Photoshop
7.0 is Here!
by Matt Sullivan
Matt Sullivan
is the
training director for
GRAFIX Training, Inc.,
an Adobe-certified training provider
with offices in San Diego and Tustin.
Direct questions
on
technical issues to
matt@grafixtraining.com
Find previous
"Tech Issues" columns at www.grafixtraining.com/
stc/stc.html.
I was fortunate enough to attend an Adobe Digital Video (DV) seminar a few weeks ago. Although the DV information was quite interesting, for me, the real nugget in the conference was a demo of Photoshop 7.0. As certified instructors, we typically get a sneak peek at new Adobe software, but nothing beats an Adobe-authorized demo from someone who's been using all the new features.
This latest
release is not nearly the overhaul that came with Version 6. My impression
is that the features are related more to usability and automation than
to image manipulation. Many of the new features are also part of Photoshop
Elements, a pared-down version of Photoshop. If Photoshop is a little
daunting, you may want to take a look at Photoshop Elements, which is
a free 30-day download at www.adobe.com.
In any case,
here is a breakdown of some of the significant aspects of this latest
release.
Palette
Well
Photoshop 7.0 now has an area near the menu bar for all those pesky palettes.
Instead of cluttering up your workspace, these tabs keep everything tucked
away when not in use and even collapse automatically when a new palette
tab is activated. Power users will be happy to know that the Tab and Shift-Tab
keys still work as they always have, clearing up workspace by temporarily
hiding palettes and toolbars.
Healing
Brush
An extension of the Rubber Stamp tool, the Healing Brush analyzes the
area surrounding a blemish or scratch in your image. On the basis of that
info, Photoshop blends the new pixels into the image, preserving texture
and color.
Web Photo
Gallery
A new feature under the File/Automate menu item, Web Photo Gallery allows
you to turn a directory of files into a home page with thumbnails linked
to higher resolution images. Great for adding event pages to your Web
site or for burning photo albums onto CDs.
File Browser
File Browser allows browsing of your hard drive from within the application.
Although this seems to be a minor improvement, I really expect to lean
on this feature. With it, I can use the preview to pick through similar
images as well as view file information, including meta data (if I put
in information such as photographer or a copyright notice).
To sum up,
this latest upgrade is a must for those who work with images on a daily
basis or for those who are looking for improved automation. For others,
their current version of Photoshop will do nearly all of the image work
that Version 7.0 can, so this may not qualify as a must-have upgrade.
Sullivan will present a demonstration of Photoshop 7.0 at our May 8 meeting. For details, please see May Meeting Preview.
