New Photoshop focuses on cutting clutter

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Shoe boxes are for shoes. That's Adobe Systems' message as the publishing software giant pushes a new consumer version of Photoshop, its flagship image-editing software. Photoshop Album, scheduled to be announced on Monday for delivery next month, is focused on organising the glut of photos that can quickly swamp the hard drive on a digital camera owner's PC. Most digital camera owners resort to the storage equivalent of the old snapshot-stuffed shoebox, cramming photos into folders loosely organised by theme or time, said Papan Bhat, group product manager for Adobe. Photoshop Album instead catalogues every image the PC grabs from a digital camera and allows people to add "tags" to the photo that describe who's in the shot, where it was taken and other themes. The Windows-only software displays thumbnail images of all the shots it catalogues, organised by time or any combination of tags. "People come up with these elaborate workarounds to find their photos," Bhat said. "They create these elaborate directory structures and spend all sorts of time coming up with descriptive names... The whole concept with this software is to hide that complexity." Photoshop Album includes basic tools for retouching photos, with one-click fixes for common problems such as bad exposure or color saturation. The software simplifies sharing of images by automatically resizing photos for email use and putting together slideshows using Adobe's PDF document format. The program also addresses security, with tools for backing up photos online or to removable media. Bhat said the idea was to cover the gaps between high-end photo software and the basic programs that come bundled with cameras. "For the vast majority of camera users, there really isn't one product that addresses all their needs," he said. Andrew Johnson, an analyst for research firm Gartner, said that approach may well work with consumers. The software that comes bundled with a camera or scanner is enough for the majority of consumers, he said, citing a Gartner survey that showed only about 18 percent of people who bought a camera or scanner bought extra software for it within a year. For those who do decide to upgrade, however, organisation -- not the editing tools many photo programs focus on -- is the key. "I think most of the software that comes bundled with the camera and scanners has just enough retouching capability for the mass market," Johnson said. "For the people likely to buy extra software, most of what they said they wanted was file management -- they were inundated with JPG files and needed a way to organise them." The backup tools in Photoshop Album address another key need most camera owners haven't thought about yet, Johnson added. "What's the liability of having all these images on the hard drive, and what do you do when that hard drive fails or you move to a new PC?" Photoshop Album is set to go on sale in February for $50 (about £32), a price that should make it attractive as an impulse buy, Johnson said. "Fifty dollars is right in the ballpark of an unconsidered purchase," he said. "Someone buying an extra memory card or a camera case will see this and think, 'Maybe that will help, too.'"
For the latest on everything from DVD standards and MP3s to your rights online, see the Personal Technology News Section. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

bootlegger

Make that 13 people now - I got refused today at Manchester airport. I thought I was up to date on this legislation - I knew of the EU ruling from...

2 hours ago by bootlegger on UK airport body scans will not be opt out
tinycg

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

4 hours ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move
TerryRK

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

9 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Freebies202

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

18 hours ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source
kevinmchapman

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Marg Menzies Harrison

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

1 day ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid
zdnetukuser

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

1 day ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface
Moley

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

1 day ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

2 days ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

2 days ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 days ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint