Adobe gets elemental amongst the Lego

Now it's easier than ever, they say, to share and present photos. Although sceptics might say that means there are new editing tools to learn, for things like black-and-white conversion and adjusting colour curves.

Waggish product manager Nick Peart says the firm chose Legoland to launch the products because the models look pixelated already, and the punters all look grossly distorted. (The hardest working man in showbiz must be the guy who mans the speak-your-weight machine at this pleasure park near Windsor).

Photoshop 5 has a special new gizmo for fixing distortion, which is something many of us need these days.

According to Adobe, users will be able to drag and drop photos into layouts and frames that mimic scrapbooks. They will then be able to upload the photos to Adobe's new online service, Photoshop Showcase, a Flash-based web service, which lets users create online photo galleries.

Adobe will offer Photoshop Elements 5 for Windows only starting in October, as a free-standing program or bundled with the just-announced Adobe Premiere Elements 3. But there's no word yet on a Mac version.

A better idea, we think, is the film making competition, set up to promote Premiere Elements 3, which includes a Family Directors Kit. The idea is you make your own film (or movie, if you will) send it to Adobe, and once they've judged which film will show them in the best possible light, they'll be ready to announce the name of the lucky auteur, who gets to enjoy a trip round the Walt Disney Studios in Paris.

To encourage your creativity, you get three free film scripts, with hints and tips and a free resource CD. Just consult www.adobe.co.uk/play2day here.

Here's my story idea. Boy meets Adobe Girl. Boy asks for press release a hundred times, to help kill time until everyone gets through the traffic. Boy loses girl in crowd. Boy gets girl again, but only her voice mail. Boy gets freebie and gives up moaning. The end. I'm going to call it You Adobe Live Once.

INQUIRER readers are encouraged to suggest a better film about adventures in Adobe Land. µ