Adobe Photoshop review

Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard for digital image editing. It’s been the go-to choice for both pros and hobbyists alike for over 30 years. With its complete set of tools, you can manipulate and enhance images in almost any way imaginable. Artificial intelligence features now streamline workflows and open up entirely new creative avenues. Because of its powerful features, refined interface, and constant updates, Adobe Photoshop has been my favorite image editing tool for over a decade and thus deserves a five-star rating.

Cost

Photoshop requires a Creative Cloud subscription, with several options to fit different budgets and needs. A single-app Photoshop plan costs $22.99 monthly with an annual commitment, including 100GB of cloud storage (or you can prepay for $21.99 per month). Without the annual commitment, the price jumps to $34.49 monthly.

Photographers on a budget should consider the Photography plan for $9.99 per month (annual commitment) instead—this is the one I started with. This plan includes Photoshop, Lightroom (my favorite for photo workflow), and 20GB of storage. For $19.99 per month, you can get 1TB of cloud storage instead. Finally, access to Adobe’s entire suite of creative applications is available through the full Creative Cloud plan for $59.99 monthly with an annual commitment.

While the subscription model provides more flexibility, it means you can’t buy a perpetual license. Despite the pushback from the creative community, Adobe followed through with the decision years ago. If you prefer a one-time purchase and don’t need all of Photoshop’s advanced features, there are solid alternatives, too. Corel PaintShop Pro, CyberLink PhotoDirector, and even Adobe’s own Photoshop Elements all cost $99.99 for a perpetual license.

For those truly watching their wallets, GIMP is a free, open-source option for basic image editing. However, it lacks Photoshop’s polished interface and extensive features. Keep in mind that professional alternatives like Capture One Pro ($299.00) and DxO PhotoLab ($229.00), while powerful, have specific strengths and unique learning curves.

New features and updates

Adobe continues to push the boundaries of image editing with Photoshop’s latest features, heavily leveraging the power of Firefly, their generative AI, and Sensei, their image-analyzing AI. Firefly fuels innovative Neural Filters like Color Transfer, Landscape Mixer, and the impressive Sky Replacement. Sensei powers tools like Generative Expand, Generative Fill, and Generate Image, enabling users to create and manipulate image content with unprecedented ease. Firefly’s generative capabilities extend to creating entirely new images from text prompts or based on uploaded reference images.

The recent Adobe Max 2024 update (version 26) introduced even more generative AI tools, headlined by the Distraction Removal feature within the Remove tool. This intelligent feature automatically identifies and removes distracting elements like wires or unwanted people from images.

Generative Expand, Generative Fill, and Generate Background have also received significant improvements, producing more realistic results with better integration into existing images. Professional workflows benefit from the addition of OpenColorIO (OCIO) support for consistent color management across different displays. Support for 32-bit HDR images and enhancements to the companion Camera Raw app, including new AI features and expanded file format support, round out this substantial update.

Previous updates brought other notable additions, including an Adjustment Brush for targeted edits, bullets and numbering for the Type tool, an Enhance Detail option for Generative Fill, and a Selection Brush for refined selections. The Camera Raw app has also seen continuous improvement, gaining features like Lens Blur and HDR editing capabilities previously found only in Lightroom.

Other recent highlights include the AI-powered Remove Tool, the context-sensitive Contextual Task Bar, Lightroom-style Adjustment Presets, and a smarter Gradient tool. The web-based version of Photoshop is rapidly approaching feature parity with the desktop application, supporting raw camera files and generative AI features, even running smoothly on ChromeOS devices. However, it still lacks certain features like vector path tools and some filters.

Getting started and system requirements

Getting started with Photoshop begins with installing the Creative Cloud desktop application, which manages installations, updates, and online file syncing. This central hub provides access to Adobe News, the Behance creative community, stock images, and a convenient browser for Photoshop plugins. Be aware that Creative Cloud installs several background processes, some of which persist even when Adobe applications are not actively used.

Photoshop requires a reasonably powerful computer to run smoothly. Official requirements provided by Adobe are as follows:

Here’s the merged table with columns for minimum and recommended specifications, noting differences for Windows and macOS where applicable:

I tested Photoshop (and use it daily) on a Windows 11 system with a 3.10GHz AMD Ryzen 7 7435HS, 24GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce RTX4070, and a 1TB 4.0 NVMe SSD. On this machine, Photoshop runs smoothly without major hiccups. While Photoshop ran well on my older system with Ryzen 3 and Nvidia GeForce 1060Ti, I noticed major performance improvements by upgrading.

Photoshop offers excellent touch input support for devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro, allowing for intuitive panning, zooming, and gesture-based commands like two-finger undo and three-finger image scrolling. A dedicated iPad version of Photoshop provides a near-complete feature set for mobile creativity. While Photoshop supports basic finger painting, Adobe Fresco, a free app available for iPhone, iPad, and Microsoft Surface Pro devices, offers a more specialized and powerful touch-based drawing experience.

User interface and experience

Adobe Photoshop is renowned for its large number of powerful tools, yet it manages to organize these features within an interface that finds a balance between being intuitive and user-friendly. Thus whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out with photo editing, Photoshop’s interface is designed to accommodate a wide range of users.

With each new update, Adobe makes Photoshop’s interface more customizable and helpful despite adding new features. You can tailor your workspace to suit your specific needs and workflows, choosing from preset layouts like Photography, Graphic and Web, or creating your own custom setup. This flexibility allows you to arrange panels and toolbars in a way that works best for you.

The key tools are conveniently organized in a vertical toolbar on the left, with related tools and functions nested under each icon. This keeps the interface clean while still providing quick access to a wide range of features. The options bar above the main workspace displays settings specific to the selected tool, such as brush size and opacity. You can also access most tools with shortcuts/hotkeys or set up your own.

Added in 2023 and gaining new updates with each Photoshop version, Contextual Task Bar is slowly becoming my favorite addition. This floating toolbar appears at the bottom of the workspace and offers shortcuts and commands relevant to your current activity. For example, when you make a selection, it presents options for masking, refining edges, and more. This intelligent feature predicts what you might need next, enhancing your workflow efficiency.

Another helpful feature is the live preview of Adjustment Presets. Located within the adjustments panel, these presets allow for quick creative edits, like converting an image to black and white. By hovering over a preset’s thumbnail, you can instantly see how the adjustment will affect your image before applying it.

Photoshop excels at providing integrated assistance and learning resources. The Home screen offers personalized tutorial content and easy access to recent projects. The ever-present Search function allows you to quickly find tools, commands, tutorials, and even stock images – particularly useful for new users still familiarizing themselves with the software’s extensive capabilities.

Photoshop’s interface can be overwhelming for beginners due to the sheer number of features available. However, the inclusion of the Contextual Task Bar and built-in tutorials helps make the learning curve more manageable as you become more familiar with the software.

For those working on touch-enabled devices, Photoshop offers robust support for touch gestures and input. Features like pinch-to-zoom, swiping to undo actions, and pressure-sensitive stylus support enhance the editing experience on tablets and touch-screen laptops.

Selection Tools

Accurate selection is at the heart of photo editing, and Adobe Photoshop continues to excel in providing a broad array of tools for this purpose. The latest version of Photoshop builds upon its legacy by integrating advanced AI-powered features with its classic selection toolkit, making the process of isolating subjects faster and more precise than ever before.

Photoshop’s arsenal of traditional selection tools—including the Lasso, Magic Wand, and Marquee tools—remains indispensable for many users. These tools offer granular control, allowing for meticulous manual selections of irregular shapes and specific areas within an image. They are particularly useful when dealing with straightforward subjects or when you need precise, hand-drawn selections.

To streamline the selection process, Adobe has introduced several intelligent features powered by its Sensei AI technology:

The Select Subject tool automatically identifies and selects the main subject in an image with a single click. It works best in photos where the subject stands out against a uniform background. For me, this one significantly reduces the time spent on manual selections, especially in portrait photography, compared to the old way of removing background. However, in complex scenes with busy backgrounds, I often need to refine the initial selection.

The Object Selection Tool with Object Finder works similarly to the Select Subject tool. When the Object Finder option is enabled, Photoshop detects and highlights objects as you hover the cursor over them. The highlighted areas appear in an overlay, making it easy to select people, pets, plants, cars, and more. This feature isn’t limited to foreground subjects; it can identify multiple objects throughout the image, providing a quick way to isolate and edit individual elements.

Even with advanced AI, some selections—especially those involving intricate details like hair or fur—may need additional tweaking:

The Select and Mask Workspace, as seen in the image above, provides sophisticated tools for refining selections. The Refine Edge brush is useful for perfecting edges where there’s a complex transition between the subject and the background. You can adjust edge detection settings, smoothness, feathering, and contrast to achieve a more natural selection.

Selection Brush functions like a regular brush, but for creating selections, offers control over opacity and hardness. It’s ideal for painting over areas that need to be included or excluded from a selection, providing a more intuitive approach to complex selections.

Going beyond selection, the new Remove Tool simplifies the process of eliminating unwanted elements from photos. By brushing over the object to be removed, Photoshop intelligently fills in the area using AI-generated pixels that match the surrounding content.

This one-step tool is highly effective for removing distractions such as power lines, signage, or even people from the background. While not exclusively a selection tool, it leverages selection capabilities to identify and seamlessly replace elements.

The integration of AI into Photoshop’s selection tools has significantly enhanced their efficiency and effectiveness. In many cases, these tools can achieve in seconds what used to take much longer with manual methods. However, they are not without limitations. For instance, in images with busy or complex backgrounds, the AI sometimes struggles to distinguish the subject accurately and needs manual refinement.

Generative AI features (Firefly)

Adobe Photoshop continues to push the boundaries of digital image editing by integrating Adobe’s Firefly generative artificial intelligence. These cutting-edge AI features empower users to create, manipulate, and enhance images in ways that once required an expert. By leveraging the Firefly AI model alongside Adobe’s Sensei AI technology, Photoshop now offers a suite of new generative tools.

Generative Fill

The start of the show is Generative Fill. This tool allows you to add, replace, or remove content within an image using simple text prompts. By selecting an area and entering a descriptive command, Photoshop generates new pixels that seamlessly blend with the existing content.

For example, you can remove unwanted objects from a scene or add new elements that match the lighting and perspective of the original image. Generative Fill excels in tasks like removing distractions or inserting small to medium-sized objects.

Generative Expand

Generative Expand is similar to Fill, but instead of filling in, it extends the edges of an image. When you increase the canvas size, Photoshop now knows how to fill the new space with content that fits the original scene.

This feature is particularly useful for adjusting compositions without compromising the integrity of the photograph. You can choose to input a text prompt to guide the content generation or let the AI fill the space based on the existing image context.

Generate Image

The Generate Image tool enables you to create entirely new images from scratch using text prompts or reference images. This feature helps you quickly visualize concepts and ideas. Artists and designers can experiment with different styles, subjects, and compositions without starting from a blank canvas.

Generate Background

After removing a background or subject from an image, Generate Background steps in to fill the void with AI-generated content that matches the scene. By providing a text prompt, you can specify the type of background you desire—be it a mountain landscape, a cityscape, or an abstract pattern. The tool then creates a background that integrates smoothly with the foreground elements.

This feature simplifies the process of background replacement, which traditionally required multiple steps and careful blending. Generate Background accelerates this task, though users may need to fine-tune the results to achieve a perfect match.

Powered by Context and AI

A significant advantage of these generative tools is their integration with Photoshop’s Contextual Task Bar. This interface presents relevant options based on the current task, making features like Generative Fill and Generative Expand readily accessible. The text prompt input is conveniently placed within the workspace, streamlining the user experience.

Before utilizing these AI features, users are prompted to agree to Adobe’s user guidelines, which ensure the responsible use of generative content. Adobe emphasizes that generated images should not violate ethical standards or intellectual property rights.

Photography-specific tools

While Photoshop caters to a wide range of creative disciplines, its roots lie firmly in photography, and it continues to offer the most comprehensive set of tools for photographers. From raw file support and lens correction to advanced masking and compositing, Photoshop remains the gold standard for image editing and manipulation.

Sky Replacement

Photoshop’s Sky Replacement tool addresses a common challenge in landscape photography: dull or blown-out skies. This feature, once a multi-step process involving masking and layers, is now automated and remarkably effective.

Found under Edit > Sky Replacement, Photoshop intelligently detects the sky in an image, even when obscured by foreground objects like buildings or trees. Users can choose from a library of skies, ranging from subtle to dramatic, and adjust parameters like brightness, edge, position, and temperature. The tool also modifies the foreground lighting and color to harmonize with the new sky, creating a realistic composite.

The result is a quick and convincing way to enhance outdoor images, outperforming similar tools in competitors like Skylum Luminar, which primarily rely on horizon detection. Recent improvements have refined the handling of complex edges, such as tree lines, by adding adjustment layers and smoother masks, reducing halo effects often associated with sky replacement.

Content-Aware Crop and Fill

Photoshop’s Content-Aware Fill and Content-Aware Crop tools leverage Adobe Sensei’s AI to fill in missing or unwanted areas in images. Content-Aware Fill is ideal for removing objects or blemishes, while Content-Aware Crop allows you to expand the canvas or straighten images without leaving empty gaps.

These tools analyze the surrounding pixels and generate new content that seamlessly blends with the existing image data. While most effective with patterned or textured backgrounds, Content-Aware Fill and Crop can also produce surprisingly good results with more complex scenes. You can further refine the results by adjusting the sampling area and other parameters.

Face-Aware Liquify

Retouching portraits often involves subtle adjustments to facial features, and Photoshop’s Face-Aware Liquify tool provides precise control over these modifications. This tool automatically detects facial features, allowing users to adjust the size and shape of eyes, nose, mouth, jawline, and overall face shape using intuitive sliders.

The Face-Aware Liquify tool goes beyond simple warping and distortion, preserving the natural look and expression of the subject. The ability to adjust individual eyes independently and link adjustments for symmetrical editing further enhances the tool’s precision and control.

Camera Raw

Photoshop’s Camera Raw (ACR) plugin is a powerful tool for processing raw camera files, offering a wide range of adjustments and corrections. ACR provides non-destructive editing, allowing users to experiment with different settings without permanently altering the original image data. The plugin supports a vast array of camera models and file formats, ensuring compatibility with virtually any raw workflow.

ACR offers a comprehensive set of adjustments, including exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, clarity, vibrance, saturation, and sharpness. It also provides tools for correcting lens distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting. The latest version of ACR includes several AI-powered features, such as Denoise and Super Resolution, which leverage machine learning to enhance image quality.

Noise reduction

Noise, often appearing as grain or artifacts in images, is a common problem, especially in low-light photography. Photoshop offers several methods for reducing noise, including the dedicated Reduce Noise filter and the AI-powered Denoise feature within Camera Raw. These tools analyze the image data and selectively reduce noise while preserving important details.

The Reduce Noise filter provides granular control over noise reduction, allowing users to adjust the strength and preserve details separately for luminance and color noise. The Denoise feature in Camera Raw offers a more streamlined approach, using AI to automatically reduce noise while minimizing detail loss. While not as powerful as dedicated noise reduction software, Photoshop’s built-in tools provide effective noise reduction for most common scenarios.

Design and artist tools

Beyond its photography prowess, Photoshop offers a wealth of tools for digital artists and designers. From brushes and pencils to vector graphics and advanced typography features, Photoshop provides a versatile platform for a wide range of creative projects. Its support for high-resolution displays, smart objects, and customizable workspaces makes it adaptable to diverse workflows.

Photoshop’s extensive collection of brushes and pencils, numbering over 1,200, offers a vast array of creative options. Features like stroke smoothing, customizable brush presets, and the Symmetry option enhance precision and control for digital painting and drawing. The Pattern Preview tool allows users to create seamless patterns from their artwork, useful for designing textiles, wrapping paper, and other repeating designs.

Vector tools, including the Line and Shape tools, enable the creation of scalable graphics that maintain their sharpness at any size. Photoshop now supports importing Illustrator files with vector masks, paths, and shapes intact, enhancing interoperability between Adobe’s creative applications. This feature preserves the editability of vector graphics, unlike previous versions that rasterized imported vector content.

The Gradient tool has received significant updates, offering new interpolation modes, adjustable center points, and live preview for precise control over color transitions. The updated gradient panel provides a more intuitive and user-friendly experience for creating complex gradients.

The Adjustment Brush, a recent addition, allows for targeted adjustments to specific areas of an image. Users can select from a range of adjustment types, including Brightness, Curves, Exposure, Hue/Saturation, and Photo Filters, and apply them with brush-like control. This non-destructive editing tool adds an adjustment layer, preserving the original image data. These tools, combined with Photoshop’s layer-based editing system and customizable workspaces, provide a powerful and flexible environment for artists and designers to bring their visions to life.

Mobile design and collaboration

Photoshop’s capabilities extend beyond desktop design, offering robust tools for mobile design and seamless collaboration. Artboards allow designers to create multiple layouts for different screen sizes within a single document, streamlining the design process for mobile apps and websites. The Adobe Preview CC mobile app (now discontinued, but the functionality exists within Photoshop) allows users to preview their designs in real time on connected mobile devices, ensuring accurate representation on target platforms.

Libraries, a powerful collaboration feature, enables syncing of design assets such as brushes, color palettes, and character styles across different Adobe applications, including mobile apps like Adobe Express, Capture, and Fresco. This feature streamlines workflows and ensures consistency across projects.

Cloud Documents, another key collaboration feature, allows for seamless sharing and co-editing of Photoshop files. Saving a document as a Cloud Document enables access from any device with Photoshop installed, including the iPad version. Cloud Documents support version history, allowing users to revert to previous versions if needed. The Invite to Edit feature allows multiple users to collaborate on the same document simultaneously, while the Share for Review feature generates a web link for sharing a read-only version of the document for feedback and comments. These features, combined with Photoshop’s powerful design tools, make it a versatile platform for collaborative creative projects, regardless of location or device.

Typography features

Photoshop offers a rich set of typography features that go beyond basic text editing, making it a powerful tool for graphic designers and anyone working with text-based designs. The software automatically activates and downloads fonts used in documents, syncing them to the user’s library for easy access. A robust font browser allows for filtering by attributes like serif, sans-serif, script, and blackletter, as well as searching for fonts similar to a selected typeface. The ability to designate favorite fonts further streamlines font management.

The Match Font tool, powered by Adobe Sensei, can identify fonts in images and suggest similar fonts available on the user’s system or in Adobe Fonts. This feature is invaluable for replicating existing designs or identifying unknown typefaces. The latest version of Match Font has improved accuracy and can even detect vertical text and multi-line text blocks.

The Type tool’s Contextual Task Bar offers intelligent suggestions for text formatting, including alignment, font selection, kerning, and size adjustments. Live font previews in the font browser allow users to see the effect of different fonts on their text without applying them, speeding up the font selection process.

Photoshop supports Variable Fonts, an OpenType format that allows for dynamic adjustment of font attributes like weight, width, slant, and optical size. This feature provides greater flexibility and control over typography, enabling designers to fine-tune the appearance of their text. The Glyphs panel provides access to alternate characters and glyphs for advanced typographic control. Recent updates have added support for numbered and bulleted lists, with various customization options for list styles. These features, combined with Photoshop’s powerful design tools, make it a comprehensive solution for any project involving typography.

Export and sharing options

Photoshop offers a comprehensive suite of export and sharing options, streamlining the process of delivering finished artwork in various formats and resolutions. The Export As dialog provides granular control over file format, quality, size, and metadata, while Quick Export allows users to define preset export settings for frequently used formats, significantly speeding up the export workflow.

Beyond traditional file formats like JPEG, PNG, and TIFF, Photoshop supports exporting in web-optimized formats like SVG, WebP, and GIF, catering to the needs of web designers. The ability to export artboards and individual layers as separate files further enhances workflow efficiency. Batch export options allow for exporting multiple files or variations of a single file with different settings simultaneously.

Integration with operating system sharing features simplifies sharing images directly from Photoshop. On macOS, users can share via AirDrop, while Windows users can utilize Nearby Sharing or other installed apps that accept images. The Share for Review feature generates a web link to a read-only version of the document, allowing collaborators to provide feedback and comments without altering the original file. This feature facilitates seamless collaboration and streamlines the review process. The prominent Share button within the interface simplifies inviting collaborators to co-edit Cloud Documents, further enhancing teamwork and version control. These versatile export and sharing options ensure that Photoshop projects can be easily distributed and collaborated on, regardless of the intended output or audience.

Content credentials and deepfakes

In an era of increasing concerns about image manipulation and misinformation, Photoshop’s Content Credentials feature provides a crucial tool for verifying image authenticity and combating the spread of deepfakes. Integrated with the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) initiative, Content Credentials embeds tamper-evident metadata into exported images, recording edits and attributing authorship.

This metadata can be viewed on the Verify website, allowing anyone to trace the history of an image and confirm its origin and any modifications made. This transparency helps establish trust and combats the spread of misleadingly edited images, particularly deepfakes. Adobe’s Behance platform also supports Content Credentials, further promoting transparency and accountability within the creative community. By providing a verifiable record of an image’s journey from creation to distribution, Content Credentials empowers users to make informed decisions about the images they encounter and helps maintain the integrity of digital visual content.

Should you subscribe to Photoshop?

Subscribe to Photoshop if…

You need the industry-standard tool for image editing and manipulation
Photoshop has been the go-to choice for professionals and hobbyists for over 30 years. Its comprehensive toolset allows for virtually any image manipulation imaginable, making it a must-have for those who need the most powerful and versatile software available.

You want to leverage cutting-edge AI features
Adobe’s Firefly and Sensei AI technologies power innovative tools like Generative Fill, Generative Expand, and Generate Image. These features streamline workflows, enable entirely new creative possibilities, and simplify complex tasks like sky replacement and object removal.

You require advanced features for photography, design, or digital art
Photoshop excels in a wide range of creative disciplines. Photographers benefit from RAW processing, lens corrections, and advanced retouching tools. Designers and artists have access to a vast library of brushes, vector tools, sophisticated typography features, and robust layer management.

You need a constantly evolving tool with regular updates
Adobe frequently updates Photoshop with new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. Recent updates have focused heavily on AI enhancements, workflow optimizations, and improved collaboration tools.

You want seamless integration with other Adobe products and services
Photoshop works seamlessly with other Creative Cloud apps like Lightroom, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. Cloud Documents and Libraries facilitate collaboration and asset sharing across devices and applications.

You prefer the flexibility of a subscription model
While a one-time purchase option is not available, the subscription model ensures you always have access to the latest version of Photoshop. It also provides cloud storage and access to other Adobe services, depending on your plan.

You need powerful collaboration features.
Libraries allow syncing assets across Adobe applications, including mobile apps, and Cloud Documents enable real-time co-editing and version history.

You are concerned about image authenticity and combating deepfakes.
Photoshop’s Content Credentials feature embeds tamper-evident metadata into exported images, allowing anyone to verify the image’s origin and modification history.

Don’t subscribe to Photoshop if…

You’re on a very tight budget
While the Photography plan offers a more affordable entry point at $9.99 per month (with an annual commitment), Photoshop is still a significant investment. Free alternatives like GIMP exist, though they lack Photoshop’s polish and extensive features.

You prefer a perpetual license
Photoshop is only available through a subscription, meaning you’ll never own the software outright. Competitors like Corel PaintShop Pro and CyberLink PhotoDirector offer perpetual licenses at a lower cost.

You need a simple, beginner-friendly image editor
Photoshop’s vast array of features can be overwhelming for new users, despite the helpful Contextual Task Bar and built-in tutorials. If you only need basic editing capabilities, a simpler and more intuitive program might be a better fit.

Your system doesn’t meet the recommended requirements
Photoshop requires a reasonably powerful computer to run smoothly, especially when working with large files or utilizing AI features. While it can run on older systems, performance may suffer.

You want a specialized tool for a specific niche
While Photoshop is incredibly versatile, some specialized alternatives may offer more tailored features for certain tasks. For example, Capture One Pro and DxO PhotoLab are popular choices for professional photographers who prioritize raw processing capabilities.

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Matic Broz

Matic Broz is a stock media licensing expert with over 10 years of experience using and testing creative platforms for his own creative work. He has personally licensed over 5,000 stock assets and helped 20,000+ creators choose the right subscription services through his work at Photutorial.

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