Adobe software list: which apps do you need?

Adobe software list
(Image credit: Adobe)

The Adobe software list is pretty long, as you'd expect given the Creative Cloud suite covers pretty much every sector in visual creativity. Whether you're a graphic designer, web designer, photographer, illustrator, marketing professional or a film or video maker, it has most of the tools your profession considers industry standard.

While there are some free Adobe apps, most Adobe software requires a subscription. There's a choice of signing up for a single app, the Photography Plan (Photoshop and Lightroom) or the whole Creative Cloud suite (keep an eye out for an Adobe Creative Cloud discount). Making the investment is a big decision, so it's vital to know exactly what you'll be getting. 

There are no fewer than 50 apps in total on the full Adobe software list, but there are 13 main ones you definitely need to know about. We'll provide a summary of these in our Adobe software list below and explain, in simple terms, what they do and why you might need them. 

To help you out once you're signed up, also see our best Photoshop tutorials and Illustrator tutorials. If you're into video editing, you might also want to check our list of the best video editing software.

The Adobe software list: the main Adobe apps 

Adobe software list: Photoshop

(Image credit: Adobe)
Photo editing and so much more

Specifications

Used for: Image editing and manipulation, photo retouching, graphic design, web and app prototyping, 3D modelling
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPad

Reasons to buy

+
Feature-rich
+
Powerful

Reasons to avoid

-
Complex
-
Big learning curve

The first entry on our Adobe software list won't surprise anyone. If you want to edit images, Photoshop is the industry standard; so much so, that the word ‘Photoshop’ has even become a verb. But tweaking photos isn’t all that Photoshop does: it’s also a fully fledged graphics editor. 

Photoshop can be used, for example, to edit and compose raster images, graphics and text in multiple layers; edit and render text and vector graphics; and create and edit 3D graphics and video. This wide range of capabilities means that Photoshop is not just used by photographers and photo retouchers, but also by digital artists, graphic designers and art directors, and even, increasingly, by 3D designers and VFX artists. 

It’s important to note that Photoshop works with raster graphics, in contrast to Illustrator (below), which works with vector graphics. To understand the difference between these, read our guide to common file formats. Also check out our best alternatives to Photoshop and our review of Photoshop for iPad.

Adobe software list: Illustrator

(Image credit: Adobe)
The industry standard for vector graphics and illustrations

Specifications

Used for: Illustration, designing vector graphics
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPad

Reasons to buy

+
Feature-rich
+
Now on the iPad

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive compared to rivals

While Photoshop has wide and ever-expanding capabilities, Illustrator is much more focused on a specific tasks. It’s essentially a drawing programme based on vector graphics (which contain less detail than raster graphics and are infinitely scalable). Illustrator is most commonly used by artists, illustrators and graphic designers, to create everything from simple graphics, such as logos, icons and infographics, to complex illustrations, and everything in-between. Illustrator for the iPad has also recently been released. You can read our review of Illustrator for more details and see our roundup of Adobe Illustrator tutorials to build our skills.

Adobe software list: After Effects screengrab

(Image credit: Adobe)
Used for visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing

Specifications

Used for: VFX, motion graphics, compositing
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Reasons to buy

+
Lots of features
+
Integration with Cinema 4D

Reasons to avoid

-
Not sophisticated enough for full movie production

After Effects is a popular tool for visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing so a valuable entry in an Adobe software list. Although you wouldn’t use it to create an entire movie, it might be used by a creative studio to create the kind of simple animations you’d feature on a website, in an explainer video, or on a credit sequence, for example. 

After Effects is also used in the post-production process of film making and television, for tasks such as keying, tracking and compositing, and creating visual effects such as explosions and lightning strikes. As well as being smoothly integrated with other Adobe apps, it also plays nicely with Maxon’s 3D application Cinema 4D. See our After Effects tutorials for help on getting to grips with After Effects. You might also want to see our pick of the best After Effects alternatives.

Adobe Firefly

(Image credit: Adobe)

04. Adobe Firefly

Adobe's new text-to-image generative AI tools

Specifications

Used for: graphic design and more
Platforms: Web

Reasons to buy

+
Free app 
+

Reasons to avoid

-
Not sophisticated enough for full movie production

Adobe Firefly allows users to employ text prompts to generate images using generative AI. It's conceptually similar to other AI image generators but includes a broader range of applications, allowing users to generate text effects and colour palettes as well as images. Adobe also claims that it's safe to use for commercial work because, unlike many other AI art tools, it wasn't trained on copyrighted work.

The Firefly standalone web application on firefly.adobe.com has a free and premium plan, but some of the most practical uses of Firefly are through the integration of its Generative Fill and Generative Expand tools in Photoshop. Also see our guide to how to use Adobe Firefly for concept art.

Adobe software list: Substance

(Image credit: Adobe)
Adobe's 3D offering

Specifications

Used for: Creating 3D content, AR experiences and virtual photography
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent integration with Adobe suite
+
Established workflow for pro artists

Reasons to avoid

-
Not included in All Apps plan
-
Big learning curve

Adobe Substance brings the industry standard texturing Substance suite for 3D artists (acquired by Adobe in 2019) to the Creative Cloud suite. The collection features four 3D design apps (Painter, Sampler, Designer and Stager) as well as a huge library of 3D assets. But beware: it isn't included in the Creative Cloud All Apps plan, so you'll have to fork out an extra subscription to get the most out of it.

Adobe software list: Indesign

(Image credit: Adobe)

06. Adobe InDesign

The go-to software for desktop publishing

Specifications

Used for: Desktop publishing
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Reasons to buy

+
Industry standard

Reasons to avoid

-
Learning curve

InDesign is a page layout tool that’s used primarily for print, but also has digital publishing capabilities. The industry standard tool for the publishing industry, it’s typically used by graphic designers and production artists to create posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books and ebooks.

Check out our InDesign tutorials to have you using this app like a pro. 

Adobe software list: Picture of dog on mobile, desktop and tablet screens

(Image credit: Adobe)
Adobe's photography organisation and editing software

Specifications

Used for: Image organisation and editing
Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android

Reasons to buy

+
Great organisation features

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as powerful as PS for image editing

Lightroom is a family of tools for image organisation and image manipulation. Its strength lies primarily in the former, and is a good tool for a photo studio or photographer that needs to handle large numbers of images. It doesn’t have all the image editing features offered by Photoshop, but that does make for a simpler interface that’s easier to use for standard tasks. 

Also note that Lightroom's edits are always non-destructive. This means both the original image and the edits you’ve applied to it are saved separately, so it’s easy to undo changes if things don’t turn out how you wanted. See our full Lightroom review for more details.

Adobe software list: Premiere Pro screengrab

(Image credit: Adobe)
A comprehensive video editing tool

Specifications

Used for: Video editing
Platforms: Windows, Mac

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful integration with other apps

Reasons to avoid

-
Steep learning curve

Premiere Pro is a comprehensive video editing tool, based on a visual timeline, that’s used widely in the film and TV industry, as well as by YouTubers and marketing and design studios, to edit everything from commercials and music videos to TV series and feature-length movies. Recent new features include Auto Reframe, which applies intelligent reframing to your footage (keeping the action inside the frame for different aspect ratios) and the ability to snap graphic elements to guides, to each other, or to tracked items. 

Premiere Pro is often used in conjunction with other Creative Cloud apps in the Adobe software list including After Effects, Audition and Photoshop. It’s quite a complex tool to learn, and for this reason Adobe has recently released a more lightweight video editing app, Premier Rush, for beginners and more casual users.

Adobe Express

(Image credit: Adobe)

09. Adobe Express

An easy-to-use tool for creating graphics for social media

Specifications

Used for: Creating graphics and video for social media
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android

Reasons to buy

+
Simple to use
+
Good for social media creators

Reasons to avoid

-
Quite basic capabilities

Adobe Express is designed for social media creators. It can be used to make short videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok as well as flyers, banners and social media posts with easy-to-use templates, simple design tools and access to Adobe Stock photos, Adobe Fonts and other design assets. It now includes AI features from Adobe Firefly. There's a free and a premium plan. The latter can be subscribed to alone and is also included in a Creative Cloud all-apps subscription and some single-app plans.

Adobe software list: Fresco

(Image credit: Adobe/Hsiao-Ron Cheng)
Adobe's digital art app is now available on the iPhone

Specifications

Used for: Digital art
Platforms: iOS version 12.4 or later

Reasons to buy

+
Simple, intuitive interface

Reasons to avoid

-
Premium subscription expensive

Adobe Fresco is a digital art app, which mimics some of the best elements of other fine art programs for iPad. It combines the expression and power of Photoshop brushes, with the precision of vector brushes. The Live Brush function allows you to paint with watercolours and oils that blossom, blend, smear, and smudge just like in real life. Fresco has a simple and intuitive interface that's great for beginners and pros alike, so you'll want to try out this top pick from the Adobe software list soon.

See our full Adobe Fresco review.

Adobe software list: Rush

(Image credit: Adobe)
Easy and intuitive video editing

Specifications

Used for: Video editing
Platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS and Android

Reasons to buy

+
Emphasis on ease and speed
+
Upload directly to social media accounts

Reasons to avoid

-
Not a heavy duty video editor 

Adobe Premiere Rush is an all-in-one, cross-platform video editing software that processes and uploads video clips quickly, ideal for social media content creators. The app supports video cropping, resizing, rotating and colour correction, plus a host of sound and sequence editing features. All content is saved in the cloud, ideal for editing across multiple devices, and there's an auto-sync option, which makes it even easier. Rush is designed to make it super-simple to edit and upload content directly to social media platforms, so it isn't heavy-duty – but its full integration with Premiere Pro means it doesn't need to be.

Adobe software list: Dimension

(Image credit: Adobe)

12. Adobe Dimension

Create photorealistic 3D scenes and images

Specifications

Used for: Mocking up, compositing and rendering photorealistic 3D images
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Reasons to buy

+
Unique
+
Easy to use

Reasons to avoid

-
Results can look fake it not done well

Adobe Dimension is a tool for mocking up, compositing and rendering photorealistic 3D images based on 2D and 3D models, photos and textures you have imported from elsewhere, including Adobe Stock. It’s used by graphic designers to, for example, create product mockups, brand visualisations and packaging designs. The main advantage is being able to create scenes that look like photographs, without having to organise a photoshoot. Learn how to use it by following our article, Get started with Adobe Dimension CC.

Adobe software list: Dreamweaver screengrab

(Image credit: Adobe)

13. Adobe Dreamweaver

Veteran software for code-free website building

Specifications

Used for: Creating websites
Platforms: Mac, Windows

Reasons to buy

+
No coding needed

Reasons to avoid

-
Other web builders easier to use

Last up in our Adobe software list is one of the original apps. First created in 1997, Dreamweaver is Adobe’s tool for people who want to build websites without learning how to code. It was cutting-edge at the time, but nowadays there are many alternative tools that offer similar capabilities, if not better. The main reason to use Dreamweaver in 2019, then, is that you’ve used it before, but for those who are unfamiliar with it, there’s not really a compelling reason. Certainly check out our list of the best website builders first to see if there’s a platform that suits you better.

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Tom May

Tom May is an award-winning journalist and editor specialising in design, photography and technology. Author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine. Today, he is a regular contributor to Creative Bloq and its sister sites Digital Camera World, T3.com and Tech Radar. He also writes for Creative Boom and works on content marketing projects. 

With contributions from