Sneak Peak of Online Photoshop

[evessels]

From Photoshop Project Manager John Nack's blog:

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2007/09...hop_expre.html

I can't share a ton of additional detail at the moment, but here's a [screenshot|http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/images/psx_screenshot.jpg] of the app in action. Adobe Sr. VP John Loicono showed that it was possible to adjust an image just by rolling over the different versions shown at the top, previewing the results & then clicking the desired degree of modification. I'll post more info as it becomes available.

Thoughts? How many other apps might move online and how might this affect the industry? What are the pros and cons?

[Lammy]

MEH. Photo retouching for the masses? I assume a subscription thing? looks like a compete to something apple showed a while back. from the screen shot. I've not read the blog.

My thing about online apps, it's like the whole thin client/server deal. The idea comes and goes. Look at what google is doing with office apps. Maybe with the proliferation of web 2.0, iphones, and wifi it'll stick around this time.

still, what's gonna happen when you've got 500,000 people all trying to tweek some photo over the internet?

--------------------
Lammy

EPP Manager • Brass City Printery
OSX 10.4.10 • RAMpage 9.4 • Dynastrip 4.2
EFI Colorproof XF • Avantra 30 • Epson 7600

[evessels]

Yeah. I've got about the same opinion. Can't see going without some standalone apps - especially Photoshop. I do use Google docs alot and love being able to collaborate on documents.. Not sure I'd use an online version, but then again I never imagined I'd be replying to this from my phone...

[Cory Smith]

The advantage of online apps to me is they would probably be subscription based. So you don't have to drop several hundred dollars to get the program, then pay every XX months to get the upgrades... I don't think the model fits for all apps, but for me there are a few apps (office suite for instance) I would love to just pay a flat monthly subscription fee to have online access. I don't use it much, but still am required to keep it on hand, installed and updated.

[chris_r]

from my point of view working in a prepress environment, i cant imagine relying on something like that. it may sound dumb, but id still like to have the "feel" of working on color corrections on my own desktop application. if a printing company can't afford full versions of CS apps, you got problems to begin with. maybe there is a use for it somewhere, but not in a large prepress department that i can see.

but hey, what do i know?

cr

[gordo]

Old idea. See:

http://www.picnik.com/

gordo

[michaelejahn]

I don't think Adobe is doing this for pre-media professionals. I feel that many users will embrace on line tools when offered in an SAAS senario - an example - companies like www.lulu.com offer the masses a way to create their own photo-album. Cousin Mary has a digital camera and an internet connection, and is trying to pull togeher that family scrapbook project and give them out for Christmas presents. She wants to assemble a memory book, but aunt miller divorced uncle frank and we need to delete him...So, lulu licenses the technology and lets aunt Mary do what she needs to do to self publish.

I think people are confused that somehow this will require some major leap in bandwidth, but that is not the case - the application can load into memory at launch, then everything is done local - then the images are uploaded to the service provider. No need for any new 'bandwith' - I mean, we all listen to music, that takes a heck of a lot more bandwith and everyone is doing just fine.

[neotrog]

If we're talking home users for images of modest geometry I suppose it's no problem. Music is no problem in the same environs. Music is a huge problem on a commercial network. Every 56K stream is 56K less for my clients to move paying work.

I shudder when I think the software foundries are moving this way. As an I.T. geek such a single point of failure really bothers me. If the ISP or App. server hickups all 20 people stop working? What's an applications' fault tolerance like. I mean, once the app. is loaded in RAM how does it session? How does it know when to quit. Can I just keep my machine up for 3 years and only pay for one click? Individuals have a tough enough time giving up control. Businesses find it even harder. Without the business money behind it I wonder if the whole concept can float. I mean, porn does, but that's different.

Grant you the environment might breath a big sigh of relief. Software is a virtual thing. Just a copyrighted sequence of 1's and 0's. The obscene amounts of glossy plastic packaging would be really nice to lose just like the manuals. I'm old and I actually dislike reading electronically, however, I really think skipping the expensive pollution generating books that never got read was and is the right thing to do. I still mange to RFM though I think it takes me more time.


So my app. loads from an web site/app server. I suppose by definition it'd be to risky to cache. Still, I bet you could trap the stream with a tcpdump utility and play it back to run the app. whenever you want.

All I can see is the V.P. of Sales and 6 other suits hovering over an operator on a Friday afternoon. The customer wants an immediate edit, 2 hours, tops. Everyone else is in the same position. The app. server is bogged down. 10 minutes later you're waiting for Photoshop to finish loading and, zap!, the internet blinks and you start all over again.

[G_Town]

"The obscene amounts of glossy plastic packaging would be really nice to lose just like the manuals."

That obsenity is what keeps most of us housed and fed

[Cory Smith]

Looks like this is now available as a public beta

https://www.photoshop.com/express/index.html