Code:
Photoshop junkies: The wait is over.
In the early hours of Friday, Dec. 15, a public beta of Photoshop Creative
Suite 3 will be made available for download on Adobe Labs, the developer
website used to showcase emerging technologies and beta software.
This new Photoshop release is the first version to run natively on Intel-based Apple Macintosh computers. Many creative professionals working in art, photography and video favor the Macintosh platform. However, the performance of Adobe's flagship product has suffered since Apple made the switch from PowerPC processors to Intel processors earlier this year.
In addition to its availability as a universal binary application for Mac OS X, the beta release will be compatible with both Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems.
"This is an exciting time for the Mac, and Adobe wanted to ease the move to
new Intel-based systems with a preview release of Photoshop CS3," said John
Loiacono, senior vice president of the creative solutions business unit at
Adobe in a statement to the press.
Photoshop is one of the most widely used digital-imaging software applications
in the world, and its release is being eagerly awaited by creative professionals
working in the web- and print-publishing industries. The new version of the
software will feature significant enhancements of Photoshop's user interface
and functionality.
The public beta of Photoshop, a first for the application, will be made available
for download free of charge. A valid registration and serial number from
Photoshop CS2, Adobe Creative Suite 2, Adobe Creative Suite Production
studio, Adobe Design Bundle, Adobe Web Bundle or Adobe Video Bundle will be
required to activate the program.
By releasing a beta version of the next Photoshop early, Adobe hopes to
gather feedback before the product's official launch next year.
Friday's beta release will also include Adobe Bridge, a file-management
application for Creative Suite, and Device Central, a cell phone and handheld
emulator that allows developers to test interactive applications for mobile
devices.
Photoshop is just one program in Adobe's family of productivity tools, Creative
Suite. The next version of Creative Suite -- named Creative Suite 3 -- is
expected to be released in spring 2007. Adobe has not announced any future
plans to release other CS3 applications as beta software.
Creative Suite 3 will feature a range of digital-imaging, desktop-publishing,
web-publishing, audio and video tools in several different bundles. Pricing
information for CS3 is unknown at this time.
In the past, when Adobe has released public trial versions of its software the
company has not provided technical support by telephone or e-mail. Support
for the beta of Photoshop CS3 will be available through community forums on
the Adobe Labs website.Source
Closer look
CS3 Beta here