Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is an industry-standard image editing and design platform developed by Adobe Inc., serving photographers, graphic designers, digital artists, and creative professionals across desktop, web, and mobile with Firefly-powered generative AI features.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersSan Jose, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Photoshop does
Adobe Photoshop is an industry-standard image editing and design platform owned by Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE), a publicly traded software corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. First released in 1987, Photoshop serves professional and amateur photographers, graphic designers, digital artists, print production professionals, students, and enterprise creative teams, and is available across desktop (Windows/Mac), web browser, and mobile (iOS/Android) with 100GB of bundled Creative Cloud storage and file syncing.
The platform is built on Adobe's Creative Cloud infrastructure and integrates Adobe Firefly, the company's proprietary generative AI model family, for features including Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Remove Tool, Harmonize, Precision Selections, Rotate Object, Precision Flow, and Generative Upscale (via partner model Topaz Labs). Photoshop also offers multi-model AI access spanning Adobe's own models, Google Veo, and OpenAI, extending into text-to-image, text-to-video, and multimodal generation. Bundled add-on modules within Creative Cloud include Lightroom, Adobe Express, Adobe Stock, Adobe Fonts, Premiere, Illustrator, Substance 3D, and Frame.io. The product integrates with third-party creative tools such as Blender, Quixel Megascans, and Mixamo for 3D concept art workflows.
Photoshop operates a tiered subscription revenue model with recurring monthly or annual billing: Photoshop standalone at US$22.99/mo, Creative Cloud Photography at US$19.99/mo, Creative Cloud Pro (Individual) at US$69.99/mo (US$34.99/mo for the first three months), a discounted US$15.99/mo student/teacher tier, Photoshop for Teams at US$37.99/mo per license, and Creative Cloud Pro for Teams at US$99.99/mo per license. Plans include monthly allocations of generative AI credits (ranging from 25 to 4,000) tied to a usage-based component. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer self-serve via adobe.com and photoshop.com, app store distribution on iOS and Android, free trials and free mobile/web tiers, an education channel, and enterprise team sales. The source material cites a base of 7M+ Creative Cloud Pro subscribers globally, though Photoshop-specific revenue is not separately disclosed.
Photoshop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Photoshop
- Legal name
- Adobe Inc.
- Website
- https://photoshop.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Adobe Photoshop is an industry-standard image editing and design platform developed by Adobe Inc., serving photographers, graphic designers, digital artists, and creative professionals across desktop, web, and mobile with Firefly-powered generative AI features.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Photoshop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Image Editing Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cloud Editing & Finishing Platforms (NLE in cloud, conform, color) (MPAHANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Asset Creation, Pipeline, DCC Integration & Content Management Tools (MPAFAFAL)
Keywords
Where Photoshop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Jose
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Photoshop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Individual Plans: Monthly subscription for individual users, with tiered options including standalone Photoshop and Creative Cloud Pro plans. Revenue is recurring on a monthly or annual billing cycle with automatic renewals.
- Subscription - Team Plans: Per-license monthly subscription for teams and businesses, with additional exclusive business features and higher generative AI credit limits.
- Subscription - Education Plans: Discounted subscription plans for students and teachers, with savings of up to 77% compared to regular pricing.
- Generative Credits: Monthly allocation of generative AI credits for creating images or video, with tiered limits based on plan level (250-4,000 monthly credits).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Photoshop Standalone |
| Subscription | Monthly | Creative Cloud Pro (Individual) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Creative Cloud Pro for Students and Teachers |
| Subscription | Monthly | Creative Cloud Pro for Teams |
| Subscription | Monthly | Photoshop for Teams |
| Subscription | Monthly | Creative Cloud Photography Plan |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Photoshop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Photoshop is an industry-standard image editing and design platform available across desktop, web, and mobile devices, sold primarily via subscription. The core product delivers professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital art creation through a layer-and-mask architecture with precise selections, retouching, and compositing tools. AI-powered capabilities through Adobe Firefly (Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Harmonize, multi-model access to Adobe, Google, and OpenAI models) accelerate workflows and enable text-prompt content generation.
Product overview
Adobe Photoshop is a comprehensive image editing and design platform available across desktop, web, and mobile devices. The core product offers advanced photo editing, graphic design, and digital art creation with professional-grade tools including layers, masks, precise selections, and transformation capabilities. The platform integrates AI-powered features through Adobe Firefly, enabling generative fill, expand, text-to-image, and text-to-video capabilities using Adobe's own models plus Google (Veo) and OpenAI models. Photoshop is offered as a standalone subscription ($22.99/month) or as part of Adobe Creative Cloud Pro, which bundles over 20 creative applications including Lightroom, Premiere, Illustrator, Substance 3D, Adobe Express, Adobe Stock, and Frame.io. Additional integrations include Topaz Labs for AI upscaling and third-party tools like Blender, Quixel Megascans, and Mixamo for 3D concept art workflows. The platform provides 100GB cloud storage, access to thousands of templates, fonts, tutorials, and monthly generative credits for AI-powered creation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Adobe Firefly: AI-powered content creation tool integrated with Photoshop.
- Adobe Express
Products and services
- Adobe Photoshop (Desktop)
Quantifiable outcome
- Join over 7 million Creative Cloud Pro subscribers worldwide
Companies that use Photoshop
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Photoshop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability9 records
Feature9 records
Photoshop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Topaz LabscoreTopaz Labs provides partner AI models integrated into Photoshop for advanced image upscaling capabilities. This partnership enables users to upscale images with unmatched power and flexibility, instantly boosting quality, clarity, and sharpness.
- Google (AI Models)coreGoogle AI models are available within Adobe Firefly, integrated into Photoshop. Users can edit with top AI models from Google alongside Adobe's own models.
- OpenAI (AI Models)coreOpenAI AI models are available within Adobe Firefly, integrated into Photoshop. Users can access multiple AI model providers in one place.
- Adobe ExpresscoreAdobe Express is bundled with Photoshop plans, providing one-click image edits, thousands of free templates for social content, flyers, and more. Included in all Photoshop subscription plans.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Photoshop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- GIMP: GIMP is a free, open-source image editor providing many of Photoshop's core editing capabilities. While less polished, it appeals to price-sensitive users and hobbyists who might otherwise consider Photoshop's lower-tier plans.
- OpenAI (DALL-E): OpenAI's DALL-E is an AI image generation model whose capabilities are directly integrated into Photoshop via Firefly partnership. As a generative AI leader, OpenAI represents both a partner and a competitive threat to Photoshop's generative features.
- Midjourney: Midjourney is an AI image generation service producing high-quality images from text prompts. It competes with Photoshop's Generative Fill and Firefly features for users primarily interested in AI-driven creation rather than manual editing.
- Leonardo AI: Leonardo AI is an AI image generation platform offering professional-grade creation tools, including control nets and fine-tuning. It targets the same creative professional audience as Photoshop with AI-native workflows.
Direct peers
- Canva: Canva is a design and image editing platform with AI-powered features (Magic Studio) targeting the same broad base of creators, marketers, and SMBs that Photoshop serves. It acquired Affinity (a Photoshop competitor) in 2024, directly challenging Photoshop's professional user base.
- Pixelmator (Apple): Pixelmator Pro is a professional image editing application for Mac and iPad offering many Photoshop-equivalent features at a one-time purchase price. Now owned by Apple, it competes directly with Photoshop for macOS-based creative professionals.
- Affinity (by Canva): Affinity Photo is a direct image editing alternative to Photoshop with professional-grade features. Acquired by Canva in 2024, it offers a perpetual license model that contrasts with Photoshop's subscription approach, appealing to price-sensitive professionals.
- Procreate: Procreate is a leading digital illustration and painting application for iPad, overlapping with Photoshop's digital artist segment. While more focused on illustration than photo editing, it competes for the same creative professional audience.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Designer: Microsoft Designer is a free AI-powered design tool integrated with Microsoft 365. As a broad incumbent offering accessible to enterprise users, it competes with Photoshop's casual and SMB segments through bundling and ease of use.
- Figma: Figma is a collaborative design platform serving UI/UX and graphic designers. It overlaps with Photoshop's design use cases but focuses on vector and collaborative workflows rather than raster image editing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Photoshop social profiles
Digital presencePhotoshop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Photoshop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Photoshop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Photoshop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Photoshop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Photoshop
What does Photoshop do?
Photoshop is an industry-standard image editing and design platform available across desktop, web, and mobile devices, sold primarily via subscription. The core product delivers professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital art creation through a layer-and-mask architecture with precise selections, retouching, and compositing tools. AI-powered capabilities through Adobe Firefly (Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Harmonize, multi-model access to Adobe, Google, and OpenAI models) accelerate workflows and enable text-prompt content generation.
Is Photoshop a public or private company?
Photoshop is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Photoshop founded?
Photoshop was founded in 1987. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Photoshop based?
Photoshop is headquartered in San Jose, United States, in the North America region.
How does Photoshop make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Individual Plans are the primary driver. The others are subscription - Team Plans, subscription - Education Plans and generative Credits.
Who are Photoshop's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are GIMP, OpenAI (DALL-E), Midjourney and Leonardo AI. Direct peers are Canva, Pixelmator (Apple), Affinity (by Canva) and Procreate. Broad incumbents are Microsoft Designer and Figma.
Does Photoshop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Photoshop.
What industry is Photoshop in?
Photoshop's product category is Image Editing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHANAA, Cloud Editing & Finishing Platforms (NLE in cloud, conform, color), with a secondary code of MPAFAFAL, Asset Creation, Pipeline, DCC Integration & Content Management Tools. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.