Adobe has started testing, for now only in Canada, a free and online version of Photoshop, their popular photo retouching software. Adobe describes this service as freemiumwhich means that many of the options will be available for free, but in order to access some, you will have to pay an amount.
Photoshop, online and free, I would bet on a model freemium so some options or tools would be paid
Users would get free access to a set of tools that Adobe considers to be the key features of Photoshop. Maria Yap, vice president of Digital Imaging at Adobe, explains that in this way they seek «make Photoshop more accessible and easy so that more people can try it and experience the product.”
The first web version of Photoshop appeared last October and it was about a simplification of the application content that allows you to use basic editing tools. Some, like layer management, were present, but more advanced ones weren’t available. Later Adobe has added some updates, including for example collaborative editing modes.
This Adobe strategy contains the germ for make using Photoshop easier for users of computers such as Chromebooks, who will now be able to work with this tool through the web version, without the need for high-power devices. Thus, the expansion of the possibilities of using this software on different platforms continues. In fact, it was not too long ago, in 2018, when it was announced that Photoshop would finally come to the iPad.
From Adobe they have provided us with more details regarding a calendar that allows access to the free and online version of Photoshop in other countries beyond this first experience in Canada. Meanwhile, updates continue to progressively add features.