Adobe Photoshop on the BookBird Author Score
Author Score · book cover design · #8 of 8
Best for: Authors or designers building covers from scratch with pro tools
22.4 of 100 points = 2.2 out of 10. How this score is calculated
Author jobs, from Adobe Photoshop’s own pages
- Not stated: Print covers sized for KDP (not stated)
- Not stated: Ebook cover sizes (not stated)
- Not stated: Book cover templates (not stated)
- Not stated: Images and fonts cleared for commercial use (not stated)
- Yes: Print-ready export
- Not stated: 3D mockups for promotion (not stated)
Adobe Photoshop pricing
Subscription. Free trial: 7 days. The plans as Adobe Photoshop’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:
- Photoshop: $22.99 a month (annual commitment, billed monthly; desktop, web and mobile, Adobe Express Premium, 100GB storage)
- Photoshop (annual, prepaid): $263.88 a year
- Photography: $19.99 a month (annual commitment, billed monthly; Photoshop plus Lightroom)
- Creative Cloud Pro: $69.99 a month (annual commitment, billed monthly; 20+ apps)
USD prices read from Adobe's own price API (web_commerce_artifact, country=US) behind adobe.com/products/photoshop/plans.html; the page itself shows local currency by visitor country. 7-day free trial stated on the plans page.
What Adobe Photoshop offers
From Adobe Photoshop’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:
- Layer-based photo editing and compositing
- CMYK colour mode for print separations
- Save as Photoshop PDF with PDF/X presets for print
- Generative AI fill and expand with monthly credits
- Runs on desktop, in the browser and on mobile
- Plan includes Adobe Express Premium and cloud storage
Runs on: Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android. Exports: PSD, PDF, JPG, PNG and TIFF. Works offline. Launched: 1990.
Who Adobe Photoshop suits, and what its pages do not say
Best for: Authors or designers building covers from scratch with pro tools.
Not confirmed on Adobe Photoshop’s pages when we checked: print covers sized for KDP, ebook cover sizes, book cover templates, images and fonts cleared for commercial use and 3D mockups for promotion. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.
About 70 people a month search Google in the US for “photoshop book cover”, down 56% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).
Adobe Photoshop alternatives
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canva | 8.5 | Free plan; paid from $20 a month | Authors on a budget making ebook covers and promo graphics |
| BookCoverZone | 8.3 | $99 one-time | Authors who want a designer-made premade cover without commissioning one |
| DIY Book Covers | 8.2 | Free plan; paid from $19 one-time | Budget authors wanting AI-made ebook covers with one-time credit packs |
| Book Brush | 7.2 | $149 a year | Authors who want covers plus ad graphics in one yearly web subscription |
| KDP Cover Creator | 6.6 | Free | KDP-only authors needing a quick free cover inside KDP |
Compare: All book cover design · All software for authors
Adobe Photoshop questions
How much does Adobe Photoshop cost?
$19.99 a month. Adobe Photoshop lists 4 plans; the full list is under Pricing above.
What does Adobe Photoshop run on?
Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android, according to its own site.
Is there a free trial of Adobe Photoshop?
Yes, 7 days.
What file formats can Adobe Photoshop export?
PSD, PDF, JPG, PNG and TIFF, according to its own site.
How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Adobe Photoshop’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.