Adobe just dropped a bombshell: real Photoshop on your iPhone. Not Photoshop Express. Not Photoshop Lite. The actual thing.
The app launched globally today for iOS users. Android folks? They'll have to practice patience until late 2025. Consider it a character-building exercise.
This isn't just another mobile editor. It's Photoshop with its professional pants on. Start a project at your desk, tweak it on your commute, finish it while pretending to watch your kid's soccer practice. The seamless integration with Photoshop on the web makes it all possible.
The free tier is surprisingly generous. You get the Spot Healing Brush, Tap Select, layers, masks, and even Adobe's Firefly AI tools. It's like they forgot to run the feature list by their accountants first.
Premium features? That's where Adobe remembers they're a business. Object Select, Magic Wand, Content Aware Fill, Clone Stamp, and the Remove Tool cost $7.99 monthly or $69.99 annually. But existing Photoshop subscribers get these features included. How thoughtful of them.
Adobe's product lineup now reads like a confused family tree. There's Photoshop proper, Photoshop Express ($4.99/month), Adobe Express, and now this. Someone in marketing must be enjoying the chaos.
This isn't just another update. It's Photoshop finally admitting that phones are computers too. The interface has been completely reimagined for touch, making it feel native to mobile rather than a cramped desktop port.
Why this matters:
- The great divide between mobile and desktop creativity just vanished. Your phone is now a legitimate professional tool, not just a glorified Instagram machine.
- Adobe's move signals a shift in professional creative work - the office is wherever your phone has reception.
- This puts pressure on both creators and competitors: creators can work anywhere (goodbye, work-life balance), and competing apps need to step up their game significantly.
Read on, my dear:
