Photoshop CS6 just locked my files behind a paywall.

[kadjar]

Not intentionally or as a scummy sales technique, but the effect is the same.

I've been working on some significant assets all day. I save intermittently, but it had probably been several hours since my previous save - the new CS6 autosave and recover function has spoiled me.

I try to fill a layer, and CS6 unexpectedly crashes. I wince and reopen CS6, knowing that my files should all be recovered. They are, and one by one, I begin saving my many open documents. Before I can get to them all, however, Photoshop crashes again.

Except this time, I can't open Photoshop - the beta has suddenly expired. There was no warning or countdown, it just ended. My files are floating in CS6's recovery cache somewhere, waiting for me to enter a valid license code.

Now, I know that I probably shouldn't be working on critical assets in beta software, that it's probable that I can dig through my hard drive and find the files in the cache, and that at worst, I can pony up a monthly fee to get in and retrieve my files. None of that stops me from being a little pissed at Adobe.

A countdown clock would have been nice.