Combine, Edit, Share. I’m delighted to introduce Adobe Photoshop Touch, a new tablet app for creative imaging. With PS Touch we’re bringing Photoshop fun & power not only to new platforms, but to a whole new audience.
Here’s my brief overview:
To see the app in action, check out Russell Brown’s 10-minute feature tour:
So, when can you get it, and what does it cost?
We plan to release Photoshop Touch for Android shortly, after which we plan to bring it to iOS. When we talk about reaching new audiences, we’re not kidding: Photoshop Touch is priced at just $9.99.
So (to anticipate an inevitable question), why Android first? Many Adobe apps (Adobe Carousel, Ideas, Photoshop Express, Eazel, Color Lava, Nav) have already been released on iOS first, and it’s good to support customers across platforms. We’re busily coding for iOS as well, so I wouldn’t make too much of this particular detail. No matter what tablet(s) you use, we can’t wait to get Photoshop Touch into your hands.
One last thought for now: We’re still very, very early in the evolution of mobile devices for creative work, and Photoshop Touch–along with the many other Adobe touch apps announced today–is just a beginning. We’re eager to hear what you think, and I’m looking forward to hearing ideas & questions here and on Twitter (@PhotoshopTouch). (Today I’ll be largely offline, showing the app in person at Adobe MAX, so I apologize in advance if I’m slow to respond.)
Looks fantastic! The only things that seem to be missing are some form of Camera Raw and Dropbox integration, but other than that, great job!
So we can finally see what you’ve been up to. Congratulations.
This looks pretty cool! I’m a bit confused as to why Adobe Creative Cloud and Carousel appear to be separate services when it seems like they should be combined…Or is that in the cards for the future?
Hi Ben,
To start they are separate, but please tell us where you’d like to see Adobe Carousel go in the future at http://feedback.photoshop.com.
-Sumner Paine, product manager for Adobe Carousel
want one want one want one. (oups, sorry, i’m over reacting and useless comment).
Why isn’t this just an upgrade for Photoshop Express? So many different tablet apps…
Looks very interesting; you and your team have been busy boys and girls. The 1600 x 1600 pixel limitation is understandable in view of the limited processing capabilities and memory of most current tablet devices, though it will of course significantly diminish the appeal of modifying images that one plans to take into Photoshop for further processing. I hope that in spite of–indeed, because of–its pixel limitation, Photoshop Touch can resize larger images so they can be worked on in Touch. Otherwise the feature for downloading images from a camera or the cloud will be of little value, since most photographs these days start out larger than 1600 x 1600.
Ohhh, fantastic!!! It’s released!! Using this in Beta, I can say that I was really stunned by how smoothly it ran on a Motorola Xoom. I fully expected things like the Curves dialogue to be laggy and akward, and couldn’t believe how smoothly it all ran.
Congrats on the release!
And Isolder–it’s a very different app. Not targeted at snapping photos, dropping a frame or quick correction, and sending. It’s super easy to use, but designed to take your time with. You have layers, blend modes, filters, transform (with warp)… It’s the most powerful Photoshop experience I’ve ever used on a mobile device.
Android? Sure. I’d certainly release first on a platform known for its lackluster performance regarding paid apps.
HA!
Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
This really looks like a beautifully made app and I am certain I will buy it. I am stunned, shocked and disappointed it is released for Android first, that is truly one of the wackiest decisions Adobe has ever tried to justify. And to say it is because Adobe has iOS apps already is true but those apps are really not all that great. I am also just not certain that I need this app for my day to day work in Photoshop or in editing my own images. But I will try it as well as Carousel and see if this workflow makes sense. I have trouble seeing how using a tablet makes sense for Photoshop type work. Despite my hesitation, congratulations John, it truly looks amazing, and seems like a huge leap ahead of current iPad editing apps. I think you may have kicked some serious ass with this, and that is what I expect Adobe to do.
Ahhhh…to be a fly on the wall in the meetings about which platform to adopt first….why is Adobe picking the least popular tablet platform before iOS John? Just wondering. Looks awesome though, be interesting to see where this goes moving forward.
You want to reach a lot of people? And then make the iOS versions some time in 2012? I’m a big supporter of Adobe, and am glad that Android is getting some love for sure. But really? It would be good to hear the reasons behind this.
Of course, it’s also not hard to see what Windows fans were thinking for years as Apple got so much support in spite of its size. But still, at least in that case, the Mac platform was actually making a large amount of money for Adobe compared to the Android tablet market so far.
Indeed, it would have been interesting to sit in on the meeting where this decision was made. Could it be as simple as they were easier to develop?
I might be just a little bit biased, but I have to say, this is pretty exciting technology. I love the idea of stripping away much of Photoshop’s complexity, and giving me an app that’s super easy to use while letting me (a simple caveman graphic and photo enthusiast) do all kinds of fun stuff with images. It makes me want to play around, and I can really see how it could get my creative juices flowing!
Hi John,
I am the Associate Editor-in-Chief for an up and coming Technology Blog, AndroidNZ.
We would very much like to review the Photoshop Touch app for Android that was announced recently.
Please let me know if there is an opportunity for us to do this.
Cheers,
Nick
Unless Adobe is using the tiny Android tablet user base as some kind of guinea pig to work out the bugs before moving on to the big leagues of iOS, there is no other excuse to exhibit such platform preference.
As a developer Adobe stands alone with this move. No other major company in this space makes such decisions to initial launch a flagship product (however basic it might be) on an unproven platform which is plagued with fragmentation, cheapskate users who are used to the self-defeating culture of “FREE at all costs”, numerous CPU/Memory variations, and OS update limbo.
All this makes me conclude that it’s another futile political move in a string of bad decisions Adobe has been making for the past 5 years. Beginning with the shitfit over Flash playback where Adobe doubled down on broken ass technology that was destined to die. How’s that optimized moble flash working out? (We’re approaching Year 5 of “Any day now, we swear!”)
This is a quote from the 10Q 2011 Financial Report by Adobe SEC filing in “Risk Factors 1A”:
“To the extent new releases of operating systems, including for mobile and non-PC devices, or other third-party products, platforms or devices make it more difficult for our products to perform, and our customers are persuaded to use alternative technologies, our business could be harmed.”
What better way to act on your own company’s financial recommendation by taking the opposite route and chasing the <10% of the market for some kind of a misguided objective like "balance"?
Axian, I’m impressed by the sweeping breadth of conclusions you’ve managed to draw from “We plan to release Photoshop Touch for Android shortly, after which we plan to bring it to iOS.”
Some things to consider. The iPhone sat around for 3 years getting a nice running start on the US smartphone market. It was over-run by Android OS in just 8 months, after the release of the first marketing push (Android 2, Moto Droid).
While the iPad is certainly popular, it seems shortsighted to assume that Android will not be a market player in the very near future.
And here’s something else to consider.
Android hardware is…well…all over the place. This has negatives, for sure, but also means that quite a few Android devices are actually ahead of the current-gen iPhone in terms of processing and memory power–something an app like this would surely need.
I don’t suppose you’ve noticed, but Apple is having a little chat with the world in a few hours. Have you considered that perhaps Adobe is waiting for the news (and specs)? Why would they release an app that they *know* will have to be modified just a few days later?
You make some good points. But Android is not overtaking the iPhone in any sense. And what increasing market share they have is in part based on giving away a free phone for every phone they sell in many cases. That’s called salting the mine. And it skews numbers.
Android is not going to overtake the iPhone because of fragmentation, fighting between handset makers and their future competitor (Googlerola).
John, seriously, Android first? The lightweight, kinda fun apps on iOS (ideas, photoshop express) but the ones that Creatives might actually use for something (PS Touch, Proto, Collage, Debut, Kuler) are not available on iOS? Sure, “busy coding”… I don’t get this decision. Where do you think you are going to get the most traction and the best word of mouth, Android or iOS?
See above, Greg–I think everyone’s forgetting that Apple is about to announce new hardware, and a new OS version. Adobe is releasing on Android because it’s ready right now…but it’s going to need some work for iOS after this afternoon’s announcement.
BlackBerry Tablet not your first choice?
Seems like that would be a no brainer since it uses Adobe Flex/Flash for apps. And it is more powerful than the Android or current iPad.
Android? Seriously? Your user base is getting quite tired of the petty platform tit for tat you continue with Apple. And why undermine your own bottom line by pandering to a non-existent audience? As a creative professional in NYC I have not met, once, a single director, creative director, art director, animator, designer, animator, illustrator or production artist that uses anything Android. Or perhaps this is in response to the poor reviews the first generation of IOS apps received? My hope is that, like a previous commentator suggested, you are using Andoid as your beta testers.
Sounds like a like-minded circle of friends there, Jack. I hate to disappoint, but I’m pretty sure they’ve got Apple users beta testing for Apple products. I mean, you wouldn’t want my Android feedback getting into your pad, right? ;D
Actually, I was very generously given an opportunity to test this app in beta, and I’m pretty sure I saw an iOS beta listed in there somewhere as well….
Perhaps, instead of “undermine your own bottom line by pandering to a non-existent audience,” Adobe is releasing to an existing audience, and waiting for the Apple press announcement later today before finishing the Apple version. Perhaps.
Does PS Touch support slices and export to web? In any case, I will definitely be trying this, when the iOS version becomes available.
Glad to hear that this is “just a beginning”. It’ll be a fine day when I can use an iPad to do web development. (Adobe CS Touch Suite in the pipeline?)
Hi John,
Is PS Touch going to work with raw image files? I am an amateur photographer working exclusively with raw files (i.e. ORF Olympus raw files – as I am using Olympus cameras) and so far I haven’t bought a tablet just because I could not find any software tool to properly handle raw pictures on tablets.
I have chosen Olympus for the size and weight of their gear – currently I use a Pen – and I am really looking forward to have a simple but high quality raw workflow on a light device when I am on the road. So far I had to stick to a pretty heavy laptop.
Will PS touch fulfill my wishes to touch my raw pictures on a tablet? Even if not in the first release, is this planned at all?
Thx, Attila
I would love to see this on the Playbook… SOON! 🙂
Something I always find baffling is the absurd criticism and dismissal of many products or pieces of software that are not the market leader, such as in this case Android Tablets or say the browser Opera.
Opera usually gets dismissed as it has a smaller market share when compared to other browsers which constantly steal and imitate Opera’s ingenious ideas, just Like Apple and certain other technology companies. But many of those critics may be using Apple products whose worldwide market market share [not US share] in computing [not tablets] is like that of Opera, yet no-one questions dismisses Apple as not being relevant. Apple also used to be the dominant computer company and nearly vanished in the 90s due to their closed system when faced with competition from the cheaper, inferior and rather fragmented PC market. Sound familiar?
Impressive looking tool John.
Though the curent pixel limit does mean the only camera I possess whose images I can utilise is my 10 year old 2.1MP Canon Ixus II.
Interestingly some of the most popular images in my A3 print portfolio were taken on that camera.
What is this, revenge for Apple kicking Flash off the Internet?
Adobe couldn’t be bothered to develop the iOS and Android versions in tandem?
Adobe should have released this for both platforms at the same time. Surely it crossed your mind that this would come across as a douche move to the vast majority of people who might actually want to use this software?
Weak, guys.
What I have been waiting for. In the past, Photoshop was pretty technical for me, but with an app on Android I am happy. Couldn’t believe the price, thought it was typo.
thanks john for this post i really like it it Looks fantastic You make some good points this really a new tablet app for creative imaging. u r not only bringing Photoshop fun & power to new platforms but to the peoples also.Photoshop Touch is priced at just $9.99 this is amazing.thanks john for this post
this is really amazing.
$9.99 is a really good price.:)
Unbelievable that everyone is so excited by this… Dulling down Photoshop I guess is good for me being a designer as it just brings about more ‘bad design’ across the web for everyone to clone.
But really, key features look missing, I hope we can accurately mask out image backgrounds rather than using this ‘scribble selection’ attempt. Ok it is great for visual roughs but for finished products it is worthless…
Releasing it late on iOS is a clever move to create hype on iPad 2 and probably iron out some creases. There is no reason it cannot come out on both at the same time, two release dates = two hypes… I am not a fan of Adobe, they hold back tons of features so they can charge again and again for their software, it may be the industry standard but I somehow feel like they are taking advantage of this… Why not just perfect all the features that are currently in Photoshop and then start creating more features? Oh wait… then you would lose money…
I for one will only buy this if it goes down to free or 69p… Having purchased Adobe Photoshop and the entire Adobe Master Suite for mac, I resent the fact I am made to pay more for a dulled down version…
John, unless I’m missing something you are not offering anything to the professional or serious photographer here. The major draw for us is the ability to review, edit, etc our work in the field. With the inability to download our RAW files onto the tablet we will not be buying this and still leaving the
tablet at home with the laptop still in the bag. And yes I agree with everyone else, we all use the Apple Ipad anyway.
haha, it’s so funny to see ipad users irritated by adobe’s choice to developp on android first. Greedy ios users want the app and feel offended that they don’t have it first. Classic…
Love the app … curves tool is impressive.
yann