On 26th March 2008, Adobe Systems Inc. launched the Webtop version of their highly successful ‘Photoshop’. Adobe has termed it has ‘Photoshop Express‘.
As we are in the business of web designing. Photoshop CS3 and Flash are some of the prominent platforms that we work on. We were especially excited about the opportunity of editing images online. Here at CandidInfo, we field tested Photoshop Express and experienced mixed results. Because we are into the web designing realm, this online version didn’t suit our needs and requirements. The primary reason being that neither we can work with layers in it, nor can we use the primary features of web designing. For example, we couldn’t draw lines and the option of adding text is missing from the online version. Most importantly, it is incapable of creating shapes as well.
However, for users who are just looking for a simple software to create minor changes in their images, this is the perfect tool. You can always use this tool to crop your images, pop color, take out the red eye effect and change saturation levels of the image.
This online application is Flash based and as of now is open to anyone and everyone who loves to work on Photoshop. Initially, it has been launched in the ‘Public Beta’ phase and everyone is invited to join this revolutionary concept. However, a new service is under developmental stages, aimed at professional users. It would boast of increased storage capacity, backups and pro features. (P.S.- This service will carry a fee.)
Many users who believe that this web based application would be difficult or complicated to use, are in for a surprise. When working online, the Photoshop Express is extremely user friendly. There are only 17 editing features available on the online application, which can only be used for tuning or effects.
Main Feature of Photoshop Express::
- Adobe has collaborated with Flickr, MySpace, Picassa and Facebook to provide the user with 2GB (gigabytes) of storage capacity for all our images.
- All these web sites automatically synchronize with the Photoshop Express and any changes made to the image via the application are updated in real time.
- However, the best feature that we are most satisfied with is, that all the changes and editing are completely reversible and thus make it a relaxed and hassle free experience.
When asked about the reason behind this surprise launch. Adobe VP, In-charge of Photoshop Express said, “It is a showcase of what is the best that can be done with Flex and Flash. Hopefully, it will inspire other developers. We are also setting up a hosted services platform that we can expand to other products.”
It is our finding that this image editing tool, though not much useful to web designers, is like a magic wand for amateurs. Furthermore, those who are keen on learning the basics of image editing, this software will act as an excellent teacher and an experimental platform, with almost no risks involved.
Adobe has done an incredible work and this will help millions of users, who previously had to install the bulky applications on their desktops to do these simple tasks. Now in order to make any changes, they can simply go online to Photoshop Express, make the changes and get their work done in a jiffy.
