Adobe Launches Photo Sharing Site

Adobe debuted updates to both its Adobe Photoshop Elements photo editing software and Premiere Elements video editing suite on Tuesday, which it billed as major upgrades to both products. The applications are consumer versions of the more comprehensive professional products offered by Adobe.

The company offers Abobe Photoshop CS2 for the professional photographer, and Premiere Pro for the advanced and professional videographer.

Ranked as the best-selling consumer photo and video applications, Photoshop and Premiere Elements are offered either separately or as a package deal. Both retail for $99.99 USD apiece, or $149.99 USD for the bundle. Adobe also said a version of Photoshop Elements for Mac OS X is available for $89.99 USD.

"The rise of portable media devices and the popularity of social networking Web sites means that photos and videos will be captured and shared more than ever this holiday season," said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions Business Unit at Adobe. "Combining stunning photography with high quality video footage allows customers to tell a story with impact."

Photoshop Elements includes methods to share and organize photos into virtual scrapbooks. A Flash-based photo sharing service called Adobe Photoshop Showcase allows for easy sharing of photos for free using Flash animations such as a spinning carousel, or adding animated elements to photos.

Premiere Elements' user interface has been dramatically changed to allow for easier use of its editing features. A new Monitor window allows for editing in a single location, and allow the user to experiment with and preview various edits. Adobe said Premiere is also be able to import video from just about all digital media devices.

Both Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Premiere Elements 3.0, along with the package deal, will be available through Adobe and its retail partners beginning in October.