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The one thing stopping me from switching to ChromeOS full-time is Photoshop
Twelve years later and Photoshop is still missing ChromeOS support
I've used ChromeOS off and on since the beginning. Heck, before ChromeOS, I was playing with netbooks that ran Windows and Linux. I've loved cheap laptops for as long as I can remember, trying to eke what I can out of affordable and readily available tech. While I work primarily at a desktop these days (we all need a command center, don't we), after a long absence, I've also picked up a couple of Chromebooks to get lighter work done, with an emphasis on lighter.
Best Photoshop alternatives for Chromebooks in 2024
Don't let the lack of Photoshop keep you away from using ChromeOS; there are plenty of alternatives
It's not often that we see a web browser become a fully-fledged OS. And yet, that's exactly what happened with Google's Chrome. ChromeOS, Google's lightweight operating system, started out as little more than hubs for checking e-mail and watching YouTube, but times have changed.
How to resize an image in Photoshop on your phone or tablet
Shrink those Pro-mode photos and save yourself some storage space
With most budget Android phones offering a 48MP, 108MP, or 200MP camera on the back, it's easy to capture huge-size pictures in full-resolution mode. While these large pictures offer excellent details, they aren't suitable for sharing on social media or web services. Most websites limit the file upload size, and you may receive errors while uploading pictures. It's time to resize such heavy images on your phone or desktop.
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are coming to the web with big Chromebook implications
Take that, Windows
Chrome OS has a ton of great things going for it, but access to familiar software tools has long been a sore point. We've got Android apps, sure, and more recently Linux programs, but for a large part users on Chrome OS are restricted to using whatever's available on the web. That's meant no programs like Photoshop and Illustrator for Chromebooks ... at least, until now. Chromebook users (and web users in general) will be glad to know Adobe is launching a web edition for both Photoshop and Illustrator, so your Windows friends can finally stop mocking you for not having a "real computer."
The idea of Photoshop on a phone-sized screen may sound a little funny, but Adobe's Photoshop Camera still does its best to bring pro-level AI-powered features to the masses on their mobile devices. The app exited its beta testing period earlier this year, and now it's adding support for a key feature that should make it much nicer to use at night — that's right, dark mode has arrived.
Adobe's Photoshop Camera app is out of beta (APK Download)
Because the world needs more filters, and they may as well be AI-powered
Adobe first announced Photoshop Camera — another Android app that's not as good as real Photoshop — late last year before opening up early access to beta testers. Pre-registration for the stable version came a couple of months ago, and now it's available to all on the Play Store.
Adobe announces Photoshop Camera with 'AI-powered' filters (Update: Up for pre-registration)
Helping you up your Instagram game
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Adobe has announced a new app in Photoshop Camera. As its name implies, Camera leverages Adobe's image processing chops to apply effects to photos in real time, ostensibly circumventing the need to use the company's other software to add them after the fact.
The main reason I don't use a Chromebook for my work here at AP is that I can't run full Photoshop on it. Proper watermarking is one use case that hasn't been possible in the Photoshop Express Android app, but the functionality has been greatly improved in the latest update — even though most people will have found another solution for this by now.
Social media stars finally have an Adobe video app just for them. Adobe announced its Project Rush cross-device video editing app in June 2018, revealing a platform designed for individuals creating and publishing video content for the web. Now it officially has a name — Premiere Rush CC — and an availability timeline for Android.
Adobe Photoshop Express is one of the more popular photo editors on Android. It recently passed 100 million downloads from the Play Store, leaving competitors like VSCO and Snapseed in the dust. The app has also picked up a few new tricks, including that most important of photo-editing features: stickers.
Adobe Photoshop Express has added a handful of useful new features. In an update this week, the mobile photo editor got the ability to automatically adjust the perspective of wonky photos with a single tap, as well as a vignette slider and a couple of quality-of-life improvements.
Adobe's Max 2017 event was today, where the company announced plenty of new apps and updates for its Creative Cloud suite. While the spotlight was mainly on the desktop, the mobile apps have also received a few improvements as well. Lightroom for Android was updated with a tablet UI and enhanced search abilities, but the Photoshop Express app is receiving a few new features as well.
Adobe has long since abandoned the idea of producing "real" versions of Photoshop for mobile devices. Instead, it's fond of bite-sized apps that do a few image manipulation tricks with a simpler interface. Two of them are getting updates today: Photoshop Mix and Photoshop Express. One is getting a lot of features, and the other is only getting one.
Photoshop and other Adobe programs are big, complicated, and expensive, the domain of professional graphic designers and photographers. Not everyone can handle them - not even their toned-down "Elements" versions - but Adobe would very much like for everyone to still give them some money. To that end, the company has introduced a concept for what it calls "intelligent digital assistant photo editing." It's a voice-controlled photo editor, and it's kind of insane - check the video below to see what I mean.
Remember when Adobe at least pretended it was making a "real" version of Photoshop for Android? That was nice. Now we have no less than four "Photoshop" apps - Photoshop Express, Photoshop Mix, Photoshop Sketch, and the new Photoshop Fix. Separating and dumbing down the program's functions into bite-sized mobile experiences makes a certain kind of sense, but as someone who's been using the desktop program for half his life, I can't help but be annoyed at the nebulous branding.
We all long for the day when the full version of Photoshop can be used on a mobile device, but for now we will have to settle for its lesser siblings. Adobe has just released Photoshop Sketch and Comp CC on Android, bringing two graphic design and creation apps to the platform, plus updating Illustrator Draw with new features.
Last week, CodeWeavers announced that after three years of development, a preview version of CrossOver for Android would be released. Why was I so excited? Because CrossOver allows you to run Windows programs on Mac and Linux, and they brought their expertise over to Android. After trying out the Preview version for a week (which you can sign up for here), I'm extremely impressed by its capabilities, despite some major limitations.
June didn't see any huge releases in terms of Android apps, though we did finally get a publicly-available version of the Kodi Media Center, and Photoshop for Android (yes, yet another version of Photoshop). There are also some new tools for cloud storage fans, and probably the best cooking app on the Play Store. We've got some notable extras (especially if you're a Stephen Colbert fan). Here in no particular order are the best seven new apps from June, along with some honorable mentions.
Adobe, would you just pick a version of Photoshop for Android and stick with it? After unceremoniously dumping the conventional image editor Photoshop Touch last month and leaving us with the more Instagram-style Photoshop Express, Adobe has now released Photoshop Mix on the Play Store after a period of iOS exclusivity. This app is more powerful than Express, but less powerful than Touch, and attempts to bring a more manageable interface to phones.
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Adobe brought the stripped down Photoshop experience to Android tablets back in 2011, and added a version for phones in 2013. In a blog post today, the company says the all-in-one approach doesn't make as much sense. Therefore, Adobe will be releasing three new "capture" apps called Color CC, Brush CC, and Shape CC. The classic Photoshop Touch apps are being discontinued and will be pulled from the Play Store on May 28th.