Arek Dvornechuck
Branding Expert
Adobe Software List in 2026: What Apps Do You Need?
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Adobe's software list is quite broad, given that the Creative Cloud package covers a wide range of creative disciplines.
What Adobe software are the best for creatives’ needs?
Adobe has nearly all tools that creative professionals use-whether you're a graphic designer, web designer, photographer, artist, marketing expert, or video editor-you will find an app for your needs.
The majority of Adobe software, however, requires a subscription.
Subscribers can choose to subscribe to just one program, the Photography Plan, or the entire Creative Cloud suite (check out the Best Adobe and Creative Cloud subscription Discounts 2023).
It's an important purchase, so be sure you know exactly what you're getting before you make it.
We've prepared a list of all the free adobe software, and top 10 Adobe apps and explained why you would want and need to use them for producing quality creative work.
Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite is the creative cloud apps a set of applications and services from Adobe Inc. that are specially made for artists.
It gives subscribers access to a collection of software used for graphic design, video editing, web development, and photography, along with a set of mobile applications and some optional creative cloud services.
However, because each Adobe application has its own set of uses, you must be familiar with all of them in order to know which ones will best
Photoshop and Illustrator are must-have software for creatives because they can serve a variety of graphic design needs, specifically for photo editing and vector graphics designing.
However, if you’re looking to edit videos or create animation—Premiere Pro and After Effects are all great choices.
Adobe also has applications for beginners and casual creatives, including Premiere Rush and Adobe Spark.
Here's a step-by-step guide to installing Adobe Applications on your devices:
Step 1—Sign in to creativecloud.adobe.com/apps, then select Install (or Download) for the app you want the creative cloud to install.
Looking for the Creative Cloud desktop app? It installs automatically with your first app. If you prefer, you can download it directly.
Step 2—Double-click the downloaded file to begin the installation.
Step 3—Once the installer window opens, sign in to your Adobe account. The Creative Cloud desktop app launches automatically and installs your app.
If you are already signed in to Creative Cloud on two other computers, you are prompted to sign out from any one of them.
Step 4—To install more apps, select Install for the app in the Creative Cloud desktop app.
Nobody will be surprised by the first mobile application name on Adobe's software list.
Best Adobe photo editing software
Photoshop is the professional standard when it comes to image editing; so much so that the phrase “Photoshop” has even taken on the meaning of a verb.
In addition to editing images, Photoshop is a full-fledged graphics editor too, and many creatives nowadays are finding for an app.
In comparison, Adobe Illustrator (below) is a vector graphics program, while Photoshop is a photo editor.
If you want to edit images and compose several layers of image files or graphics and text; edit and render graphic images or vector graphics; or make 3D graphics or video, Photoshop is a great tool to have on your device.
Many versions of Photoshop are available, including Photoshop Elements, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Express, and Photoshop CC—Mac, Windows, and iPad are all supported platforms by this application.
In addition to photographers and photo editors, Photoshop is also being utilized by digital artists, graphic designers, art directors, and even 3D artists, thanks to its vast variety of capabilities.
Illustrator is most typically used by artists, illustrators, and graphic designers to create everything from simple visuals like logos, icons, and infographics to intricate illustrations and everything in between, as the name suggests.
The best Adobe vector graphics app
It's a vector-graphics-based drawing application, which means it contains less detail than raster graphics and is infinitely scalable.
While Photoshop has a wide range of features that are constantly expanding, Adobe Illustrator is considerably more focused on a single function.
PC Magazine named Adobe Illustrator the finest vector graphics editing application in 2018.
Collaboration editing, better graphic snapping, and cloud storage are the software list of just a few of Illustrator's highlights.
With Illustrator, you can create quickly with features powered by Adobe Sensei AI—recolor artwork with just one click, create custom effects, and many more.
Additionally, most Adobe Illustrator runs on Windows, iPad, and MAC.
Download Adobe Illustrator now
InDesign is a page layout software that is primarily used for print but may also be used for desktop versions and digital publications.
The best Adobe software for page layout and design
It's the industry's standard tool for creating graphics for posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books, and eBooks, and it's commonly used by graphic designers and production artists.
InDesign makes managing design elements and delivering immersive experiences in any format a breeze.
Professional creatives can create audio, video, slideshows, and animations to draw people into digital periodicals, eBooks, and interactive online documents.
For layout and page design, Adobe InDesign is the go-to app for millions of digital designers.
You can also create beautiful graphic designs with typography from the world’s top foundries and imagery from Adobe Stock.
Subject-aware text wrapping, easy color location, Adobe Fonts auto-activation, HSB compatibility, and other features are among InDesign's highlights.
Premiere Pro is Adobe's all-in-one video editing program that allows you to edit footage in any format, including 8K and virtual reality.
The best Adobe video editing app
It is the most popular video editing software for creatives.
Premiere Pro is a professional video editing tool with a visual timeline that's widely used in the film and television industries, as well as by YouTubers and marketing and design firms, to edit everything from commercials and music videos to TV series and feature-length films.
Two recent new functions of Premiere Pro are Auto Reframe, which intelligently reframes your footage (keeping the action inside the frame for varied aspect ratios), and the ability to snap graphic objects to guide, each other, or tracked things.
You can work without hassle even on your mobile device thanks to native file compatibility, lightweight proxy operations, and the quicker ProRes HDR it provides.
It works on both Mac and Windows devices.
It also works with Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, and Adobe Stock, as well as a variety of third-party software, to make videos for movies and web series.
However, because it's a complicated tool to learn, Adobe just introduced Premier Rush, a more lightweight video editing app for beginners and casual users.
Download Adobe Premiere Pro now
Adobe XD is a multi-purpose UI/UX design tool that lets you make animations, construct interactive prototypes, and communicate with others.
All-in-one UI/UX design tool application
More features are included in this app: 3D transforms, reusable design elements, content-aware layout, auto animation, and more.
Adobe XD is a vector-based UX tool for prototyping web and mobile apps that was launched a few years ago as Adobe's alternative to Sketch.
In other words, you don't build the entire software in Adobe XD; instead, you use it to visualize the user interface and define how the various sections interact.
This makes it easier to make sure everything is operating properly from the beginning until the final editing.
Additionally, you don't need a Creative Cloud subscription to enjoy Adobe XD's basic plan, and it's completely free.
You can share projects with coworkers, receive feedback on the same file, and address issues all in one place.
Apps and websites can be created with Adobe XD, and it works on both Mac and Windows devices.
Dreamweaver is Adobe's application for those who want to design websites without knowing how to code—first released in 1997.
Best Adobe software for web design
It was new at that time, but there is now a slew of alternatives, like Adobe's own Muse CC, that provide similar functionality.
Dreamweaver is considered the best application for website design.
It is widely used by professional designers since they are already experts in web design.
However, it is not limited to professionals only—if you’re a beginner designer, you can check out the 10 Best Web Design Courses Online that will surely enhance your skills and knowledge in the field of web design.
Dreamweaver allows you to create an amazing web page in minutes thanks to features like flexible code, ready-to-use templates, and free photos from Stock.
Additionally, the software's additional capabilities are smooth live view editing, multi-monitor compatibility for Windows, a redesigned, modern UI, and git support, to name a few.
Download Adobe Dreamweaver now
The Premiere Rush is a cross-platform, all-in-one video editing app for newbies that instantly processes and uploads video clips, making it perfect for social media content creators.
The best video editing software for beginners
Cropping, resizing, rotating, and color correction are all included in the application, as well as a variety of sound and sequence manipulation tools.
The Premiere Rush is another video editing program that's great for social media video editing.
All your creative works will be saved in the cloud, making it easy to edit across various devices, and there's even an auto-sync option.
The Premiere Rush is meant to make it super-easy to edit and publish content directly to social media networks, thanks to its full connectivity with Premiere Pro.
You may use your smartphone to add audio and motion graphics, modify the pace of your videos, and share high-quality videos on social media.
With this free program, you can effortlessly add transitions, adjust titles, and apply color correction to improve your videos.
Download Adobe Premiere Rush now
Lightroom empowers creatives like you to make amazing photos from anywhere.
A cloud-based photo editor application
It’s the first-ever complete photo service made specifically for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts.
Although Lightroom doesn't have all of Photoshop's image-editing features, its simple interface makes it easier to use for everyday tasks.
Also, note that Lightroom's edits are always non-destructive.
This means both the original image and all the adobe software 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.
Lightroom also has easy-to-use tools that let you brighten photos, bump up colors, and mask distracting elements—all so you can bring your vision to life.
With presets for vintage, travel, and more, as well as portrait presets for every skin tone, you can create photographs that stand out.
With cloud storage, you can work on any device and keep your other mobile devices and desktop devices in sync.
The Lightroom community is a great place to find inspiration and interact with other creative professionals.
Create incredible motion graphics and visual effects with After Effects.
The best animation software for designers
As a post-production tool, After Effects is utilized in the creation of special effects like explosions and lightning strikes, as well as keying, tracking, and compositing.
When it comes to visual effects and motion graphics After Effects is a must-have on any list of Adobe applications.
Although you wouldn't use it to create a whole film, a creative studio might use it to produce short animations like those you might see on a website, in an explainer film, or in a credit sequence, for example.
As well as being smoothly integrated with other Adobe apps, After Effects also plays nicely with Maxon’s 3D application, Cinema 4D.
You can create compositions in After Effects and use dynamic linking to eliminate intermediate rendering in Adobe Premiere Pro.
After Effects automatically adjusts resource usage to render your compositions as fast as possible on your machine.
Use your computer's CPU to its maximum potential with After Effects' features that speed up previews, flag layers that affect processing time, and even render your compositions while you're not using it!
Download Adobe After Effects now
Apps like Adobe Spark allow you to easily and quickly create social media images, web pages, and short videos.
Best social media graphics app
Professionals and amateurs in the marketing and social media industries will benefit from this software, as well as those who have no time to learn more sophisticated applications like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Adobe Spark is an online and mobile design app—you can easily create stunning social graphics, short videos, and web pages that make you stand out on social media.
You can elevate your work with pre-designed graphics that can be easily customized by swapping in your own images, graphics, and text.
Adobe Spark makes removing backgrounds, transforming text, and adding branding elements a breeze with intuitive tools that guide you through the process.
You can resize content for social media and add Photoshop-worthy effects, filters, and textures in a snap.
Adobe Spark lets you select the images you want—upload your own from your device or cloud storage, or select from a software list of thousands of free online images.
From tactical tips on how to stand out on social media to inspiring stories, the Adobe Spark application offers an amazing collection of advice from experts and real people who learned by doing.
That ends my list of the 10 Best Adobe Software for Creatives.
To summarize it all for you, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom stand out in the field of photo editing.
For professional video editors, you should go for Adobe Premiere Pro which is the best video editing software among Adobe’s applications.
However, beginners and casual creatives are much welcome to use the Adobe applications—Adobe is offering you Adobe Premiere Rush and Adobe Spark which you can use for creating your simple yet professional-looking creative work.
Adobe also developed apps that perfectly fit the needs of web and page designers—Adobe InDesign and Adobe Dreamweaver are the best software packages for your web and page designs.
I only listed the top 10 most popular Adobe Software, but take note that there are a lot more applications that Adobe is offering for artists like you.
You just need to find the perfect software for your needs and make the most creative designs happen.
As a creative, which Adobe Apps do you need?—Leave a comment below.
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