Software of the Day - Photoshop CS3 Beta

Adobe recently released its new Photoshop CS3 beta, and I'll give you a sneak preview of some of the improvements.

This is the first product photoshop edition, released after Adobe-Macromedia merge up and we are yet to see if Fireworks will be released.

Lets start off.

1. UI makeover

Changing a well established interface for a flagship product could be a risky move but adobe had pulled it off well. The new interface looks simpler, slicker and more effecient. There are n no. of ways of arranging your workspace to suit your needs.
For a change, they have a single column toolbar, which can be changed back to the old one. The nicest improvement is the new palette scheme. Your can now dock palettes together and drag and dock palettes to the edge of other palettes. Overall, everything fits and resizes properly and makes your workspace look more organised.

2. Smart Filters

I like playing around with filters in order to decide which works well. This new feature lets you to apply filters and selective remove certain filters, in order to get the best effect rather than doing and redoing everytime, you aren't satisfied.



3. The new and improved Bridge

New ways to filter images, add tags, compare multiple images , a better looking interface etc.
Bridge works and feels better, with tonnes of useful updates

Another cool thing is the inclusion of getting photos from camera directly. You can add labels, define the folder, chose to save a copy of each image, save as DNG etc. Lots n lots of updates.

4. Quick Select

Every new version of photoshop brings a newer and easier way to select things. The quick select is the best so far. Earlier, we had to use the laso tool to select an image as below, but quick select can do the selection smarly. Give it a try or see Terry white's video to see.


5. Automatic layer alignment and blending

This feature easily combines the best parts of multiple images of the same scene into one "best" image. All we do is place multiple, related images on separate layers in one document, and Photoshop will analyze the contents, moving and rotating the layers so they overlap as precisely as possible. Then using the masking tools to reveal the areas you need from different layers to finalize the elements of the composite image. Automatic layer blending seamlessly blends the color and shading into the final image.

6.Vanishing Point with multiple, adjustable angle perspective planes

This feature which was introduced in Photoshop CS2 is now even more flexible. Vanishing Point adjusts brush strokes, healing and cloning as you paint over its perspective planes. In CS3, we are no longer restricted to adding planes at 90-degree angles. We can now quickly and easily create multiple planes in any image, connected at any angle.










In addition, artwork (for example, a product label pasted from the clipboard) can be wrapped around multiple planes simultaneously.


Conclusion : Overall a nice upgrade to the already powerful CS2. Adobe has listened to their fans and users and added features which will satisfy everyone.



Other links :

A cool video preview by Terry white : ( a must watch)

Download the beta from : Adobe Site