Adobe Photoshop review
Adobe's pixel-level image editor with AI generative tools, bundled with Lightroom from $19.99/month.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Adobe Photoshop screenshots & video
Adobe Photoshop in 20 seconds
Best for: photographers and designers who need pixel-level compositing, retouching, or AI-generated image edits
Pricing: From $19.99/month billed annually for the Photography plan (Photoshop + Lightroom); Photoshop alone is $22.99/month.
- The Photography plan bundling Photoshop with Lightroom starts at $19.99/month billed annually; Photoshop alone is $22.99/month.
- Adobe Photoshop holds a 4.8/5 rating from 2,466 reviews on Capterra.
- Generative Fill and Generative Expand use Adobe Firefly plus partner models from Google and OpenAI.
- A free, no-credit-card web version of Photoshop powered by Firefly offers basic generative editing.
- Photoshop runs on Windows, macOS, iPad, and a limited web version; there is no full Android app.
Limitations: No perpetual license option; the app stops working when the subscription ends.; Steep learning curve for anyone unfamiliar with layers and masks.; Demanding on hardware, with performance issues reported even on capable machines.
Top alternatives: Affinity Photo, GIMP, Photopea, Pixelmator Pro, Luminar Neo — full list
What is Adobe Photoshop?
Adobe's own FAQ states there is no free version of Photoshop on the web: you can try some popular tools via guided tutorials without creating an account, but uploading and editing your own photos requires signing up for a paid plan or starting the 7-day free trial.
Adobe Photoshop is Adobe's layer-based raster image editor for compositing, retouching, and generating imagery, used by photographers, graphic designers, and digital artists who need pixel-level control that Lightroom's non-destructive adjustments don't provide. The Photography plan bundling Photoshop with Lightroom starts at $19.99/month billed annually, or Photoshop alone runs $22.99/month; Creative Cloud Pro with 20+ apps is $69.99/month. Adobe Photoshop holds a 4.8/5 rating from 2,466 reviews on Capterra.
Standout feature: Generative Fill and Generative Expand, which use Firefly and partner AI models to add, remove, or extend image content directly from a text prompt inside the layer stack.
Biggest weakness: Subscription-only with no perpetual license, a steep learning curve for anyone new to layers and masks, and heavy enough on CPU/GPU that Capterra reviewers report performance issues even on capable machines.
Adobe Photoshop: pros and cons
Pros
- Layer-based, pixel-level editing that remains the industry benchmark for compositing and retouching.
- Generative Fill and Remove tool cut hours off object removal and background work.
- Deep Creative Cloud integration shares fonts, assets, and files with Illustrator and Lightroom.
- Free web-based Firefly editor lets anyone try generative editing without a subscription.
Cons
- No perpetual license; access ends when the subscription lapses.
- Steep learning curve for users unfamiliar with layers, masks, and blend modes.
- Demanding on hardware; large multi-layer files can slow even high-end machines.
- Cancelling an annual-billed-monthly plan within the first year can trigger an early termination fee.
Adobe Photoshop pricing
From $19.99/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photography (Photoshop + Lightroom) | $19.99/mo | Annual plan billed monthly; Photoshop and Lightroom on desktop, web, and mobile. |
| Photoshop (single app) | $22.99/mo | Annual plan billed monthly; desktop, web, and iPad access, 100GB storage, 25 monthly generative credits. |
| Creative Cloud Pro | $69.99/mo | Annual plan billed monthly (promotional $34.99/month for the first 3 months); Photoshop plus 20+ apps, 1TB storage, 4,000 monthly generative credits. |
| Photoshop for Teams | $37.99/mo | Per license, annual billed monthly; business admin tools included. |
What reviewers say
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