Linux
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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If you depend on a piece of software for your career, you shouldn't try to force it to work on another OS or some hardware it doesn't have support for. Just run Windows.
You could try using a Windows VM, or even doing GPU passthrough. But do you really want to troubleshoot that for 2 days when an update breaks everything?
fwiw, running photoshop through a VM would be pretty easy and pretty quick to setup with very little (if any) troubleshooting required, and it’s unlikely that updates would break stuff. I’ve done it many, many times.
The real problem is getting good performance out of it. Now, I don’t know OP’s specific needs or what specific Adobe apps he’s using. if it’s just Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, he’s gonna be fine. if he’s got enough memory and he’s running the VM by itself, he shouldn’t notice much of any performance degradation until he’s got some gigantic files open in PS and/or he’s juggling a bunch of files between PS and Illustrator.
Now, if he’s trying to run AfterEffects or Premier, he could run into more serious performance issues and would definitely need to dual-boot if he wants to render anything. But he may not be using those apps.
Running those apps through Wine? THAT is the massive PitA that can take days to configure and troubleshoot and where an update can break anything— but it runs at native speed. Using a VM is pretty simple… just slower.
GPU passthrough is a huge headache that doesn't work how you would want it to from what I've vented. You apparently need 2 gpus. There are some setups that take one in theory but I've yet to find anyone who properly set it up.
Those who I've found to have setup a GPU passthrough said it wasn't worth the upkeep and stopped with the first update cycle.
If you need Adobe, just don't bother with linux on your primary work / study machine. Save linux for another system.
As a primary Linux user, this might be the easiest answer. If there is specific software needed for work, then your work computer should serve that purpose.
Still, if I was freelancing and it's my computer, I certainly would look at dual-booting or just having more than one computer (could even use a KVM switch to use the same keyboard, monitors and mouse). Also if I'm using software professionally, I would also have a professional interest in open source alternatives.
Still, this is all optional and extra. Just running Adobe is the baseline.
I went Mac. it’s UNIX, and far better than suck-ass windows… but there’s a real limitation when it comes to gaming… Linux is supporting more and more games and macOS isn’t so much… that might change soon, it might not.
Personally, I’m not so much of a gamer, and I really like the Apple ecosystem. I run linux on my server and love it, too, and macOS plays really nice with linux. But if gaming is big for you AND you need Adobe apps like I do, then you’ll have to dual-boot if you want your main OS to be linux.
As for learning the ins-and-outs: there’s a leaning curve we ALL go through, and you’ll always be learning more as you go. But there’s never been a better time to learn as there’s never been more resources to help nor more community to support you with any and every problem you could ever have. Now is a very exciting time for linux. it’s super.
So, if I were you, I’d consider the switch away from Windows. You can dual-boot (or run a VM) or find a way to run Adobe Apps via Wine (not sure how that works). Personally, I couldn’t live without them and am very happy with macOS, but it’s not for everyone. Maybe you’ll be able to live with dual-booting into windows for wen you need to work and living the rest of the time in linux. it’s a journey you’re just going to have to take.
best of luck to you!
I really want to switch to Linux as my main gaming/production OS but need the Adobe suite
That's not a hurdle... that's a wall.
If your livelihood depends on running a Windows-only application, run it on a Windows computer.
You are, of course, free to also have a Linux computer for everything else. Use a KVM switch to toggle between them, or something like Synergy or Barrier to pass the mouse/keyboard/clipboard between both PCS. Share the storage between them over your network.
Stick to Windows. Linux is fine for IT pros and as a hobby. For graphic design with Adobe I just don't see your productivity would be the same.
Youre stuck on Windows Im afraid, and Im pretty sure Adobe will never make a linux port
Looks like someone created an install script for photoshop on Linux. Uses wine to run.
Photoshop is just one of the many apps included in the Adobe suite. So while this is a welcomed repo, I’m afraid it is not feasible for people who design professionally
You should try Krita to replace photoshop on Linux, i am on professionnal designer but lt feels really close to photoshop to me.
Dual boot is really your only option aside from straight up staying on Windows. You can game and general use on Linux, then switch to Windows when it's time to work. Not the most ideal and I know you said you don't want to do that, but if you rely on Adobe products (which sadly many people do) you kind of need a Windows install or a Mac.
Another, much more expensive, option is to get a MacBook (or another laptop I suppose, not sure if the goal is to fully cut out Windows) and have that at your desk for your Adobe uses, and have Linux on your desktop. Not really feasible for most people but I don't really know your situation so I thought I'd throw it out there.
Adobe suite is one thing that is still an immense pain to get running on Linux, if you can even get it running at all. There aren't a whole lot of good alternatives depending on your workflow, either. GIMP can be a good Photoshop substitute, but there isn't really a good Illustrator substitute (Inkscape doesn't support CMYK, for example), and it gets worse for the other tools in the suite, so your mileage may vary with that approach.
As others have said, a VM is an option. But, how about a KVM? Maybe it sounds old school, but you could have a Linux box for home / fun / gaming that just shares peripherals with a Windows box that is just for work. Then you get a few advantages:
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Linux PC as normal with no fancy setup needed
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Windows work PC has Adobe as usual, and you just do your non-work stuff on the Linux box. Network them together for easy file sharing.
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You don't need to reboot to go between one or the other; simply switch your KVM over. Let Windows do its update nonsense or other data processing while gaming on the Linux box.
Obviously this does mean you need two physical machines, which might be a dealbreaker for you unless you have parts sitting around.
Edit: something else I just thought of: it is also possible to dual boot but get fancy with hibernation (not sleep, but hibernate = write all RAM contents to disk). You hibernate either installation to switch to the other, so while technically a reboot, all of your apps / windows etc come back up as if you hadn't rebooted.
Don't feel bad because you're really good at using a tool that doesn't follow your values. I use Windows during the work week and I use Linux for gaming on the weekend where I literally can't work even if I wanted to.
For me Windows is a tool box with propriatry tools that have no Linux compatibility. That's OK for me. People get emotionally invested but that's neither healthy nor helpful. No point being angry at work, it's like being angry that your work uniform is made by one textiles vendor not the other.
You get to choose what you use at home in your own time. If you feel good using Linux then, do it!
You don't need to "switch to Linux". It's not a binary decision. Dual booting or dual partitioning is completely fine. Adobe even with wine and GPU pass-through has far worse performance than if you just boot up windows. It is fine to combine any software you want. That's the "free" in "free software."
What I would do in your case if you really want to use Linux, is dual boot. Put all if your professional stuff on the Windows partition, put your personal stuff on Linux. That way you can game and doomscroll from Linux and keep a separate, clean, professional environment for your Adobe needs.
GPU passthrough is not hard to set uo but requires a second GPU. If your processor has a GPU built in, you can use that as the second GPU, if not you're out of luck. There are some very low profile cards (GTX 1030 style) that will probably still fit and do basic graphics for you, but you won't be gaming that way.
To pass through a GPU, you set up a virtual machine in something like virt-manager, open its settings, click "add hardware", find the pcie button and select the right pcie device to pass through. Things used to be more difficult with some cards (Nvidia mostly) but modern drivers should work fine.
You can get virtual GPU acceleration to work without passthrough if you combine very recent virtualisation software with the right drivers and a bit of luck. I tried it with Nvidia and Intel and both times weren't a great experience, leading to hardware freezes and kernel panics when I tried to put a load on them.
After getting the pass through working, your VM will output its screen through the GPU you forwarded while your computer works through the other (integrated) GPU. You can install a program called Looking Glass that'll copy the video signal coming from your real GPU to a window running in Linux so you don't need to mess with display cables or KVMs. There's a second program you need to forward keyboard and mouse events. With those two installed, you should be alright.
I don't know your specific branch of creative work, but tons of creative people use tools like Krita and Inkscape. They're objectively worse tools to use for an infinitely better price, which makes them very affordable alternatives for people in countries where Adobe's subscription costs as much as a month's wage. You'll have to decide if training to use those tools is worth your time, though.
For most professions, I think even a day of learning to use the new programs will probably cost you more than a monthly adobe subscription in lost wages, so I don't think it'll be worth the switch unless you experiment in your free time.
Steam installs perfectly well on Debian and most games pick up a small performance boost from running on an OS with less overheads.
Unraid servers can be hosted from Debian with few issues .
I do design work in Inkscape and Photopea. I actually prefer Inkscape to Illustrator the software is very impressive. Sadly GIMP is still limited and I don't use it much.
Photopea however is nice and has good PSD support including smart objects, adjustement layers, etc
I agree with the posters who are telling you to stick with Windows if your career depends on software that isn't Linux compatible. If you want to play with Linux you can install WSL on Windows, run Linux in a VM on Windows or buy a cheap used/refurb business laptop and Linux to your heart's content on that.
For a long time l had 2 PCs, one windows and one Linux, with 2 monitors, I used the software "barrier" to share my keyboard/mouse between them, it worked pretty well.
I've tried switching to Linux many times over the years. There are many things about it that rock... But, unfortunately plenty that do not. Financially it doesn't make sense for Adobe and others to support Linux (sadly).
Dual boot is an option, as you mentioned. However, Linux will run on a toaster. Fire it up on a thumb drive, or an old laptop, or whatever you've got and putz around. It's fun just to explore.
need the Adobe suite as I am a graphic designer.
Then simply use Windows when you need to design something and Linux for everything else.
"But I don't want to dual-boot!"
Then buy another PC and install Linux in it. A $10 single-board computer can run Linux just fine -- even play 4k videos.
$10 SBC? Can you name that one? It seems like every time I want an SBC for a project they're all $50+ these days.
Can you name that one?
Orange pi zero 3. Its super small, has the same/slightly better performance than a rpi 4 and the power draw caps at (worst case scenario) 3W. The only downside is that you MUST be a turbonerd in order to use it effectively.
I'm sorry...You can blame Adobe for not porting their tools.
Give a look if Adobe provides their tools through the web.
Has 3 stars on crossover? Grab the trial and check it out.
Buy yourself a second PC or laptop to be able to use both at the same time.
Just stick with Windows, it works for you (as it is for me); as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, why fix it?
But Windows is broke. I recommend using it only if you truly have to (e.g. software dependencies for your work). If you think or know you don't need it, then don't use it, don't recommend it and also please don't claim it's not harmful or "just a tool like everything else". Tools don't spy on its users. The monopoly situation due to too many users still using is also in itself harmful for competition/alternatives, and on top of that its users suffer from massive amounts of privacy invasions.
If you don't want to continue to use Windows (which is an important realization to make), but feel like you can't use Linux yet for whatever reason, use OS X. It's sort of middle of the road. Also not great for various reasons, and also not recommended, but it will at least ease your transition to Linux later on because OS X is also Unix-like, and it's at least slightly less bad than Windows. Always re-evaluate from time to time, whether you still need Windows or OS X, and if not, switch to Linux.
The issue is that most users aside from nerds, programmers and other professionally very tech involved people don’t care about their operating system, or how much it spies on them. They want it to work without much thought, everything else is a secondary concern.
And this crowd is tough to capture for Linux, because if there is one thing that defines Linux it is the fact that you have to put in some effort to make everything work, especially with not supported applications like most games.
You can use Windows apps by setting up a KVM(Not a VM, but a KVM for virtual machine manager) and use a utility called Winapps along with it. This will allow you to launch and use Windows applications as if they were native(drag and drop support, clip sharing and whatnot).
As I recall, Adobe products are supported by Winapps and/or Cassowary
Edit: keep in mind, you only do the above if you really want/need it. Since the initial setup is not hassle free at all
Can you get away with old versions of Adoba suite? Latest versions typically don't work but you may be able to get old versions running without dual boot by using Wine.
Just found this: https://www.maketecheasier.com/install-adobe-creative-cloud-linux/
Still, it might be fickle and bite.
Not sure how good this advice is since I'm not a professional, but: You could try out running Adobe programs in a VM with VMWare (vmware.com). They have an excellent 3D acceleration support already. Just give your VM a good chunk of your hardware resources (I use half of my CPU cores and 3/4 of my system memory). I use that for running Affinity Designer 2 from Sarif, and it works quite well for me. Windows VM boots up in between 6 – 8 seconds and I have a shared folder, where I can drop stuff to interact between my Windows VM and my Linux main system. But like I said, I'm not a professional.
I would basically setup a windows Server with Remoteapp then use freeRDP on linux to run Adobe software. But note that some software need a GPU or it will be slow. Photoshop will be fine. But aftereffect and premiere may need a GPU. Best option would be a separate work and private computer for security this will separate a little work and private stuff.
I'm a game developer who wants to use Linux but multiple things block me despite all of my software running fine enough on Linux.
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Linux is janky. A lot of people will say windows is just as janky but it's truly not.
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Very little steaming services work on Linux. They've been switching to a drm that Linux isn't supported by. Vimeo drm, Amazon prime, Disney Plus, Hulu. I've encountered issues with the first 2 and the last 2 I read about.
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There are better offers to stay on windows than what Linux provides. Game pass is a big one, also the loss of the epic launcher, and having to deal with proton for every steam game is a hassle.
I highly recommend supporting Linux from where you can. Using Windows but maybe throw your favorite distro a few dollars. Hopefully Linux will start to thrive or at least not be ignored by the majority.
I agree. For the Linux curious who have more $$$ than time, MacOS is way less frustrating.
It doesn’t happen often but it can happen — components in Linux distros just don’t work 100% otb. Sleep / wake; audio; wireless; exotic features etc not terrible but it adds up.
I know there are people who say “never had a problem.” I get that. I have always had an issue. Will my console text my human readable at 4k or is it going to render in 8px high?
It’s part of the fun and charm. Knowing your precise monitor spec because for whatever reason your particular monitor is unknown so you get some default resolution of awful with minimal hz refresh.
On a rasberry pi … who cares (pi is almost easier because it is closed system). But when a high end GPU is content with stretched 640x480, it can be aggravating.
buy a used m1 Mac book with 16GB ram or a janky garage sale (x64) laptop and install puppy Linux.
Also, a rasberry pie is like $40; an intel nuc is <$200. Inexpensive ways to learn without killing your breadbasket.
Why run one when you can run two?
Do NOT get a M1 MacBook for Linux. While Lia is working on support for the hardware it isn't finished by far. Any normal Intel/AMD should be fine.
I really want to find a decent laptop that I can tinker on. I have a raspberry pi laying around too. I might do that.