Leave Adobe

Adobe is not one subscription, it is six habits. Take the one you use least first so the switch is a rehearsal, and keep InDesign: nothing open-source has caught up, and pretending otherwise wastes a week.

1. 01

   Move the photo catalogue

   Two weekends

   Darktable imports the files but not the edits. Export the keepers as full-size TIFFs before you cancel, or accept re-editing them.

   Instead of Adobe Lightroom

2. 02

   Learn GIMP

   A week of swearing

   Most retouching moves. CMYK does not, so print work stays where it is.

   Instead of Adobe Photoshop

3. 03

   Learn Inkscape

   A few evenings

   Snapping and the pen tool are the friction. Everything else is a shortcut you will relearn.

   Instead of Adobe Illustrator

4. 04

   Move the editing

   A weekend per project

   Kdenlive handles the cut. Shared project files and ProRes workflows do not survive.

   Instead of Adobe Premiere Pro

5. 05

   Move the audio

   An afternoon

   Audacity for editing, Ardour if you mix. Neither does spectral repair as well.

   Instead of Adobe Audition and GarageBand

6. 06

   Keep InDesign

   Nothing

   Scribus is the only open-source page layout tool and it is years behind. If print is your living, this subscription stays.

   Instead of Adobe InDesign

Every step links to a judged swap: what to run, what it costs, and what you lose.