  We propose a new first-order primal-dual optimization framework for a convex
optimization template with broad applications. Our optimization algorithms
feature optimal convergence guarantees under a variety of common structure
assumptions on the problem template. Our analysis relies on a novel combination
of three classic ideas applied to the primal-dual gap function: smoothing,
acceleration, and homotopy. The algorithms due to the new approach achieve the
best known convergence rate results, in particular when the template consists
of only non-smooth functions. We also outline a restart strategy for the
acceleration to significantly enhance the practical performance. We demonstrate
relations with the augmented Lagrangian method and show how to exploit the
strongly convex objectives with rigorous convergence rate guarantees. We
provide numerical evidence with two examples and illustrate that the new
methods can outperform the state-of-the-art, including Chambolle-Pock, and the
alternating direction method-of-multipliers algorithms.
