Adobe launches Photoshop on the web
Originally posted on 29 October 2022. Scroll down for updates on release dates and pricing.
Adobe has launched the open beta of Photoshop on the web, an experimental new system that lets users view, comment on and make ‘light edits’ to Photoshop documents in a web browser.
The platform was launched at Adobe MAX 2021, with Photoshop 23.0 and Photoshop on the iPad 3.0.
A similar system for Adobe Illustrator was launched in closed beta.
Share, review and retouch Photoshop cloud documents in a standard web browser
Photoshop for the web enables users to view and edit Photoshop cloud documents inside a web browser: currently, only the desktop versions of Chrome or Edge.
Support for other browsers, particularly Firefox, will be added “soon”.
According to Adobe, you don’t need to have downloaded Photoshop to the machine you’re working from, although you will need an Adobe account and an active Photoshop subscription.
The platform is focused around image review, with users able to comment on annotate documents.
In its initial state, that’s probably the main point of difference to existing online image editors like Pixlr and Photopea, since Adobe describes Photoshop on the web’s current image editing capabilities as “limited”.
At the time of writing, there doesn’t seem to be a detailed feature list, but you can get some idea of what is possible from the documentation for the online workspace and the list of supported file types.
In its blog post announcing the platform, Adobe says that it is initially focusing on “common Photoshop use cases” like image adjustment and retouching.
Updated 15 June 2022: Adobe has released a new beta build of Photoshop on the web, adding support for more editing features, including Curves, Refine Edge, Dodge and Burn and conversion of Smart Objects.
The update also makes it possible to use Photoshop on the web with mobile browsers.
Pricing and release date
Adobe has also announced that Photoshop on the web will be offered under a ‘freemium’ model, with the base application free, but users paying to access more advanced features.
“We want to make [Photoshop] more accessible and easier for more people to try it out and experience the product,” Maria Yap, Adobe’s VP of digital imaging, told The Verge.
The free version is currently being trialled in Canada. Adobe hasn’t announced when it will be avaiable more widely, or what the price will be for premium features.
Read Adobe’s online FAQs for Photoshop on the web
Launch the beta of Photoshop on the web in your browser
(Requires an Adobe account)