Photopea Pros and Cons

What Is Photopea and How Does It Work
What Is Photopea and How Does It Work

What Is Photopea? The Pros and Cons of This Graphics Editor

Is Photopea a viable Photoshop substitute? Let’s have a look at the benefits and drawbacks.

How do you determine which graphic design software to use when there are so many options? There is a lot of free software out there, but it often falls short of its premium counterparts.

Here are some of the reasons why you should choose Photopea as your new photo editing and creation software.

What Is Photopea and How Does It Work?

Photopea is a graphic design software that runs on the web. It is free and financed by advertisements; however, you can purchase a premium non-subscription version. Even a month of premium is less expensive than most design software that requires a subscription. Another advantage is that there are no fines if you opt not to pay.

If you only dabble in graphic design on occasion and can’t justify paying for a service you only use once in a while, Photopea is a terrific option. However, if you’re a regular user of other design tools, and especially if you’re paying a monthly fee that seems to be increasing, it’s a terrific option.

Although it is a web-based tool, certain browsers allow you to download and install it on your device. Photopea aspires to be the most powerful and cost-effective editing software available.

Let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages now

Photopea’s Advantages

A graphic designer’s workstation with laptop and notes is shown in this photo.
If you choose to use this software, you will have a lot to look forward to.

It’s completely free.

One of Photopea’s most evident advantages is that it is completely free. In truth, paying the tiny premium membership fee ($3.33 per month, no contract required) only benefits you marginally by removing advertisements and increasing the amount of times you may use the undo option.

Simple to Use

Photopea can be accessed in a variety of ways, including straight from your browser, via a mobile device or tablet, or via a PC download. All of these solutions are completely free. Photopea can be utilised without an internet connection as long as it is first launched when connected.

Opens a variety of file types

Photopea has the advantage of being able to open and edit more file kinds than nearly any other design software. PSD, PDF, AI, XD, Sketch, and XCF files, as well as RAW pictures and ordinary GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF, and SVG files, are all supported. In comparison to many other programmes, this is a significant advancement.

Workspace with Intuition

Photopea has an easy-to-use UI that is so similar to Photoshop’s dashboard that it doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard to stand apart. It won’t feel as complicated as Adobe’s systems to users who aren’t familiar with Photoshop.

Characteristics that are unique

Photopea is mostly a photo editing programme, but it also includes some layout formatting features that Photoshop lacks. For example, you can use Photopea to convert an Excel spreadsheet into a customised infographic.

Photopea’s Drawbacks

Screenshot of the designer’s laptop.

There will be certain drawbacks, as with any application.

Advertisements in the free edition can be a pain to deal with. They’re not overbearing, but they’re always visible on the website, even if Photopea is installed on your device. We can’t complain too much about the commercials because it’s free and such a nice service.

Browser Restrictions

It isn’t compatible with all browsers. Safari, for example, provides access to the web browser version but does not allow you to download it. There are a plethora of browsers that accept download and installation, so finding an alternative isn’t difficult.

Color Channels are limited

Unfortunately, Photopea only works with 8-bit colour channels. This means that any image or photo that is higher than 8 bits will be converted to 8 bits when imported. If you’re working with high-resolution graphics or photographs, this isn’t ideal.

There is no cloud storage available

Photopea does not offer cloud storage, unlike an increasing number of other apps. This is probably OK for most people’s regular one-time uses, but if you’re a budding designer working on a large number of files, you’ll need to store them locally or upload them to Google Drive or Dropbox to save them in the cloud.

Features that aren’t present

Some features in Photopea are not available, such as gradient meshes and vector patterns, which are prevalent in other software. It’s only a few things, so don’t let that deter you from using it for other creative projects.

What Is the Difference Between Photopea and Photoshop?

It’s simple to do a straight comparison between Photopea and Photoshop. They work in similar environments and have similar tools and talents. Given that Photopea can accomplish many of the same things as Photoshop and does it for free, it’s a foregone conclusion that Photopea will win.

You can’t open and edit other files in Photoshop like you can with Photopea. This gives Photopea an extra degree of freedom that you can only get from Adobe if you use multiple apps at the same time. Photopea allows you to perform all of this in one web browser.

With its founder, Ivan Kutskir, running the firm alone and promoting community help through GitHub, Reddit, and Facebook groups, Photopea has a strong feeling of community.

He makes Photopea feel like a place where you can make a difference, even inviting visitors to post comments and proposals for new program ideas. With larger organizations like Adobe, Coral, Sketch, and others, it’s difficult to feel like you’re part of a team.

Photopea, we believe, can be a true Photoshop alternative for the vast majority of your demands. If you only use design software for the occasional job and don’t rely on it for daily activities, it can be a complete replacement.

Even if you paid for Photopea’s premium version, you’d be saving money compared to Adobe Creative Suite, Canva Premium, and other subscription-based services, plus you’d have the added benefit of being able to cancel at any time.

Photopea is beneficial to everyone.

You may have particular software habits, or you may feel compelled to acquire the best-of-the-best as a beginner designer, but we believe that everyone can profit from utilizing Photopea.

Its platform is familiar enough that you won’t have to learn new software to utilize it, but it does have certain unique features that provide you more design freedom while using less disc space and costing you less money.

There are numerous design platforms to choose from, and it can be difficult to figure out which one is best for you. There’s no reason not to give Photopea a shot.

Mark Funk
Mark Funk is an experienced information security specialist who works with enterprises to mature and improve their enterprise security programs. Previously, he worked as a security news reporter.