"Photoshopping" pictures has become a common term. But, with these 10 new features, that verb may just become even more common.
10. "Bridging" the gap
Photoshop CS3 also gives you Bridge, Adobe's photo organizing software, which lets you keep tabs on all your pics through labels, ratings, file type and other criteria. The cool thing is that all the images on your computer can be accessed and viewed at the same time, including one-on-one comparisons without opening them. From there, you can inspect even closer using the Loupe tool to magnify pixels in the image.
Bridge is a bit of a wild card because pros and serious amateurs will love it, while casual users might not care about it. But it's still deep enough to warrant a look, especially since you're getting it in the package anyway.
9. Vanishing Point 2
This one is probably better suited for people in advertising or other businesses because it allows you to see mock-ups of product packaging. Vanishing Point made its debut in CS2, but was limited in that it could only be applied at a 90-degree angle. In CS3, you can adjust the angle however you want, so that the image wraps around the box or package the way you need it to.
Casual users might not find much of a use for this, but consider how you might be able to see how decals would look on a flashy car or even how an indie band's debut album artwork would look on a CD jewel case.
8. Creating truly black and white images
There was the misconception that changing a photo from colour to grayscale was enough to make a black and white replica. That never was the truth. CS3 adds a Black and White Adjustment option that allows you to change the tones within the image based on their original colour values. So, if you had a lot of yellow in the image, you can manipulate the colour tone using the sliders in Black and White
It's possible that you've already done this with colour images, but you never had that option available once you were working with a grayscale photo. Now you can get a far more realistic black and white photo.
7. Printing made easier
Printing from Photoshop wasn't too difficult, but it could confuse the casual user, partly because there was no usable preview to go on. It's always nice to be able to see how the photo will lay out on the page you're printing it on, and it's about time they threw that in for CS3.
But, generally speaking, the Print dialog is a more seamless experience now because of the simple menu items and commands all offered in one window. You want to make some last-minute colour adjustments? No problem. Looking to see how a proof would look by knocking down the resolution or the size? Done.
6. Cloning and healing
The Clone Stamp and Healing Brush tools are pretty popular among both serious and casual Photoshop users, but there was room for improvement. You now get a palette when using the tools. This lets you view your handiwork in different opacities and blend modes as you go along.
To do this before required a lot of trial and error to get the best results because you would use the tool and then have to go back to make changes. The cycle could repeat itself over and over again, causing plenty of frustration along the way. That said, the new palette will take some getting used to because the photo is presented to you in two different opacities, which could lead to some confusion. Even then, try it out and get used to it because you'll grow to love it.
5. The Quick Selection tool
It's entirely possible that people who have tried their hand at Photoshop looked to cut themselves out of a photo- or maybe a forgotten ex-lover - at least once. To make it happen was tough, even with all the tools at your disposal. You could try erasing with fine brushes, or the wildly unpredictable magic wand tool. But the results would be sketchy at best, thus requiring more fine-tuning.
The Quick Selection tool works like the magic wand, only that it's smarter. Drag it over yourself (or the ex) and watch it wrap itself around your body. From there, it's a simple matter of cutting and pasting. You can even soften the edges of the cut by using the "Refine Edge" option found under the menu bar.
4. Smart Filters
The cool thing about this feature is that it allows you to experiment with filters on an image without destroying it in the process. Suppose you have a cutout from an image that you were able to extract using the Quick Selection tool. You've isolated the subject, but you go to the Tools menu and select Inverse to select the background. Your plan is to really blur the background so that the subject pops out even more in the photo. Before, the only way you could do that was by working on the image with separate layers, not to mention that the changes you would make would be difficult to undo.
Now, you can go to the Tools menu and select Convert for Smart Filters to turn the image into an object layer that you can mess with using any filter you want. You can add Blur or any other layers and adjust them at anytime without affecting your progress.
3. Bringing out the landmarks
There's something to be said about taking a photo of a landmark without you - or any other tourist - trying to look good in front of it for a photo op. There's a good chance that you've got those types of photos in your albums; the ones with eyesores like a passersby and other tourists posing in the distance.
Getting rid of all of them is easier than you think, so long as you've taken more than one shot of the landmark, that is. Take all the photos you have of, say, the Acropolis in Athens from the same angle, and choose Auto-Align in the Edit menu. All the images will be aligned perfectly. Then go to the Layers menu and "Convert to Smart Object". You then go to Smart Objects and select Medium, and like magic, the unwanted bystanders disappear.
2. Auto-Align Images
You've probably taken group photos where you had one person's eyes closed or someone who wasn't smiling. And you took the shot three or four times, but still couldn't get them to all smile at once. Now, you can solve that problem by literally erasing the unwanted expressions to bring out the smiles in everyone. The only problem is that when you stack these images together as layers, you'll notice that they're not perfectly aligned.
If you go to the Edit menu and apply Auto-Align, Photoshop will do the alignment for you. From there, apply a layer mask on the image at the top of the stack, use a black paintbrush, and wipe away all those distracted faces.
1. Auto-Blend Images
Panoramic images will be a totally new experience for you after trying this one out. Use Auto-Align to place the multiple images together. Then execute Auto-Blend under the Edit menu. With that one click, the software will blend the images together in precise detail based on the edges and placement of objects within the images. But more than that, it also adjusts the colours and lighting so that everything matches perfectly.
From there, it's a simple matter of cropping and you've got the masterpiece you were looking for. This was a procedure that used to take hours and hours, so to have it done in one or two clicks is a huge improvement in CS3.
