Photoshop CS - a Review of some of the New Features in this version
by DSP Designers

Lens Blur

The Lens Blur filter gives the effect of a narrow depth of field, keeping some parts of the image in focus, whilst blurring the rest. Simple selections may be made with the selection tools, or you may use masks & alpha channels - basically it treats black as though it were in front of the photo, white will be more at a distance, with shades of grey in between.

This filter allows you to take photos which as perfectly crisp and clear, and add selective blurring later, with wonderful control over Highlight (keeping the whites bright), Iris and Noise, together with of course the degree of blur.

What a great new addition this filter is - it makes those "dreamy effects" on photos just so easy to achieve - it really is easy to use, spend a few minutes reading the clear directions in the "Help" section & you are on your way!

Raw Format

This snazy new camera I have shoots in "raw" format.

Huh? You say "raw" to me, and I think about carrots, not photographs; what is "raw", and what does it have to do with Photoshop CS?

Well, there are different ways for a digital camera to store images, and the difference is basically how scrunched up the camera makes the image to store it. There's more to it, of course, but the setting that scrunches up the image the least (and leaves the image as close to the oringal as possible) is RAW.

I've figured out that if you shoot in raw, you can alter exposure and other stuff after the fact! So, if your image is underexposed (or overexposed), you can fix it. Well, of course it's not a PERFECT fix, but you can bump the exposure up or down by two stops, which is great for candid shots in low light without the flash. It's roughly the digital equivilant of shooting at faster or slower shutter speeds. I'm told that there are other benefits to shooting in raw format, but let's keep it really simple for the moment.

Problem is, your Windows browser can't read the raw format. It doesn't see the images! Neither did previous versions of Photoshop - it was like there was nothing there at all! Until now, you'd have to use precious megs of memory on your computer to load conversion software that came with the camera, and then edit the photo more in Photoshop AFTER getting the image converted from your camera into a format your browser (and PS) could read.

Ack! I know I shot 237 pictures of the kids opening gifts on Christmas morning - where did they go???

Guess what! Photoshop CS CAN see your raw images! You can view, alter, convert to jpg, and save your images in Photoshop without having to install extra software on your already crowded computer! Woooohoo! This feature is a HUGE step forward for Adobe software. It integrates digital photography and graphic art even further. Previous versions of Photoshop offer raw viewing and conversion packages for purchase, and this option was a big draw for photograpers to upgrade to PSCS.

My favorite way to work with my photos in PS is to view them directly from my camera's memory card in the card reader. I insert the memory card into the card reader, open PS, and browse (FILE>BROWSE) to the drive where the images are. From there, I can view, sort, and delete the photos I don't want to keep before I ever have to transfer them to my hard drive. I can also open the raw image in PS, and alter it to suit my preferences, and then save it into a jpg or other format to my hard drive.

Shooting in raw format does seem to produce better images than shooting the same shot in jpg mode, especially given the opportunity to manipulate some of the "settings" (i.e. exposure) after the fact. Before PSCS, the process was cumbersome, but the new PSCS has streamlined viewing, transfering and editing photographs in the raw format. I love that!

The Match Colour Adjustment Feature

What a great new feature - tucked away in the adjustment menu is Match colour .

When would you use this - well just about every day if you are me.

Imagine this scenario - you want a layout with multiple photos of your family but they are all taken in different locations with different lights - What to do - Previously you would have to manually adjust the colour and levels in each image separately - but now thanks to the match colour feature its almost automatic.

Open your photos - select the one you find has the best colouring - and you can with one click each match each of the other photos to this one - subtle adjustments to make all the photos look like they have been taken in the same light.

Other uses would be for matching elements - you want a pink ribbon to match a pink background-rather than use the hue saturation slider and trial and error the match colour feature will do it all in one click.

What a great time saver !!!

Customize Keyboard Shortcuts:
If you use keyboard shortcuts, PSCS has a wonderful new feature that allows you to customize keyboard shortcuts for those items you use regularly. With this new feature you can keep functions you use regularly at your fingertips.

Filter Gallery:
PSCS has a new filter gallery allows you stack your filter effects – use multiple filters at once. In this new filter gallery you also have a larger preview so you have instant feedback on how the filter looks when applied to your graphic.

Text on a Path/Shape:
With Photoshop CS you can now place fully editable text on a path or shape to add pizzazz to your text or titles. This new feature brings wonderful “text power” to an already powerful program.