Are you wondering if your Chromebook runs Photoshop? Well, to your surprise, it actually does! ChromeOS doesn’t support the desktop version of Photoshop, but Photoshop for Web works great.
Plus, there are a few great Photoshop alternatives if you’re not a fan of Adobe’s subscriptions.
Yes, Photoshop Works on Chromebook (Kinda)
In September 2023, Adobe fully releasedPhotoshop for Web, delivering atrimmed-down experiencewithout having to fully install the famed graphic design software. This marked the first proper Photoshop experience on a Chromebook.
While Photoshop for Web isn’t as full-featured as the mainstream desktop version of the software, it does still offer quite a lot of capability. I’ve been a Photoshop user for over a decade, and found myself right at home in Photoshop for Web.
Adobe relies on a PWA (Progressive Web App) for Photoshop for Web to work, which makes it feel native. However, you’ll find that Photoshop on your Chromebook does rely on a network connection to function, sadly.
This means that you can’t edit photos or make graphics offline, which is a pretty big bummer. While this is a downside, no doubt, it does mean that all the Photoshop processing is done on Adobe’s servers and not your Chromebook, meaning it won’t tank your battery life or take up lots of processing power.
Photopea Works Great as a Free Alternative
While I currently have an Adobe subscription, I won’t always have that to rely on. It’s expensive, and I’m honestly looking for ways to replace Adobe in my life. That’s wherePhotopeacomes in.
If you’ve not heard of Photopea, it’s a Photoshop-esque website thatemulates Photoshop for Web. It’s actually been around for much longer than Photoshop for Web and offers more capabilities overall.
Photopea is actually an awesome piece of software. While the ads can get a bit annoying, it is 100% free and offers a premium account to remove ads for 30, 90, or 365 days at a time.
A unique part of Photopea is that it can open PSD, AI, and XD files, which are created in Photoshop, Illustrator, and XD, respectively. This means that if a coworker sends you a PSD file, you can open it in Photopea with relative ease.
Similar to Photoshop for Web, Photopea only works with an active internet connection and does not function offline. This is mainly because Photopea is installed as a PWA just like Photoshop for Web.
I Love Canva for a Simple Alternative
While Photopea is great,Canvais honestly my favorite graphic design app for simple tasks. As I’ve said, I’ve used Photoshop and Illustrator for over a decade. However,I actually prefer Canvafor designing simple graphics. The tools are easier to use than Photoshop and Photopea, and it’s just an overall simpler program, I think.
Canva has both free and paid tiers, and works great regardless of which you opt for. While Photopea’s paid tier removes ads but doesn’t add functionality,Canva Progives you extra features not available in the free version of the software.
Overall, Canva is probably my favorite graphic design app and Photoshop alternative for ChromeOS. However, it’s plagued by the same limitation that Photoshop for Web and Photopea are—it requires an active network connection. Sadly, if you want to use Canva, you’ll need to be connected to the internet.
Canva can be installed in one of two ways: as a PWA or through the Google Play Store. There’s really no benefit to doing one over the other, though I’ve chosen to go through the Google Play Store, as it’s where I first saw Canva available on my Chromebook.
GIMP Provides Even More Capabilities
Since Chromebooks supportinstalling Linux apps, it’s actually possible to installGIMPon your Chromebook.
The downside to GIMP is also its main benefit—it runs locally on your Chromebook. This means that the performance of GIMP is directly tied to the performance of your Chromebook. However, it also means that it can run offline. It’s a two-edged sword.
The offline capabilities of GIMP are the main reason I have it installed on my Chromebook. Overall, I prefer to use Photopea or Canva if I need a free Photoshop alternative. GIMP is just more complicated than I care to learn for the few times I need it. I really only use it when I’m offline.
ChromeBooks have come a long way from the limited web-only machines they started out as, and as more and more productivity software comes to these computers, there’s less reason to pay for a regular laptop. I can’t wait to see what makes it to the world of ChromeOS next.
