Pantone and Adobe Cloud Users!

[Deb]

This is important for those who use pantone colors and adobe cloud - Please look at this video - it just came across my feed - 

https://youtu.be/qMWAY8Cdsz0

Just passing it along 

[Windy]

Amazing that Pantone thinks people will want to pay 14.99 every month just to use their swatches. Am I understanding correctly??

[Deb]

That’s how I took it.. and even for previous artwork.. any part of it ( that is stored in the adobe cloud) that has a Pantone color will be turned black.. it’s a huge issue for those who have been true to using Pantone all along.. personally I’m glad I never got caught up in all that years ago.  But I know many designers have used and bought the color books etc.. this is going to bite them hard. 

[Jadendreamer13]

So, if a designer has stored their artwork on their computer—not on the cloud—will their artwork be unaffected?

[KeegansCreation]

This video and related articles I've read didn't specify that it was only files stored in the Adobe cloud. Adobe files stored on our own hard drives would be at risk too. The video highlights an excerpt from a Pantone release claiming legacy files wouldn't be affected but the video maker has already seen that they are.

[Deb]

I’m pretty sure Pantone is not able to change your Pantone colors in your artwork to black as they will be doing for those images stored in the cloud. 

Just reporting  what I’ve read

https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3pedx/photoshop-paywalls-pantone-colors-is-turning-users-art-black

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/pantone-wants-15-month-for-the-privilege-of-using-its-colors...

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/pantone-colors-converted-to-black-err...

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/1/23434305/adobe-pantone-subscription-announcement-photoshop-illust...

https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/01/pantone-colors/

https://petapixel.com/2022/10/28/you-have-to-pay-a-subscription-to-use-pantone-colors-in-photoshop-n...

[Barbara]

That's what struck me also, that Pantone can't go sniffing around all over the world checking for their colors.

Colorwash's Home

[Barbara]

What a strange thing to do! Photoshop has always included Pantone colors in its palettes, so they've been used forever...until, apparently, Photoshop became a rent-to-use scheme.

Colorwash's Home

[PenguinPower]

It’s not Adobe, it’s Pantone… If I’ve sussed this properly, they’re apparently decided that having Adobe pay them to license the color books isn’t good enough, and want to go directly to the customers to charge their monthly fee. Lucky for me, I’ve only ever used the basic CMYK swatches (mainly as a convenience- I know they won’t be out of gamut) so as far ad I can tell, I’ll be unaffected. 

[Barbara]

I didn't say it was Adobe, though I guess it wasn't clear. I was implying that it's now easy for Pantone to try to extract more money since Adobe became a rental. Pantone is a business and is, of course, looking to make more money. What bothers me about this is that so many people have Photoshop who aren't necessarily professionals. If I were them, I simply wouldn't bother with Pantone.

Colorwash's Home

[CrazyMermaid]

This has nothing to do with the subscription-based model. It is Pantone. Luckily I have never used their colors. 

[Windy]

I watched the video and it seems to say that there are three basic pantone panels in the adobe suite which are not affected. The video maker also calls these panels somewhat "out-of-date". Anyway, I think anyone who has used those basic colors may be safe at this point. For anyone affected, watching the video will give you a chance to weigh whether  my interpretation is correct.

I've never used Pantone books but there's some chance I used a hex code that is affected. I find it very weird, this idea of "owning" a color!

[KeegansCreation]

I don't think colors you generated with a hex code will be affected since Pantone doesn't actually own the color. If I am understanding their system correctly, what they own is a standardized ink pigment mixing system. If you can land on one of the exact same colors they have by using a different system such as hex code or RGB proportions, then they have no say in that. But what you can't do anymore is pick a color from an embedded Pantone palette in an Adobe program since those palettes are gone (with 3 legacy exceptions). And since those palettes are gone, files that referred back to them will have a broken link, re-interpreted as black.

I'm pretty sure I've used Pantone colors in various files though I've been unable to find which files just by hunting around my archives. But since I always make a png version too, if I open a file and find some colors wrongly black, I'll just use the color picker on the png version to find the correct color and that is a legit workaround since Pantone doesn't own the actual color or the hex code generated by the color picker.

[Barbara]

I'm happy I didn't have the money to buy into Creative Cloud. I upgraded every couple years until I hit CS3, tried CS6, saw no advantages, and have remained with CS3. Being legacy, the Pantone palettes I have won't be snatched from me. Sometimes it pays to not have the money.

Pantone may have shot themselves in the foot.

Colorwash's Home

[LakeEffects]

Wow, I hardly ever use Pantone, but it was nice having them available. That was a very interesting video - thanks for sharing.