We want to edit a report of 500 RAW photos, we open the Adobe site, and we find three plans with almost identical names. The reflex is to choose the cheapest one without reading the details. Six months later, we find ourselves lacking cloud storage or paying for Photoshop without ever opening it. Understanding what each Lightroom subscription covers before pulling out the credit card avoids this kind of unpleasant surprise.
Adobe Generative Credits: What the Price Includes Beyond Storage
Most comparisons focus on gigabytes of cloud storage. We overlook a recent change that alters the real value of the subscription: the generative credits included in the Lightroom plans.
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Adobe documents that the mobile and web Lightroom plans include monthly generative credits. These credits allow the use of built-in AI features (background removal, generative fill, retouching suggestions). The number of credits varies depending on the chosen plan.
When comparing two subscriptions at the same apparent price, the one that offers more generative credits has the advantage for a photographer who uses these AI tools daily. Before choosing a plan solely based on storage volume, it’s better to check how many generative credits it includes, especially if editing in volume. To delve deeper into the price of the Adobe Lightroom subscription and its variations, this resource details each plan.
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Solo Lightroom Plan or Photography Plan: Concrete Selection Criteria
There are two main options at Adobe for photographers. The solo Lightroom plan, cloud-oriented with 1 TB of storage, and the Photography plan that bundles Photoshop and Lightroom Classic.
Solo Lightroom with 1 TB of Cloud Storage
This plan is aimed at those who primarily work from a phone or tablet, or who want to access their library from multiple devices without managing an external hard drive. In Europe, the price is around 14.49 euros per month with an annual commitment.
The 1 TB of cloud storage allows for keeping several tens of thousands of JPEG files, but significantly fewer in RAW. For a wedding photographer shooting 2,000 RAW per event, this volume fills up quickly.
Photography Plan with Photoshop and Lightroom Classic
This plan includes Lightroom Classic (the desktop software with local catalogs), Lightroom cloud, and Photoshop. The base cloud storage is more limited, but Lightroom Classic stores files locally.
- Lightroom Classic manages catalogs on a hard drive, without consuming cloud storage for originals
- Photoshop remains essential for compositing, advanced skin retouching, or layer work
- The cloud storage is only for photos voluntarily synced to Lightroom mobile
If you never use Photoshop, this plan charges for an unnecessary application. Conversely, if you alternate between desktop and mobile editing, it’s the most versatile option.
Discontinuation of the 20 GB Photo Plan: What Changes for New Subscribers
Adobe has confirmed that the Creative Cloud Photography 20 GB plan will be discontinued for new subscribers starting January 15, 2025. This plan was the most accessible in the catalog, and many amateur photographers used it as an entry point.
Existing subscribers retain their plan under the current renewal conditions. New customers no longer have access and must turn to plans with higher cloud storage, thus more expensive.
This change forces a choice: either accept a higher monthly subscription with more cloud storage, or opt for the solo Lightroom plan if Photoshop is not needed. Feedback varies on this point, as some photographers find cloud storage unnecessary when working exclusively on a fixed workstation with local drives.
Annual or Monthly Adobe Subscription: The Real Price Gap
Adobe offers two payment modes for each plan: the annual subscription with monthly payments, and the monthly subscription without commitment. The cost difference between the two often exceeds half of the annual rate.
- The annual subscription commits for 12 months, with early termination fees if canceled mid-term
- The monthly subscription is significantly more expensive per month, but allows cancellation at any time
- Paying annually in one go sometimes offers a slight additional discount compared to the monthly payment on an annual commitment
For regular use throughout the year, the annual commitment remains the most economical. The month-to-month without commitment is justified for a temporary need: editing a project over two or three months, then pausing.
The price increases announced by Adobe do not affect all subscribers at the same time. The new rates first apply to new purchases on Adobe.com. Existing customers switch to the new price at their next billing date, and an annual subscription only changes at the end of its term.
Lightroom Classic or Lightroom Cloud: Long-Term Budget Impact
The choice between Classic and the cloud version is not limited to features. It also determines indirect costs.
With Lightroom Classic, photos remain on a local disk. You invest in physical storage (external drive, NAS) but do not depend on Adobe’s cloud quota. The total cost decreases if you already have a storage infrastructure.
With Lightroom cloud, everything goes through Adobe’s servers. Beyond a certain volume, you need to upgrade your storage, which increases the monthly bill. A photographer who accumulates several terabytes of RAW over a few years will eventually exceed the included 1 TB.
The real calculation to make is the cost of the Lightroom subscription over three years, plus the necessary storage (cloud or local). Over this duration, the difference between the two approaches amounts to several hundred euros, especially for those who produce a significant volume of files.