Results

With the recent proliferation of Software As A Service companies pushing out new applications, “traditional” software companies are trying to match their pace. Adobe Systems is no exception, and they’ve pleased Photoshop fans the world over with the announcement of Photoshop Express public beta, a free application for editing and storing up to 2 gigabytes of photos. An Adobe press release explains, “As the newest addition to the Photoshop family line, Photoshop Express has taken much of Adobe’s best image editing technology and made it simple and accessible to a new online audience.” In return, the new online audience will provide feedback on Photoshop Express features, which Adobe promises will have increased functionality over time.

Photoshop Express will have only a small fraction of the features that the full version boasts, as it’s meant mostly for small fixes for casual photographers. It includes options such as cropping, auto retouching, hue and saturation filters, red eye removal, white balancing, and sharpness, but it won’t be powerful for professional use. It’s based on Flex technology, and closely resembles other recent Adobe SAAS product Buzzword, which offers users an attractive and flexible online word processor. In the brief time I spent tweaking and distorting a photo in Photoshop Express, the heavy use of Flash was evident, as the application seemed sluggish on my machine.

For a software company, Adobe is making big leaps in the SAAS world. As mentioned above, Adobe acquired Virtual Ubiquity and released Buzzword, which Talkibie featured in a previous article. Buzzword is a sleek, flexible word processor with significantly more features aimed at Adobe’s core base of designers. The user interface, which is very accessible, closely resembling that of Photoshop Express. Both apps are aimed at a wider audience than Adobe products normally encompass, and both attempt to bring web functionality and accessibility to high-end software.

In addition to Buzzword and Photoshop Express, Adobe has also released a version of their video editing product, Premier Express, for web-based use. It is currently in place on partner websites Remix MTV and Photobucket, so users can augment and destroy the latest offerings from their favorite artists. The Premier Express website promises on-demand video editing: “Mix and mash clips right in your browser for instant remixes, anytime.” Adobe is also working on a storage service called Share, which went live in beta just last week. Share gives user the ability to convert 5 documents to PDF, access your documents and collaborate online, post document links to wikis and blogs, and embed a Flash preview of documents on any website. This, coupled with Buzzword, could be a very powerful tool for enterprises and individual users alike. Share is currently free, but will likely include a pricing plan as it’s adopted by businesses.

As a recent article on ReadWriteWeb asks, “So the question that comes to mind is will these tools be meshed together as one single online suite accessible via a single sign on?” According to an Adobe official who spoke with ReadWriteWeb, it’s a highly likely possibility. Tying these online applications together in one suite could make them more attractive and convenient for enterprise use, a market where Adobe has always excelled. The combination of photo and video editing, storage, and documentation could be a powerful mix for creative groups, marketing teams, publishing houses, and a myriad of other business users. Adobe has carefully engineered the interface to reach audiences of all experience levels, making for a very accessible product group. Many experts and business minds will be carefully watching the development of these Adobe SAAS offerings as they expand features and gain new users.

Friday, April 4th, 2008 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

By Haley January Eckels