Photoshop Creative Suite 5 (CS5) for Mac OS X Sneak Peek

Adobe’s Photoshop Creative Suite 5 is on track to emerge as a 64-bit application, while several of the suite's other components are to adopt alternatives aimed at keeping Flash developers interested, AppleInsider reports.

People familiar with the latest private betas of CS5 for Mac are telling the site that, “The bulk of the Adobe's efforts on Photoshop CS5, which goes by the code-name ‘White Rabbit’ will [...] come in the flavor of under-the-hood improvements.” Also according to people who are familiar with the latest private betas of Photoshop CS5 for Mac, “The casual Photoshop user won't recognize too much of a difference in the software over the existing version.” According to these people, “The enhancements will play to designers who work with relatively large files, manipulate 3D objects, and work with video.”

Citing the same people, the site is able to inform that other changes within Photoshop CS5 are said to be related to 3D features, with Adobe also reportedly adding a retouching capability to enhance abilities like removing whole objects from images. The Flash maker even carried out some tests, AppleInsider adds, finding that the average 64-bit app runs about eight to 12 percent faster than a 32-bit program. It notes that the primary advantage of the 64-bit architecture is the ability to access larger amounts of memory. 32-bit applications, as savvy users should know, can work with a maximum 4GB of RAM.

In an April 2008 blog posting, John Nack, senior product manager for Photoshop applications, wrote that the new 64-bit version “is great for pro photographers with large collections of high-res images.”

Finally, in light of Apple continuing to refuse to support Flash, Adobe has initiated a new strategy in order to maintain relevance for Flash among mobile developers. As a result, the company’s Flash development tool allows developers to output native iPhone apps that recycle existing Flash-related assets and scripting in a form that Apple will allow in the iTunes App Store, AppleInsider explains. The best part about it: these native iPhone applications will not require any Flash runtime, in order to work on an iPhone, iPod touch, and even iPad.