Photoshop for iPad to Launch This Year, Some Features Will Be Missing

Adobe has confirmed that it still plans to launch Photoshop for iPad this year; however, some well established features may be missing, reports Bloomberg.

Announced over a year ago, Photoshop CC for iPad is set to share the same code base as its desktop counterpart. The company says users will be able to open and edit a PSD on an iPad, using the same tools they are familiar with on the desktop, and achieve the exact same results from editing operations.

Beta testers of the new app have complained that numerous features they expected are missing.


Adobe has been testing Photoshop for iPad under the codename Rocket with a small group of beta testers since earlier this year. Participants have told Bloomberg News that some beta versions don’t include well-established features they expected to be part of the release. They complained about less advanced or missing features around core functionality like filters, the pen tool and custom paintbrush libraries, vector drawing, color spaces, RAW editing, smart objects, layer styles and certain options for mask creation. Their disappointment about these limitations stems from Photoshop’s established reputation as a leading professional photo-editing program on the desktop.

“Feature-wise, it feels like a beefed-up cloud-based version of their existing iPad apps and not ‘real Photoshop’ as advertised,” said a source. “I understand it is based on desktop Photoshop code, but it doesn’t feel like it right now.” Other testers described the app as 'rudimentary' and inferior to rival apps already available.

Scott Belsky, chief product officer of Adobe’s Creative Cloud division, said the beta feature set doesn't represent the final feature set for customers. He adds that collaborating with Apple meant a lot of features are 'coming in hot' ahead of the launch. Although the app will lack some features when it arrives, Adobe 'will definitely expand the capabilities' over time.

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