Adobe Systems on Monday revealed its plan to reinvent its image-editing software: the convergence of desktop, webware and mobile photo applications.
In late September, Adobe will update both Adobe's Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements with version 7, rebrand Photoshop Express as Photoshop.com, and debut a mobile Photoshop for Windows Mobile.
Whereas Photoshop Express began life as an experimental, web-based offshoot of the Photoshop brand, Adobe's new strategy to automatically sync photos from desktop to web to phone and back again now gives Photoshop Express a starring role on the Photoshop playbill, albeit using a different alias.
Although the product will now be Photoshop.com, it will retain its editing features and the ability to post photos to Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa. The bigger difference is that the new Photoshop.com will sync with the two Photoshop Elements applications and the new mobile software.
To sweeten the deal for existing users, and perhaps to lure new ones, Adobe is bumping up the free, basic membership plan from 2GB to 5GB of storage. However, Adobe is no doubt hoping users will get hooked on online storage and choose the Plus membership, which will offer templates and tips in addition to serving up 20GB storage for photos and videos. The Plus plan is sold on its own for $50 (£27) per year or bundled with the desktop software for $140.
New Photoshop Elements
Phase two of Adobe's photo-syncing project is to update the desktop-bound Elements applications to make them compatible with the new Photoshop.com. They'll get a few additional features and enhancements along the way. For instance, Photoshop Elements 7 — which is expected to sell for about $100 or $80 if you're upgrading — will automatically back up photos online, deliver new templates, and will contain new image-enhancement tools.
Premiere Elements 7 will offer the bonus features in Elements 7 and also includes new movie-making tools, support for AVCHD and automatic video upload to YouTube.
Photoshop on the phone
Adobe's mobile presence has so far been restricted to utilities: a mobile PDF-reader and Flash Lite for playing Flash videos on the mobile stage. To that end, Photoshop.com Mobile beta is Adobe's first attempt at creating a mobile version of one of its consumer offerings, although the app will primarily remain a vehicle for simple uploading and downloading to and from the revamped Photoshop.com.
Based on the Flash Lite Player, Photoshop.com Mobile beta will let you upload all the photos on your mobile phone to Photoshop.com, which will then automatically sync to either Element 7 app, if you have one.
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The preview build — seen by ZDNet.co.uk's sister site, CNET News.com — is divided into three rudimentary actions. The first is to upload select phone photos to Photoshop.com for sharing with friends or for using as a backup. The second lets you view thumbnails of all the photos in your online gallery; and the third lets you peruse any albums you've created on Photoshop.com and Elements 7. There will be no photo-tagging, titling or captioning in the initial release.
Like Adobe's other releases, Photoshop.com Mobile beta will be available in late September, first for Samsung Blackjack I and II, Moto Q 9h and 9m, and Palm Treo 700 w/wx and 750, with support for other Windows Mobile phones expected to follow.
