Photoshop's high price tag has scared a lot of people in the past, but Adobe is now testing a free version of its popular image-editing app.
Tech news site The Verge (opens in a new tab) reports that Canadian users can try Photoshop for free on the web. Adobe apparently wants to make its app more accessible to people and describes the trial as a "freemium" service. There are also plans to add new features for subscribers to differentiate the paid version from the free one.
Basically, Adobe makes its own version of Canva, which is a free online image editing tool with its own paid premium plan. Adobe has not revealed, according to The Verge, if and when free Photoshop on the web will officially launch, or if there are plans to expand the trial internationally.
We reached out to Adobe to see if they'd be willing to provide us with information about Photoshop's free trial on the web, but were met with radio silence.
Website Benefits
Adobe launched Photoshop on the web (opens in a new tab) last October at its Adobe Max 2021 conference. The browser-based app is a stripped-down version of Photoshop on the desktop with more emphasis on collaboration. You get brushes, layer adjustments, cropping, and more, but you won't have the full arsenal of tools.
For collaboration, you can add comments or edit a work in progress yourself. The idea is that you don't bombard the artist with multiple comments about what to change; you can do it yourself.
One of the best things about Photoshop on the web is that you can use it on a Chromebook. Usage on a particular laptop platform may seem arbitrary, but Chromebooks are an important tool for professionals and students. Adobe has confirmed in a forum post (opens in a new tab) that the standard Photoshop desktop app does not work on Chromebooks.
The browser app alleviates this problem. You now have a version of Photoshop that Chromebook users can use. Currently, you have to pay €21 a month for a device, and if you can't afford it, you're out of luck. It's handy to have a free version of arguably Adobe's best app.
Analysis: The new freemium
Adobe already offers several free applications. There's Adobe Express, a design app with a wide variety of tools, but it locks many of them behind a paywall. There's also Fresco (opens in a new tab), which is a drawing and painting app under a freemium model.
It seems that Adobe is taking a baiting approach with its apps: enticing new users with free versions of its apps while locking the best parts behind a paywall. It will be interesting to see if other apps, like the Premiere video editor, get the free treatment as well.
Along with this news, Photoshop is also getting a new Neural Filter tool to restore old photos (but make them look like plastic).
If you want to try free Photoshop alternatives, TechRadar has a list of the best ones for 2022, including the aforementioned Canva.