Stream Photoshop to Chromebook: A real coop for Google
In what is being seen as a real benefit and selling point for their lower price point Chromebook laptop, Google has partnered with Adobe to bring Photoshop to the Chromebook environment. A streaming version of Photoshop is now in beta testing for the new low cost Chromebook range.
The Chrome operating system is fairly new and not so much is known about it. It is therefore a little surprising that Adobe and Google have partnered up at this early stage. But this is a big win for Google because their Chrome OS badly needs big software maker support to encourage buyers of the Chromebook. The main software suites are critical to the success of a platform, something that was even shown very late in the day when Microsoft finally released Office for iPad to record downloads (Office requires a Office 365 subscription to fully use the app).
Google will be hoping that Adobe Photoshop is just the tip of the iceberg with other Adobe products following suit and then other large software developers will follow behind them. Microsoft will clearly be a partner than Google will be keen to work with to bring them over to the Chrome OS if they can really full embrace their new multi-platform approach to software.
How Does The Streaming Photoshop Version Work?
Adobe have used several online services that are running versions of Photoshop. You simply install the Project Photoshop Streaming app and then connect to one of the virtualized Photoshop machines. Streaming Photoshop can be access by a Chrome OS or a Chrome web browser which opens up many possibilities across many platforms that run have access to a compatible Chrome web browser.
When connecting to the virtual Photoshop machine, users can link directly to their Google Drive where large images that Photoshop will manipulate can be saved and maintained. Effectively you're able to edit images directly from the cloud which is very cool indeed. For users who like to take photos and auto-sync them to their Google Drive account this will be instantly attractive.
The setup is much like virtual managers such as VMWare but the user doesn't need to have access to high amounts of installed RAM memory and spare processing power in order to run a virtual manager in the background. On the negative side, currently GPU acceleration isn’t available but it is expected to follow later.
In Beta
Currently the Project Photoshop Streaming in in beta across North America while it is being tested in educational markets. It is not yet clear how fast of an internet connection will be needed in order to stream high bit rate graphic files for editing in real-time. Surely people with spotty internet connections need not apply. A Creative Cloud subscription ensures free access to the streaming Photoshop option currently.
The possibility of being able to stream apps opens up the option for Chromebook to access many more applications and run them without needing faster harder to do so. Most of the heavy lifting would be done server side which could make Chromebook purchases more attractive.
