Some new features of Photoshop CS6 beta, such as Content Aware Patch and Content Aware Move have dazzled many early users; however, in the final analysis, these are not as useful as some of the more practical, new features. What professional photographers want is to save time during the workflow process and the change Adobe has made to layers serves that need. Instead of the time-consuming search for a particular layer, Photoshop CS6 allows you to find it by layer type, mode or even the various characteristics of a layer.
Adobe Photoshop CS6 now has the means to generate “Greeked” text and easily place dashed or dotted lines within copy blocks.
Job-processing time was also the purpose behind improving the auto feature. No longer do you have to concern yourself with adversely affecting a photo’s histogram or ruining your eyesight after hours of manual adjustments one small step at a time. Auto adjustment means just that in Photoshop CS6, as often a single click of a button replaces the seemingly endless tweaking of the past. Adobe has given the auto engine a complete rebuild, so data is never lost and monochromatic content-aware modifications occur without your conscious input, depending on your project type.
Speed is certainly the key to the value of Photoshop CS6 for pro photographers. For example, the new Liquify filter, make effects in real-time.
Some of these timesaving improvements may seem small, but how often have you had to wait for seemingly forever for a dialog box to disappear when saving a huge file? Now, CS6 does this independent of your workflow.
The many new features of Photoshop CS6 that have grabbed the early headlines are also very beneficial to serious amateurs and digital photography professionals. One of these you’ll notice as soon as the program opens: a dark gray default interface that is similar to Adobe Lightroom.
Adobe has also adopted the position of Lightroom’s browser interface by moving Photoshop’s Mini-Bridge across the bottom of the screen.
Although it’s no replacement for Final Cut Pro or Premiere, many photographers will find Photoshop’s new video editing controls another useful feature. The tool bag is small, but you’ll be able to make basic edits of your HD video segments from your DSLR instead of jumping to the Final Cut Pro platform.
Another new feature, Content-Aware Move, mentioned above, not only allows you to select and move an object in a single-layer image to another location in a photo, but also fills the space vacated by the object.
Photographers will also appreciate the Blur Gallery feature, which is a handy tool for creating the tilt-shift effect.
Adobe has also improved the crop tool, so photographers are less likely to destroy inadvertently any cropping options they’ve created.
Adobe has yet to announce the specific release date of the full-version of Photoshop CS6. Some are predicting it will be later during the year. This “delay” should provide you with plenty of time to learn to work through the free beta version and understand why it’s critical for commercial photographers and those serious amateurs who want more than basic editing tools.
For casual photographers and even many amateurs and professionals who can’t justify spending $700 (approximately) for Photoshop CS6, there are alternative methods for creating special effects in your photos. Click here to learn more!
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