FAQ

  • What is the Adobe Exchange Program for Creative Cloud?
    This is a free service for our Developer Partners who contribute to our Exchange Marketplace with extensions which enhance or supplement existing Creative Cloud applications. Benefits of the Exchange Program include resources for building on Exchange, marketing and support. While most of the benefits are public, some require Adobe approvals.

  • How can the Exchange Program for Creative Cloud help me?
    We provide developer tools, guides, and support to integrate with Creative Cloud apps. We also provide API services and a way to distribute those integrations on Adobe Exchange, the preferred marketplace for Adobe Creative Cloud users.
     
  • Who can be member of the Exchange Program for Creative Cloud?
    Anyone with an Adobe ID can be a member of the Exchange Program. Some benefits are reserved for those who are active on our Exchange Marketplace.
     
  • Do I receive complimentary developer software with the Exchange Program for Creative Cloud?
    Developer software is available at varying degrees to all Developers. This software can be used only for non-production purposes like development, training, demonstration and testing.
     
  • What is the cost of joining the Adobe Exchange Program?
    This is a gratis program. There is no cost to enroll into the program.
     
  • What is the benefit of joining the Adobe Exchange Program?
    There are several benefits of the new Adobe Exchange Program.

    1. Building Resources
          - Access to developer tools and documentation for Creative Cloud Developer Platform.
          - Common Extensibility Platform guides and samples.
          - Ability to apply to multiple Prerelease Programs at once.

    2. Marketing
         - Adobe Marketing brand guide with access to logos, badges and best practices on social media and publishing press releases.
         - Digital Video and Audio marketing resources.
         - Additional program marketing guides to come.

    3. Support
       - Access to Program, Marketing and Developer FAQ’s.
       - Documentation on publishing to Exchange Marketplace.
       - Ability to contact CCExchange@adobe.com for more support.

*Some benefits require Adobe approval.

Please refer to our website to find out other information and benefits of the Adobe Exchange Program.
  

Q.  Are third-party developers licensed to use Adobe trademarks in marketing their plug-in extension or app that integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud?

A. If you have an Adobe ID and have accepted the latest Adobe General Terms of Use https://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html you have a limited licensed to use select Adobe Trademarks in your Developer Software, on your website, and in printed and electronic communications solely to indicate that your approved Developer Software provides a connection to, interoperates with, is compatible with, or available through the Services or Software, so long as such use complies with the Terms, including the Adobe Trademark Usage Guidelines available on the Adobe website (adobe.com) and the Developer Brand Guide.

Please download the Adobe Developer Terms and refer to item 7.0 Trademarks.

Q. What Adobe trademarks are approved for use by third-party developers?

A. There are three primary Adobe trademarks that can be used to market your integration

  1. Creative Cloud Connected badgeDesignates that your product uses
    Creative Cloud Platform SDK & API services to integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud.

  2. Find it on Adobe Exchange badge
    Designates that your approved product is listed on Adobe Exchange marketplace.

  3. Designed for [Adobe product] logos*
    Designates that your product has been validated for compatibility with the specified Adobe point product.
     
  4. [Adobe product] file icons*
    For use in-product UI and in workflow diagrams to represent Adobe file types.

* Note these assets require additional Adobe validation of the third-party products to obtain assets for download and use.

Please use the Developer Brand Guide as a reference to download approved assets, guide proper usage and final approval to publish or post your marketing materials live .
 

Q. How do I set up an account with FastSpring to collect revenue for my first paid listing?

A. Use this link to create an account with our third-party payment provider FastSpring in order to sell paid plugins.  Your FastSpring key will be emailed to you.  Enter your FastSpring key when prompted when you start to create your first paid listing. 

FastSpring Registration

To complete your setup and start selling items through Adobe Exchange you need to take the following next steps:

  1. Login to FastSpring (https://springboard.fastspring.com/email.xml) and set your payment method
  2. Return to the Adobe Exchange Producer Portal (https://partners.adobe.com/exchangeprogram/creativecloud)
         a. Log in, select the EDIT PROFILE

                b. Navigate to “Organization Info” Tab – to update Business email Id

                c. Goto "Exchange Profile" and update the FS key which you have received from FastSpring

                d. Click 'SAVE AND SUBMIT'

Please contact CC Integrations Review if you need help entering your FastSpring key.

Q. What are the key benefits of the new Adobe Exchange Portal? 
A. There are several key new features we have added to the new Exchange Producer Portal based on feedback from producers:

  • All producers are set up as ‘Unlimited’ rather than the‘Basic’ level. There are no restrictions on number of listings, listing types, while the file size of an upload can be up to 1 GB. 

  • More money – Producers take 90% of each product sale, this applies to any paid perpetual or subscription product. The $5.00 minimum price point has been removed.

  • More promotion and content – Double the number of previews (10), video support, documents like readme files, samples, etc.

  • High resolution image support (e.g. Retina Displays), requires 512 × 512px icon images and 2560 × 1440px featured and preview image sizes.

  • Special messaging and documentation for Adobe Sales staff - Provide messaging to help Adobe Sales and Support staff promote your product, provide worldwide contact details and more.

  • Show your product’s language support – the default is English but if your product supports other languages this will now be shown in the listing.

  • Create or edit listings on a device, not just a computer – need to do a quick change to your listing on your phone or tablet, now you can!

  • Override CC app compatibility (previously Adobe Admins only) – Noticed an error in the CC app compatibility listing, maybe you just found out that your product supports that great new CC version, now you can easily update the listing without having to upload your product again.
     
  • Preview listings before submitting – In the past you couldn’t see exactly how your listing would look or properly review it until it was published, and many producers needed to make changes after publishing, now you can see a preview of the listing before submission.
      
  • Coming soon: Reply to user reviews, CC connected mobile and web app listings and much more!
     

Q. What are the differences between the previous marketplace (Adobe Add-ons/Exchange) and the new Adobe Exchange? 
A. The new Adobe Exchange will bring several improvements compared with Adobe Add-ons, including:

  • All clouds – Previously there were different marketplaces for Creative Cloud, Document Cloud and Experience Cloud. With the new Adobe Exchange, there will be one site, making it easier for users and partners to create and view listings across Adobe’s growing product portfolio.

  • More promotion – Up to 10 slots to provide videos or larger previews. Featured images are now the same size and aspect ratio as the preview images (1280 × 720px). Icons will look sharper and more detailed with a new size of 512 × 512px. SEO – the site is search engine optimized, so it can be found by Search Engines like Google and Microsoft Bing, generating more traffic and usage than before.

  • Install Another Way – If the main CreativeSync installation method fails, Adobe Exchange will present an alternative Download option, letting you download the zxp and use a third party zxp install utility for the installation.

  • Sales messaging to Adobe staff – provide key sales information and contact details, only visible to Adobe Staff (including Adobe Sales Executives) to help them sell and be aware of your solutions.

  • Reviews are editable by users. Maybe you solved a problem or hey had a change of heart, now they can update the rating and the comment. 
      
  • Social – 1 click social media sharing to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

  • More to come – We have many more features coming, including plans for replying to reviews, CC connected mobile and web app listings and much more!  

Q. Can I create a trial version, multi file zxp or privately shared product on Adobe Exchange for Creative Cloud?
A. These features are currently being evaluated for a future release.
  

Q. Can I edit or create patches for trial version on Adobe Exchange for Creative Cloud?
A. This feature is currently not available and its being evaluated for a future release.

Q. If my product was featured on Adobe Add-ons, will it be featured on the new Exchange?
A. For a product to be featured it must meet or exceed the new image size requirements of 1280 × 720 pixels (JPEG or PNG format). Please update your featured image in the new Exchange Portal with the new image size requirement for your product to be considered for featured status.
 

Q. I already had listings published on Adobe Add-ons, what will happen if I do not update them in the new Exchange Producer Portal?
A. Assuming your product supports Creative Cloud (CC), released in 2013 or later, it will be published in the new Exchange starting March 5th, 2018. However, it will not be featured and will not be able to take advantage of the larger previews, up to ten, video support, documentation support or messaging to Adobe staff. It will not be featured as the images are too small to meet the new requirements. We urge you to please update your listing on the new Exchange as soon as possible to take advantage of the new features and present your product in the best way possible.
 

Q. What HTML formatting tags are supported on Exchange listings in the Description and EULA sections for Creative Cloud and Experience Cloud?
A. <h1> </h1>, <h2></h2>
    <b> Text bold </b>
    <i>Text italic </i>
    <u> underlined </u>
    <strike> text strike </strike>
    <pre> </pre>
    <code> </code>
    <tt> </tt>
    <small> </small>
    <strong> </strong>
    <center> </center>
    <font size=”6”> app summary </font>

 

Q. How do Tags work?
A. There are three types of Tags to choose when creating or editing a listing:

  1. Primary Tags – These are for filtering Extensions on Adobe Exchange. Producers can choose up to two from a list of twenty primary tags. The “Most Popular Tags” filter on Adobe Exchange will display the twelve most popular tags. Producers can always go back and edit their primary tags if they are not displayed in the filter.
     
  2. Secondary Tags – Producers can choose up to seven from the same 20 tags and these will be searchable on Adobe Exchange.

  3. Custom Tags – Producers can enter up to two custom tags and these will also be searchable on Adobe Exchange. TIP: Use one-word custom tags. If two words are entered, the custom tag will be truncated to the first word.

  4. Migrated Tags from Add-ons Exchange Listings:  Migrated Tags will be grandfathered if they had more than the allowable 7+2 searchable tags. However, there is a max character count of 256 characters for secondary+custom tags. Delete some migrated tags to stay within the limit if new tags are desired.
      

Q. What is the minimum version the new Adobe Exchange will support? 
A. Creative Cloud (CC), released in 2013 or later. Creative Suite 6 (CS6) or earlier is not supported.
 

Q. Will I be able to update my CS6-only app listing to add CC compatibility?  
A. Yes. We will migrate all products created on the Adobe Exchange Producer Portal to the new Adobe Exchange Partner Portal. If you have a CC version of your CS6 product you can submit a patch and larger previews, etc. Following review by the Adobe Exchange team, the updated product will be released on the new Exchange following testing and approval.
 

Q. I have a product that is compatible with both Adobe Creative Suite and Creative Cloud versions. Can it be listed on the new Adobe Exchange? 
A. Yes. The new Exchange will show that it is compatible with Creative Cloud (CC). You can also note in the Description that it is compatible with Creative Suite in the description section if you wish.
 

Q. How do I list my updated or CC compatible app?  
A. Partners who port their CS6 apps to support CC should create new listings to ensure inclusion in the Adobe Exchange launch. Higher quality content within your listing will yield better results and discoverability. Application listings with the highest quality content will be featured prominently.
 

Q. What are the terms of use for the Adobe Exchange Agreement? 
A. This Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions for your use of the Adobe Exchange service and portal.
 

Q. What is the revenue share for paid products? 
A. For any paid product you offer for sale you will take 90% of the sales revenue. Further details are covered here. You will need to register with our payment provider FastSpring. After you have registered, you will receive a special FastSpring key and a small text reference you need to add to your profile page, so we can ensure all sales are applied to your account.
 

Q. Can I just provide a trial version of my paid product? 
A. If you have a paid product which is not part of a wider paid system you must submit the payable version to Adobe Exchange. No trial versions of products are currently supported for newly submitted product listings. Trial support for paid products is being considered for a future release.
For example, an extension that is a standalone extension which you charge for and where you also provide a free trial you should submit the paid version of the product. If you have a system where the extension is free but must use a paid system, for example a Digital Asset Management system is the chargeable component, but the extension is free, please submit as 'Free'.
 

Q. My extension is a free component of a larger paid system, how much will it cost to list on Exchange? 
A. If the Creative Cloud extension is essentially a free component of a larger system that you charge, the listing is free of charge. For example, you have a publishing or review service which you charge customers for, but to provide a more integrated experience you provide a free extension for Creative Cloud. If the extension is free there is no cost to list it on Exchange. If you charge for the Creative Cloud extension, you will need to list it as a paid product and you will take 90% of the sales revenue from your Exchange product listing.
 

Q. Can I privately share apps via Adobe Exchange? 
A. No, this capability will not be available at launch. There are two main use cases for private sharing:

  1. Multi user deployment of your own extensions – We are updating the online CC Packager that will enable Administrators for Creative Cloud for Teams and Enterprise to package apps and now extensions or just extensions from the Adobe Admin Console. Please note that since all zxp files from Adobe Exchange are encrypted partners will need to provide an unencrypted version of their app to the IT Deployment admin in order to enable deployment. Any zxp files from Exchange will expect a user entitlement and this is not currently supported in this method of deployment. This method of deployment is therefore not linked to, nor part of Adobe Exchange but will be useful to Adobe CC for Teams and Enterprise customers looking to package and deploy apps and/or extensions to their named users.

  2. Beta testing – The capability to offer an early version of an extension to a group of users is due for release on the new Adobe Exchange in the first quarter of 2018. Existing privately shared extensions will still be supported, but you will be unable to change the access rights after these privately shared extensions are migrated to the new Exchange in October. This functionality will return next year. If you wish to privately beta test extensions with a group of users, we recommend using CC Storage and sharing the zxp file with named users. These users can install the zxp file with a third party zxp installer utility such as Anastasiy’s Extension Manager. 

Q. I have an existing privately shared product on Exchange 
A. This will continue to work for users that have accepted their email invitation to the shared product, however no changes to users can be made, specifically you will not be able to add or remove users in the group to which you shared the product until the private sharing feature is fully enabled. We encourage those producers with privately shared products to review their sharing groups and make any changes before February 15, 2018. Under exceptional circumstances, for those producers with an important need to change the users with an existing private sharing listing after February 15th, please contact us and we will look to make requested changes to users within a sharing group.
 

Q. Are there any alternative solutions while private sharing on Exchange is not available? 
A. Yes. If you are a Creative Cloud for teams or Creative Cloud for enterprise customer looking to share and deploy extensions you can use the extension packaging functionality available in the Adobe Admin Console. For more information on this functionality please view the help documentation here. Another alternative is to share an extension or files using Creative Cloud Assets or some other file sharing method. To install a zxp file outside of Exchange use a third party zxp install utility such as Anastasiy’s Extension Manager. 
 

Q. I created my product with the multiple file online Exchange Packager what should I do? 
A. At launch the new Exchange Producer Portal will not support multiple file zxp packaging. If you are a developer, you can use the Packaging and Signing Toolkit to package and sign content manually. If you are not comfortable with packaging the files in a programmatic way we suggest you package your files into a zip file and then submit the zip file as a patch for your existing product. In your listing under ‘Where to find it’, inform the user that they will find the zip in their Downloads folder and will need to double click that file to uncompress it. Provide the steps for what the user should do once they have unzipped the zip file. If you get stuck, contact us.
 

Q. I’m stuck! Can you help me? 
A. It’s all going to be OK. Email us and we’ll help you.
 

Q. Where can I find the guides for Adobe Branding? 
A. Click here for the Brand Guide.
 

Q. How can I get my products Featured and for how long they will be featured?
A. Exchange offers two ways listings can be featured, in the Carousel or part of ‘Editor’s Choice’. In order to be featured in the carousel (shown above), a product listing must have a compelling featured image which meets brand and image guidelines. The carousel appears on the home page and on the app listing page, for example, if an extension worked with Photoshop it would appear on the home page as well as the Photoshop page on Exchange CC. The Editor’s Choice appears on the home page for Exchange CC and does not require a featured image. While a featured image is not required to be included in the Editor’s Choice, it is recommended, so that a product can be featured at another time. In terms of selecting which products get featured, we look for products that stand out, offer great integration with Creative Cloud apps and offer a great experience.

 

Q. What can lead to the rejection of my product/patch? 
A. There are several reasons. Some include:

  1. Not mentioning reason of the patch submission under "Notes to Approver" section.
  2. Not uploading the preview and featured images relevant to your product.
  3. Not writing the proper details for the product to describe it properly.
  4. Not mentioning installation instructions correctly or clearly. For example, writing down how to acquire and install the product but not mentioning where to find it in the point product after installation or not mentioning the zip or any file name that user will get after installation of the add-on.
  5. Mentioning direct third-party purchase links or the direct download links.
  6. Mac/Win compatibility issue. If it is mentioned in the title or description that the product should work on both platforms, but it works on one platform only this will cause a rejection. Developers need to test their product on both Windows and Mac before submitting the product for vetting.
  7. Not following the Adobe Branding Rule (Add the link of Branding rules once it is live)

Q. Can I integrate Adobe Exchange with an existing licensing scheme or my own serial number server? 
A. As a developer, you might want to incorporate copy protection, DRM, or licensing schemes into your products. Adobe Exchange can currently accommodate licensing schemes in which an activation key, serial number, or license number is sent to the user, and the user enters the key to unlock the extension.We offer the ability to send license codes out via FastSpring on behalf of the developers in order for users to activate a product. We ask that developers who have incorporated any licensing into their product send us a list of serial codes or a serial URL during their product submission, and we will in turn enter these into FastSpring. For each sale that is made via FastSpring, an email with the serial code is generated and sent to the user.

You can integrate a third-party licensing scheme for DRM and still sell the product through Adobe Exchange, if your chosen DRM solution allows you to send the customer a license number by email. You, as developer, are responsible for implementing your chosen licensing scheme. There are third-party tools and libraries available to help with this. Our payments vendor, FastSpring, can automatically send an email containing a license number to the customer at the time of purchase.

These are the options for providing valid activation keys through FastSpring:
You can send a simple list of valid license keys to Adobe. Each license key is used once, then removed from the list. FastSpring stores the list of keys.
You can provide Adobe with a script (PHP or JavaScript) that generates valid license keys on demand. FastSpring hosts the script.
You can set up a web service to generate valid keys, and provide Adobe with the URL and authentication details. You host the web service.
You can choose to use a third-party license key generator from one of the supported vendors: SoftwarePassport, Aquatic Prime, CocoaFob, or GameShield.

In each of these cases, FastSpring emails the license key to the customer as part of the purchase process. Setting up the pool of license numbers is a manual process that must be carried out by Adobe. If your product already includes a license number scheme and you would like FastSpring to provide your customers with license numbers, please contact ccintrev@adobe.com before submitting your product for review, or enter details in the ‘Notes to Approver’ during product submission. You can also enter the list of license keys or the license generation URL in this section.

Linking your license server to FastSpring
If you have your own license generator, FastSpring makes POST requests to the URL you provide to generate license keys for your products, using UTF-8 encoding.
Your license generator service should return the license in the body of the response, as a single line of plain text for each license. For example: XYZA-1234-ABCDE-9999-ZZZZ
Do NOT send back a formatted XML response.