In addition to announcing Creative Suite 5.5, Adobe also unveiled a new Photoshop Touch software development kit (SDK).

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]According to Adobe, the new SDK allows developers to create mobile and tablet applications that interact directly with Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended on the desktop.

Using its own SDK, Adobe developed three new apps for Apple’s iOS: Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav. The apps will give developers an idea of what can be done using the SDK to link the tablet and desktop environments. If you plan to focus on a software development path, read this new blog post explaining what is the importance of the discovery phase.

Color Lava allows creative professionals to use their fingertips to mix colors on the iPad. The custom color swatches and themes can then be transfered back into Photoshop.

Adobe Eazel lets creative pros create paintings and then send them to Photoshop for compositing or whatever other work you wish to do to them. Adobe Nav allows you to control Photoshop tools using the iPad as the input surface, customize the toolbar, browse and zoom in on up to 200 open Photoshop files or easily create new files.

While Adobe’s apps have been created for the iOS, the company said the Photoshop Touch SDK makes development possible on other devices, including Android and the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Adobe said developers can access the free Adobe Photoshop Touch SDK today for Windows and Mac OS platforms on the Adobe Application Manager. Current Photoshop CS5 customers will be able to download and install a free patch which will be available beginning May 3, 2011.

The Adobe Color Lava, Adobe Eazel and Adobe Nav applications for Photoshop are also expected to be available in early May 2011, ranging in price from US$1.99-$4.99, on the iTunes App Store.