Through a CSU-wide agreement with Adobe, CSUN students, faculty and staff have access to Adobe Creative Cloud at no additional cost.

The Adobe Creative Cloud is a subscription-based service that provides access to applications such as Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro and many others.

The software is being funded in part by the student campus quality fee, with the different colleges and university divisions paying the remainder. Unlike other universities that offer a reduced price of the software, there is no additional cost for students to access and use Adobe Creative Cloud.

To obtain the software license students can contact the IT Help Center, but must be enrolled in classes and renew the software license each year to continue use, according to Interim Associate Vice President of Information Technology Ranjit Philip.

“The goal is to provide students with access to industry-standard creative cloud apps which help teach skills that give students an edge in the job market and that transfer to the workplace far beyond graduation,” wrote Philip.

Former CSUN students and faculty were using Adobe Creative Suite 6 through the myCSUNsoftware environment at no cost. Since Adobe Creative Cloud became available the aforementioned software is no longer available.

Lesley Krane, professor of photography and visual arts graduate coordinator, encourages students to take advantage of the free software while they are at CSUN. Krane believes that despite the media they may be working in, even in more traditional media like painting, all visual artists need to have some facility with digital tools.

“The software available in the Adobe Creative Cloud has an endless variety of applications, and many faculty and students don’t realize how helpful and necessary these tools are until they have explored the possibilities,” said Krane.

Jorge Perez, 19, a film production major, said he uses Adobe Creative Cloud applications to gain better digital skills as he knows they are tools he will utilize after he graduates. Perez also believes students should take advantage of the many applications since Adobe programs run at a high price.

“I think this is beneficial for students who can’t afford the software because the price usually diverts a lot of people so this new addition definitely will get a lot of students motivated to download it and practice,” said Perez.