Free Lightroom 3 Upgrade? It's Possible!

With the new updates to Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom released earlier this year, I decided I'd better figure out a way to stay current with the latest versions. Black Friday and the big post-Thanksgiving Day sales provided the perfect opportunity to do so at a great price. Here's how I did it:

1. Sign in at Ebates. For Black Friday, the normal 6% cash back on Adobe purchases was upped to 10%. Keep your eyes open - Ebates may bump cash back for CyberMonday, as well. If you're not already a member, you can sign up here.

2. Once you've logged in at Ebates, search their store locator for Adobe. Click through the Save2010 link. This coupon expires 11/30/2010, so act now!

3. With the Save2010 coupon code, the upgrade price for CS5 drops from $199 to $149. Make sure you find CS5 and not CS5 Extended, which is more expensive. Add the CS5 upgrade to your cart. I like having the install media on hand, so I chose that option (I'll tell you how to get free shipping in a second).

4. Adobe is currently running a 30% off Lightroom 3 special for CS5 buyers - add that upgrade to your cart, as well. It should ring up at $69.30 - a great price...but with our Ebates cash back, it's even better!

5. Your cart total should be $218.30. You're now ready to Checkout.

6. If you chose the option to have the install media shipped, you can use code BLKMONFS (valid through 11/30/2010) to get free shipping. Sweet!

7. That's it! Complete your order to lock in your savings.

So here's the final rundown of this deal:

• CS5 upgrade - normally $199, cut to $149 with SAVE2010 promo.
• Lightroom 3 upgrade - normally $99, cut to $69.39 with CS5 upgrade.
• Free shipping - normally $10ish, free with code BLKMONFS.
• Ebates cash back - from $13.09 (6%) to $21.83 (10%)

At regular price, you would have paid over $300 for these upgrades. Using the steps I've just shown you, my out-of-pocket was $196.47 (I bought when the Ebates cash back for Adobe was at 10% on Black Friday). So I basically paid just a little less than normal for my CS5 upgrade and got the Lightroom 3 upgrade for free - all with free shipping! Thanks a bundle, Adobe and Ebates!