Photoshop CS3 - Improved Editing Photo Images

by Paul Gerstenbluth (ariefound@aol.com)

Summary

Adobe Photoshop CS3 is great for photographers, graphic designers, and web designers. Photoshop CS3 has Live filters and new nondestructive editing toolset. New interface and timesaving tools will make your work flow faster and easier.

Terry White from Adobe Systems at the Adobe CS3 conference, commented: 'Adobe Lightroom is for photographers. Both Adobe Bridge and Photoshop CS3 is for the rest of us Photoshop users.'

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Overview

• The Adobe Bridge: The next generation of the Photoshop File Browser. This allows you to organize, browse and locate photos, images and movies across shared Adobe Creative Suite applications. Many features are shared with Adobe Lightroom's stand alone application.
• New Camera Raw gives you control over your digital negatives in Adobe Photoshop CS3. It is much easier to work on several images simultaneously. The Camera Raw has Auto checkbooks for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness and Contrast sliders.
• Photoshop CS3's Smart Objects allow you to scale and transform images and vector illustrations without losing image quality.
• The Vanishing Point lets you clone, paints and transforms images. Image Warping allows you to fold, stretch, pull, twist and wrap an image into shape by selecting an on-demand preset or dragging custom control points.
• Smart Guides appear when you're moving text or objects around, making it easier to align them.

Working within Adobe Photoshop CS3

The first thing to do is create links for Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Bridge CS3 applications. I place both of them on my computer desktop for easy access.

The Bridge CS3 application is the key for opening, sorting and keeping my camera images. Most of my Photoshop CS work is done in the Browser. I single-click the photos that I need for my Photoshop CS project. Now I have a group of highlighted photos that can be used in the Browser's Automated menu.

The inner core of the Photoshop CS Browser's Automated menu contains Batch, PDF Presentation, Contact Sheet II and Online Services. Also, Automated menu contains Photomerge, Picture Package and Web Photo Gallery.

The Photoshop CS3 Browser has Sort capabilities that contain the Filename, Flag, Rank, Width and Height. Also, the CS3 Browser has Sort capabilities that contain File Size, Resolution, File Type and Color Profile.

The Photoshop Browser's Sort contains Date Created, Date Modified, Copyright and Custom. You can sort them in ascending or descending order.

Photomerge and PDF Presentations in the 'Inner Core' of Photoshop CS3

Photomerge is improved in CS3. The new Photomerge Layouts has Auto, Perspective, Cylindrical, Reposition Only and Interactive Layout.

Now you can make a collage of photos and move them in any order. Also, I can take several sections photos of a large bridge without using a tripod. I then take the section photos and join them together with Photoshop CS3 Photomerge. I still have to edit the new Photomerge photo for length, size and contrast.

In PDF Presentation, I can turn my photos into Acrobat PDFs and stitch them together. The fun is turning my new creation into a slideshow with various transitions. The PDF Presentation is cross platform that can be used on a Mac and Windows computers.

Working with the 'Outer Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS3

Keyboard Commands

The one-key letter shortcuts that I use quite often: M for Marquee, V for Moving objects, T for Text, I for Eyedropper and C for Crop. There is a multitude of Toolbox one-key letter shortcuts that you can use or change.

Toolbox uses the Shift bar to get to related tools on the same pop-out menu. For example, to cycle through the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic Lasso tools, hold down Shift bar and keep pressing "L" key.

Change Keyboard Commands in Photoshop CS3

This means that missing Photoshop CS Menu keyboard commands can now be added. For example, I am constantly making changes to my images by changing the photos' contrast and brightness.

Now without using the computer mouse, I use the Command, Control, and C keys in unison. Like a piano chord, I can now change the contrast and brightness in my digital photographs.

I use Command, Control, and letter keys for adding keyboard commands. This works well within the menus and plugin filters that I use in Photoshop CS3.

Pro Reaction

The new Photoshop CS3 offers flexibility and nondestructive editing. Photoshop has a Welcome screen and improved Help that ease the learning curve for new users. The Help menu is changeable. I find Photoshop CS Help menu an excellent way to learn the various functions of Photoshop's program. Photoshop CS3 works within Mac OS X 10.4 and with native Intel Macs.

Con Reaction

The Bridge does not work in older Photoshop programs. Opening images from the Bridge to Photoshop ignores my Photoshop preference for file compatibility for prefer Adobe Camera Raw for JPEG files.

Final Words

Remember Photoshop remains the industry standard for professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital imaging. Digital photographers will benefit from Adobe Photoshop with its strong digital-camera raw workflow.

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Photoshop CS3 For Mac Upgrade Mac System Requirements

• Mac OS X v.10.4.8
• PowerPC G4 or G5 or multicore Intel processor 512 MB of RAM
• 64 MB of video RAM
• 2GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation)
• 1,024x768 monitor resolution with 16-bit video card
• DVD-ROM drive
• QuickTime 7 software required for multimedia features
• Internet or phone connection required for product activation
• Broadband Internet connection required for Adobe Stock Photos and other services

Paul Gerstenbluth is President of the ARIE Foundation and is a Macintosh consultant. The ARIE Foundation's mission is to provide VA hospitalized patients with hobby materials and Macintosh Powerbooks that help in their stay and recovery.

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