Microsoft Publisher vs Photoshop: What Program to Choose

If you compare Microsoft Publisher vs Photoshop, you will notice that both programs include tools for improving images and text. The former is suitable for Windows-based PCs, while the latter is compatible with both Windows and Mac.

Microsoft Publisher allows you to work with documents, such as certificates or invitations. It includes handy templates that will help you facilitate your workflow. This program has a more intuitive UI than Microsoft Word.

Adobe Photoshop is great for editing pictures. With it, you can fix exposure issues, resize your photos, adjust the color temperature, remove objects and backgrounds from images. Professionals opt for Adobe Photoshop since it helps create high-quality content.

Microsoft Publisher comes with various design tools. It allows you to create adjustable guidelines to position various visual objects on pages. With the help of master pages, you can control the objects that you plan to place on each page.

This desktop publishing software has a wide selection of templates. You can find a portfolio of templates online in the Microsoft Office collection. There, users can find different templates for their needs, including resumes, business cards, or menus.

MS Publisher is a part of the Office package, which allows you to import projects into Word or Excel. You can easily work with graphs and tables. Besides, it helps users import text from Word documents.

Users have access to some typography options, including kerning controls. Thanks to the integration with Word and Excel, the program comes with a built-in spell checker and hyphenation. MS Publisher supports printing with CMYK optimization. Besides, it allows you to save projects in popular image formats, including JPEG.

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Fast image replacement. MS Publisher enables you to replace images in a file. You need to drag a picture into the document and remove the unnecessary one after comparing them. Users can use images from Flickr and Facebook and add files without saving them to the PC first.

Professional tools. MS Publisher has different color palettes. It allows you to create documents in a consistent style and produce unique branding. This program is great for creating page backgrounds with high-resolution pictures. You can work on attractive posters or brochures to grab the audience’s attention.

Reliable. If you pay for the Microsoft 365 subscription, all your documents will be saved to Microsoft OneDrive by default. Your projects are securely encrypted when you store or share them. If necessary, you can save important documents with end-to-end encryption in your Personal Vault.

More user-friendly interface compared to Photoshop. MS Publisher has a clean and simple interface. If you're working with other Microsoft 365 programs, you'll notice that they have a familiar layout. Besides, this program has a gradual learning curve. You can find the settings at the top of the screen. In the drop-down menus, you can quickly select the desired color and font.

Responsive client support. The program will help you find solutions to common problems by providing tutorials on various topics. MS Publisher comes with an integrated browser where you can talk to the support team via live chat. However, you might notice some delays and lags. In this case, make sure to visit the official Microsoft support website.

Convenient teamwork. You can store files in the Cloud at OneDrive and share them via email with your colleagues.

Lacks advanced graphic design options.

Doesn’t allow you to import PDF and PSD files. When choosing between Microsoft Publisher or Photoshop, keep in mind that the former allows you to create files in PDF, but you still cannot edit this format.

We recommend using Photoshop for editing, including color correction, cropping/straightening, compositing, retouching, background removal, etc. This photo editing software for PC supports RAW files, advanced editing, and various effects.

Photoshop supports removing/adding elements with the help of content-aware tools. You can also perform distortion caused by a lens, perform histogram adjustments, and apply stained-glass filters.

Besides, it comes with neural filters, including Skin Smoothing. This filter will save your time during portrait editing. You can control lighting as if the light source moves around the subject in the frame. If you are a photographer, the Refine Hair filter allows you to choose the desired hair effect.

Photoshop offers a wide range of painting tools, including pencils and brushes. I have counted over 1200 instruments, including an option for smoothing out strokes. Besides, you can organize your brushes in a folder. Photoshop has recently released an updated Symmetry option.

This photo editing software for beginners comes with a Smart Objects option. You can create non-destructive, reusable raster and vector images that update during the project. Users can save formatting as styles for later use.

This software allows you to create layouts, work on projects with multiple artboards, automate processes including scripting, actions, and data merge, produce 3D rendered images, edit videos and animated GIFs, etc.

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Updated selection tools. Select Subject is an AI-based option (known as Sensei by Adobe), that will help you automatically identify and select the main objects of the image. With the Refine Edge option, you can neatly select and enhance a model’s hair in the photo.

Advanced AI filters. The program uses Sensei technology to perform some edits in the cloud, automating them for easier performance. This Adobe software helps users edit portraits in one click. Based on your needs, you can make the subject look happy, sad, surprised, etc.

Sky replacement. You can choose any available sky template or create your own. Photoshop will identify the horizon in your image and apply the template. This way, you can replace the sky in Photoshop without the help of specialists. You can also adjust the white balance if needed.

Improved Cloud file editing. Users can store images in the Cloud and share editing rights with other teammates. Thanks to version histories, you can save changes applied to a document. Users can sort files and track the changes to understand who applied them.

It’s convenient to work with fonts. The program will automatically sync fonts from your files with the library. Besides, you can download and install fonts. To select the font you need, you can filter the search by font attributes, such as serif, script, and blackletter. It’s also easy to find similar fonts. The Match Font feature identifies fonts in images to find similar options on your PC or among Adobe's fonts.

Pro-level options for photographers. The program comes with an AI-based Lens Blur tool. It creates a color-aware effect. The program allows you to control the bokeh shapes. Thanks to the Content-Aware Crop option, you can control the aspect ratio of the image. If you want to reduce noise in your images, the shake reduction option is your way out. The noise reduction software analyzes the cause of the shake and aligns the pixels.

Plugins and add-ons. If you're a beginner but want to quickly enhance your shots, try using various actions, patterns with brushes, or textures. You just need to download the desired tools and add them to Photoshop. Some tools may fail to work properly and there can be different reasons for such malfunctions. Fortunately, you can find details guides on how to fix common issues on Photodoto.

Challenging for novices. You can find various Photoshop tutorials on the Internet. However, they might be difficult for absolute beginners. In such a case, it’s better to take an entry-level Photoshop course.

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The programs have different subscription policies, so after reading this Microsoft Publisher vs Photoshop comparison, you can select the option that suits your budget more. Microsoft Publisher has a free trial version for 30 days. Then, you can either subscribe to the office suite or purchase Microsoft Publisher separately.

Microsoft Publisher costs $139.99. The Personal subscription costs about $59.99/year, while the Family subscription for up to 6 people costs $79.99/year.

If you want to buy a program for corporate purposes, choose one of the packages for business: Basic – $5 user/month, Standard – $12.50 user/month, or Premium – $20 user/month. If you want to buy Microsoft 365 apps, you should pay $8.25 per user/month.

Adobe Photoshop is available under subscription for $20.99 per month. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the Photography package for $9.99/mo. Along with Photoshop, it includes Lightroom. The All Apps package for $52.99/month gives you access to 20+ creative apps at a time.

If after comparing Microsoft Publisher versus Photoshop, you don’t know which program to choose, think about your purposes. While Photoshop is good for editing and manipulation with images, Microsoft Publisher is more suitable for preparing materials for publication.

If you need an option for home use, it’s better to select Microsoft Publisher since it has a convenient layout and handy features. If you are planning to work with various documents, then this software is your ideal solution.

Adobe Photoshop includes editing and manipulation tools that will help you enhance photos like a pro. Moreover, the program has a rich set of drawing and typography tools. With Photoshop, you can work with images and improve your projects with the team.