Stop giving $55 a month to Adobe — ChatGPT users can now use Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat for free in the AI bot

In a rather unexpected move, especially considering it is free and that the words free and Adobe rarely appear in the same sentence, the company has integrated its popular creative tools directly into ChatGPT.

Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Acrobat are now accessible inside the AI chat experience. This marks a new step for Adobe, allowing users to control and access Photoshop features using simple prompts.

By removing much of the traditional complexity, it significantly lowers the barrier to entry and could enable less experienced users to produce surprisingly competent edits without needing to learn the full application first.

What does Photoshop in ChatGPT mean to you?

Adobe’s full creative suite will set you back $54.99 a month, or $599.88 a year, for access to Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, Acrobat, and more. It is an expensive ask, especially for casual users.

Adobe has also built a reputation for aggressively locking users into subscriptions, including charging fees for early cancellation. It is not exactly known as a consumer-friendly company, which makes this move all the more surprising.

So, what is actually going on here, and why are some of Adobe’s tools now accessible inside ChatGPT for free?

While this looks like a big win for users on the surface, there are some important trade-offs to be aware of. Connecting an Adobe account to ChatGPT means Adobe can access conversation history and memories (this may just be chats where Adobe apps are used), along with basic account information, IP address, and approximate location.

Data is a lucrative business, and this integration gives Adobe exposure to ChatGPT’s reported 800 million weekly users, assuming they choose to use the Adobe apps. What we are really looking at is a strategic partnership that benefits both sides, giving ChatGPT an edge over Google’s more advanced image generation tools for now, while helping position ChatGPT as an all-encompassing platform rather than just a chatbot.

How Adobe’s ChatGPT integration actually works

If you want to enable and use Adobe apps within ChatGPT, you can do so by following these steps:

• Open ChatGPT on desktop, web, or mobile. Click Settings, then go to Apps & Connectors.
• Scroll through or search the apps list and select Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express, or Adobe Acrobat. Click Connect.
• When prompted, sign in with your Adobe account and confirm the connection. Once completed, the app will be linked to ChatGPT.
• Go back to the main chat screen. Click the + icon next to the message box.
• Select More and choose the Adobe app you enabled.
• You can also activate it by mentioning it directly in your prompt, such as asking Photoshop to edit an image or Acrobat to edit a PDF.

Photoshop, Express, and Acrobat are available for free inside ChatGPT on desktop, web, and iOS. Adobe Express is also available on Android, with the other apps expected to follow later.

This is not a replacement for the full native applications, but it is more capable than you might expect. From effects and adjustments to more involved edits, it offers an accessible way to achieve results that would normally require tutorials or prior experience.

If you want a clearer idea of what it can actually do, there is a solid YouTube video that walks through its capabilities in detail. If, however, you do want a different tool, Affinity is a free alternative that launched recently.

Is it useful, or a waste of time? Let me know if you'd use Photoshop inside ChatGPT in the comments!

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