Adobe Creative Cloud continues to dominate the creative software landscape, but keeping track of all their apps is virtually impossible (I spend hours every week covering Adobe software, and I still sometimes learn something new).
From the industry-standard Photoshop to specialized tools you might not have discovered yet, Adobe’s ecosystem has expanded dramatically in recent years.
I’ve been working with Adobe software professionally for over a decade, testing new releases and tracking the evolution of their creative suite. This guide breaks down Adobe’s complete software lineup with insights on what each tool does best, who should use it, and how they all work together.
Adobe software by category
Adobe’s software portfolio offers specialized tools for every creative need. Here’s the complete breakdown of all Adobe software organized by purpose:
- Photo editing (Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements, Bridge)
- Video editing (Premiere Pro, Premiere Rush, Premiere Elements, Media Encoder)
- Animation (After Effects, Animate, Character Animator)
- Graphic design (Illustrator, InDesign, InCopy, Fresco, Captivate)
- 3D animation (Substance 3D Collection – including Painter, Designer, Sampler, Stager, Modeler, Aero, Dimension)
- Web and UX/UI design (Dreamweaver, Express, Portfolio)
- Audio (Audition, Podcast)
1. Adobe photo editing and photography software
The Adobe software for photo editing is the backbone of the creative industry, with options ranging from professional-grade pixel manipulation to streamlined organizing tools. Whether you’re retouching fashion photos or sorting vacation snapshots, there’s a specialized tool designed for your specific workflow.
Photoshop (desktop, web, iPad, iPhone)
The industry standard for photo editing continues to evolve with powerful AI-driven tools that once required hours of manual work. Photoshop’s latest features include generative fill, which lets you add or remove objects naturally with a text prompt, and neural filters that can manipulate facial expressions, age, and even transfer makeup between subjects.
Beyond photo editing, designers use Photoshop for digital painting, graphic design, and even animation. The learning curve remains steep, but Adobe has added contextual help panels and simplified many common tasks. Most creative professionals eventually learn at least the basics of Photoshop, as its layering system and precision tools remain unmatched in the industry.
Photoshop pricing: from $21.99/month with the Photoshop plan; $19.99/month with the Photography 1TB plan. 7-day Photoshop free trial with each.
Lightroom & Lightroom Classic (mobile, desktop, web)
Photographers who need to process hundreds of images love Lightroom’s streamlined workflow. Lightroom works non-destructively, so your original files stay untouched while you make adjustments, while the clean interface focuses on what matters: color correction, exposure balancing, and batch processing.
Recent updates have brought AI-powered masking tools that can identify subjects, people, and objects automatically. You can easily sync your edits across mobile and desktop and take advantage of cloud storage to access your photo library anywhere.
If you prefer storing files locally and want more organizational control, Lightroom Classic offers a more traditional approach. It excels at cataloging large photo libraries with robust metadata tools and smart collections that automatically sort images based on your criteria.
Lightroom pricing: $11.99/month with the Lightroom 1TB plan; $19.99/month with the Photography plan. A 7-day Lightroom free trial is available with both.
Photoshop Elements (desktop, web, mobile)
Think of Elements as Photoshop’s friendlier sibling, designed specifically for casual photographers. The guided edits walk you through common photo enhancements step by step, from removing unwanted objects to creating double exposures. With a perpetual license instead of a subscription, it’s an affordable entry point into Adobe’s ecosystem.
Photoshop Elements pricing: $99.99 for a 3-year license ($79.99 to upgrade); $149.99 bundled with Premiere Elements. A 7-day free trial is available.
Bridge (desktop)
Bridge serves as the file manager for Adobe’s Creative Cloud, helping you sort and preview files before opening them in other applications. Its ability to batch rename files, add metadata, and create collections makes it priceless for organizing large media libraries across photography, video, and design projects.
Adobe Bridge pricing: Free
2. Adobe software for video editing
From Hollywood blockbusters to quick social media clips, Adobe’s video editing tools handle it all. These applications offer different approaches to the same fundamental goal: telling stories through moving images, whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out.
Take a look at the full list of video tools in our article on the best Adobe software for video editing.
Premiere Pro
Video editors trust Premiere Pro for everything from YouTube vlogs to feature films. Its timeline-based editing gives you frame-perfect control while seamlessly integrating with other Adobe apps. For instance, if you need to replace a sky in your footage, you can send it to After Effects and watch your changes update automatically when you return to Premiere.
Recent updates have transformed how editors work with audio, color grading, and captions. The Essential Sound panel simplifies audio mixing for non-sound engineers, while AI-powered speech-to-text can transcribe your footage and create captions in minutes instead of hours.
Premiere Pro pricing: Premiere Pro plan for $21.99/month (annual prepaid); $22.99/month (annual, paid monthly); $34.49/month (month-to-month). A 7-day Premiere Pro free trial is available.
Premiere Rush
When you need to edit videos on the go, Premiere Rush strips down the essentials into a mobile-friendly package. Create professional-looking content for social media without lugging around a laptop. The simplified interface focuses on the basics—trimming clips, adding transitions, and applying color presets—while still maintaining compatibility with Premiere Pro for more detailed work later.
Premiere Rush pricing: Free; included with Adobe Express Premium plan for $9.99/month. 30-day free trial available.
Premiere Elements
Similar to its Photoshop counterpart, Premiere Elements offers guided video editing for beginners. The step-by-step workflows help you add effects, transitions, and titles without getting lost in complex menus. It’s perfect for family videos and simple projects where subscription software would be overkill.
Premiere Elements pricing: $99.99 for a 3-year license ($79.99 to upgrade); $149.99 bundled with Photoshop Elements. A 7-day free trial is available.
Media Encoder
Behind the scenes, Media Encoder handles the heavy lifting of converting videos between formats. Set up batch exports to run overnight, create custom presets for different delivery platforms, and free up your main applications to continue working while encoding happens in the background.
Media Encoder pricing: Free
3. Adobe software for animation
Animation brings static images to life, and Adobe offers specialized tools for everything from character movement to motion graphics. These applications help you create engaging visual stories through movement, whether you’re designing UI transitions or full-blown animated shorts.
After Effects (desktop)
Motion designers create everything from subtle text animations to full visual effects sequences in After Effects. Its layer-based approach will feel familiar if you’ve used Photoshop, but with the addition of a timeline and powerful animation tools. The expressions system lets you create complex animations using simple JavaScript-like code to automate repetitive tasks.
After Effects’ ecosystem of third-party plugins has created an industry unto itself, with extensions like Element 3D, Trapcode Suite, and Animation Composer expanding its capabilities far beyond the core features.
While the render times can test your patience, few tools offer such creative flexibility for motion graphics and visual effects.
After Effects pricing: After Effects plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day free trial is available.
Animate (desktop)
Formerly Flash Professional, Animate has reinvented itself for modern animation needs. Create interactive web content, animated explainer videos, and character animations with tools specifically designed for frame-by-frame work. The vector-based approach means your animations scale perfectly to any screen size.
Animate pricing: Animate plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day free trial is available.
Character Animator (desktop)
Bring illustrated characters to life by performing their movements yourself. Character Animator uses your webcam to track facial expressions and body movements, applying them to your character in real-time. Set up triggers for specific actions and record dialogue with automatic lip-syncing. It’s revolutionized animation workflows for TV shows like “The Simpsons,” allowing for quick turnarounds on topical content.
Character Animator pricing: Free plan available; premium version part of Creative Cloud All Apps ($59.99/month).
4. Adobe software for graphic design
The fundamental tools of visual communication, Adobe’s graphic design and illustration applications, help you create everything from business cards to billboards. These programs form the core toolkit for graphic designers and illustrators, offering precision and flexibility for both print and digital projects.
Illustrator (desktop)
Vector artists and logo designers rely on Illustrator’s precision and scalability. Unlike pixel-based programs, Illustrator creates artwork that looks great at any size—from tiny icons to massive billboards. The pen tool gives you control over every curve and anchor point, while more recent additions like the width tool and variable fonts have expanded creative possibilities.
The latest versions have improved performance, with smoother zooming and scrolling on large files. New features like the recolor artwork panel and global editing make it easier to experiment with different color schemes across your entire design.
Illustrator pricing: Illustrator plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day free trial is available.
InDesign (desktop)
Publishing professionals use InDesign to create magazines, books, brochures, and digital publications. The master page system lets you maintain consistent layouts across multi-page documents, while paragraph and character styles give you granular control over typography. Its ability to place and link external files means updates to images or text automatically flow through to your layout.
InDesign pricing: InDesign plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day InDesign free trial is available.
InCopy (desktop)
Editorial teams use InCopy to collaborate on text without disrupting the designer’s layout in InDesign. Writers can edit their copy directly in the layout, seeing exactly how their words fit, while designers maintain control of the overall design. This parallel workflow prevents the bottlenecks that happen when writers and designers must work sequentially.
InCopy pricing: InCopy plan for $4.99/month or $59.88/year.
Fresco (desktop, iPad)
Digital painting feels natural again with Fresco. Designed primarily for tablets with pressure-sensitive styluses, it combines vector and raster brushes with realistic watercolor and oil paint that actually blends like the real thing. The live brushes react to how you move your stylus, creating organic effects that were previously difficult to achieve digitally.
Fresco pricing: Free
Captivate (desktop)
While not strictly a graphic design tool in the traditional sense, Captivate allows you to create interactive learning experiences, software simulations, and responsive courses without needing to code. I like to think of it as a bridge between design and instructional content.
You can import existing assets from Photoshop or Illustrator and then add quizzes, branching scenarios, and interactive elements that engage learners far beyond static presentations.
To create software simulations, start by recording your screen while performing tasks in any application, and Captivate will automatically generate interactive tutorials where users can practice the steps themselves. The responsive design features ensure your courses look great on any device, adapting layouts and interactions for desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
Captivate pricing: Captivate plan from $33.99/month (annual subscription, paid monthly) or $359.88/year. A 30-day free trial is available.
5. Adobe software for 3D animation and modeling
Working in three dimensions used to require specialized training and expensive equipment. Not anymore. Adobe’s 3D tools bring spatial design to creative professionals who already know the Adobe ecosystem. I’ve watched these tools evolve from basic 3D capabilities into a sophisticated suite that’s changing how product designers and digital artists work.
Substance 3D Collection (desktop)
I was skeptical when Adobe acquired Allegorithmic in 2019, but they’ve transformed the Substance tools into something that feels like having a digital materials lab at your fingertips.
You can paint directly onto 3D models in Painter, create infinitely adjustable textures in Designer, capture real materials from photos in Sampler, and arrange everything in virtual environments with Stager.
The newest addition, Modeler, finally gives Adobe users a proper 3D modeling tool. Unlike traditional modeling software with intimidating interfaces, Modeler’s VR capabilities let you sculpt digital clay using your hands. Game developers I’ve worked with have cut their texturing time in half with these tools, and product designers can now generate photorealistic prototypes without physical samples.
Substance 3D pricing: $19.99/month for Substance 3D Texturing; $49.99/month for Substance 3D Collection; 30-day Substance 3D free trial available.
Aero (desktop, mobile)
Aero solves a specific problem: how do non-programmers create AR experiences? I’ve seen graphic designers with zero coding experience build interactive AR installations in a matter of hours. Import your Photoshop layers, arrange them in 3D space, and add simple triggers like “play animation when tapped.”
The instant preview through your phone’s camera is oddly satisfying—watching your 2D artwork exist in physical space never gets old.
Aero pricing: Free
Dimension (desktop)
Remember spending hours setting up product photography shoots? Dimension was built to eliminate that. You can drop your label design onto a bottle, adjust the lighting, and render a photorealistic image in minutes. The 3D models and materials library saves you from starting from scratch each time. I’ve used it to create packaging mockups that clients couldn’t distinguish from actual photographs. The time saved on physical prototyping alone justifies learning it.
Dimension pricing: included in Creative Cloud All Apps.
6. Adobe web and UX/UI design software
The web keeps getting more complex, but Adobe’s design tools try to simplify the process. I’ve used these applications to build everything from simple landing pages to complex application interfaces, and they each take a distinctly different approach to the same fundamental challenge.
Dreamweaver (desktop)
Dreamweaver has been around forever, and honestly, it shows. The interface feels dated compared to modern code editors, but it still has advantages for certain workflows. The visual editing mode helps you manipulate page elements directly while generating clean code behind the scenes. When I’m building a static website with multiple pages that share common elements, Dreamweaver’s template system still saves me hours.
The code hints for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript include up-to-date standards, and the live preview means you don’t have to constantly refresh your browser to see changes. That said, many web developers have moved on to more specialized tools. Dreamweaver tries to do everything, which leaves it feeling like a jack of all trades, master of none.
Dreamweaver pricing: Dreamweaver plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day free trial is available.
Express (web)
Adobe Express isn’t trying to be a professional design tool, and that’s its strength. When a small business owner needs social media graphics or a quick flyer, the last thing they need is Photoshop’s complexity. Express strips everything down to the essentials—pick a template, change the text, swap in your images, and done.
The templates actually look good, unlike the clip art nightmares of previous template-based tools. The text frames automatically suggest font pairings that work well together, saving you from common typography mistakes.
Adobe Express pricing: Free plan; Premium plan costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year. 30-day Adobe Express free trial available.
Portfolio (web)
Every creative professional needs a portfolio website, but not everyone wants to learn web development. Portfolio solves this specific problem with minimal fuss. To start, pick a template focused on showcasing visual work, upload your projects, adjust the layout, and you’re live.
The templates prioritize your work over flashy design elements—as any good portfolio should. The responsive layouts automatically adapt to different screen sizes without requiring you to design multiple versions.
While it won’t replace a custom-built site for developers who need specific functionality, it’s amazing for photographers, illustrators, and designers who just need their work online quickly, and it does exactly what it needs to.
Portfolio pricing: Free
7. Adobe software for editing and recording audio
Sound is incredibly hard to get right, and poor audio ruins otherwise excellent videos faster than almost any other factor. Adobe’s audio tools tackle different aspects of the sound production process, from cleaning up podcast recordings to creating professional soundtracks.
Audition (desktop)
Audition does for audio what Photoshop does for images—it gives you precise control over every aspect of sound. The spectral frequency display shows you sounds you can’t even hear (e.g., an air conditioner hum in the background of your interview that you didn’t notice until editing). You can select just that frequency range and reduce it without affecting the voice.
The multitrack editor has transformed how you can approach podcast production. You can record separate tracks for each speaker, add background music on another track, and then use automation to adjust levels dynamically throughout the conversation. The essential sound panel translates audio engineering concepts into simple controls, including making dialogue clearer, music fuller, or sound effects punchier without understanding compression ratios or EQ curves.
The batch processing capabilities save hours when working with multiple files. Apply the same cleaning and enhancement settings to an entire folder of recordings with a couple of clicks.
Audition pricing: Audition plan from $22.99/month or $263.88/year. A 7-day free trial is available.
Podcast (web)
I’m going to be upfront—Podcast feels like cheating. You can record an episode in a kitchen with a cheap microphone, run it through Podcast’s enhance speech feature, and it will sound (almost) like a professional studio recording. The AI separates voice from room echo, fan noise, and even subtle background sounds I couldn’t hear while recording.
The text-based editing is brilliantly simple. A transcript appears alongside your audio, and you edit it like a document. Then, delete filler words, rearrange sentences, or cut entire sections just by editing text.
The audio updates automatically to match your edits without creating awkward cuts or rhythm problems. For content creators focused on what they’re saying rather than audio engineering, Podcast removes technical barriers that previously required hiring professionals.
Podcast pricing: Free plan; premium plan $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. A 30-day Podcast free trial is available.
Other Adobe Software
If you like trying out more niche Adobe software, here are some extra ones to keep an eye out for.
- PDF editing: All the different Acrobat versions, including Reader (for viewing and basic interaction), Standard (simplified PDF creation and editing), Pro (full PDF creation, editing, and collaboration), and Classic (perpetual license version).
- Document Management and Productivity: Enhance your document workflows with Adobe Scan (mobile document scanning to PDF with OCR) and Adobe Fill & Sign (mobile form filling and digital signatures).
- Stock: Get stock images, videos, templates, 3D assets, audio, and more with Adobe Stock. It is integrated with many of the Creative Cloud Apps.
- Fonts: Similar to Stock, Fonts is a service providing a vast library of fonts. It’s integrated into CC apps.
- Collaboration: Work better with your team using Frame.io (video review and collaboration platform), Connect (a web conferencing and webinar platform).
- Social Media: Behance is Adobe’s social media platform for creatives to showcase their work.
- Mobile Creation: Adobe Capture is a mobile app to turn photos into color themes, patterns, and vector shapes.
What’s the most popular Adobe software?
In total, Adobe has nearly 100 (98 to be precise) different products, with the most popular being Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, Acrobat, and After Effects. Most people also know Lightroom, Substance 3D, Fonts, and Stock.
The best Adobe app for you will depend mainly on what you want to do. Adobe offers software for photo and video editing, web and graphic design, drawing, 3D modeling and animation, and audio, as well as productivity and marketing tools.
Related reading:
- How much is Adobe Creative Cloud?
- What is Adobe Creative Cloud—and is it worth it?
- How to get Adobe Creative Cloud free trial
