Photoshop CS2™

PSA Journal, August, 2005 by Stanley B. Ashbrook

Adobe Systems, Incorporated

Available for Windows Microsoft[R] Windows[R] 2000 with Service Pack 4 or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or 2 and Mac OS X v.10.2.8 through v.10.3.8 (10.3.4 through 10.3.8 recommended)

$599; Upgrade from Photoshop CS[TM] or Photoshop 7.0 or earlier, $149

http://www.adobe.com

In early May, Adobe began shipping Photoshop CS2, its newest version of their popular industry standard digital imaging software. Many will ask if they should take the leap and either be a first-time buyer or upgrade from their current version. In my opinion, I must agree with those saying that this is the most significant version to come along since version 5.0. It's brimming with new features, specifically geared towards the digital photographer; and the more I used it, the more I became ecstatic about the potential it offers to enhance and adjust my photographs and at the same time make it easier and quicker to do so.

It is impossible to go into all the new features in detail in the space allotted, so I'll only be able to hit the high spots (website address provided for additional information).

My favorite CS File Browser has been replaced with the more efficient Adobe Bridge. Images can be viewed as thumbnails, and a file's metadata can be edited with ease. Thumbnails are also scalable by means of a slider that appears at the bottom of the screen. I'm taking many more digital images in RAW, and they can now be adjusted in Bridge without having to venture near Photoshop as Bridge will run as a separate application. Bridge also allows users to view and sort images based on a user ranking and color code assignment. This feature has obvious benefits when sorting through large collections of digital photographs. Lastly, users have the option of saving custom workspaces which can be launched by a keyboard shortcut. Default Bridge workspaces include Filmstrip, Thumbnails, Details, and Variations.

A feature I liked in the File Browser was renaming and moving digital camera images from the memory cards to my hard drive. This feature has been improved greatly in Bridge, and this can be done now while you work in Photoshop--really cool! Another how-did-I-do-without-it feature in Bridge is a keyboard shortcut that brings up your images in a Slide Show. This is great for reviewing a new photo shoot.

Regarding Camera RAW, the Camera RAW plug-in has been vastly improved, and I could devote a complete article on it and its advantages. It now has a Curves Adjustment built in, for example, and you can open more than one RAW image and adjust all at the same time--a terrific feature.

Each version of Photoshop has its "killer application." In Photoshop 7, it was the Healing Brush; in CS, it was Shadows/Highlights. In CS2, it is the Vanishing Point. This tool allows one to define a grid across a perspective plane and then map a Layer to match the lines of perspective. The mapping of type or images along a perspective plane is a pleasure, but the real power of the Vanishing Point tool is its ability to clone areas of your image in perspective. Adobe has used the example of cloning windows from the bottom floors onto the upper floors of the image of a skyscraper. The results are very convincing, and the creative possibilities are endless. See an excerpt on vanishing point and more from the tutorial CD that comes with CS2 by Photoshop "whiz" Deke McClelland on the Total Training website, http:// www.photoshopsupport.com/tutorials/ttcs2/vanishing-point.html.> Another really cool feature is "Smart Object." Essentially one can now place a vector object into Photoshop and effect transformations without any loss in quality. The cool thing is that any object on a layer can be converted to a Smart Object. Duplicates of Smart Objects function as instances of the parent, so changes made to the parent are reflected in all instances that appear within a document. If you "Place" a RAW image file into another open file, it will be added on a layer as a Smart Object. Merely double click on the Layer and perform any adjustments in Adobe Camera RAW. Duplicates of the Camera RAW Smart Objects can be individually adjusted and blended together using Layer Masks. This is really cool for extending an image's tonal range? This can be done in CS, but this new procedure is so much better. If you are a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), they have a very good tutorial on this by Kevin Ames in the July issue of Photoshop User magazine.

Other new features that I won't be able to go into are 1) a super Red Eye Reducer tool, 2) a Spot Healing Brush, 3) Image Warp that allows you to wrap an image on any box, column, or other surface, 4) Smart Sharpen which will make sharpening images easier, 5) a Lens correction filter, 6) some new Blur filters that will make it easy to create a soft focus effect, 7) Smart Guides, 8) a Noise Reduction Filter, 9) a preview of your fonts when using the text tool, 10) an image processor, and 11) a simpler approach to working with layers.