PhotoFresco for teachers

Say you want your class to learn layers and masks, but you cannot install software on school computers and you do not want to create accounts for thirty students. PhotoFresco is a photo editor that opens in the browser. This page tells you what it does, what it costs, and what to check first.

What teachers usually ask

• Does it need installation? No. Open photofresco.com/app/ in a current desktop browser. Nothing is downloaded to install.
• Do students need accounts? No. Opening, editing, saving and exporting never ask for a sign-in. An account exists for AI credits and for the paid ad-free plan, so a student only meets the sign-in screen if they try an AI tool.
• What does it cost? The editor is free. The free version shows an ad panel next to the editor. A paid plan removes the ads. AI generation uses paid credits and needs an account, so students cannot use it without one.
• Which files does it open and save? It opens PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP and AVIF pictures and Photoshop PSD files. It saves PSD, and exports PNG and JPEG, so work can move to and from Photoshop. See PSD import and export for what survives the round trip.
• Where are the files? Editing runs on the student's own computer. Files stay on the device unless the student uses AI or the paid cloud drive. The editor also keeps a recovery copy in the browser's private storage, so a closed tab does not lose the work.
• Does it work offline? After it has loaded once, yes, except for AI and cloud features. See the FAQ.
• What about Chromebooks? It is a browser app, so it can run on a Chromebook, but we have not tested school Chromebooks, a full class of 30 at once or school network filters. Try one machine first.

What PhotoFresco records (please read)

Session recording and diagnostics run on every editor page. They start when the editor loads. They record clicks, pointer movement, keyboard input, tool choices, file names and errors, and they can include copies of the pictures that are opened. Typed text in text fields is recorded too. This is described in full in our Privacy page, including how to ask us to delete data.

For a class, that means:

• Use pictures that are fine to share: the practice images in our lesson plans, or pictures students took of objects and landscapes.
• Do not let students open photos of people or other private material, and do not let them type names or other personal details into the editor.
• Check the Privacy page against your school's rules for student data before you use it with a class. We do not make claims about any school or national law here.

Ads are served with Google AdSense. Where available, a Google consent message lets a visitor accept, reject or manage advertising choices. Those choices do not change the session recording.

Lesson plans

Each plan has a goal, time, steps with real screenshots, an example task for students, differentiation and questions to check understanding. All practice images are original drawings made for these lessons, with no people.

1. Photo montage with layers and a layer mask: two lessons, secondary school.
2. Cut out a subject and use it in a poster: one or two lessons.
3. How editing changes a photo's story: a media literacy lesson with adjustment layers.

Good to know

• Shortcuts: some keys that work in desktop Photoshop are taken by the browser first. ⌘T or Ctrl+T opens a new tab, for example. See Keyboard shortcuts.
• Graphics: the editor uses the graphics card when it can and a processor fallback otherwise. Help ▸ GPU Compatibility inside the editor shows which one a machine uses.
• Learning more: Getting started, Layers, masks and selections and the tools reference.

Questions

Write to [email protected].