The Decline of Adobe Photoshop: User Frustrations and Alternatives

User Exodus Driven by Software Rot and Performance Issues

Adobe Photoshop is facing significant user backlash due to a perceived decline in software quality and performance. Long-term users report that the application has become slower over time, failing to keep pace with hardware advancements.

One user noted that despite moving to Apple Silicon, the initial performance boost was temporary, stating:

My biggest complaint about Photoshop is that every time CPUs have gotten faster, it's gotten slower... Now my M1 is showing its age, and I noted when I started Photoshop the other day it took close to 30 seconds.

Other users have reported specific technical failures on macOS, including broken GIF timeline previews and "focus-stealing" issues where the application forces the user back to its desktop while they are working in another virtual space. Some users claim that the software's quality began to degrade significantly after the transition to the subscription model, with Photoshop CS6 being cited as the last "good" version that remained snappy and feature-complete for most needs.

Aggressive Licensing and Ecosystem Lock-in

The transition to Creative Cloud (CC) has introduced friction points regarding licensing, installation, and uninstallation. Users have expressed frustration with Adobe's subscription terms, specifically annual plans paid monthly that auto-renew and lock users into long-term commitments.

Technical grievances regarding the Creative Cloud ecosystem include:

• Intrusive System Changes: Reports of Adobe silently updating the /etc/hosts file for license verification purposes.
• Background Processes: The spawning of numerous background processes that remain active even when background tasks are disabled in macOS.
• Difficult Uninstallation: Users report that the official Creative Cloud uninstaller often fails, forcing them to manually hunt for remaining files in /library and ~/library folders. This has led some to use third-party tools like AppCleaner or Pearcleaner to fully remove the software.

Infrastructure and Support Failures

Adobe's shift in how it handles file storage and access has created operational hurdles for professional teams. A notable example involves the discontinuation of the Creative Cloud Synced Files service in 2023, which many businesses relied upon for sharing assets.

Furthermore, users have reported a lack of support for opening assets directly from Network Attached Storage (NAS) via SMB/AFS file sharing. One user described a workaround involving restarting the SMB daemon every morning to release file locks, alleging that Adobe pushed customers toward their own sync services only to abandon those services later.

Viable Alternatives to Photoshop

As frustration with Adobe grows, users are migrating to a variety of alternatives depending on their specific needs:

Professional and Feature-Rich Alternatives

• Affinity Photo: Acquired by Canva, this tool is cited as a strong alternative for those needing a professional UI similar to Photoshop.
• Photopea: A browser-based editor that maintains Photoshop's UI and keyboard shortcuts, making it ideal for users with existing muscle memory who are no longer heavy users.

Specialized and Open Source Tools

• Krita: Recommended for digital painting and illustration.
• GIMP: Mentioned as a functional, though workflow-different, open-source alternative.
• Acorn: Used by some for pixel-perfect editing tasks.

The Shift in Industry Perception

The cultural dominance of "Photoshopping" as a verb has diminished. Users observe that the term is being replaced by "AI," reflecting a shift where the software is no longer the primary point of reference for image manipulation in the public consciousness.