The company is now testing the free version in Canada, where users can access Photoshop online through a free Adobe account. Adobe describes the service as “freemium” and ultimately plans to block certain features that will be exclusive to paying subscribers. Several tools will be freely available to perform what Adobe considers to be the basic functions of Photoshop. “We want to fix it [Photoshop] more affordable and easier for more people to try and experience the product, ”says Maria Yap, Adobe Vice President of Digital Imaging. Photoshop on the web. Image: Adobe Adobe first released the web version of Photoshop in October, providing a simplified version of the application that could be used to handle basic editing. Levels and basic editing tools made the leap, but the service did not come close to including the full range of application features. Instead, Adobe framed it primarily as a collaboration tool – a way for an artist to share an image with others and get them to log in, leave some comments and make some minor tweaks and hand it back. Over the past few months, Adobe has made a handful of updates to the service and has also begun to open it beyond use cases of collaboration. Before, one had to share a document on the web from the PC application, but now, any Photoshop subscriber can sign in and start a new document directly from the web. “I want to see Photoshop meet users where they are now.” Adobe’s goal is to use the web version of Photoshop to make the application more accessible and potentially attract users who will want to pay for the full version on the go. The company has followed a similar path with a number of its mobile applications, including Fresco and Express. The web version of Photoshop is a very important offer, as it opens one of the most powerful tools of the company up to the Chromebooks, which are widely used in schools. “I want to see Photoshop meet users where they are now,” says Yap. “You do not need a high-tech machine to get into Photoshop.” Adobe did not provide a timeline for when the freemium version would be released. Meanwhile, the company continues to update Photoshop for the web with more tools, including optimized edges, curves, doge and burn tools, and the ability to convert Smart Objects. The web version also supports mobile for image control and annotation. Adobe also previewed a new neural filter with artificial intelligence coming into Photoshop today. The new “photo restore” filter can take a hit yellowed photo and automatically clean the scratches and restore some of its color. When combined with Adobe’s existing color filter to add color to black and white photos, the two filters can quickly bring an old photo to life, even if the end result looks a bit cartoonish.
