Photoshop update set for May

Adobe Systems is set to release new versions of its Photoshop image editor and related applications in May, according to a press release that was prematurely posted on the company's Web site.

The press release, spotted by news site Neowin and preserved by Google, lists a host of improvements in the upcoming release of Photoshop CS 2, the first major update of the application since Adobe revamped its product line in September 2003. The press release is marked for release April 4, but it briefly appeared last weekend on a section of Adobe's Web site.

An Adobe representative declined to comment.

The release doesn't mention other Adobe applications, such as the InDesign page layout program and Illustrator graphics applications, but it says the Photoshop update will be available as part of a new version of Creative Suite, a package that traditionally has included the three applications.

According to the release, the new Photoshop will include an enhanced version of the Healing Brush, the application's automated touch-up tool, and an array of new features intended to streamline the process of working with "raw" images, uncompressed files often preferred by professional photographers.

According to the release, the new Photoshop will also introduce Adobe Stock Photos, a service that will give customers quick access to stock art from several leading providers.

Several other signs also point to an impending Photoshop update. Amazon.com lists several upcoming how-to books for Photoshop CS 2 and more for "CS X" versions of Photoshop and other applications.

According to the Adobe press release, Photoshop CS2 will be available for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Mac OS X in late May or early June, priced at $599 for the full version or $149 for people upgrading from a previous Photoshop release.