Photoshop CS For Dummies

It’s New! It’s Improved!

Someday, the folks at Adobe may come out with an upgrade to Photoshop that completely tames the Mr. Hyde half of the program. But Photoshop CS isn’t the upgrade to do it, which is good for me because it lets me continue with my colorful dual-personality analogy.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the hefty system requirements needed to run Photoshop. Photoshop CS works on PCS running Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3, or Windows XP and later Windows versions (all hereafter referred to as just Windows) with 280MB of available disk space. Photoshop CS runs on Macs running OS 10.2.4 or later with 320MB of available disk space. Both platforms require 192MB of RAM (256MB recommended) and a CD-ROM.

Please note that these are Adobe’s minimum requirements. If there’s one program that benefits from as much RAM as you can throw at it, it’s Photoshop. The more you give it, the better the performance.

Here are some Photoshop CS improvements:

• Use the File Browser with ease (see Chapter 3): Introduced in Version 7, the File Browser is more powerful and easy to use than ever. New Photoshop CS features include the ability to preview high-quality images and create custom-sized thumbnails, drag images around to group or rank them, batch process groups of images, search for filenames, and open images directly to Photoshop or ImageReady.

• Customize keyboard shortcuts (see Chapter 2): This new feature speaks for itself. Although the program has always utilized shortcuts, now you can make up your own.

• Use new photography features (see Chapters 9, 11, and 12): Photo-shop 7 introduced a Camera Raw plug-in that shipped separately. Photoshop CS integrates and enhances Camera Raw settings while supporting a wider range of cameras, and includes color calibration controls (see Chapter 9). To enhance photographs quickly, use the new Shadow/Highlight Correction command to quickly correct over- and under-exposed areas (see Chapter 9). Simulating real-world blurring, the Lens Blur filter creates highlights that take on the shape of the camera lens (see Chapter 11). Create panoramas quickly by using the new Photomerge plug-in (see Chapter 12). The new Crop and Straighten Photos command separates multiple scanned photos into separate image files.

• Utilize digital video enhancements: Photoshop CS includes new video features including support for video screen formats such as wide-screen and full-screen television sizes. This means that pixels aren’t always represented as squares. When a non-square pixel ratio is selected (for instance, a regular image uses a 1:1 pixel ratio, whereas a wide-screen video image uses a 1:2 pixel ratio), Photoshop automatically changes the appearance of shapes, text, and brushes to match the selected ratio. Although this new feature is beyond the scope of this book, suffice it to say that the folks at Adobe are adding exciting new features for video creators.

• Replace Color Brush (see Chapter 12): Located on the Toolbar in the Brush Tool slot, this new brush lets you replace existing color with the foreground color.

• Brush Tool enhancements (see Chapter 12): Photoshop CS lets you create brush groups for the Brush Tools.

• New text features (see Chapter 17): Photoshop CS now includes the capability of putting text on or inside a path and change the starting point of text on a path.

• Create layer comps (see Chapter 8): This new feature lets you capture document layer states, including layer visibility, position, and blending options. It’s like taking a snapshot of layer settings that you can save for later. Using layer comps, you can switch comps while working on a document, cycle through saved comps to select one, and more.

• Create PDF presentations (see Chapter 6): This new plug-in lets you create Acrobat PDF presentations of your images with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Photoshop’s sister program ImageReady is used to create Web images. ImageReady also includes many new features and improvements. You’ll find these listed and discussed in Part VII, “Photoshop for Webbies.”

Just about any local drugstore has a photo lab that can turn photographs from your camera into colorful pieces of paper that you can slap into albums or frames. But what if you want those photos in a digital form, too? You can find plenty of affordable options if you look in the right places:

• You can purchase photos on CD-ROM (prices range from pocket change to several dollars per image). I like Getty Images, which is the parent of the popular PhotoDisc and FPG, Stone, and The Image Bank, among others. I also like Eyewire (also owned by Getty Images) and Corbis. These ven- dors are all available online. Check them out at: www.gettyimages.com, www. eyewire.com, and www.corbis.com. Prices can be high, so be sure to check before you download an image.

• You can find zillions of photos to download on the Internet or from online services like America Online. The problem is that images may be of dubious quality. Also, you can’t rule out the possibility of running across something pornographic or otherwise distasteful. If you want high-quality, general-purpose images, you have to subscribe to specialized services such as Newscom (visit www.newscom.com or call (800) 601-NEWS). A full membership gives you access to all the a la carte and free content for $10–$20 a month. You are then billed additionally for any other images you download.

• Digital cameras are becoming less expensive and better in quality. Downloading images from your camera to your computer is also quick and easy. Photoshop accepts the two file formats, JPEG and TIFF, that most cameras utilize. (For more information on formats, see Chapter 3.)

• You can take your own photo into your local copy shop or service bureau, and scan the image to disk. Kinko’s charges about $6–$15 per image. If you find yourself using this service frequently, it would be worth your time and money to invest in your very own scanner. The cost of scanners has plummeted in recent years. You can pick up scanners as cheap as $30 for a CIS scanner, to $1500 for a premium CCD scanner by a well-known manufacturer.

• A better (and cheaper) method is to scan images to a Photo CD, which costs between $1 and $2 a shot, plus the price of the CD itself, which is usually in the neighbor- hood of $12–$20. ProCD scans are around $16–$20 dollars per scan, but offer six resolutions instead of five. One CD can hold about 100 images. Some vendors allow you to supply your own media — blank CDs, Zip disks, and so on. They also provide you with a handy Index print of your images for a nominal fee of around $5. Check the Yellow Pages under Photo Finishing — Retail. Service bureaus also provide this service. Prices vary widely from vendor to vendor.