Not too long ago, Adobe released Photoshop Express for Windows 8 devices, and since then, the app has become the second most downloaded app in the Windows Store. This caught our attention, so we thought it would be a good idea to see what the fuss is all about.

Adobe Photoshop Express should not be taken too seriously, because it is not aimed at being an app for advanced Photoshop users. What we came across after giving Adobe Photoshop Express a go, was an app that has the potential to be so much more than it already is. Adobe is definitely onto something here, but the company has a lot of work cut out for it.

Look and Feel:

When you look at Adobe Photoshop Express for the first time, you will enjoy the simple design and colors that don't attempt to scare you away. It's simple and straight to the point, and this is what we like in app designed for touch and tablet devices.

On the main menu, there are three options to choose from when wanting to import pictures into Photoshop Express for editing. The first is the Pictures Library, the second is Adobe Revel, which is the company's cloud option, and the third is from the webcam. We tried right clicking on our mouse to see if any additional things would pop up, but nothing happened, signifying a choice to take away all complexities.

Features:

Performing basic editing with Adobe Photoshop Express works well. By browsing through your Pictures Library or your Adobe Revel cloud account, you can export an image into the app for inspection. Once an image is imported and ready for editing, you will only have a single basic feature readily available. This single feature is Noise Reduction; unfortunately, it is only a preview, which means you will have to purchase it in the long run.

Other features on-screen are Crop, Red Eye, Looks, Correct, and Auto Fix. To get these features, you will have to pay at least $4.99; we don't see many users being too happy about all these micro-transactions. We can confirm that each one of these features work as intended, especially Noise Reduction, it was one that had us returning for more.

While we enjoyed using Adobe Photoshop Express, we were not too happy with the fact that the app does not support the .png image file type. This is madness, even more so when the realization pops in that Windows screen capture only saves images in .png. Sure, one could simply convert an image to work properly in the app, but that should never be the case. With all these micro-transactions, we won't be too surprised if users might also have to purchase an add-on to allow .png.

Pros:

Touch optimized

Not a slouch

Easy to use interface

Decent basic image editing feature

Cons:

No .png support

Extra image editing features are not free

Can only share image to some social networks

Conclusion:

Adobe did a decent job with Photoshop Express, it feels and works well. However, how many users are willing to purchase basic features that should have been a part of the free offering? It will all boil down to that. Adobe could be forced to make some changes if it wants Photoshop Express to continue on being a successful product.

Download Adobe Photoshop Express here for free.