Adobe Photoshop for iOS and Android Updated

Published on October 8, 2015

Adobe systems has announced a new, updated version of Photoshop for iOS and Android that is available at no cost for any user that registers with Adobe. This latest version of the Photoshop app for mobile devices contains many capabilities that were previously only available in the full-featured, desktop version of the application and brings them to iPad, iPhone and Android users. The mobile version of the app is known by the name Photoshop Fix, while the full-featured desktop application for Mac and Windows computers is Photoshop CC, with the initials standing for Creative Cloud. The Photoshop Fix app emphasizes fixing photos, while the CC version enables more creative uses of images, such as combining them together or high-end, precise retouching.

Key Photoshop features now available for mobile

Essential Photoshop capabilities for adjusting images are included with the new mobile app, including the ability to edit the contrast, saturation, and exposure of an image overall. Photoshop Fix also provides capabilities for applying a warp to an image, and applying pixel-based edits to retouch minor blemishes or objects you want to remove from an image, such as items found in the background of an image like a light post or power line. Even Photoshop users may find that they don’t need to bring minor edits into the desktop version of the app as Photoshop Fix appears capable of handling minor edits on images that are not being used professionally.

New Photoshop features found only in mobile version

The mobile version of Photoshop includes facial identification and editing capabilities that aren’t yet available in the desktop app. These capabilities automatically identify parts of the face such as eyes, cheeks, and lips. You can then have Photoshop make adjustments on the parts of the face that have been recognized, such as narrowing a nose or creating a more dramatic smile on their face. A technology preview of this capability was provided last month when Apple announced new versions of their iPad. During the event Adobe was widely ridiculed online for limiting the role of a woman at the event, only including a picture of a female model that was being retouched by a male executive. Despite their insensitivity to gender roles at technology launch events, Adobe has created something impressive with these auto-detecting capabilities that make it easier for all users to make basic edits to an image without needing extensive Photoshop training. Adobe is not giving away Photoshop for all users. Its core customers include graphic designers, web designers, and digital artists who will still need the full, desktop version of Photoshop, which remains a paid application. Users can get Photoshop with subscriptions that start at under $10 per month but can easily grow to more than $50 per month if other applications are added to the subscription. With the subscriptions, when users stop paying, they no longer have access to the complete version of the Adobe programs. This latest version of Photoshop for mobile devices helps to take some of the sting out of the subscription model, as professional users will still be able to perform basic edits even if they reach a point when they no longer need the full version of the application. Adobe is also likely to find new Photoshop customers who are introduced to the application through the free version on their phone or tablet.

About the author

Jennifer Smith is a user experience designer, educator and author based in Boston. She has worked in the field of user experience design for more than 15 years.She has designed websites, ecommerce sites, apps, and embedded systems. Jennifer designs solutions for mobile, desktop, and iOT devices.

Jennifer delivers UX training and UX consulting for large Fortune 100 companies, small start-ups, and independent software vendors.She has served as a Designer in Residence at Microsoft, assisting third-party app developers to improve their design solutions and create successful user experiences. She has been hired by Adobe and Microsoft to deliver training workshops to their staff, and has traveled to Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East, and across the U.S. to deliver courses and assist on UX design projects. She has extensive knowledge of modern UX Design, and worked closely with major tech companies to create educational material and deliver UX workshops to key partners globally. Jennifer works with a wide range of prototyping tools including XD, Sketch, Balsamiq, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blend for Visual Studio. She also works extensively in the fields of presentation design and visual design.

Jennifer is also the author of more than 20 books on design tools and processes, including Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies, Adobe Creative Cloud Digital Classroom, and Photoshop Digital Classroom. She has been awarded a Microsoft MVP three times for her work with user experience design in creating apps for touch, desktop, and mobile devices. Jennifer holds the CPUX-F certification from the User Experience Qualification Board and assists others in attaining this designation in leading a UX certification course at American Graphics Institute. She is a candidate for a Master’s degree in Human Factors in Information Design.