Adobe Photoshop, the world’s most popular photo editing software, is set to become available for free to users in the coming weeks. The move comes as part of Adobe’s plan to make its software more accessible and user-friendly. Adobe has already made changes to its pricing model for Photoshop, including a $5 per month subscription fee and a $100 annual subscription fee. The move is a major step forward for Adobe, which has been struggling to keep up with the competition in the photo editing market. Photoshop is used by millions of people around the world, and it is one of the most popular programs on the market.
Adobe Photoshop has been a paid product for its entire lifetime (unless you sail on the high seas), but now the company is testing a free version accessible through the web.
The Verge reports that Adobe has started testing free access to the Photoshop web app, which initially launched in October of last year for paying Creative Cloud customers. Adobe has opened up the web app to free accounts in Canada, which the company describes as a “freemium” experience. Adobe VP of digital imaging Maria Yap told The Verge, “We want to make [Photoshop] more accessible and easier for more people to try it out and experience the product.”
The plan is that some functionality in the web app will eventually require a paid subscription, though it’s not clear if a full Creative Cloud subscription will be required, or if Adobe will introduce a cheaper web-only plan. The first option would be similar to Microsoft 365, where limited web and mobile Office apps are available for free, and a subscription includes all features and the option to use the full desktop applications.
There’s no timeline on when the free web-based Photoshop could roll out to more people.
Source: The Verge
