Adobe is testing a free Photoshop version in Canada ⁠— will it come to the US, too?

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Free Adobe Photoshop testing in Canada has me singing "O Canada!"

Adobe is testing a free version of Photoshop in Canada and hopes to spread the love to everyone soon
(Image credit: Future)

Adobe began testing a "freemium" version of its popular photo-editing suite in Canada. Adobe plans to eventually spread the love worldwide in the near future —minus some features that will only be available to paid subscribers. Adobe promises that the freemium version will offer sufficient tools and features, allowing users to take advantage of the software's most important assets. 

Adobe's VP of Digital Imaging Maria Yap said, "We want to make Photoshop more accessible and easier for more people to try it out and experience the product." This is a huge change in how Adobe has been distributing the software since it moved to be a subscription-based editing suite. 

Last October 2021, Adobe released a web version of Photoshop aimed at making it easier for creators to collaborate together. The simplified web-based Photoshop allows users to initiate some basic edits, but doesn't possess the full toolset of the subscription version. The watered-down, web-based Photoshop has seen many updates and improvements since it was first released. It's become a fun editing option for those working with others, even allowing for annotations, enhancing its collaborative tools and features. 

“I want to see Photoshop meet users where they’re at now,” Yap said. “You don’t need a high-end machine to come into Photoshop,” which is great when you consider how cost-prohibitive a subscription can be for young creatives. Having access to the world's most popular photo-editing platform grants access to a space many couldn't afford to explore. 

It could also be said that Adobe will also gain their future business by building users' loyalty to the software and thus eventually turning them into subscribers of the full Photoshop suite. Adobe has not provided a timeline for when the "freemium" service will become available to all, but it did mention that the company is focused on updating it to provide many creative tools like curves, dodge, burn and refine edges. 

Until Adobe announces the release date for the rest of us, I may have to consider vacationing in Canada just to take the "freemium" Photoshop for a spin. Does anybody know the words to "O Canada"? 

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.