adobe

I was delighted by a surprise speed boost that Adobe Systems tucked into version 1.3 to Photoshop Lightroom released last week, but the magnitude of the improvement left me feeling that the update might better have been labeled version 1.0.

Lest you think I'm just being crabby, let me explain what I mean and why fundamentally I'm not really peeved about in effect being Adobe's guinea pig for the last several months.

It appears to me that some Adobe programmers did a lot of optimization work to speed up the core code that one might … Read more

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is taking its first look at the world beyond its own photo-editing boundaries, and stock-art photographers are among those who stand to benefit.

Adobe's software development kit for its Lightroom software, released Thursday evening along with the Lightroom 1.3 update, is only a preview edition with limited abilities, but already one potential use for the software is evident: easier photo uploads to "microstock" photo-sale sites.

The SDK preview involves only image export from Lightroom, but it includes several features for interacting with Web or FTP sites on the Internet.

Uploading photos can be … Read more

Adobe on Thursday issued three upgrades for users of its Photoshop Lightroom software.

The biggest news for some may be that Adobe Labs is offering a preview copy of Lightroom Export SDK, an application that will allow Lightroom users to export photos to Web sites, third-party software, and devices.

Meanwhile, the Lightroom 1.3 update should fix compatibility issues with Apple's Leopard Mac OS X 10.5. Previously, Adobe had warned that Leopard users could experience problems when trying to use Lightroom, though it was still safe to use most features. Adobe had previously announced that the fix would … Read more

Expect a measured expansion from Adobe's traditional businesses into online services and mobile computing, says incoming Adobe Systems CEO Shantanu Narayen.

Narayen was named president and CEO of the Silicon Valley company on Monday. He will succeed his mentor, Bruce Chizen, at the start of December. Nayaren had been president and chief operating officer and was one of the architects behind the 2005 merger with Macromedia.

In a nutshell, the company's strategy is to capitalize on the growth of digital content creation and delivery over the Internet. Viewed in that context, Adobe has plenty of room to grow … Read more

Adobe Systems on Monday announced that its board of directors named Shantanu Narayen as new chief executive, replacing outgoing CEO Bruce Chizen.

Narayen is the company's current president and chief operating officer. The change will be effective at the beginning of December.

Chizen will serve on Adobe's board through the spring and be an adviser through fiscal year 2008. He has been CEO for the past 7 years and with Adobe for 14 years.

In a statement, Adobe executives said the transition was part of a planned succession.

"Shantanu's extensive knowledge of our products and platforms, … Read more

Photoshop Elements 6 is a good tool for those addicted to Adobe. It streamlines Photoshop's toolset for photograph editing and organizing, but like its antecedent, it's got some unwieldy bulk and it could be simplified even further. Is it worth upgrading?

… Read more

MONTEREY, Calif.--Adobe Systems has committed to shipping a beta version of its online image-editing tool, Photoshop Express, this year, and said it will be complete in 2008.

"By late this year, we anticipate having a beta version," said John Loiacono, senior vice president for Adobe Creative Solutions, speaking at the 6sight digital imaging conference here. And next year, the online service will be "available to anyone," he said.

Loiacono showed Photoshop Express running on an Adobe server connected over the Internet, he said. But when the average person experiences the software, it likely will be … Read more

Adobe Systems wants to transform its flagship Photoshop software with an interface customized to the task at hand, a potentially radical revamp for software whose power today is hidden behind hundreds of menu options.

A new user interface will help Photoshop become "everything you need, nothing you don't," said Photoshop product manager John Nack, describing aspirations for the Photoshop overhaul on his blog Monday.

"We must make Photoshop dramatically more configurable," Nack said. "Presenting the same user experience to a photographer as we do to a radiologist, as to a Web designer, as to … Read more