Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Chat about Linux in general
Forum rules
Do not post support questions here. Before you post read the forum rules. Topics in this forum are automatically closed 6 months after creation.
Rembrandt
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:47 am

Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Rembrandt »

I am using Ubuntu 20.04 and was wondering if there is a good solution for running Adobe Photoshop since it is the only program the forces me to keep my Windows installation. Thanks for your suggestions!
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
User avatar
karlchen
Level 23
Level 23
Posts: 18173
Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2011 7:21 am
Location: Germany

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by karlchen »

<mod> Note, please: Ubuntu 20.04 is not Linux Mint, though LM 20.x are based on Ubuntu 20.04. Thread moved from "Main Edition" to "Chat about Linux". </mod>
Image
The people of Alderaan have been bravely fighting back the clone warriors sent out by the unscrupulous Sith Lord Palpatine for 762 days now.
Lifeline
bin
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 212
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire UK

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by bin »

Rembrandt wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:51 am I am using Ubuntu 20.04 and was wondering if there is a good solution for running Adobe Photoshop since it is the only program the forces me to keep my Windows installation. Thanks for your suggestions!
In a word - no. I'm guessing you're talking about the new pay as you go stuff rather than CS2 and so on.
You could use VMWare to run a Windows VM with Photoshop - or of course head off down the rabbit hole of linux alternatives. It depends on what you use Photoshop for in the first place?
User avatar
Flemur
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 10097
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:41 pm
Location: Potemkin Village

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Flemur »

Rembrandt wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:51 am I am using Ubuntu 20.04 and was wondering if there is a good solution for running Adobe Photoshop since it is the only program the forces me to keep my Windows installation. Thanks for your suggestions!
It runs under wine, but that and how well depend on the PS (and wine?) version(s) and newer versions of PS require some fiddling; make a backup of your OS and your wine prefix before trying it. Photoshop 7 used to run fine under older wines, dunno about now; I occasionally use Photoshop 12 (CS5?) under wine.

"How I installed Photoshop CS6 in wine"
viewtopic.php?p=1931397#p1931397
Note the wine prefix increased in size from 37M to 1.9G after adding all the extras.

Also try an internet search on playonlinux photoshop a method which does some of the dirty work (install extra parts) for you. Also check out running PS in a virtualbox, which used to work nicely for me (I could save the running VB session and re-start PS faster than it started under windows) but I don't like virtual box.

Edit: I took a screen-shot of your post, then cropped and saved it in PS, then did Help->About PS and took the screen-shot below....and the whole OS locked up.
Edit: that lock-up is consistent, however PS seems to work as long as I avoid the "Help" menu.
pshop.jpg
Last edited by Flemur on Sun Jan 23, 2022 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Please edit your original post title to include [SOLVED] if/when it is solved!
Your data and OS are backed up....right?
Hoser Rob
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11806
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:57 am

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Hoser Rob »

It certainly won't do it reliably enough for any sort of serious pro use.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
User avatar
Lady Fitzgerald
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5731
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:12 pm
Location: AZ, SSA (Squabbling States of America)

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Lady Fitzgerald »

You probably won't like this suggestion (and, in a way, I don't blame you) but you probably would be better off forgetting about Adobe Photoshop and switch to another graphics program that is compatible with Linux, such as Gimp. Anything Adobe is an enormous money pit since it is now subscription based (it was never inexpensive to begin with) and, securitywise, it's still buggier than a flophouse bed. Granted, switching to Gimp will pretty much require you to go back to square one to learn how to use it, no small task, but you will most likely be better off in the long run.

The only valid reason I can think of for staying with Adobe anything is because you have an employer who requires it specifically instead of being satisfied with your output, no matter how you attained it.
Jeannie

To ensure the safety of your data, you have to be proactive, not reactive, so, back it up!
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5894
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by MurphCID »

Lady Fitzgerald wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:53 am You probably won't like this suggestion (and, in a way, I don't blame you) but you probably would be better off forgetting about Adobe Photoshop and switch to another graphics program that is compatible with Linux, such as Gimp. Anything Adobe is an enormous money pit since it is now subscription based (it was never inexpensive to begin with) and, securitywise, it's still buggier than a flophouse bed. Granted, switching to Gimp will pretty much require you to go back to square one to learn how to use it, no small task, but you will most likely be better off in the long run.

The only valid reason I can think of for staying with Adobe anything is because you have an employer who requires it specifically instead of being satisfied with your output, no matter how you attained it.
I use CS4 on my windows machine, since it works, and I own the copy. GIMP is horrible compared to Photoshop, not even close in my opinion. Photoshop and iTunes are all that is keeping me on Windows.
User avatar
Lady Fitzgerald
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5731
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 3:12 pm
Location: AZ, SSA (Squabbling States of America)

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Lady Fitzgerald »

MurphCID wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 10:03 am
Lady Fitzgerald wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:53 am You probably won't like this suggestion (and, in a way, I don't blame you) but you probably would be better off forgetting about Adobe Photoshop and switch to another graphics program that is compatible with Linux, such as Gimp. Anything Adobe is an enormous money pit since it is now subscription based (it was never inexpensive to begin with) and, securitywise, it's still buggier than a flophouse bed. Granted, switching to Gimp will pretty much require you to go back to square one to learn how to use it, no small task, but you will most likely be better off in the long run.

The only valid reason I can think of for staying with Adobe anything is because you have an employer who requires it specifically instead of being satisfied with your output, no matter how you attained it.
I use CS4 on my windows machine, since it works, and I own the copy. GIMP is horrible compared to Photoshop, not even close in my opinion. Photoshop and iTunes are all that is keeping me on Windows.
You are correct when you say Gimp is not even close compared to Photoshop. The same is true when you compare Linux to Windows. It doesn't mean Linux is bad; it's just radically different under the hood. The same as most (note I said most) former Windows users have a harder time learning Linux because they have so much to unlearn, former Photoshop users are going to have a harder time learning to use Gimp since they will have to unlearn so much. From professional reviews I've read comparing Gimp to Photoshop, with only a few exceptions that won't affect most people, Gimp is as good as Photoshop, albeit radically different.

I never used Photoshop simply because I do very little photo and other graphics editing, mostly due to me being colorblind and because of the steep price tag that has to be partially repaid every so often to continue to get security updates due to anything Adobe being riddled with security flaws that hackers keep finding. I used to use Acrobat Standard but Adobe lost me for keeps when they became subscription based. I rarely use Gimp because my needs are so simple, I can get away with using Pix most of the time.
Last edited by Lady Fitzgerald on Sat Jan 22, 2022 12:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jeannie

To ensure the safety of your data, you have to be proactive, not reactive, so, back it up!
User avatar
old_noob
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 267
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2017 2:42 pm
Location: Vermont, USA

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by old_noob »

Michael Tunnell of Destination Linux and this Week in Linux podcasts is a graphic designer and he uses Photoshop in Windows in a VM. I suspect that if there was any way to get it to run well in Linux he would be doing so.
User avatar
MurphCID
Level 15
Level 15
Posts: 5894
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:29 pm
Location: Near San Antonio, Texas

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by MurphCID »

Lady Fitzgerald wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 10:24 am
MurphCID wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 10:03 am
Lady Fitzgerald wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:53 am You probably won't like this suggestion (and, in a way, I don't blame you) but you probably would be better off forgetting about Adobe Photoshop and switch to another graphics program that is compatible with Linux, such as Gimp. Anything Adobe is an enormous money pit since it is now subscription based (it was never inexpensive to begin with) and, securitywise, it's still buggier than a flophouse bed. Granted, switching to Gimp will pretty much require you to go back to square one to learn how to use it, no small task, but you will most likely be better off in the long run.

The only valid reason I can think of for staying with Adobe anything is because you have an employer who requires it specifically instead of being satisfied with your output, no matter how you attained it.
I use CS4 on my windows machine, since it works, and I own the copy. GIMP is horrible compared to Photoshop, not even close in my opinion. Photoshop and iTunes are all that is keeping me on Windows.
You are correct when you say Gimp is not even close compared to Photoshop. The same is true when you compare Linux to Windows. It doesn't Linux is bad; it's just radically different under the hood. The same as most (note I said most) former Windows users have a harder time learning Linux because they have so much to unlearn, former Photoshop users are going to have a harder time learning to use Gimp since they will have to unlearn so much. From professional reviews I've read comparing Gimp to Photoshop, with only a few exceptions that won't affect most people, Gimp is as good as Photoshop, albeit radically different.

I never used Photoshop simply because I do very little photo and other graphics editing, mostly due to me being colorblind and because of the steep price tag that has to be partially repaid every so often to continue to get security updates due to anything Adobe being riddle with security flaws that hackers keep finding. I used to use Acrobat Standard but Adobe lost me for keep when they became subscription based. I rarely use Gimp because my needs are so simple, I can get away with using Pix most of the time.
As always you are quite perceptive. I use Photoshop a lot (well not as much anymore), due to my hobby of digital photography. Gimp is just too different for me.
iliketrains
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 241
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2020 6:32 pm

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by iliketrains »

The wine appdb isn't encouraging if using PS in any serious way. https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager. ... gId=110905
Virtual machine looks the way to go.
Gimp is plenty capable, more capable than me for sure. Unfortunately I find the interface not intuitive and not easy for an occasional user. Anything beyond the most basic tasks means searching for tutorials.
User avatar
MikeNovember
Level 7
Level 7
Posts: 1839
Joined: Fri Feb 28, 2020 7:37 am
Location: Nice, Paris, France

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by MikeNovember »

Hi,

There is a fork of Gimp, called Glimpse, it is basically Gimp with a Photoshop User Interface.

If you want the "true" photoshop and are ready to pay for it, it is probably for professional use. Then, since time is money, use Photoshop where it is the more efficient: under Windows.

Regards,

MN
_____________________________
Linux Mint 21.3 Mate host with Ubuntu Pro enabled, VMware Workstation Player with Windows 10 Pro guest, ASUS G74SX (i7-2670QM, 16 GB RAM, GTX560M with 3GB RAM, 1TB SSD).
User avatar
absque fenestris
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4124
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:42 pm
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by absque fenestris »

iliketrains wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 1:20 pm ...
Unfortunately I find the interface not intuitive and not easy for an occasional user. Anything beyond the most basic tasks means searching for tutorials.
Off topic, but important for using GIMP :
The preset of the dockable tool-windows chosen by the GIMP developers is quite unfortunate.
First of all, you have to activate and dock the really important tool-windows, deactivate the unimportant ones, and - in my opinion - distribute them completely differently left and right on the available desktop.
An hour has passed quickly until all the essential presets have been adjusted, but it is worth the effort to get a smoother workflow.

(If interested in this case, I am happy to discuss my presets in detail and document them with screenshots - just open a new topic in this regard)
iliketrains
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 241
Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2020 6:32 pm

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by iliketrains »

(If interested in this case, I am happy to discuss my presets in detail and document them with screenshots - just open a new topic in this regard)
Well sure. Be warned my skills with this image stuff are far from advanced.
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=366654
User avatar
Portreve
Level 13
Level 13
Posts: 4882
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:03 am
Location: Within 20,004 km of YOU!
Contact:

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Portreve »

Rembrandt wrote: Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:51 am I am using Ubuntu 20.04 and was wondering if there is a good solution for running Adobe Photoshop since it is the only program the forces me to keep my Windows installation. Thanks for your suggestions!
Along the same lines as Lady Fitzgerald has discussed, you might want to give the image editor and viewer nomacs a try. Sounds like it's pretty powerful.

Mind you, Gimp is no slouch, and you can get mods to make it cosmetically resemble Photoshop. I actually use a combination of Gimp and Scribus for my own graphics workflow.
Flying this flag in support of freedom 🇺🇦

Recommended keyboard layout: English (intl., with AltGR dead keys)

Podcasts: Linux Unplugged, Destination Linux

Also check out Thor Hartmannsson's Linux Tips YouTube Channel
User avatar
absque fenestris
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4124
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:42 pm
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by absque fenestris »

Portreve wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 2:20 pm ...
Mind you, Gimp is no slouch, and you can get mods to make it cosmetically resemble Photoshop. I actually use a combination of Gimp and Scribus for my own graphics workflow.
Dear Portreve, I think you scare people to death with this combination.

GIMP is one thing - if you now come along with Scribus... I don't know, my occasional mention or recommendation of Scribus regularly leads to strangely abstruse thread progressions.
User avatar
Portreve
Level 13
Level 13
Posts: 4882
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:03 am
Location: Within 20,004 km of YOU!
Contact:

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by Portreve »

absque fenestris wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 3:52 pm Dear Portreve, I think you scare people to death with this combination.
Image
Flying this flag in support of freedom 🇺🇦

Recommended keyboard layout: English (intl., with AltGR dead keys)

Podcasts: Linux Unplugged, Destination Linux

Also check out Thor Hartmannsson's Linux Tips YouTube Channel
User avatar
absque fenestris
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4124
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:42 pm
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by absque fenestris »

:lol:

Image
(Highly frightened horses neighing in the background ... was unfortunately not integrable into the picture)


^ this is because of Moem, so we don't get too off-topic. After all, it's about Photoshop.
bin
Level 4
Level 4
Posts: 212
Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2006 12:12 pm
Location: Wiltshire UK

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by bin »

I still have the media for CS4, but as I understand the Adobe servers no longer allow the registration process if you are doing a new install on Windows.

I also recall that - back in 2013 ish - you had to set the clock on the PC back to 2010 or something like that so that it would get all the updates.

Weirdly I also used - and use - Scribus, Inkscape Libreoffice and Gimp to do the stuff I would have done in Illustrator and Photoshop. OK it can be a pain but it works (most of the time). If it's for photos then I use a more appropriate tool.
User avatar
absque fenestris
Level 12
Level 12
Posts: 4124
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 8:42 pm
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica

Re: Is there a good way to use Adobe Photoshop under Ubuntu?

Post by absque fenestris »

bin wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 2:18 am I still have the media for CS4, but as I understand the Adobe servers no longer allow the registration process if you are doing a new install on Windows.

I also recall that - back in 2013 ish - you had to set the clock on the PC back to 2010 or something like that so that it would get all the updates.

Weirdly I also used - and use - Scribus, Inkscape Libreoffice and Gimp to do the stuff I would have done in Illustrator and Photoshop. OK it can be a pain but it works (most of the time). If it's for photos then I use a more appropriate tool.
Same experience with Adobe CS3 on a Mac: Customer comes with a broken G4 PowerMac. Probably the power supply. Converting the hard drive to another, not 100% identical G4 PPC, same with the better graphics card and RAM sticks from the broken machine. Start up, enter password, everything works fine - until one of the CS3 applications starts: nada, niente, nothing...
Re-installing CS3 from the existing DVD (with the code on the cover) brings nothing - just as little as various phone calls with any Adobe representatives. They then recommend the Adobe subscription. Great - on a Mac G4 PPC from 2002 ... ... !
In the end, I "lent" him mine via Copy Cloner, so to speak...

Let me translate - Adobe doesn't give a damn if you ever bought a full version of the Adobe Creative Suite:
it's old and won't be reactivated !
It's That Simple!

FYI: this was 2019 - and Yes! the customer had a full Adobe subscription on a then-new iMac running the latest macOS.

To put it bluntly: Apple and Adobe have been absolute crap, bull crap - or whatever else you want to call it - since at least 2011.
Why it should be any better on Windows, I don't know.
If you are not financially or otherwise absolutely dependent on these companies, just avoid using their products.
Last edited by absque fenestris on Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Locked

Return to “Chat about Linux”