Goodnight, Adobe CreativeSDK

Once upon a time, there was a software organization that dominated the creative space. In many ways, this powerhouse is still the goto for any kind of design and layout software. Photoshop will always be around, InDesign is still a must for layouts, and Illustrator is still going strong.

But for one cousin of this software suite, time is up: Adobe Creative SDK. In November 2017, support for the Creative SDK/Aviary offering from Adobe ceased to exist. In order to build out their Creative Cloud, the SDK was the sacrifice. Unfortunately, this means anyone using the SDK was somewhat abandoned.

So, perhaps it’s not completely found the end of life many software projects have seen over time, but the guts and most useful bits are going away, making Creative SDK less of a player in the market of design and image manipulation.

Initially known as Aviary Software Development Kit, Adobe Creative SDK had a focus on features for use in the mobile and web application development and design cycle. The idea was to allow for connected workflows — to design the application is a way that could cross platforms and retain an identity that would be recognizable to end users.

Designers benefited from having tools all in one place regardless of platform. With features like Image Editor UI, Color UI, Market Browser, and Labs, Creative SDK allowed a range of design capabilities in one sandbox. This made what were often time consuming tasks easier, cutting time from delivering a polished end product.

With the truncation of these features, Creative SDK loses its biggest value. It seems the Creative Cloud from Adobe won’t be picking up these features anytime soon. What are the alternatives?

Perhaps the time has come to look outside the Adobe family of products. There are other options with more robust features if we are willing to spread out from the fold.

One such option is PhotoEditor SDK. Built with a similar focus as Creative SDK, PhotoEditor SDK took the existing features and extended them to include much more for developers and designers. One of the complaints of the overall Adobe Suite has always been limitation of features in any one given product. To get full features, a person would need to context switch between applications.

With PhotoEditor SDK, the idea is to get everything done in one place. This includes features absent from Creative SDK such as API engines for rendering and multiple layer handling while including similar features like source code access and a fully customizable UI.

Full Disclosure — I’ve met with the team from PhotoEditor SDK. In talking, their goal is to clearly create a service that is indispensable and long-lasting. The team there is focused on this product (not a suite of offerings, like Adobe), and plans to be constantly updating and developing PhotoEditor SDK for the future. It may be possible in that future to create further tools, to become a platform for designers and developers with features reaching far beyond what it does now.

PhotoEditor SDK is only one of many options, but it shows there are options for Creative SDK users…and many of those options are better than the Adobe version.

It’s sad to see something like Creative SDK go to the wayside, but luckily we are not completely abandoned. The future of design and development need not be under one umbrella. We can continue to build the best (and best looking) applications and give our users what they need the way they want it.