adobe-packager for Versioned Adobe macOS Installs

Why adobe-packager Targets Versioned Adobe Installs on macOS

adobe-packager addresses a specific packaging need: downloading an Adobe macOS installer with a selected application version and either one language or all available language packs. The README identifies system administrators who need to install the same Adobe application across several computers as a primary audience. It also describes users who do not want the latest Creative Cloud release or need an Adobe application on a macOS release that Adobe no longer officially supports.

The repository is small and local. Its top-level files include `ccdl.py`, `ccdl.command`, and `install.sh`. The README presents a Finder and Terminal workflow rather than a hosted service or a documented library API. This makes the project relevant to administrators preparing installer files for deployment, but not to developers seeking a general Adobe management SDK.

The README calls the output a portable installer. Its instructions, however, describe an Adobe package that must be installed through Creative Cloud or a generated application package. The documented feature is control over the downloaded installer, not operation of an Adobe application from removable media without installation.

How ccdl.py Builds an Adobe Language Package

The README states that completed work included fixing script downloads through XML v5 and investigating differences between XML v5 and v4. That indicates that the download flow depends on Adobe XML metadata. The README does not expose the functions, classes, request endpoints, or complete sequence implemented in `ccdl.py`, so its internal network calls cannot be described further without guessing.

The documented user flow begins when someone opens `ccdl.command` and follows the terminal prompts. The user selects an Adobe application, a version, and a language. Entering `ALL` requests every language pack available for that selected application. The project then creates a package whose metadata can be inspected before installation.

Two files matter after creation. The README locates `driver.xml` at `<create_package>.app/Contents/Resouces/products`. It places `application.json` under `<create_package>.app/Contents/Resouces/products/<application_sapcode>`. The README also preserves the apparent `Resouces` spelling, which editors should verify against the generated package rather than silently correcting it.

The value between `InstallLanguage` tags in `driver.xml` controls the desired installation language. `application.json` lists the language interface codes for the application. This creates a practical separation between acquiring the installer and deciding how Creative Cloud should install it.

Installing adobe-packager and Running Its First Download

The README lists three prerequisites: the Creative Cloud desktop application, Python 3, and Xcode or the required Xcode components. It points users to Adobe's Creative Cloud download page and mentions the offline installer under “macOS | Alternative downloads”. Creative Cloud is therefore a runtime and installation dependency, not merely an optional source used once.

If the Xcode command line tools are absent, the documented command is:

xcode-select --install

macOS then displays the installation prompts. After installing the prerequisites, clone the repository with:

git clone https://github.com/Drovosek01/adobe-packager

Keep the cloned directory on the Mac. The README says the script folder must remain available after installation. In Finder, double-click `ccdl.command` and follow the terminal prompts. An alternative is to start Python and supply the path to `ccdl.py`, but the README does not supply a concrete path that can be copied safely because it depends on where the repository was cloned.

For a first run, select an application and version, then enter `ALL` if a complete set of installer language packs is useful. Before installation, inspect the generated package, especially `driver.xml` and the application's `application.json`. The README does not document any automatic validation step for those files.

Choosing Installer Languages Without Assuming Runtime Switching

Entering `ALL` during the adobe-packager prompt requests every language pack available for the selected Adobe application. The README explicitly warns that this does not guarantee that the installed application can switch its interface to every downloaded language. Switching behavior belongs to the individual Adobe product.

For Lightroom Classic and Media Encoder, the README reports that they install with all languages and allow the interface language to be changed in application settings. It identifies Adobe XD 44.0.12 as another case where an all-language package permits selection after installation. The interface change may require restarting the application.

Photoshop and Illustrator are different. For tests documented with CC 2021, the README says changing the interface language after installation does not work in the same way. The documented alternative is to reinstall with the desired installer language or align the operating-system and Creative Cloud language settings, restart the Mac, and then install through Creative Cloud. Illustrator 25.4.1 is described as displaying `en_US` after an all-language installation even though language options remain present in settings.

After obtaining all packs, edit the `InstallLanguage` value in `driver.xml` using one of the codes found in `application.json`. Leaving `ALL` does not produce one consistent result. The README says the installation may use `en_US` without switchable choices or follow the system language with switchable choices, depending on the application. This is a concrete reason to inspect metadata before deployment.

Architecture Selection and the macarm64 Ambiguity

The known-issues list warns that the postfix `macarm64` can mean `macuniversal`. That ambiguity matters when a user expects a package to target one processor architecture but the selected download contains files for more than one. The README does not explain how `ccdl.py` exposes or validates that distinction in its prompts, so the package contents must be checked instead of relying solely on the visible postfix.

The README's resolved-issues list says that an earlier Photoshop workflow downloaded only the Intel installer. Another completed roadmap item says a method was found to download Photoshop native for ARM. These entries document specific changes, but they do not establish that architecture handling is correct for every Adobe application.

Architecture compatibility should therefore be checked per product. A Mac with Apple silicon cannot be assumed to benefit from every package labeled `macarm64`, and an Intel-only download cannot be treated as a universal solution. The README supplies no product-by-product architecture matrix, leaving that verification outside the documented setup.

Where adobe-packager Differs from a Normal Creative Cloud Install

Creative Cloud is a prerequisite for adobe-packager, while the project's documented flow starts with `ccdl.command`, uses interactive version and language selection, works with XML-based download data, and produces package files that can be edited before installation.

That distinction matters when an administrator needs the same explicit application version across several Macs or needs all installer language packs in one package. It also supports a documented use case involving macOS releases Adobe no longer officially supports. These are package preparation goals, not changes to Adobe's licensing or application compatibility.

The added stage also introduces responsibilities. The administrator must retain the cloned directory, use the correct Xcode components, inspect the generated metadata, and determine whether the target application permits language switching. An organization that only needs a standard Creative Cloud installation may find those additional steps unnecessary. The packager is most relevant when version, architecture, or installer-language control justifies editing the resulting package.

Upgrades and License Status for a Python-Local Script

The repository's last push was on 2026-09-13, and the repository is not archived. It has no GitHub releases, so there is no published release series or documented rollback target. The README instructs users who cloned the repository to update it with:

git pull

That command fetches and integrates changes from the configured remote, but it does not explain compatibility between script revisions or Adobe installer metadata. The roadmap still lists splitting `ccdl.py` into separate files, which indicates that its internal organization is unfinished. Local users should review changes to `ccdl.py`, `ccdl.command`, and `install.sh` before applying them to an installation workflow.

The repository license is listed as unknown, and the README does not identify a license file or grant. Public access does not itself grant redistribution or modification rights. The donation link described in the README is not a software license. Users who plan to incorporate the code into an internal deployment or redistributed tool need to resolve the license status separately; the repository cannot support a definitive permission statement from the documented files.

Editorial conclusion

Administrators and experienced Mac users should consider adobe-packager when they need a specific Adobe application version, architecture, or set of installer language packs and can manage its Creative Cloud and Xcode prerequisites. It is not a cross-platform installer builder, a replacement for Adobe licensing, or a guarantee that every application can switch languages after installation. Before adoption, verify that Adobe still serves the required product and architecture, inspect the generated `driver.xml`, and confirm that the target macOS release supports that installer. The repository has no GitHub releases, so upgrades must be assessed from commits and file changes rather than a release history.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Drovosek01/adobe-packager on GitHub
2. Issues
3. README