Whether you’re a professional photographer in the making or just someone who wants to ensure each photo on your Instagram grid fits your vibe, there’s a tool out there that’s bound to meet your needs. However, one of the most classic — and popular — photo editing platforms has to be Adobe Photoshop, the most-used online tool for digital art and editing since, like, ever. In fact, it’s so popular that the term “photoshop” has been genericized as a verb for editing an image. (So, if you’ve ever said, “That image is so photoshopped,” remember to thank Adobe!)Â
While there are plenty of folks who have enjoyed the benefits of Adobe Photoshop on their laptops and desktops, many college students haven’t been so lucky, mainly due to the relatively high cost of a subscription (a casual $359.99 for an annual plan, although it’s 66% off for students!) or simply the inconvenience of editing via a computer (since Gen Z does basically everything on our phones these days). But now, that has come to an end, because on Feb. 25 Adobe announced that a Photoshop app is now available on mobile devices — for free! — to help you create images and designs on the go.
“Photoshop’s iconic image editing and design capabilities are now more accessible and intuitive than ever, to meet the next generation of creators where they’re at — and for many of them, it’s on their phones,” Deepa Subramaniam, VP of Creative Cloud product marketing at Adobe, tells Her Campus in an exclusive statement. “We designed a new free app from the ground up specifically for mobile phones so all creators can bring their visions to life with limitless creativity.”
What is the Adobe Photoshop App?
Equipped with Photoshop’s core image and design tools — such as layering, masking, and Generative Fill powered by Firefly — the Photoshop app is made easy to use with a mobile-friendly user interface. This new app delivers advanced editing and design capabilities, with tools for precise adjustments, selections, color corrections, and AI. If you already use Photoshop on a different device, you can easily switch between devices to work on the same project (which is great for those whose need to vacate the computer lab but still have a few final tweaks they want to make — they can just do it on their phone!). Users can also export their Photoshop files to Adobe Express — a content creation app for making flyers, videos, social media posts, and more — for free, allowing them to add animations and music to their creations, then scheduling posts across all major social media platforms.
“Photoshop’s iconic tools and capabilities are now available whenever and wherever inspiration strikes,” Subramaniam says. “We built this new app for and with the next generation of creators, and it’s been inspiring to see the amazing visuals they’ve brought to life — from stunning digital art, to vision and mood boards, album and podcast cover art, fashion look books, memes and beyond.”
How to Get the Free Adobe Photoshop App
The new, free app will be available on iPhones starting Feb. 25 in the App Store, and at a later date for Android users. The app is both free to download and free to use, but there are some premium offerings users can access for $7.99 a month, or $69.99 annually, which includes additional features on mobile and iPad, along with access to Photoshop on the web. (BTW, if you happen to already have a paid Photoshop plan, you will be able to access Photoshop on mobile.)