Hi guys,

I wonder if Adobe will continue Adobe Creative Cloud Bonus program for the results of 2025.

I do not remember exactly, but I think by today's date we used to know about it..

I have no news but I guess Adobe has betrayed us, I have already downloaded Affinity and NX Studio

Honestly, we haven't seen any official info either. In previous years, by this time things were usually clearer, so the silence now feels unusual. It's not even about the bonus itself, it's the lack of communication that's worrying. From our experience, Adobe has been changing rules on the fly lately, so many contributors no longer factor the bonus into their plans and start looking at alternatives. We see the same pattern with clients, more diversification, less reliance on Adobe alone.
Has anyone heard anything from Adobe reps or support? Or is everyone just waiting in the dark like we are?

It would be nice to hear a statement from Adobe one way or the other. If they are not planning on offering that benefit, it would be helpful to know that for a fact vs. not hearing anything.

Best course of action is not to rely on Adobe tools anymore. There are more and more viable alternatives, some even free. Adobe randomly changes the rules for their bonus, so creators can never rely on receiving a bonus the following year - so it's time for creators to reduce their dependency on Adobe.

Most of you will fork over tens of thousands of $$$ for that 100mp mirror less camera and the 10 different lenses but not $25 a month for Adobe software? Plus you can write the $25 a month off your business thus you're really not paying much---a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks cost more. I just don't get it...

Quote from: Big Money on January 24, 2026, 18:14
Most of you will fork over tens of thousands of $$$ for that 100mp mirror less camera and the 10 different lenses but not $25 a month for Adobe software? Plus you can write the $25 a month off your business thus you're really not paying much---a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks cost more. I just don't get it...

I don't think any microstock contributor would seriously consider buying a camera that costs tens of thousands of dollars. Those systems are aimed at wealthy amateurs and a very small group of ultra high-end professionals.

Yes, Adobe software is still relatively affordable, but the bigger issue is the continuing dependency on Adobe. Once you're locked into the ecosystem, you're exposed to the constant risk of price increases at any time - and you don't even own the software you're paying for.

Quote from: Big Money on January 24, 2026, 18:14
Most of you will fork over tens of thousands of $$$ for that 100mp mirror less camera and the 10 different lenses but not $25 a month for Adobe software? Plus you can write the $25 a month off your business thus you're really not paying much---a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks cost more. I just don't get it...

Camera tech has not evolved much in the last 5 years and neither has Adobe products, so neither gets my money...that being said, camera tech doesn't really need to evolve much. My six year old Canon R5 does just fine using lenses I bought for my 5dMark2. The only evolution are drones and gimbals which are cheap AF now. For things like video color correction, Adobe has been left in the dust. Think about that then do the math on how much money you make for Adobe every year.

I create stock images and videos as a side hobby that helps me to earn some extra money which spending for my tools & gears are more easy to justify to the wife 

I do not earn millions ane even thousands every month with my Stocks production - that's why extra tools from Adobe which were free and I used to to use made my life easier.

The pace at which modern tech is developing makes my life more difficult - I need to study many things all the time - both on my job and my hobby time as well.  Some stability in the usage of the same tools I considered as a good factor. I use LR, PS and AE mnay years. I have even DaVinci Resolve commercial version, still do not want to change my work tools too often :-)

The rules for the bonus could be changed because the requirement about some minimal upload was easier to fulfil with AI tools than with real photos and video. I had balanced stock production latest years - 50 % AI and 50 % real things.

I hope this question will be clarified soon.

A few years ago MatHayward, https://www.microstockgroup.com/profile/?u=1879 was answering this question on Adobe behalf. I checked his status and see that he has not posted here for last year summer
Could be good if he is still active and helps to find the answer

It's always announced between the middle of January and April.

I've had 3 times the downloads this year and for the last 3 years i've gotten the bonus. Last week I got an email asking me to update my Credit card in for the monthly subscription. But there was no option to pay for the year, so maybe it's just coming out late. I hope!

Quote from: Big Money on January 24, 2026, 18:14
Most of you will fork over tens of thousands of $$$ for that 100mp mirror less camera and the 10 different lenses but not $25 a month for Adobe software? Plus you can write the $25 a month off your business thus you're really not paying much---a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks cost more. I just don't get it...

Sorry to be disagreeable, but CC for photo and video is $779 a year, and just photo is $264 a year. True that can be deducted as an expense, which makes that income non-taxable, but it isn't a 100% offset deduction. It's about a 25% savings. So a couple hundred a year, for editing, when there's Affinity or some others that are pay once, or free, but not a subscription that never ends.

No camera of mine has ever cost tens of thousands for a camera and 10 lenses. Lenses are forever. I don't need a mirrorless just to have the latest and greatest. DSLRs work just fine. Good news, other people hopped into the mirrorless, the used market is great for DSLR buyers right now. Anyone who does buy a newer camera, can buy an adapter for their old lenses.

ps I don't drink coffee? 

Actually, it's a little scary with the price change. An "opportunity" for Adobe to stop the freebie for contributors.

How can Adobe now offer a CC bonus when it's typically based on the volume of uploads to the stock library, which now prompters are the ones uploading most and they probably don't even need Adobe software to generate their images and make any further edits anyway. So someone like myself spending pretty much all year uploading videos won't qualify for the bonus. Makes me wonder if Adobe will just can it altogether. Just another reason on top of others why I have lost interest in stock for the most part now and focusing on other projects.

Quote from: Pacesetter on January 30, 2026, 07:47
How can Adobe now offer a CC bonus when it's typically based on the volume of uploads to the stock library, which now prompters are the ones uploading most and they probably don't even need Adobe software to generate their images and make any further edits anyway.

Which I believe was a deliberate decision by Adobe: to "reward" those who either don't need Adobe software or are using a pirated copy. It's a win-win situation for Adobe: they don't lose revenue on established stock producers, and they may even lock some of these contributors into their ecosystem, potentially turning them into paying customers later on.

Quote from: Big Money on January 24, 2026, 18:14
Most of you will fork over tens of thousands of $$$ for that 100mp mirror less camera and the 10 different lenses but not $25 a month for Adobe software? Plus you can write the $25 a month off your business thus you're really not paying much---a couple cups of coffee at Starbucks cost more. I just don't get it...

IF you know how to get that deal...(I'm paying €29.99 for All Apps). But the standard price is €69.99 / month for All Apps (if I'm not mistaken). And because of their strong market position and new crappy AI tools they can increase that price in the future at will. So there is a good reason to be concerned about our depency on Adobe software.

It's the same every year; they don't announce when the bonus will be given. My subscription expires at the end of February, and I've already received the email to update my credit card details, as usual around this time each year. And normally, the magic code appears a week before it expires.

From my experience, the Creative Cloud bonus this year is very unclear. In previous years, by this time there was at least some info, but now it's just silence. It's not really about the money, it's about Adobe not saying anything. I stopped counting on this bonus a while ago and now see it only as a random extra. With Adobe changing rules so often, it doesn't feel reliable anymore. Has anyone heard anything concrete from Adobe, or is it the same for everyone?

Don't draw conclusions too fast.
It can still come imho