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Last updated on Apr 9, 2025
•6 mins read
Last updated on Apr 8, 2025
•6 mins read
AI Engineer
Finding Needle from the Haystack.
Software Development Executive - III
Android geek with 8+ years of experience crafting sleek apps. Kotlin addict, architecture nerd, and automation junkie. Loves clean code, hates bad UI, and survives on tea. Probably, refactoring something or dreaming up the next big app.
Have you ever wanted to develop a mobile photo editing app with the power and features of Adobe Photoshop?
With mobile photo editing apps becoming an essential tool for photography enthusiasts, designers, and professionals, there's a growing demand for advanced, user-friendly mobile applications.
In this blog, we’ll dive into how you can create a clone of the Photoshop app, equipped with similar features and functionalities that users love. We’ll explore the key aspects of image editing, technology stacks, performance optimization, and legal considerations for building a successful mobile photo editor. By the end of this post, you'll understand what it takes to build a feature-rich mobile editing app for iOS and Android.
When replicating Photoshop’s iconic features in a mobile version, there are certain core functionalities you can’t overlook. These features make Photoshop a powerful tool for professionals and amateurs alike.
One of Photoshop’s fundamental features is layering, which allows users to work independently on multiple elements of an image. This non-destructive editing ensures that users can adjust, add, or remove elements without altering the original image. To replicate this in a mobile app, use layer-based editing combined with masking tools. These tools enable users to hide or reveal sections of layers, allowing for precise image adjustments.
Apps like Adobe Photoshop Express have already implemented this feature on mobile devices, and it’s a crucial inclusion for any Photoshop-like app.
Artificial intelligence has transformed how photo editors work, and Photoshop has been at the forefront of this shift. Tools like Generative Fill and Generative Expand, powered by Adobe Firefly, use AI to fill in gaps, extend backgrounds, and even replace elements with high accuracy. Integrating AI-based features will significantly enhance user experience if you're building a mobile clone.
For instance, like Photoshop, AI can remove objects or replace backgrounds. These tools allow users to make edits quickly without needing expert-level photo manipulation skills.
Photoshop provides users advanced editing tools, such as healing brushes, content-aware fill, and selective edits. To make your mobile app more powerful, consider integrating similar features. Object Select and Spot Healing Brush are tools that let users effortlessly modify specific portions of their images.
For example, users can remove blemishes or unwanted objects with precision. Including these advanced functions will make your app appealing to casual users and professional photographers.
Developing an app that mimics the power and performance of Adobe Photoshop requires selecting the right technology stack. A strong foundation is critical for performance, scalability, and integrating complex tools and features.
To build an app that works seamlessly on iOS and Android, consider using cross-platform frameworks like Flutter or React Native. These allow you to write a single codebase that works across both platforms, saving time and resources. For native development, Swift (for iOS) and Kotlin (for Android) are excellent choices as they offer robust support for mobile device features.
An image processing library is essential for handling the heavy lifting of photo editing. Libraries like OpenCV are crucial for implementing advanced editing features such as object recognition, image filtering, and manipulation.
Additionally, frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch can integrate AI-powered editing tools, enhancing functionality with features like generative fill or noise reduction.
Incorporating cloud storage is a must for your app to handle large image files efficiently. Offering users the ability to save and access their photos in the cloud provides convenience and ensures your app doesn’t take up too much local storage. Moreover, GPU acceleration will improve performance by offloading complex image processing tasks to the device's graphics processing unit, ensuring the app runs smoothly, especially when dealing with high-resolution images.
Creating an app that mimics Photoshop closely raises important legal issues, especially regarding intellectual property. Let’s look at some of the challenges you might face.
While drawing inspiration from Photoshop is fine, it’s crucial to avoid direct copying of Adobe's user interface or specific tools. Photoshop is protected by copyright law, and replicating its interface, names, or patented features without permission can have significant legal consequences. Instead, focus on creating original versions of Photoshop’s tools, ensuring your app has its own identity while offering similar functionality.
Since photo editing apps often require access to sensitive personal data, including cloud storage for your photos, it’s important to comply with data protection laws like GDPR. Additionally, if you’re incorporating AI features, ensure transparency about how user data is used to train these models. Ethical AI use is crucial to gain user trust, especially in an app that deals with images and personal data.
Creating a great app is only one part of the equation; you'll also need a way to monetize it. Here are some viable strategies to generate revenue from your photo editing app.
The freemium model is one of photo editing app's most common monetization strategies. In this approach, you can offer a free app with basic editing features like cropping, rotating, and applying filters. You can offer a paid version or subscription plan for advanced tools like AI-powered edits, premium features, or high-resolution exports. This model has been successful for apps like Adobe Photoshop Express and VSCO.
Another way to monetize your mobile photo editor is through in-app purchases. You can offer additional features such as exclusive filters, advanced editing tools, or access to premium content like Adobe Stock images for a fee. Alternatively, integrating non-intrusive ads into your app can generate revenue while keeping it free for users.
Tackle the complexity of building a feature-rich photo editing app with DhiWise One—your all-in-one platform from scoping to deployment. Use the Requirement Builder to streamline project scoping and estimations, the Project Planner for architecture and database modeling, the Design Converter to instantly turn Figma designs into responsive code, and the WiseGPT – AI Coding Assistant to speed up development with smart, real-time coding help. DhiWise One removes bottlenecks, so your team can focus on delivering an exceptional mobile photo editing experience.
Developing a clone of the Photoshop app for mobile requires careful planning, the right technology, and effective collaboration. You can create a powerful mobile photo editor by integrating key features like AI-powered tools, advanced editing functions, and cloud storage. With tools like DhiWise One, managing the complexities of project requirements, development, and design becomes much more streamlined, enabling your team to stay on track and deliver a quality product.
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