Adobe in Photoshop freebie

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Adobe will release a free online version of its popular Photoshop image-editing software within six months, the company said Thursday.

The online product will be a stripped-down version of the application that has become an industry standard for graphics professionals.

The move is part of a larger effort by the company to bring key aspects of its software portfolio - which includes audio, video and graphics applications - online to draw advertising dollars and lure users into buying software upgrades.

Until now, Adobe's business has been based primarily on packaged software.

The company currently offers four versions of its Photoshop software, from the high-end CS2 package targeted to creative professionals to the free Album Starter Edition for the casual photographer. The online offering will be more like the consumer products, according to Adobe.

Last month, the company announced that it would enter a partnership with image- and video-hosting web site Photobucket to give the site's 35 million users free access to Adobe's web-based video editing tools.

The company said then that it expects to announce more partnerships with Internet companies over coming months, and that the ventures would be driven by its quest for more advertising revenue and increased software upgrades from existing customers.

The Photobucket features will become available to the site's users sometime in March.

Adobe's shift to free online applications follows similar moves by other software makers. Google (Charts), for instance, has released online word processing and spreadsheet software under the Google Docs banner.

Shares of Adobe (Charts) rose 0.1 percent on the Nasdaq late Thursday.

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