Is the Image Workstation free?
Yes. Every tool, including RAW develop, layers, the AI tools and batch edit, is free to use with no account, and exports carry no watermark.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Photos are opened, edited and exported in your browser and never leave your device. The optional AI tools download their model from ToolBuddy once, after you agree, and then run on your device too.
Which files can I open?
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, HEIC and HEIF, camera RAW files (DNG, CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF, SRW and more), and OpenRaster (.ora) projects from this editor, GIMP or Krita, and layered Photoshop (.psd) files (8-bit RGB).
How big can an image be?
It depends on your device's memory: up to 100 megapixels on a desktop with plenty of memory, and 24 to 36 megapixels on phones. The editor tells you if a file is too large instead of slowing your device down.
Which formats can I export?
JPG, PNG, WebP and, where your browser supports it, AVIF, with a quality setting or a target file size. You can also export a PDF page, an SVG trace, or save an .ora project with every layer.
Does it have AI tools?
Yes: Select subject, Select sky, the Object selection tool, Remove (content-aware fill), Refine edge, Lens blur, AI denoise, Remove background and Upscale 2×. Each runs on your device after a one-time model download that you approve; AI denoise is fastest in browsers with WebGPU, and Upscale works on images up to 2 megapixels.
Are my edits non-destructive?
Adjustments stay editable on each layer, masks hide pixels without deleting them, and text and shape layers stay editable until you rasterize, rotate or flip them. Every step can be undone with Edit › Undo or ⌘Z / Ctrl+Z, and the History tab lists them all.
Is my work saved if I close the tab?
Yes. The open document is saved on this device as you work, and the start screen offers to restore it. Closing the document from the File menu deletes the saved copy. To keep a copy elsewhere, save it as an .ora project.
Can it replace Photoshop or Lightroom?
For many everyday jobs, yes: layers with groups, clipping masks and effects, free transform with perspective, healing, clone and patch tools, selections you can feather, expand or pick by colour, 16-bit RAW develop with highlight recovery, clarity, texture and dehaze, lens correction with lens profiles, filters, presets and batch edit. Local adjustments with brush, gradient, luminance, colour and subject masks are built in, and Photoshop PSD files open and save; it does not have a Lightroom-style photo catalog.
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Yes. On a tablet the canvas and Control Panel sit side by side; on a phone they stack, with the tools in a row you can scroll and the Export button always in reach. Large RAW files are best edited on a computer.