Adobe's Upcoming Photoshop Apps: What to Know, and What it Means

Adobe's Upcoming Photoshop Apps: What to Know, and What it Means

iOS Photoshop Apps
Adobe today announced another evolution in Photoshop, their image editing software. Photoshop has for many years been the standard for professional graphics designers, and we don't see that changing in the immediate future. It's one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful image editing tools available, and everyone from graphic designers for print and web to 3D texture artists use Adobe's flagship software for getting work done. That's why, when Adobe does something that involves Photoshop, it gets users' attention. This one involves Photoshop and iOS, so it definitely gets our attention.
Let's take a look at what's coming with Adobe's release, and how this matter for the mobile platform:
1) Photoshop Touch SDK
This is one of the more interesting parts of the news to come from Adobe. It's the a free Software Development Kit (SDK) that makes it possible for developers to create software on other mobile platforms such as Android and BlackBerry.

2) It's Actually Affordable
Usually, affordable and Photoshop don't fit in the same sentence. The Photoshop Apps will only run $1.99-$4.99. One is Adobe Color Lava, the other is Adobe Eazel and the third is Adobe Nav. That means that even though the software like Photoshop CS5 runs $699 and CS5 extended is (ouch) $999, these little add-ons are reasonably priced.

This is Interesting Because...
It's narrowing the gap between the desktop and the tablet. Much like the recent GarageBand update, which made it possible to open files created on the iPad with GarageBand for Mac, this will allow users to create files on their iPad and open them in Photoshop. This can make for a great tool for Photoshop artists. Someone could easily start their basic painting while away from the computer and open it up when they get to their desktop. Perhaps working with their fingertips is easier, or they are away from the computer.
Really, that's just the beginning. It may be the start of software being fully able to integrate with a tablet or mobile device.

3) Wait...What's That? Photoshop May Be Affordable?
Looks like Photoshop may be affordable now. They are introducing a subscription plan in which a user can pay a monthly fee and get to use the software on a subscription basis. It's not clear whether this can be somewhat of a "rent to own" type plan, but that would be interesting as we'd like to see an easy way to purchase the software for the more budget-concious consumer.

The Evolution of Software
Because of hardware like tablets and services like the Mac App Store, it seems that software may become more affordable over time. It also seems that the gap between tablet and desktop is getting smaller. Adobe realizes this and is pushing forward with it. They are also making their major software packages available to users who want to pay by the month. That's a great way for users to use the software without having to commit $700 immediately.