Adobe Systems has announced the Photoshop Express public beta, a free rich internet application (RIA) available to users who want to store, sort and show off digital photos with special effects. During the beta period, Adobe will solicit Photoshop Express user feedback to increase product features and functionality.

Photoshop Express allows users to store up to 2GB of images, make edits to their photos, and share them online via downloading and uploading from popular social networking sites, such as Facebook.

Photoshop Express empowers anyone to make standard edits, such as removing blemishes and red-eye, converting to black and white, and cropping and resizing. The online application includes features like Pop Color, which selects an object in an image, mutes the background color of the photo and allows the user to swap the object’s color; Sketch effects, which makes photos look like drawings; and the Distort feature, which warps facial features or objects within the images for a comical effect.

Photoshop Express was created with Flex, Adobe’s free, open-source framework for building RIAs. An internet connection and an up-to-date Flash Player 9 are all that are required to experience Adobe Photoshop Express. In its early phases, Photoshop Express will be available only to U.S. residents and in English. Adobe Photoshop Express beta is available at photoshop.com/express.