Leaving Creative Cloud as a designer: the checklist
What stops working the day the subscription ends, what to export while you still can, which files still open afterwards, and an honest map of what a browser editor covers and what it does not.
Beginner5 min readUpdated 27 September 2026Editor · PSD import
On this page
What stops on the day
| Thing | What happens | Do first |
|---|---|---|
| The apps | Stop opening once the plan ends | Finish or export anything mid-job |
| Adobe Fonts | Deactivate on every machine; documents fall back to another font | List the fonts you use; license, or pick Google Fonts equivalents, and test them in the files that matter |
| Libraries (colours, styles, assets) | No longer accessible in the apps | Export swatches as .ase and save assets as SVG or PNG |
| Cloud documents | Read-only, then removed after the retention period | Download every cloud document as a local file |
| Your local files | Untouched | Nothing; they are files |
Which files still open afterwards
| Format | Opens elsewhere | What to do before cancelling |
|---|---|---|
| PSD | Yes, in most layered editors, including the Voidcanvas Editor: layers, groups, masks, text, adjustments and styles, with smart objects and vector shapes as pixels | Rasterise smart objects you need to keep editable, or keep their source files. Make sure the fonts used are files you own. |
| AI (Illustrator) | Rarely as editable vectors | Export every AI file you care about as SVG (editable) and PDF (exact). Keep the AI file too. |
| INDD (InDesign) | Almost nowhere | Export IDML (for Affinity Publisher or Scribus) and a PDF of each document. Package the fonts and links. |
| Everywhere | Nothing. The Voidcanvas Editor opens PDFs as layers. | |
| Lightroom catalogue | Only in Lightroom | Export the photos with edits applied, and the catalogue as XMP sidecars if you want the edit data. |
| XD, After Effects, Premiere projects | Not in Voidcanvas; specialised tools exist | Export finished assets and, where offered, an interchange format. |
The checklist
- Fonts: a list of every typeface in current client work; each one licensed as a file you own, or replaced with a Google Font and the files updated and re-exported.
- Every AI file exported as SVG and PDF; every INDD as IDML and PDF with fonts and links packaged.
- Smart objects you still need editable: rasterised in a copy, or their source files saved next to the PSD.
- Actions and scripts you rely on: written down as steps, and an equivalent found (templates, a brand kit, batch resize) or accepted as manual.
- Libraries: swatches as .ase, logos as SVG and PNG, text styles noted.
- Cloud documents downloaded; the Creative Cloud Files folder copied somewhere ordinary.
- One CMYK-critical job identified, if you have one, and a plan for it (printer converts, or a desktop layout app for that job).
- A trial run: open your three most important PSDs in the new tool and read the import report before the plan ends, while you can still fix things in Photoshop.
What a browser editor covers, honestly
| You used | In Voidcanvas | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshop for layered design, retouching, type, export | The Editor | Layers, masks, adjustment layers, selections, retouching, layer styles, type, PSD import. See Coming from Photoshop for the full map. |
| Photoshop for CMYK prepress, soft proofing, Camera Raw | Not covered | RGB export only; printers convert. For raw processing use a raw developer and bring in the result. |
| Illustrator for logos and icons | Partly | Shape layers, the Pen tools, Pathfinder and SVG export cover simple vector work. Complex illustration wants a vector app (Inkscape, Affinity). |
| InDesign for multi-page documents | Not covered | The Editor is single-page with boards. Brand guidelines export as a multi-page PDF from Studio, but a book or catalogue needs a layout app. |
| Libraries for brand assets | Brand kit and the brands library | Colours, fonts, logos and rules per brand, loaded into any design, with checks before export. |
| Actions for repeat work | Templates, Resize to every format, Studio formats | Not scripting, but it covers the common cases: same design in every size, same setup every time. |
| Adobe Fonts | Google Fonts, or font files you add | Installed fonts are not listed; add the font file, and it is saved inside the design so it travels with it. |
| Cloud documents and sync | Files on your device; optional encrypted account sync | Nothing leaves the device readable. |
How Voidcanvas handles the move
Open a PSD and the Editor reports what carried over and what it had to render as pixels, so you know before you start. Fonts missing from a PSD are listed and can be replaced or loaded from a file. The tool keys and most shortcuts are Photoshop's. There is no subscription, no account requirement and no cloud library: designs are in the browser on your device or as .void files on disk, and the desktop app keeps them in a folder you choose. What it does not do is on the table above rather than in a footnote.
Can I still open my PSD files after cancelling?
Yes. A PSD is a file on your disk and it opens in other layered editors. In the Voidcanvas Editor, layers, groups, masks, text, adjustments and styles come through; smart objects and vector shapes arrive as pixels, with a report of what changed.
What happens to Adobe Fonts when I cancel?
They deactivate on every machine. Documents that use them fall back to another font wherever they are opened next. List the fonts in your current work and license or replace each one before the plan ends.
Is a browser editor enough for a freelance designer?
For layered design, retouching, type, social and print export, yes. For CMYK prepress, raw processing, complex vector illustration and multi-page layout, no; keep or find a desktop tool for those jobs. Most freelancers have one such job a year and can plan around it.