Adobe makes Photoshop, Acrobat and Firefly AI students ‘free’ for students in India: All details here

Adobe has struck a strategic investment aimed at accelerating AI-driven creativity and productivity for India’s next generation of talent. The company has announced that its applications such as Firefly, Photoshop and Acrobat, will now be available for students for free, via accredited higher education institutions across the country. The announcement was made at the India AI Impact Summit which is currently underway at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi.

According to Adobe, the toolkit provides access to Adobe’s creativity and productivity software along with curriculum, training and credentials that will enable students to stand out when they graduate, at a time when AI is changing how people create content, share ideas and build businesses.

“Adobe is expanding the opportunity for creativity for millions of students across India, empowering them with AI skills, further accelerating Prime Minister Modi’s vision. I look forward to seeing what the students of India create with Adobe's industry-leading tools, and in doing so accelerating Viksit Bharat,” said Shantanu Narayen, Chair and CEO, Adobe.

‘Adobe tools to help in job creation’

The company is optimistic that its announcement reinforces the Indian Government’s Create in India vision and complements the Union Budget 2026 which focused on creating two million jobs in the field of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) by 2030.





In partnership with the Government, Adobe will make its AI first offer, along with our industry endorsed curriculum, free for the 15,000 schools and 500 colleges that will have Content Creator Labs.

Adobe says that students will benefit from its unique approach to generative AI and innovation by having access to AI-generated content that is safe and ready for commercial use. They also get choice and flexibility to work with other generative AI models directly in the applications, the company pointed out.

For example, Adobe Firefly integrates some of the top industry models from Google, OpenAI, Runway and more, so students have choice and flexibility with models and tools to generate in their own unique style. With Acrobat Pro, students can boost their productivity and collaboration, easily editing text and images to get their best work done.

During the Summit, Adobe is showcasing ‘Kathāvatār’, a series of five Made in India Short AI Films based on Indian folklore, in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The films have been created by a new generation of leading AI filmmakers and will premiere at the AI Theatre of the Ministry at the Summit.

Adobe’s investment in India’s AI and creativity ecosystem

Furthermore, as an extension of Adobe Digital Academy, Adobe’s global skilling and career pathway program, Adobe India has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime, a digital skilling initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to offer free, industry-relevant courses and certificates to learners across India.