An image editor reminiscent of Photoshop has been released, but it's free of charge and without the requirement of a download. Its sole creator, Ivan Kutskir, claims to have spent 7,000 hours creating and developing the program.
Based in Prague, Czech Republic, Kutskir committed around five hours each day for three and a half years to developing the app, entitled Photopea. It's an incredible feat, given that he did it at the same time as studying computer science in college. The goal was to “create the most advanced and affordable photo editor,” he says.
Anyone familiar with Photoshop’s interface will note the similarities between the two; the layout and tools are nearly identical. Photopea supports most file formats (JPG, GIF, PSD) and allows usage of layers for more advanced editing. There’s also a handy introduction video that really shows the similarities between Photopea and Photoshop. One huge advantage is being able to access it anywhere, on any computer, without needing to install software — great for last-minute emergencies.
His consistent effort seems to be paying off: some 1.5 million users were logged last month alone. Kutskir has been able to monetize the app while keeping it free for users through ad revenue, something he only added in recently.
You can try it for yourself for free over at Photopea. Let us know how you get on and whether you prefer it to the real thing!
This guy beat Adobe to where they're heading. I wonder if they'll sue him for look and feel. I can't see how you'd work with "heavy" hi res files, even if you're not using any esoteric processes or transforms.
Yeah, my concern about not having app on my desktop are the REALLY BIG files. Recently I did a star trails shot with over 200 layers and 30 GB filesize. Can't really imagine doing that with the online tool. Although, it may be great for some minor edits with smaller files. :)
Could work in a pinch when you only have access to a computer that won't let you install GIMP (public, etc)
Depends on how paranoid you are. ;-) You can always use GIMP or Krita if you're piss poor too.
This is really exciting. Most people do not use Photoshop for massive files like most Fstoppers readers. Sometimes you just need to quickly put text on an image or crop something and Photoshop is too expensive to buy just for that.
So there's no payments involved? No premium or whatsoever thing? Is it really 100% free for life thing?