Photoshop
6.0 was the main topic for the meeting. The Photoshop 6 Beta that I was
using is extremely solid. The Beta, however, does not come with any documentation,
so I couldn't figure out some of the changes to program. Jack Miller came
through as usual with the projector this month. The projector works wonderfully,
but I use a 21" monitor and some of the windows were off our viewing
area and I couldn't get them to show for the presentation. The upgrade
is quite an improvement and I received my upgrade notice from Adobe yesterday.
The upgrade price is $199, but some of the enhancements are such major
improvements to the program that the price seems well worth it.
The first thing you'll notice in Photoshop 6.0 is the Options Bar that
appears docked just below Photoshop's menu bar. What a concept! This Options
Bar replaces the floating options palettes for Photoshop's tools found
in previous versions. Now when you click on a tool, the Options Bar immediately
displays that tools options. In tools like brushes, the palette for selecting
or editing the different brushes is also on the Options Bar and the palette
is expandable vertically & horizontally. This feature didn't work
in my demo because of the limitations of the projection system, but it
is one you will really enjoy when you get your hands on Photoshop 6!
The next major improvement is in Text. You can now enter your type directly
on your image, and the big old ugly Type dialog box is finally gone. You
can change your Font directly from the Options Bar like in Word or AppleWorks!
Adobe also added a host of new type features that raise Photoshop's control
over typography to an entirely new level. You access this new typographic
power through two floating palettes: the Character palette and Paragraph
palette. You can even convert your type into outline paths (just like
Adobe Illustrator). You now even have the ability to warp vector type
into arches and arcs, and you can squeeze, distort, warp and stretch your
type while still maintaining its edibility. This is great for creating
those "type on a curve" effects.
Another major change is the complete overhaul of Photoshop's Layer Effects
(now called Layer Styles). Adobe has supercharged these effects, with
new added power, new features, and new effects like Gradient Overlay,
Pattern Overlay, Stroke, and Satin. Plus, you now have the ability to
combine and create your own custom Styles that you can apply with just
one click from the new Styles palette. The new Layer Styles dialog box
shows at a glance which effects are applied to the currently selected
layer and lets you define which effects to use in a layer style. Once
you save a layer style, it appears in the new Styles palette. Applying
layer styles is easy: You create type, shapes, and other artwork elements
on a layer, and then click a style in the Styles palette to apply it.
Or, select a shape tool, choose a layer style from the context-sensitive
tool options bar, and then start drawing; Photoshop applies the style
as you draw. Unfortunately, this was another feature didn't work in my
demo because of the limitations of the projection system. I had moved
this dialog box to the right portion of my monitor so I could see the
result of the effect in my document and I couldn't get the window to show
on the projection screen. Believe me when you see the improvement for
yourself you'll really appreciate it.
The last improvement that I will mention in this email is the wonderful
Vector Shapes! Now you can easily create editable vector shapes using
new tools like the rounded corner box tool, line tool, polygon tool (create
stars & as many points on your polygon that you want and easily edit
any of the points for more effects), Ellipse tool, and a Custom Shape
tool. With the Custom Shape tool, you have access to a collection of preset
shapes, including stars, arrows, starbursts, triangles and many more.
Also, like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop 6.0 provides pathfinder operations
— Add, Subtract, Restrict, and Invert — for quickly combining
basic vector shapes into complex shapes.Plus, you can create and store
your own custom shapes.
|
