According to PCWorld, Adobe has launched special versions of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Express, and Adobe Acrobat directly inside the ChatGPT interface. This integration, available now for free, allows users to perform tasks like image editing and converting text to PDFs through simple conversational commands. The feature is currently live on desktop, web, and iOS platforms, with Adobe Express being the only app initially available for Android. Support for Photoshop and Acrobat on Android is promised to be coming soon. To use it, you simply type the app name followed by an instruction, like “Adobe Photoshop, help me blur the background of this image,” and ChatGPT guides you through the process.
How it actually works
So here’s the thing. This isn’t about ChatGPT magically gaining the full, raw power of Photoshop’s engine. That would be a massive security and computational nightmare. Instead, think of it as a super-smart, context-aware shortcut. You tell ChatGPT what you want to do, and it surfaces the specific Adobe app and then, crucially, guides you through the steps within that app’s own interface or via a simplified workflow. It’s using AI to understand your intent and then map it to the existing tools. Basically, it’s removing the friction of finding the right menu or tool. You just describe the goal. Adobe’s official announcement and blog post frame it as making professional tools more accessible, and that’s probably true for beginners.
The bigger picture and trade-offs
This move is incredibly strategic for Adobe. Look, they’re in a fierce battle to remain the central hub for creativity. With AI-native image generators like Midjourney and DALL-E getting so good, why would a casual user ever open Photoshop? By embedding themselves in ChatGPT, Adobe is planting its flag right where millions of people are already going for creative help. It’s a user acquisition play. But there’s a trade-off. The “guided” experience means you’re not getting the full, unfettered control of the desktop app. It’s for specific, common tasks. For a pro, this might feel slow. For someone who gets intimidated by layers and masks, it’s a godsend. The question is, will this create a new generation of Adobe users, or just offer a convenient one-off tool that keeps people from ever needing the full suite?
