Adobe Systems' Photoshop is an industry-standard image-editing tool with a user base that the company estimates to be "in the millions." Version 7.0 of Photoshop includes a major upgrade to the File Browser, an image organization tool that now lets users browse image thumbnails, as well as quickly rotate, sort, rank, and batch images, and view EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) information from digital cameras.
Additional new features include a healing brush that lets users easily remove dust, scratches, blemishes, wrinkles, and other flaws from images while preserving the images' original shading, lighting, and textures. Version 7.0 also has a Painting Engine, which lets users simulate traditional painting techniques.
A Scripting Support plug-in, available for downloading from Adobe's Web site, now lets users automate repetitive tasks such as controlling multiple documents. Photoshop 7.0 costs $609 and runs on Windows and Macintosh platforms. —JD