Apple’s free apps for Mac, Photos and Preview, let you use basic photo editing features, but if you want to do something more advanced, you’ll need an app designed for editing.
Photoshop from Adobe is the standard program in the industry, precisely because of its wide range of functions and capabilities that will allow you to edit your photos with great precision.
Here’s how to get Photoshop on your Mac, or at least something close. Plus, since we all love free stuff, we also explain what options you have to get Photoshop on Mac for free.
If you want to download this Software in you Tabletdon’t miss our article How to Download Photoshop on iPad?.
How to Download Photoshop for Free on a Mac
Many people may be wondering if there is any way to get Photoshop for Mac for free.
First, remember that if you find Photoshop on a file-sharing site, you shouldn’t download it. It’s highly unlikely to be a legitimate version of the app and will almost certainly cause you problems. After all, that’s how viruses spread.
There is no completely free version of Adobe Photoshop, but there are a few options that will allow you to get the Software free for a limited time, or with a short-term subscription.
The first option is to use the Photoshop trial period. Adobe offers a 7-day free trial that gives you access to the full program, without restrictions.
Although Adobe says the free trial lasts for 7 days, in reality you can get up to 14 days free because you can cancel your subscription before the 14 days of purchase and they will refund all your money.
In fact, you can theoretically get up to 21 days free if you use the trial first and then cancel your subscription after 13 days.
The second option is to take out a monthly subscription instead of an annual subscription. It won’t get you Photoshop for free, but it will allow you to temporarily subscribe to Adobe Photoshop and cancel it when you no longer need it.
Later we will look at the different subscription options. But to explain how it works, we first need to explain the difference between Adobe’s two monthly subscription plans.
There are two monthly subscription plans: one is cheaper ($24.19 / MXN$449 per month) because it is part of an annual plan; the other is more expensive ($36.29 / MXN$649 per month), but can be canceled at any time and without commission.
You can consult the legal conditions of the two subscriptions on the Adobe site. Basically, if you subscribe to the “Annual contract, pay monthly” plan and then decide to cancel your subscription, you will be able to do it without problem, but if you cancel it after the first 14 days, “you will be charged in once, 50% of your remaining contractual obligation and service will continue through the end of that month’s billing period.
This works a little better than if you decide to pay annually. In this case, your contract will continue until the end, but you will not be reimbursed.
That is why, in this case, the best option is to subscribe to the monthly plan. Your contract will automatically renew each month, but if you decide to cancel (we’ll explain how to do that later), you’ll be able to use Photoshop until the end of the month, when your contract ends.
If you need Photoshop but don’t want to be tied to a contract with Adobe, this might be your best bet. However, you should be aware that you will lose access to anything you saved in the Adobe cloud after 90 days.
Once you choose one of these options, you can easily register from the Adobe website.
You can also check out our article on the best photo editors for Mac, which includes free options like Gimp.
How to Download Photoshop on Mac Without a Subscription
If you were hoping to buy a copy of Photoshop for life, that is, without regularly paying for a subscription, we have bad news for you: Adobe no longer sells Photoshop and its other applications as “full licenses”.
However, you have a similar option: you can purchase Photoshop Elements. This app is designed for amateur and non-professional photographers, but it offers a number of photo editing features that may be enough for your needs.
You can purchase a copy of Photoshop Elements directly from Adobe’s website for $100.43. You can also purchase Photoshop Elements from the Mac App Store for $79.99.
The advantage of Photoshop Elements is that you can buy it directly and install it on your Mac. With Elements, you will have access to features such as masks, layers, colorization, image manipulation, and other more suitable useful effects. to the average user.
However, if you’re a creative professional or are used to the full version of Photoshop, you might be missing too many tools. If you want to take a peek first, there’s also a 7-day free trial so you can test the Software.
Many Mac users are understandably disappointed that Adobe no longer sells a “lifetime license” for the full version of Photoshop. Years ago, business Mac users could own a version of Adobe CS and use it for years, but slow commercial upgrades likely led Adobe to switch to a subscription model.
If you don’t mind that, you might be interested in buying a used copy of Photoshop or an older Mac that has Photoshop installed. Just keep in mind that Adobe doesn’t update all older versions, so the ones you find may not be compatible with later versions of macOS, and newer Macs won’t run older versions of Photoshop.
You will also need to confirm that the license Software have not yet been used, as they are normally not transferable. And we generally don’t recommend buying a used Mac (unless it’s certified refurbished).
You might be interested in our article Which version of macOS is compatible with your Mac?.
Are there any Photoshop discounts for students?
Before talking about the different subscription models, there is another way to save money by downloading Photoshop on your Mac: whether you are a student or you work in an educational center, you can benefit from an attractive discount .
Unfortunately, you can’t just subscribe to Photoshop for less, you’ll need to subscribe to the entire Creative Cloud collection (which obviously includes Photoshop). However, the reduction is still considerable.
At the time of writing, students and teachers pay $19.66 / MXN 399 per month, which is 60-65% less than the usual subscription fee.
How much does Adobe Photoshop for Mac cost?
If you’ve agreed to pay for a Photoshop subscription, you’ll want to know how much it will cost you. In fact, there is no single answer: it depends on how you want to buy it.
Whether or not you like the subscription model, there are several options to choose from if you want to get Photoshop on your Mac or MacBook:
photoshop
If you only want Photoshop, you can get it with the single app plan for $24.19 / MXN$449 (plus VAT) per month if you subscribe for a year, or $29.99 / $649 MXN (plus VAT) per month if you subscribe. You use the monthly plan.
You can subscribe on the Adobe website.
photography plan
However, the photography package is really the best option. Includes Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC (for web and mobile), and Lightroom Classic CC (for desktop).
This plan costs $9.99 / MXN$199 per month, but in this case it is an annual subscription. It includes 20 GB of storage (there is a 1 TB storage option which costs around $12 / 200 MXN more per month).
You can rent this plan from the Adobe website.
For companies
If you are a professional user, you must purchase the commercial option, with which you can obtain a single Photoshop license for $29.99 / MXN$699 (plus VAT).
Notably, all Adobe CC apps (including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Acrobat) cost $69.99 / MXN$1,699 per month.
You can also subscribe from the Adobe website.
How to Cancel Your Photoshop Subscription
The ease with which you can cancel your Photoshop subscription is one of the advantages of Adobe deciding to go with the subscription model (and leaving the licenses full).
It also means you only pay for Photoshop as long as you need it. So, if it’s a short-term project, you can cancel the subscription as soon as you finish it.
Here’s how to cancel your subscription:
1. Go to the Adobe website to manage your plan.
2. Sign in to your Adobe account.
3. In the “Plans” section, select “Manage plan”.
4. Now click on the “Cancel Plan” option.
5. Indicate the reason for the cancellation.
6. Click ‘Continue’.
What are the best Photoshop alternatives for Mac?
There are many photo editing programs available for macOS. Many of them are even cheaper than Adobe products.
One of our favorites is Affinity Photo by Serif, which has a wide range of powerful tools, an easy-to-use interface, and costs around $50. In the past, we’ve seen discounts on the same Serif website where you could get it for half price, a real bargain.
Another very popular option is GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program), which is completely free and includes an incredible range of tools and features. The interface might take a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish.
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