The only upside is that you can at least continue to use the version you currently have. Even if I wanted to upgrade (which I will not do), I would wait to start my 1 year timer until some of the bugs have been ironed out.
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There I was about to take advantage of the current 24 hour discount on the upgrade subscription, but after reading all of the reported issues with the new 3rd generation AI versions I decided to keep my money for now. I’ll be patient and just wait and see how long it takes the early adopters to sort out their issues so I know that the software at least works as reliably as the versions I already have. No need to create unnecessary problems by letting myself get rushed in a purchase just to get a small discount.
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Don’t stress over rushing to catch a limited-time Topaz promotion if you’re not ready right now. You can save 15% off any Topaz app or upgrade (or an extra 15% off any of their sale or special pricing) at any time.
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Dude, this is as confusing AF. I already have multiple license keys, and now multiple versions of Topaz products. You guys are making this hard work to understand where everything sits. At least Abobe CC you can see which modules need upgrading, but give theres now a cost per upgrade, theres an additional layer of complexity. Why update anyting until I need it in case you upgrade it again and hit me again before I even get to use the lasy double paid module. Seriously you 've just gone off and invented your own model and pushed it onto your customers.
Heres a suggestion. Just move all upgardes onto a subscrition, priuce it at 1/4 or Adobe’s photography package, and stop messing with our heads.
Pricing all the upgrades collectively around full Adobe prices for customrs who use a number of your modules infrequently is plain wrong. Topaz is basically akin to a photoshop filter, and their AI is catching up also.
$3 per month and give us all updates, all modules. And your lucky getting that given what you have done. Better to grow your customer base than antagonise them.
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I understand the move, and i like that you offer packages of upgrades rather then require an ongoing subscription like adobe.
I do however not like the fact that you don’t let us control the update policy inside the applications, there’s no way to tell the application to NEVER look for an update, you can only pospone updates for 1 month max, and considering now updates are on a paid base this isn’t cool. I paid for the software and i really don’t want to get a nagging box popup everytime i use it, please patch the software so you can set the software to NEVER check for updates.
Thanks.
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Topaz doesn’t listen to this thread. Look back at history and length of this thread. They don’t care.
Also, there is a name for this type of software. It is called nag-ware. The only difference is nagging with nagware usually comes during a trial period. Topaz is a step worse. We paid for the software and now we get nagged to buy the update!!!.
Topaz has taken a step toward malware by adopting this process. In my book, nagware is malware. But, I digress. It serves no purpose to tilt at this windmill. Topaz shows how much they care everyday they choose to ignore requests like yours.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for them to respond or do something to change this terrible plan…again…look at the length and history of this thread.
It is simply horrible!
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I hear you but you must realize, there’s no incentive for them as a company to continue to develop and a improve a product if everyone already bougth the product, the income disappears. I get that you need to pay for updates, that gives them an incentive to improve the software in meaningful ways, like adding real batch processing to giga pixel AI etc etc.
I do very much prefer this model where you can wait 3 years and then buy upgrades and then wait another 3 years before you come back for more. Adobe is the worst, they force you to pay 20$ a month to access their software, even if you only use it once per month the price is the same. I ended up buying Adobe CS6 (the last version they released) serial key from someone on ebay for 500$ only to avoid having a subscription. I could crack the software but since i make money with the software i prefer to stay legit, but i am not using photoshop enough to justify the subscription, i will be good with CS6 for life and its worth it in the long run but i think adobe would make more money if they let users come and pay for upgrades much like topaz is doing here, its better for the costmer and is a way to stay afloat as a company long term.
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Are you arguing FOR the nagging now??
Look…go read the gadzillion comments on this thread. There is a camp where people agree to pay and a camp where people think they were took and there is a camp where, like you, you are willing to wait and update at some time in the future (plus a few other camps).
I’ve assessed this throughout this whole thread. I think their business model sucks and yes they need people to pay but stabbing their user base in the stomach with this update model AFTER telling them no pay for updates ever…is not good. End of story.
Right after I state this, a bunch of the Topaz cheerleaders on this board will tell me I’m wrong and certain software said blah blah blah… It was deceptive marketing at the minimum. It is hard to get trust back once it is spent. And…Topaz went on a trust spending spree.
If I were to accept the model of more payment is needed and I can keep using the software, ok…maybe I’d have to do that. But, now after the stab in the stomach they are taking their turn needling me in the eye everytime I open the software! To update! The gall of this company is amazing. They stated I can use without doing the update but also didn’t say that they were going to pester me into oblivion.
I bought CS6 just prior to Adobe going to their online BS robbing fest. I bought at a much discounted price also. It wasn’t eBay and it is legitimate. CS6 is more than what I need…
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i understand that you are angry, i would be too if i didn’t already understand that topaz would eventually have to change payment model because i knew that once the single sales run out you are literally developing the product for free.
cheaper software can run a business model like this because its so cheap that more users will always opt to buy the product, but something expensive like topaz its a niece tier of people that buy their content and once that slice of people have already bought it whats the point of continue to work if you’re doing it for free?
I am happy to see that they didn’t adopt the adobe model, then i would be really upset, i do like this business model the most, companies need an incentive to continue to develop their product, i’d much rather see them change the payment model then shut down the company.
i am however annoyed that i cannot disable update notifications on a software that now requires me to pay for updates. if i want updates i want to look for them myself, not being constantly advertised about it.
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You want them to stop nagging you. Check. Got it. Absolutely agree here.
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You are willing to pay for updates at some point in future at your decision level. Check. Got it. I can probably accept that if they could stop 1 above. Arguably, they demonstrate that they won’t remediate the nagging problem. I have an option to not update but I don’t have an option to not be nagged. That is unacceptable.
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You are complaining on a forum thread where the company has demonstrated they will not listen. Check. You need to find another avenue for that complaint. This one won’t work. I don’t know how to reach a company bent on not listening.
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Putting a block in the firewall is not an acceptable solution (I bring that up here because some offer it as a solution). It still won’t work because the software needs to touch base with the parent company to validate licensing issues…occasionally. The end user should not have to resort to circus acts to achieve their needs and compliance with the company’s needs.
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Good luck with your endeavors. More and more, I am finding ways to obviate the need for this software. I wasn’t looking until they forced me to look. Rest assured that if I am looking for other ways, others have too and you can start to count the days remaining for the company as support is withdrawn. It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest thing ever since sliced bread for sale. If you fail to win the customers, a dusty shelf or worse will be your reward.
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As far as the greatest thing since sliced bread goes, this past year the major updates have shown themselves to be more like burnt toast initially.
Right now I’m afraid to pay for any updates that more than likely will break the legacy functionality I currently have working. Perhaps I’ll take another look at investing in Topaz this Fall if they can get a handle on quality control again.
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With respect, it is not Adware. With Adware, you can often buy the software and not see the ads. I’ve done it for key wares that I use on the Android platform.
With Topaz, I have already purchased the software. They have stated I can use the software and I only update when I choose. But, they “nag” for the purchase of the update.
Adware doesn’t nag after you purchase it…at least…the adware I’m accustomed to using.
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I don’t care if you call it adware or nagware - it’s extremely annoying. And you’re right - they don’t seem to listen to anything here so we’re all just wasting our breath. Personally, they alienated me and I found a couple of very good alternatives so I don’t need them any longer. Eventually I’m sure we will be reading a notice that they have been purchased by one of the bigger fish.
I see people on other boards and even professionals who just discovered Topaz touting how marvelous the products are, and they’re right. But none of these people have had to experience the buggy releases which very often provide worse results than the previous versions, and of course the obvious back-tracking from the “free upgrades for life” sales pitch they hooked the long-time customers with. With the current quality control, they will start losing the new customers who gave them a breath of life when they changed the model. I was able to put up with buggy releases when I wasn’t paying for the updates. But even if I fell for their sob story, I wouldn’t be willing to pay for updates of the quality I read about in the release notes threads.
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So my year has run out and I now have to pay for an upgrade BUT when I go to the upgrade page its not really an upgrade I am paying for - its a minor front end enhancement and a whole bundle of bug fixes.
If I was getting new functionality then yes, great but to pay to have the software fixed when it should not have been rolled out broken anyway is unfair. So I will continue with my glitchy versions for now and hope another software company rolls something out in the future to replace it.
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You can always just keep using all the Topaz programs that you have. If you do wish to upgrade because you hear that some newer version is much, much better then you can do an upgrade. The $100 bucks minus any discount is quite reasonable in my opinion, relatively speaking.
Every time I think I might finally pay for an upgrade, I see a flurry of postings here that convince me to wait because the latest update has some issue, or degraded result that makes people ask how to roll back…
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@drdancm - The problem arises when there are no features you want, but there are bugfixes you do want or need. It was a problem with the model that was brought up shortly after the announcement but just like most of the other comments in this thread, there was never any official response. They have put out “major releases” to the products which have the new licensing model and I cannot think of any that should have been considered “major” when it happened.
@Studiowise - You can always try complaining to them that you should get the update at no charge (maybe only that one specific one) since it has some specific bugfixes you need. I wouldn’t hold my breath, but you can try.
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I just tried to update Sharpen alone and saw no option to upgrade for $49.99 as stated below:
After your first year of free upgrades is complete, you can buy another year at any time in the future - for any single product for $49.99. If you own multiple products, you can activate a year of account-wide upgrades for $99.99
