Microsoft has further signalled its commitment to the HD Photo format with the release of two Photoshop plug-ins.

The plug-ins, which can be downloaded to both Macs and PCs allow owners of Photoshop Elements and older versions of Adobe Photoshop to open and edit HD Photo files.

Reports suggest that this is part of a bid by Microsoft to make the HD Photo format (also known as the JPEG XR and Windows Media Photo format) as popular, if not more popular, than existing image formats including the JPEG and tiff.

Beta versions of the plug-ins were released earlier this year but will expire on 31 December. Microsoft adds that those who download the full version of the plug-ins now should expect an upgrade before the year is out.

>> Link - Windows download
>> Link - Mac OS X download
>> Via - PC Pro