‘Blackest Ink’ Maker Recreates Adobe’s Paywalled PANTONEs With ‘FREETONE’ Plugin

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Update: Adobe has responded to say that it is “currently looking at ways to lessen the impact on our customers” as PANTONE revises its business model. At present, users have access to up to 14 color books through Creative Cloud subcriptions. The full statement can be found below.

The skies have turned gray for creatives with the removal of PANTONE’s catalog of swatches from Adobe apps like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, leaving patches of black in their wake. To continue using the colors from November, users will have to pay a subscription fee due to licensing changes between the two firms.

Update (Nov 7, 2022): In a statement, Ashley Still, senior vice president, digital media marketing, strategy & global partnerships at Adobe responds: “As we had shared in June, PANTONE decided to change its business model. Some of the PANTONE Color Books that are pre-loaded in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign were phased-out from future software updates in August 2022. To access the complete set of PANTONE Color Books, PANTONE now requires customers to purchase a premium license through PANTONE Connect and install a plug-in using Adobe Exchange.”

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