: You can download a 7-day free trial of the current version of Photoshop via the Creative Cloud desktop app.
: If you have a school or work account, your administrator must enable "Show older applications" in the Adobe Admin Console for these versions to appear in your desktop app. System Requirements for CC 2015 (Mac) Problem installing Photoshop CC (2015) Update Failed adobe photoshop cc 2015 download mac free
For many users, CC 2015 strikes a perfect balance: It has modern features (like linked Smart Objects) but lacks the "bloat" and cloud-centric mandatory features of the 2024/2025 versions. It also runs significantly faster on older Mac hardware (MacBook Pros from 2012-2015) than modern CC 2025. : You can download a 7-day free trial
If you need an academic or research angle for a paper, you could explore: It also runs significantly faster on older Mac