Adobe releases a free version of Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is the default tool when it comes to photo editing. However, its use requires a subscription to one of the Adobe Creative Cloud plans or a full license that implies an outlay of several hundred euros. The company, however, wants to change this situation. At least partially. As? Through a new version of Adobe Photoshop, completely free.

The only requirement to use this version of Adobe Photoshop for free is an Adobe Creative Cloud account. That is to say: you do not need to have an active subscription, but you do need to have registered on the platform, which is entirely free.

Another important nuance of this free version of Adobe Photoshop is that it is a variant limited in functionality. That is to say: you will not find the hundreds of options the payment application offers.

It is also essential to indicate that this version of Adobe Photoshop free works through the web, in the cloud. It is not an application you download to your computer, like almost all the tools in the Creative Cloud suite.

But hadn’t Adobe announced a version of Photoshop on the web before?

This version of Adobe Photoshop on the web is not new. The company first announced it at Adobe MAX 2021. However, at the time, the approach was a bit different.

• It was initially necessary to have an active paid subscription to Adobe CC to create a cloud document using the web version of Adobe Photoshop.
  • From now on, that won’t be necessary. Anyone with an Adobe account – even if they don’t have an active subscription – can use Adobe Photoshop for free from the web.
• The initial purpose of the web version of Photoshop was to make it easier for Adobe CC subscribers to share their work with others and for both the author and those with whom the file was transferred to make basic edits from within. Browser (without having to download the Photoshop desktop app). This was ideal, for example, for design studios that share their work with clients.
  • After today’s announcement, the goal is broader. The idea is that anyone who has to retouch a photograph should go to this free version of Adobe Photoshop available on the web.

This strategy is similar to the one the company has applied for years with Adobe Lightroom. Anyone can use the app from their mobile phones without a paid subscription. However, certain features, such as RAW image editing, are only possible if you have one of the Creative Cloud plans.

Initially, this free version of Adobe Photoshop will be available in Canada, although the idea is to expand it to other countries. In parallel, the company will continue to add more options to this web version of Adobe Photoshop.