When you want to edit a photograph, the go-to program for some time has been Adobe Photoshop. Now part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, the primary disadvantage that many users see is that there is no perpetual license for this app any more. Subscription prices are reasonably affordable at $9.99 per month, but users are forced into a plan that they may not necessarily use frequently.
Setting the pricing structure aside, there are several pros and cons of Adobe Photoshop that are worth considering. Here are the key points to think about before subscribing.
The Pros of Adobe Photoshop
1. There are plenty of design tools to use.
The tools that are available in Adobe Photoshop are suitable for the web and for mobile responsiveness. The interface is very user-friendly so that anyone can begin to edit their photographs with ease. Then there is the sheer number of tools that are available. You really do get to take charge of the creative process with your singular images.
2. It is extremely useful for photo corrections or manipulation.
You can create brand new worlds in Photoshop thanks to the tools that are available. Whether your exposure is a little off or you want to superimpose one image on top of another, there is virtually no limit to what you are able to do. You can even wash out specific colors to create unique visual effects in just minutes if that is where your creative process wants to go.
3. You can edit more than just photographs with PS.
Photoshop has also included the ability to edit videos with the same ease as you can edit photographs. The program is one of the best in the industry to be content-aware so that you can move and patch very quickly. When you add in the complimentary mobile apps that come with your subscription and download from Adobe, there is a lot of value that comes with this program.
4. The integrated stock library lets you have even more control over the creative process.
Instead of spending hours trying to hunt down stock images that aren’t going to cost you a fortune to use, Photoshop has a completely integrated stock library that will help you create the perfect image or perfect video. The libraries are also synced through PS, allowing you to move quickly from task to task so that more of your time is spent working.
The Cons of Adobe Photoshop
1. The interface can be very overwhelming to new users of the program.
With the move to the Creative Cloud and the updates that Photoshop has seen lately, even veterans have struggled from time to time with the learning curve of this software. If you can give yourself enough time to work with the system and experiment with the effects that are available to you, you’ll be able to do some serious things with your images.
2. Not every update is completely polished before its release.
Because Photoshop receives periodic updates now instead of a new version every year, there are sometimes a few unexpected bugs that can creep up in the system. They’re not overly bothersome and they get corrected quickly thanks to the responsiveness of Adobe and the community, but they can get in the way of a project that you’re trying to complete on a tight deadline.
3. Some of the tools don’t show progress bars.
This might not be something that is seen as a disadvantage by some, but does take some getting used to the design. Some of your tools just don’t have the progress bars that you may be used to seeing with similar programs. This creates a little more back and forth with your design sometimes to make sure that you’ve completed the steps necessary to get the job done.
4. The touch and stylus inputs are hit or miss.
This is going to be a feature that you either really love or you really hate. Some people prefer to work with their hands and will adapt to this feature instantly, improving their designs in the process. Others are more “old-school” in their approach and will never use this feature.
The pros and cons of Adobe Photoshop prove that it is still the premier image editing app that is on the market today. Some of the new features may not be for everyone, but PS makes sure there is something for everyone and that’s why it has been considered the best there is for so long.
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