UPDATE – Creative Cloud 2024 is out now! See what’s new and improved in this latest major release.
Last week at the annual MAX conference, Adobe launched the new 2023 release of Creative Cloud – and customers want to know what’s new, what’s different, and what’s changed between CC 2023 and the earlier releases. In other words, what are the key new features and advancements in the 2023 upgrade versus prior versions?
With the new release, everyone is entitled to either a free update or a free trial for seven days. Ongoing access to these tools requires a Creative Cloud membership (either for one app or for all), with discounts available for education customers. In the ten years since Creative Cloud first came out, Adobe has added tens of thousands of new and enhanced features plus performance improvements across their flagship creative products.
There are now 21 desktop applications included in Creative Cloud: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, InCopy, Acrobat DC, Animate, Dreamweaver, Adobe XD, Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, After Effects, Audition, Character Animator, Media Encoder, Prelude, Dimension, Bridge, Camera Raw, Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. Almost all the apps received upgrades – see the table below for what’s new in each Creative Cloud application.
Install now: Get all new Creative Cloud 2024 direct download links and free trials.
Other top tools and services continue to be included in Creative Cloud 2023 as well, such as Adobe Fonts with over 22,000 premium fonts for unlimited use (a $100/year value), the premium version of Creative Cloud Express, your own Adobe Portfolio website, plus the full capabilities of Behance to showcase (and even sell) your work and talents online.
If you want to try any of the CC apps out, then just sign up for a free level of Creative Cloud membership to gain access. For learning how to best use the products, there are plenty of free tutorial videos, and even dozens of completely free books that you can download for all of the most popular applications. And don’t forget that all products include ongoing upgrades at no extra cost, so you can always be running the latest and greatest versions.
Special: Legally download dozens of free Adobe books for a limited time!
Feature Comparison: Creative Cloud 2023 vs. Previous Releases
So here they are, the feature breakouts by individual product – what’s new including version comparisons and differences between Creative Cloud 2023 vs. the 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2013, and CS6 releases:
For more details on the essentials and differences, don’t miss our Creative Cloud 2023 Review Guide.
The System Requirements Have Evolved
You should also know that the minimum system requirements have changed meaningfully on both Windows and Mac, in order to take advantage of the latest operating system features and technologies… On Macs, the CC 2023 release now requires macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later. If you’re not yet running a compatible version of macOS, then you can get a free upgrade directly from Apple. macOS 13 (Ventura), which is due out very soon, is supported by Adobe as well. Be aware, however, that since Catalina, Apple dropped support for any older 32-bit programs you may have.
On PCs, Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) and Windows 11 continue to be fully-supported platforms for all Creative Cloud applications. Importantly, except for Acrobat DC, the CC 2023 apps do not support 32-bit or Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating systems.
Adobe explains that focusing their efforts on modern OS versions allows them to develop the features and functionality most requested by customers, while ensuring peak performance that takes advantage of newer hardware. For more details, please consult the complete CC 2023 System Requirements. If these specifications don’t work for you for some reason, then you can continue to use the older CC 2022 applications, or even CC 2019 or CC 2018.
What’s New in the Creative Cloud 2023 Release? [Video – In Two Minutes]
See Also
- The 10 most common myths about Creative Cloud
- How to save 60% with the Student & Teacher Editions
- Download free Adobe books (choose over 30 titles)
- Don’t need full Cloud? Get PS + LR for $9.99/month
- Free Adobe Stock! Download 1,000,000+ top images
- How to join Adobe’s Creative Cloud for free
Do you have any questions about Creative Cloud? Just ask below and we’ll get you answers fast!
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I use Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom 6 to process pictures post-production. Both registered at Adobe. I do not need the full Adobe offer of CC2023. What could I download from the actual Adobe offer to continue my work with pictures?
What is the cost of such subscription, especially, when you point out a free win offer? What I must do, if your offer does not fit my needs?
I also use BRIDGE. What Bridge version can I use, installing actual CC 2023?
I also need suggestions for dealing with the other programs I don’t use now, which could be used for the picture post-production only. I do not need any program for graphics, nor using stock graphics.
Hi Andrzej, thanks for your questions. You’ve got several options. The first is the 100% permanently-free level of Creative Cloud:
What’s Included with Your Free Creative Cloud Membership
The second is the Creative Cloud Photography plan, which includes the latest releases of both Photoshop and Lightroom (plus other tools and services) for an affordable price:
The Top 21 Benefits of Creative Cloud’s Photography Plan ($9.99/mo.)
The last point is that BRIDGE is totally free for everyone to download and use forever:
It’s True: Adobe Bridge 2023 Is Completely Free for Everyone, for Life!
Hope that helps!