Iris vs Photoshop MCP
A side-by-side look at the Iris and Photoshop MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Iris for multimedia process work as a local process; choose Photoshop MCP for multimedia process as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Iris when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Multimedia Process domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
read_image, image_probe, crop_region.
Choose Photoshop MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Multimedia Process domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Multimedia Process | Multimedia Process |
| Quality signal | 40/100 · Fair | 52/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 2 | 685 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 7 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Iris | View Photoshop MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Iris tools 4
read_imageOne local image. Geometry and metadata. OCR only when requested. An optional `region` crops inside this read.image_probeFormat, dimensions, pixel count, and source hash. No OCR and no crop.crop_regionOne citeable region: bounds and hash. Set `include_region_image` for PNG bytes. No OCR.compare_imagesChanged pixels between two images of equal dimensions. No OCR.
Photoshop MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Iris
{
"mcpServers": {
"iris-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@sylphx/anymd"
]
}
}
}
Photoshop MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"photoshop-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"-p",
"@alisaitteke/photoshop-mcp",
"ui"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Iris is categorized under Multimedia Process and uses a local stdio subprocess. Photoshop MCP belongs to Multimedia Process and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Iris for multimedia process work and Photoshop MCP for multimedia process.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Iris has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Photoshop MCP is listed as free. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add iris-2 and photoshop-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Iris has a quality signal of 40/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 2 GitHub stars. Photoshop MCP has 52/100 (Good) with 7 views, 0 installs and 685 GitHub stars.