Scott Belsky brings Photoshop to the iPad

Adobe's decision to bring the full version of Photoshop to the iPad was a long-awaited move, driven by advancements in tablet technology and user demand. Scott Belsky, Adobe's chief product officer, shared in an interview with The VergeCast that the idea of porting Photoshop to mobile devices was once considered laughable due to the complexity of the software. However, with the release of iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, the timing seemed right. Adobe's goal was to create a truly native Photoshop experience on the iPad, making it as efficient or even faster than the desktop version. This commitment to delivering the core engine of Photoshop across all surfaces marks a significant milestone in the evolution of creative tools for digital artists.

Adobe's release of Photoshop on the iPad is not just a simple port of the desktop application, but a new interface and experience tailored for the modern user. The timing of the release was influenced by both hardware advancements, particularly Apple's partnership with Adobe, and the evolving needs of customers who desire quick and powerful editing capabilities. Unlike Lightroom, which has both a classic and a modern, cloud-first version, Photoshop remains a unified system across surfaces, allowing users to seamlessly transition between desktop and iPad. The iPad version of Photoshop is designed to be stylus-driven, with the Apple Pencil being an important accessory for the new interface, opening up new possibilities for creativity. The ultimate goal is to provide users with the same Photoshop experience, no matter the surface they choose to use it on.

Adobe's development of Photoshop for iPad was a result of exploration and doubt, leading to a "proof of life" moment where the team demonstrated real Photoshop code running on an iPad. This breakthrough led to questions about the interface and features, and the opportunity to reimagine Photoshop from the ground up. Feedback from artists has been positive, with the novelty and utility of having such powerful tools at their fingertips validating the idea that creativity should not be tethered to a desktop. Prioritizing features involved making compromises, but the team focused on delivering essential capabilities for a successful first generation of the iPad version of Photoshop.

Adobe prioritized core workflows for the initial release of Photoshop on iPad, focusing on image editing, retouching, and compositing for both power users and new customers. They also placed significant emphasis on improving the first-time user experience to attract a wider audience. Adobe aims to make Photoshop accessible to all, balancing power and simplicity. The company views a computer as an extension of ourselves, with minimal friction between thoughts and actions. The goal is to democratize professional-level creativity, enabling anyone to express their unique human trait - creativity - through imagery.

Adobe's goal with their creative software like Photoshop is to make the creative process as seamless and accessible as possible, whether for new users or experienced professionals. Voice interfaces, such as those found in virtual assistants, are an exciting development because they make interactions with software feel more natural and intuitive. Artificial intelligence is not a threat to creativity but rather a tool that can help remove mundane tasks and make the creative process more efficient. Adobe aims to bring the full power of Photoshop to every platform, including phones, to empower creators to work on their own terms. The concept of a "file" in Photoshop is evolving, with the cloud PSD serving as a manifest of all the components that make up a composition, allowing for easy access and manipulation of individual elements.

Adobe's new Photoshop experience on iPad and desktop brings a cloud-powered, round-trip editing process akin to Google Docs. This means the source of truth for your Photoshop creations is in the cloud, allowing for version history, sharing, and collaboration. However, this new model requires abandoning the traditional file system organization for a multi-surface first-class experience. Adobe is working on creative ways to help users adapt. The episode also touched on Betterment, an online investing tool that asks practical questions to help users set and meet financial goals, resulting in a sense of accomplishment and elation. Adobe addresses the concern of working offline by storing recent documents in cache on the client side.

Adobe is revolutionizing the creative workflow by bringing the power of desktop applications like Photoshop to the iPad, while ensuring seamless collaboration and access to files across different cloud storage platforms. The introduction of the cloud PSD format marks a shift from traditional file formats being tethered to desktops, to living in the cloud. This move, while challenging the way users have organized their files in the past, represents Adobe's vision for the future of creativity. The pricing and accessibility of Photoshop on the iPad for various customer segments, including power users and regular users, is still under consideration. Adobe aims to strike the right balance between respecting established workflows and embracing new technologies, making the transition as smooth as possible for its customers.

Adobe is bringing its flagship desktop application, Photoshop, to the iPad with a reimagined user interface and cloud-based PSD files. This upgrade is part of the Creative Cloud subscription for paid customers using Photoshop on desktop. The company aims to make users successful across multiple services and plans to bring other desktop apps to the iPad in the future. The team is exploring the possibility of bringing touch interface innovations to other Photoshop versions, including those on Microsoft's Surface devices. The transition to a new UI may feel daunting, but Adobe's design team leaders emphasize that the team went through the same process and is always trying to modernize the desktop experience. The team is excited about the potential of touch-enabled devices like Microsoft Surface to enhance the desktop Photoshop experience.

Adobe's shift to a subscription-based business model has enabled them to deliver new products and updates faster, experiment with customer needs, and provide value-added services to their subscribers. This was highlighted in the development and release of Photoshop on iPad, which benefits from the established Creative Cloud customer base and the ability to deliver a consistent experience across devices. The subscription model also allows for the creation of complementary apps like Adobe Capture, which adds value to the Creative Cloud subscription. Overall, the subscription model has unlocked new possibilities for Adobe and allowed them to adapt to the changing landscape of software development, particularly in the mobile space.

Adobe, specifically Scott Belsky, recognizes the importance of meeting customers where they are, especially in the realm of mobile usage. With a significant number of customers transitioning from desktop to mobile use, Adobe aims to provide them with the same level of creative capabilities on their mobile devices. Android is a major focus due to its massive user base and potential for reaching creatives in developing countries. Photoshop on iPad is already a viable alternative for certain workflows, and Adobe plans to continue developing more capabilities to create a hybrid experience for users. The goal is to allow users to seamlessly switch between platforms without losing progress. The eventual death of Wacom tablets may be a topic of debate, but the future of creative work is undoubtedly becoming more mobile and cloud-based.

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