Can I Put Photoshop on My iPad?

Before installing a version of Photoshop on your iPad, take a moment to determine which best meets your needs. As of the time of publication, versions include Adobe Photoshop Touch, Adobe Photoshop Mix and Adobe Photoshop Express. Photoshop Touch costs about $10, while Mix and Express are free. Photoshop Touch is the most robust of the three versions, and it interfaces with Photoshop CC, the desktop version of the software. When you purchase Photoshop Touch, you also get Photoshop Mix.

To install one of the Photoshop apps on your iPad, use the native App Store application that came with the device. Tap the App Store icon on the iPad’s Home screen to launch the app. Search for “Photoshop” using the Search field or browse for the app in the Photo & Video category. Tap the name of the app to view its Details page and then touch Free in the case of Photoshop Express and Mix to initiate the automated download and installation process. In the case of Photoshop Touch, tap its price and then proceed through the payment process to pay for the app. When the installation completes, a new Photoshop icon appears on your iPad’s home screen.

The necessary storage space and iOS version you need to run the apps on your iPad varies depending on which version of Photoshop you want to use. Photoshop Touch requires 56MB of free space and runs on devices with iOS 5.0 and up. Photoshop Mix requires 89MB of free space and iOS 7.0 or later. Photoshop Express needs 72MB of free space and iOS 7.0 or later.

Several Photoshop-like alternatives are also available for the iPad, including PicsArt Photo Studio, Autodesk Pixlr and PicLab. If none of the Photoshop apps suit your needs, another image editor might.

If possible, connect to a Wi-Fi network whenever you download large apps. This way you avoid consuming too much of your monthly data transfer quota if your iPad has cellular capabilities.