Adobe shoots for the future with Photoshop Camera app for iOS and Android

In an effort to bring the power of Photoshop to more people, Adobe has announced Photoshop Camera, a mobile camera app for iOS and Android phones. Currently available for preview, the final version of the app will launch in 2020.

Adobe has been bringing its desktop applications to mobile for years now — a full version of Photoshop for iPad is in the works — and it even has an existing camera app inside of the mobile version of Lightroom CC. However, what it’s doing with Photoshop Camera is something completely new, built on the power of Adobe’s artificial intelligence engine, Sensei.

With Photoshop Camera, Adobe promises a more advanced experience that will allow photographers to create stunning images with the magic of Photoshop. From taking a photograph to the final edit, all work can be done inside the app. Adobe is offering a range of quirky filters and different editing options depending on the style of photograph being taken, with the app able to automatically recognize portraits, food, landscapes, and more. For example, landscape photographers will be able to dramatically change the lighting and color in an image, replace entire skies, or change a photo shot during the day to look like it was made at night.

All of this may seem a little too good to be true — or perhaps gimmicky — to the seasoned photo editor. But Adobe is aiming to push this app to a new generation of creatives and reach as many people as possible, not just those who have the time or desire to master a complicated and expensive desktop program.

Photoshop Camera will offer a collection of creative “lenses” that add automatic effects to photos, but go well beyond basic filters to include animated and 3D objects. Adobe will offer a curated selection of lenses made by “well-known artists and influencers,” including singer Billie Eilish with lenses inspired by her songs and music videos.

Right now, it’s hard to tell if Photoshop Camera will be as groundbreaking as Adobe expects it to be. It certainly looks futuristic and has the photography-meets-graphic-design vibe that we expect of the Photoshop name. But whether it will be a game-changer for serious phone photographers or just a silly experiment for your friend who likes taking pictures of salads remains to be seen.

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