I don’t think it’s incompetence, exactly. If you’re not going to pay for Photoshop (Lightroom, Audition, etc…), Adobe would rather you use a pirated Photoshop as opposed to learning something else. Because even a pirated version helps them keep their stranglehold on the market.
It’s the same reason Microsoft doesn’t really crack down on pirated versions of Windows.
chiliedogg@lemmy.world 4 days ago
They could crack down more on pirated Photoshop, but they don’t want to.
The money is in the commercials licensing, and people who can’t afford Creative Cloud pirating it and learning it is good for them when they need software for work later.
I’m a massive fan of FOSS. For my GIS work, I use QGIS over ESRI. For 3D modeling, I use Blender. For streaming video, I use OBS. Many FOSS solutions are extremely polished, and even for those that are clunky, they can be made to do what you need with a little work.
But when it comes to photo editing, the reality is Adobe’s overpriced market leaders also happen to be far and away the best products. It’s not even close. Photoshop and Lightroom are untouched by the competition, paid or free. They’re simply excellent products that provide functionality that isn’t replicated elsewhere.