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Fast Track to Photoshop CS
Now that we've reviewed the fundamentals, let's turn our attention from the wider world of image editing to the comparatively narrow realm of Photoshop CS. Namely, what hot new features does this upgrade have to offer? Given that Photoshop's only competition these days is its glorious past, what distinguishes Version CS from previous versions of the program?| Photoshop | If you're an experienced user of Photoshop, you might think that Version CS isn't a particularly drastic upgrade. In many ways, you're right. But that doesn't mean that it isn't a worthwhile investment; on the contrary, a slew of modest but important improvements enable you to work better and faster. And like any upgrade to Photoshop, there's a lot more going on than may at first meet the eye. Here I've compiled a few of the most prominent features that are new to Photoshop CS, in rough order of importance. I also point you to the chapter where you can sniff around for more information: |
Improved File Browser (Chapter 3): Introduced in Photoshop 7, the File Browser has really come into its own in Version CS. In addition to the renaming and rotating functions previously available, a bunch of batch-processing commands can now be performed directly in the File Browser. It also boasts higher-quality previews, new organizational techniques, support for keywords, and the capability to enter and edit an unimaginable amount of image metadata. Trust me — the improved File Browser is so impressive, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.
Layer comps (Chapter 12): A great way to store multiple versions of an image in a single file, layer comps are a low-key but eminently useful new feature in Photoshop CS. A layer comp is a snapshot of the visibility, position, and styles applied to the layers in an image at a particular moment in time. You can create layer comps as you work using the Layer Comps palette. Later, you can shuffle through your layer comps to show a client a variety of different versions of an image. After you get the hang of how they work, layer comps will become a great resource in your workflow.
Integrated Camera Raw support (Chapter 17): Long the domain of myriad camera-specific applications, wide-ranging Camera Raw support has finally been included in Photoshop CS. Camera Raw files are the pure, untouched, uncompressed files generated by mid-range and high-end digital cameras. Photoshop CS's new Camera Raw dialog box lets you edit the brightness, color, and detail values (to name but a few) of a digital photo without losing any image quality. Best of all, you no longer need additional filters, add-ons, or plug-ins to work with Camera Raw files.
The Histogram palette (Chapter 17): Despite their usefulness, histograms used to be solely the domain of commands such as Levels and Threshold. With the release of Photoshop CS, these invaluable graphs are always available and constantly updated in the new Histogram palette. The Histogram palette can be expanded to depict the values of each color channel, and the palette even provides a before-and-after view to monitor the effects of your image adjustments.
Comprehensive editing in 16-bit mode (Chapter 4): In previous versions of Photoshop, working in 16-bit mode meant sacrificing access to most tools and commands in exchange for a higher bit depth. Not anymore. Now you can work with layers, text, brushes, and a bunch of filters while keeping the color quality of an image as high as possible.
Type on a path (Chapter 15): Although we've long been able to warp text layers while keeping them fully editable, Photoshop has never provided the means to create and edit text directly on a path. Until now, that is. Using the regular old type tool, you can click any path you've drawn and create text that flows according to the path's shape. You can even use closed shapes as text frames and place multiple layers of type on a path or shape. Although type on a path is a powerful new feature, it can be agonizingly slow when you're working with a complicated path, and kerning can get thrown off dramatically. Consider yourself warned.
Customizable keyboard shortcuts (Appendix): As is fast becoming the norm among graphics programs, Photoshop CS now lets you create new keyboard shortcuts and edit existing ones. If you find yourself repeatedly applying a function or command that doesn't have a shortcut by default, assigning a keyboard equivalent can help you work faster. You can even tell Photoshop to generate an HTML summary of all your keyboard shortcuts for easy reference.
Shadow/Highlight command (Chapter 17): The new Shadow/Highlight command is a powerful tool for correcting exposure problems that plague different areas of an image. By analyzing specific pixels and comparing them to the pixels in the surrounding area, the command determines which areas are overexposed and which fall into the shadows. You can then use a variety of settings to adjust both the overexposed and shadow areas. The default settings often do a great job of correcting shadow problems in an image. For example, the command offers a fantastic fix for images shot with an overexposed background and an underexposed subject.
Nested layer sets (Chapter 12): In Photoshop CS, layer sets can be nested, or placed within one another. This gives you greater control over the organization of layers in an image. You can nest layer sets up to five levels deep. Nested layer sets maintain their structure even when imported into Adobe Illustrator CS.
Lens Blur filter (Chapter 10): The type of blur generated by a real-world camera lens can appear very different from the Gaussian blur created by Photoshop. Photoshop CS seeks to correct this by introducing the new Lens Blur filter, which can generate much more realistic blur effects through a few simple settings. Lens Blur blurs an image into patterns and artifacts based on a specified iris shape. Specular highlights are preserved just as they are when you push a camera out of focus. Additionally, you can set alpha channels and masks as maps that the filter references to decide which areas of the image get blurred and which remain crisp. If this is all Greek to you, never fear. Chapter 10 translates everything into your native language.
Filter Gallery (Chapter 11): The Gallery Effects filters themselves haven't changed, but the manner in which you apply them has been dramatically revamped in Photoshop CS. The new Filter Gallery provides high-quality previews, lets you leap from filter to filter, and even permits you to stack filters on top of one another to see how they interact. The Filter Gallery hasn't improved the results of these somewhat middling effects filters, but it sure has made them more fun to play with.
Improved Liquify filter (Chapter 11): The Liquify filter has been streamlined and improved to provide a somewhat more refined image-distorting experience. Most importantly, you now have many more options for determining the mask that sets the limits of the command.
Match Color (Chapter 17): The mysterious and intelligent Match Color command can save you a lot of time and effort if you're interested in resolving the color cast of one image to match that of another. This can be useful when you want to composite two similar images together or assemble a consistently toned montage or presentation. Match Color is even a great tool for correcting differences in lighting conditions between two images. The command samples the statistics, or color cast data, of a source image or a selected area and then alters the colors in the destination image to achieve a better match.
Better healing brush (Chapter 7): The innovative healing brush, first introduced in Photoshop 7, now has the capability to pull pixel information from all visible layers in an image.
Color replacement tool (Chapter 5): Borrowing the technology that powers the red-eye brush tool in Adobe Photoshop Elements, the color replacement tool in Photoshop CS lets you highlight an area of color and replace it with another color. Controls for the limits imposed on the tool ensure that your color changes stay vibrant, clean, and realistic.
PDF Presentation (Chapter 18): You can now generate multipage Adobe PDF files and automatically updating PDF slideshows using the new PDF Presentation command. PDF slideshows are a great way to share groups of photos with friends or coworkers. PDF Presentation is also one of the many automated processes that can be accessed directly from the improved File Browser.
Photomerge (Chapter 18): First seen in Photoshop Elements, the Photomerge command can stitch together lengthy, complicated panoramas from a series of images. When working with photos that were carefully captured with Photomerge in mind, the command can do a remarkable job.
Improved Picture Package (Chapter 18): Photoshop CS makes the Picture Package command more flexible by giving you the ability to create and edit custom photo layouts. Starting with an existing template or from scratch, you can add, move, and scale image zones in the Picture Package Edit Layout dialog box until you're completely satisfied with the results.
Photo Filter (Chapter 17): Using the new Photo Filter command, you can simulate the effect of putting a colored filter on a camera lens. Photo Filter can be great for quickly correcting or adjusting the white balance of an image, altering the color temperature, or removing an overall color cast. You can also crank up the settings to create some quick color effects.
Crop and Straighten Photos (Chapter 3): If scanning is a regular part of your image-editing routine, you'll thank your lucky stars for the advent of the Crop and Straighten Photos command. A one-click, fully automated process, Crop and Straighten Photos takes a group of images that were scanned together and separates them into individual files. It recognizes each image, rotates it to compensate for lopsided scanning, and copies it into a new image file.
Fibers and Average filters (Chapters 11 and 10, respectively): Photoshop CS introduces two new filters. Fibers uses fractals to generate stringy, starchy, naturalistic patterns. Think of it as Difference Clouds stretched out like taffy. The Average filter determines the average color of an image or selected area and then fills the image or area with that color. With most images, applying this filter produces a dull, solid grayish wall. But there are some practical applications, as we'll see in Chapter 10.
Photoshop's companion program, ImageReady CS, also introduces its own share of upgrades. The most prominent of these upgrades is what Adobe calls the new "object-based user interface," which basically translates to "ImageReady just got a whole lot easier to use." Many of Photoshop's familiar behaviors now work in a similar manner in ImageReady CS. Adobe has also added a slew of enhancements (and removed some of the more redundant features) to make ImageReady feel more like a part of Photoshop and less like a stand-alone program. Also notable is ImageReady's new capability to export to the SWF, or Shockwave Flash, format. (As I mentioned in the preface, for complete information on creating Web graphics with Photoshop and ImageReady, please refer to the hardbound edition of this title, Photoshop CS Bible, Professional Edition.)
The result is yet another strong upgrade to Photoshop. It may not be as flashy as Versions 3, 5, 6, and 7 were, but it's certainly no slouch. And if I wish Photoshop CS had perhaps included a few more features — such as envelope distortions and After-Effects-style parametric (and thus forever editable) effects — I am pleasantly surprised by what it does offer and find little fault with its implementation.
Big upgrade or small, as usual the Photoshop Bible is here to help you get the most out of this latest version of Photoshop. Just remember to keep an eye peeled for the Photoshop CS icon, and you'll be over the hump and into the image-editing groove in no time.
