
Mac alternatives worth considering (free to $300): iMovie, Final Cut Pro X
Premiere Elements is also available at Adobe. The Amazon link below offers Mac or Windows download codes or a CD disc version.
Need both Elements programs? The bundle including both usually costs $150, but that’s also on sale for $90. That’s $60 off the list price, and a $30 savings versus buying both discounted apps above.
Senior Editor Lori Grunin contributed to this story.
Posted earlier, republished after verifying that sale prices were still in effect.
