Adobe Photoshop Online Version Officially Launched, Featuring Popular AI Tools

Adobe's Photoshop web service, a simplified online version of the company's desktop photo editing application, was officially released on Wednesday, September 27th after nearly two years of testing. According to information shared by Adobe, Photoshop Web Edition features popular content-aware fill and content-aware scale tools, just like the recently released desktop version of Photoshop.

These features are powered by Adobe's Firefly AI model, which can be used for commercial purposes and allows users to quickly add, remove, or expand images based on text-based descriptions in over 100 languages, while matching the lighting conditions and perspective of the original image.

Photoshop Web Edition also offers many commonly used tools similar to the desktop version, but with a redesigned layout for a more streamlined user experience for new users. This includes the context-aware taskbar feature added to the desktop version of Photoshop earlier this year, which provides the most relevant workflow step suggestions.

Tools with similar workflows, such as selection and image retouching tools, have been named and grouped on the toolbar for easier navigation. Experienced creatives can disable this view and choose to use the appearance of the desktop version of the Photoshop user interface. Adobe stated that patch tools, pen tools, smart object support, and polygonal lasso, among other features of the desktop version of Photoshop, will be added soon.

Photoshop Web Edition also allows users to invite others to collaborate on projects and allows non-subscribers to view and comment on files.

The web version of Photoshop is included in all paid Photoshop plans (starting at $9.99 per month) and is not offered as a free option at the time of release. After releasing the initial test version of Photoshop Web Edition in early June last year, Adobe began testing a "freemium" version of the Photoshop Web Edition experience.

The company had expressed its desire to offer a free version of the service that provides most of the core features of the desktop version of Photoshop. However, Ashley Still, Senior Vice President of Digital Media at Adobe, stated that the creative software giant "currently has no plans to offer a freemium product." New users can learn about Photoshop Web Edition through "free interactive demos and in-app tutorials" on the Adobe website before subscribing.