Adobe opens Firefly, Photoshop and Acrobat free for Indian students to build AI skills

Adobe Lets Students in India Access Photoshop, Acrobat and Firefly for Free

Adobe announced free access for students at the AI Impact Summit Adobe has announced a new plan for students enrolled at accredited higher education institutions across India, as part of which they will be given free access to the US-based tech giant's multiple productivity and creativity apps. Additionally, the company is partnering with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime to offer "AI-first learning" and certifications to students. The announcement was made at the ongoing AI Impact Summit 2026, which is taking place at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Currently, Adobe offers a subscription package to students in India, which includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, and Acrobat Pro. Adobe Partners With NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime for Courses, Certifications At India's AI Impact Summit 2026, the US-based tech giant, Adobe, announced that its AI-powered productivity and creativity apps, Photoshop, Acrobat, and Firefly, are now available for free for students in the country. The new plans will be available to all students enrolled at accredited higher education institutions across India. The company called the move a "strategic investment", which is claimed to "accelerate" AI-enabled creativity and productivity in the country. Along with free access to its AI productivity and creativity apps, Adobe has also announced that the software will be provided to students along with a curriculum to train them on how to use these tools. The tech giant added that its "AI-first" offer, along with the curriculum, will be available free of charge to all students of 15,000 schools and 500 colleges that will have Content Creator Labs, an initiative announced by the government as part of the Union Budget 2026 with the focus of creating 20 lakh Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) jobs by 2030. On top of this, Adobe is also partnering with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime to offer students AI learning courses and certifications. This, the company said, is an extension of the Adobe Digital Academy, its global training and career pathway programme. Currently, Adobe offers a package subscription plan to students in India, which costs Rs. 400 in the first month and Rs. 2,714 per month after. The Creative Cloud Pro student package includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Acrobat Pro, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, After Effects, InDesign, Lightroom, Adobe XD, Audition, Animate, Dreamweaver, InCopy, Lightroom Classic, Character Animator, Capture, Adobe Fresco, Bridge, Photoshop Express, Media Encoder, Lightroom Web, Acrobat Reader, Adobe Scan, and Fill & Sign.

AI in the curriculum: Adobe opens its creative stack to Indian students

At the India AI Impact Summit, Adobe outlined a new education-focused initiative aimed at expanding student access to its creative and productivity tools across India. The company said it will provide applications such as Adobe Firefly, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat free of cost to students through accredited higher education institutions. The offering will include access to software, along with structured curriculum, training modules and certifications intended to prepare students for AI-influenced creative and professional workflows. The announcement comes at a time when AI tools are increasingly being integrated into design, media, marketing and business processes. By placing its applications directly within campuses, Adobe appears to be focusing on long-term skill development rather than short-term product adoption. The move also aligns with the government's broader push around the AVGC sector and job creation targets outlined in the Union Budget 2026. Adobe said it will work alongside government-led initiatives to extend its AI-first tools and curriculum to thousands of schools and colleges that are expected to house Content Creator Labs. During his remarks at the summit, CEO Shantanu Narayen positioned the initiative as part of a larger effort to expand access to AI skills among Indian students. The emphasis was on readiness for emerging careers, particularly in fields where generative AI and digital workflows are becoming standard. Adobe also highlighted its approach to generative AI, noting that students would have access to commercially usable AI-generated content and the flexibility to work with multiple models within Firefly. In addition to creative tools, Acrobat Pro was presented as part of a broader productivity stack supporting collaboration and document workflows. Separately, Adobe India announced a partnership with NASSCOM under the FutureSkills Prime initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The focus is on offering industry-aligned courses and certifications to learners across the country. At the summit venue, Adobe showcased 'Kathāvatār', a series of short AI-led films based on Indian folklore, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The showcase reflected how AI tools are being used in experimental storytelling formats. Adobe began operations in India in 1997 and today counts more than 8,000 employees across four campuses, making it the company's second-largest workforce globally. With this latest announcement, the company is extending its India strategy beyond engineering and product development into structured AI skilling at scale. How effectively institutions adopt and integrate these tools into the formal curriculum will ultimately determine the initiative's long-term impact.

Adobe expands access to free Firefly, Photoshop and Acrobat for students at India AI Impact Summit 2026

Adobe announced a new initiative to provide AI-driven creativity and productivity tools to students in India at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. The program is designed to support higher education institutions in developing AI skills for students. Students can access Firefly, Photoshop, and Acrobat through accredited institutions at no cost. The program includes software access, training, curriculum, and certification to prepare learners for AI-first careers. Adobe Firefly integrates generative AI models from partners including Google, OpenAI, and Runway, enabling students to create AI-generated content that is safe for commercial use. Acrobat Pro enhances productivity and collaboration with features for editing text and images. The program aligns with the Indian Government's Create in India vision and the Union Budget 2026, which aims to create two million jobs in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) by 2030. Adobe will extend its initiative to 15,000 schools and 500 colleges through Content Creator Labs, offering AI-powered tools and industry-endorsed curriculum at no cost. Students across India can access the program through accredited higher education institutions. Speaking on the initiative, Shantanu Narayen, Chair and CEO, Adobe, said:

India AI Impact Summit 2026: Adobe unveils free Firefly, Photoshop access for Indian students

Adobe has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime and is showcasing AI-powered short films under the 'Kathāvatār' project at the summit. Adobe has announced plans to expand access to its AI-powered creative tools for students across India at the AI Impact Summit 2026. The software giant stated that it will offer its flagship applications including the Adobe Firefly, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat for free to students via accredited higher education institutions. The package will not only include access to the software but also structured curriculum, training modules and certification pathways aimed at improving employability in AI-first careers. Adobe's this move seems to be the direct contribution to the government's Create in India vision and also aligns with the Union Budget 2026 target of creating two million jobs in the animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics (AVGC) sector by 2030. With the partnership with government agencies, Adobe announced that its AI focused offering will be expanded to 15,000 schools and 500 colleges that will host Content Creator Labs. Also read: India AI Impact Summit 2026, PM Narendra Modi backs AI as a job creator, not a job killer The company also discussed its approach to generative AI, emphasising commercially safe AI-generated content and the ability to integrate multiple AI models into its platforms. Firefly, described as an integrated creative AI studio, supports models from Google and OpenAI, allowing users to experiment with multiple systems within a single workflow. Along with the campus access, Adobe India has partnered with NASSCOM FutureSkills Prime, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology-backed skilling initiative that aims to offer free AI courses and certifications to everyone. The company is also showcasing Kathāvatār," a series of AI-generated short films inspired by Indian folklore created in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.