What you need to know
- Adobe is launching a new Photoshop mobile app on iOS today, with an Android app coming in the future.
- You can fill out a form for a chance to try the Photoshop on Android beta when it’s available — but participation isn’t guaranteed.
- The full version of the app is available as part of an $8/mo. subscription.
The conversation about photo editing software starts with Adobe, but the brand’s offerings have been light on Android. There’s the Photoshop Express app, which is a lightweight version of Photoshop that doesn’t come close to matching the feature set of the desktop counterpart. Now, Adobe is announcing a new version of Photoshop for mobile that gets a lot closer to the full-fledged experience, with support for PSD files and unlimited layers.
The app is available on iOS starting today, with support for Android to follow. The app’s functionality appears to match the capabilities of Adobe’s version of Photoshop for iPad. The new mobile app includes precise selection and editing tools, including removing, recoloring, and replacing objects, according to Adobe’s blog post. There are also advanced removal tools, like the Spot Healing Brush.
The Photoshop app for mobile adds support for Adobe’s generative AI suite with Firefly, which includes Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Text to Image.
“Photoshop on the phone is not intended to replace Photoshop on the desktop, particularly for Photoshop users who already harness the full power and precision of the desktop app,” the company says. “While the Photoshop desktop app has deep and powerful tools that enable precision editing on larger screens, Photoshop on the phone is built to empower mobile-first creators who may just be getting started, want to create wherever they are whenever they want and may be new to Photoshop and its power.”
When the app arrives on Android, some premium features will be locked behind a paywall. Adobe is offering a “Photoshop Mobile + Web” subscription plan cheaper than its standalone prices for Photoshop or the Photography Bundle on desktop. It’s available for $8 per month or $70 per year through the Apple App Store, and a similar arrangement will presumably be available through the Google Play Store in the future.
Any of the existing Photoshop subscriptions for desktop also offer access to the new mobile and web apps, the company explains.
To be one of the first to try the Photoshop app for Android, you can sign up here. The form gives users a chance to be part of the Adobe Photoshop on Android Beta, but signing up doesn’t guarantee you a spot. To complete the form, you’ll need to provide your phone’s model number and RAM amount. This could be a sign that Adobe Photoshop for Android requires certain hardware to run, or requires certain hardware for specific features.
When it launches, the new Photoshop mobile app could be most impactful for users of the best Android tablets, which currently don’t offer an alternative to the Photoshop for iPad app.