A List of Photoshop CS4 Resources
By
Mike Pasini, The Imaging Resource
(Friday, March 27, 2009 - 12:05 EDT)
Take a break -- a profitable break
Even though Photoshop CS4 has been out for a while, there's a lot to discover in this new version. And, if you're like most busy pros, you've probably got as much time to explore the new productivity enhancements as you do to finish restoring the 1957 Bel Air in your driveway.
Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available on the Web at no charge. And they're pretty entertaining ones at that. Certainly a profitable way to take a break from the daily grind.
Here's a list of a few of them:
Enhanced Auto-Align
• Spherical Panorama -- renders panoramas more precisely
• Auto button easily and accurately chooses the best projection for the panorama, eliminating user guesswork
• Lens Correction automatically removes vignettes and geometric distortion as it aligns photos
Enhanced Auto-Blend
• Blends together photos with varying focus points to create a final image in which every desired aspect of it is in focus
• New Seamless Tones & Colors blends exposure data when combining multiple images with differing levels of light
Flick Panning
• Also known as "Hand-tossed pixels," the image quickly flings across the screen until coming to a rest
Vibrance Adjustment
• Previously found in Lightroom/Camera Raw, it adjusts the saturation so that clipping is minimized as colors approach full saturation
• Only increases the saturation of less-saturated colors
Color Universal Design Organization (CUDO)
• Built-in CUDO support allows users to simulate what graphic designs (such as signage and artwork) would look like to the color blind
Eyedropper Tool
• The Eyedropper can now capture color beyond a one-pixel sampling to include several pixels on multiple layers to create natural-looking coloration
Application Bar
Designed to help quickly display images in a variety of ways and consists of the following tools:
• Extras tool opens Guides, Grids and Rules • The Hand, Zoom and new Rotate Canvas • Including Arrange Documents and Screen Views icons
Spring-Loaded Keys
• When working with one tool, you can temporarily switch to another by holding down its tool key. For example: Hold "R" to invoke the new Rotate View Tool, drag on the canvas to rotate, and release R to jump back to the previous tool you were using
File Info Panel
• Now Flash-based, the panel shows the color values beneath the pointer and, depending on the tool in use, gives other useful information. The panel also displays hints on using the selected tool, gives document status information, and allows for customized panel display options.
Metadata
• Better copyright preservation controls through Save for Web
• Unique IDs generated/stored per document (to enable easier asset tracking downstream)
• .PSD files now include timestamps that indicate when each layer was edited
But Wait, There's More
Additional information on these features and others in Photoshop CS4 can be found through the following resources:
It's a Guest's Blog Wednesday, Bryan O'Neil Hughes
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
http://www.scottkelby.com/blog/2009/archives/3281
CS4, What's in it for Photographers, John Nack
John Nack on Adobe
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2008/11/cs4_for_photographers.html
PS CS4 But Wait, There's More, Julieanne Kost
Adobe Photoshop Tutorials by Julieanne Kost
http://www.jkost.com/pdf/photoshop/cs4/PSCS4ButWait.pdf
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