The apps are devoted to several areas of the creative process such as image editing, ideation, sketching, mood boards, website and mobile app prototyping, and presentation.

Not coincidentally, this announcement comes some six months after the debut of the which, paired with a new scripting engine in Photoshop CS5, was designed to pave the way for iOS apps and other platform apps to drive and interact with Photoshop on the desktop.

According to Adobe, with the introduction of the new Photoshop Touch app, the existing Eazel, Nav, and Color Lava, as well as other apps that interact with Photoshop CS5 software using the Adobe Photoshop Touch SDK, are now called companion apps rather than Photoshop Touch apps. And the Photoshop Touch SDK has been rolled into the Photoshop SDK as a connection API.

Designed and focused on tablets, at least initially, the Touch app interface is driven by onscreen gestures. Some tools, like Kuler and Ideas are already familiar either from Photoshop or the iOS. Others are brand new. All interoperate with each other via cloud-based computing. All are designed for fingertip and stylus input.

Adobe Creative Cloud will power the viewing, sharing, and syncing of files created by Adobe Creative Suite and Adobe Touch apps alongside 20GB of cloud storage. By syncing though the new Creative Cloud, users can bring their work to the desktop for further refinement or other kinds of sharing and collaboration.