Adobe Photoshop is a great tool to create and edit images and other similar media files. It is probably the most popular tool used by millions of users all over the globe. Even though it is extremely feature-rich and provides an easy way to edit images, it still has a lot of flaws. Each new versions are coming with a lot of bug fixes. But we are talking about the flaws of the software in general and using it over other tools available on the market that are similar to Photoshop. Today we are going to take a look at these things.
Advantages of Photoshop
There is no doubt that Photoshop is one of the best tools available on the market today to edit photos and create stunning graphic designs. These are the most prominent advantages of Photoshop.
1. One of the most professional editing tools
Photoshop is one of the most professional editing software available today. From the very basic usage to the most advanced graphic designing, the software provides almost every single tool that you will ever require. From the simple cropping task to painting advanced professional designs, anything can be achieved using Photoshop.
2. Available on all platforms
Adobe Photoshop is available on almost all platforms including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, iPad OS, etc. So, no matter which operating system you are using, you can install Photoshop in any one of them. The interface and available tools may vary based on the operating system you are using. For example, the iOS version or the Android version of Photoshop may not have all the tools available in the PC or Mac OS versions.
3. Supports almost all image formats
You can edit almost all of the image formats using Photoshop. If any particular format is not supported yet, there are Photoshop plugins available that will implement the compatibility. So you can literally edit or convert any known image formats using Adobe Photoshop.
4. Even edit videos and GIF
Even though Photoshop is primarily used for editing images, it can be also used for some basic video or GIF editing. I am not talking about adding those amazing animations or creating hours of high-quality video. But Photoshop includes the functionality to edit videos or GIF frame by frame for making quick animations or making changes to any particular frame.
5. Compatible with other program outputs
Because of the wide acceptance of the tool, Photoshop is compatible with the outputs from many professional editing tools. You can directly use the outputs from those software and make changes to the files using Photoshop. This makes it very easy to edit files in other formats without having to convert them into a PSD file or a supported image saving a ton of time.
Disadvantages of Photoshop
Even though Adobe Photoshop is almost perfect in terms of everything, it still has a lot of issues. Like any other software out there, no matter how perfect they are, some aspects ruins everything. These are the disadvantages of Photoshop.
1. It is a bit pricey
Before saying that Photoshop is pricey, I should tell you that every single penny you spend on this amazing tool is worth it if you have it. Being said that, paying around $10 every single month may not be convenient for every user out there. When there are alternatives that are available for almost the same price but for a lifetime plan, some people may find it a bit of a problem. So if you are one of them, and your editing needs are extremely basic, it is probably a good idea to choose an alternative. There are several simple editing tools that are available for free of cost.
2. They won’t allow you to buy it
Like already mentioned, Photoshop maybe a bit pricey for some people. On top of that, Adobe won’t let you pay for it in a single go. You will have to choose between a monthly subscription or a yearly payment. You can’t purchase a lifetime plan on Photoshop. So that means, as long as you are using the software, you will have to pay a fee every month or year.
3. Beginners can get confused
Photoshop is designed to be suitable for almost any kind of usage. That means, up to a level, with the help of some tutorials, anyone can master it. But if you are an absolute beginner with no previous experience with any image editing or designing tools, you may find it a bit difficult to use Photoshop. Especially to understand the toolset. It is largely because of the huge number of functions available on the software which might confuse you. That doesn’t mean you can’t ever be a Photoshop expert. It just takes some time compared to other easy tools out there.
4. Vector graphics support
The native compatibility of Photoshop with the vector graphics is still not that great. Even though you can expand the features and the compatibility using extra plugins, you still may not be able to edit all the vector formats that you may need to make changes to. Especially Those who work with websites may find it difficult editing and creating format such as SVG. So Photoshop can be primarily considered as a raster image editor.
5. Performance issues
If you have an intermediate PC with average specs and hardware, you may not see any performance issues except when you are rendering some high-quality graphics. But for those who on beginner computers may experience extreme lags during the startup as well as rendering even small images or graphics. Because of the huge number of features included that everyone may not be using, the software can be very resource-intensive sometimes. The older versions are preferable in this case which seems to run pretty normally on less hardware.