Photoshop CS Savvy
New Web enhancements have been added to ImageReady, Photoshop s sidekick Web-authoring software. ImageReady is bundled with Photoshop and can be accessed by clicking the Edit In icon at the bottom of Photoshop s Tool palette.
User object-based interface enhancements
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Multiple objects can be selected on the canvas or on multiple layers by clicking the Direct Select mode button.
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Multiple objects can be grouped.
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You can make noncontiguous selections on multiple layers by pressing
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You can drag to select multiple objects.
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You can drag multiple layers to the trash simultaneously .
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You can drag layer and vector masks from one layer to another.
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Font settings of multiple text objects can be applied simultaneously.
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You can align selected objects or layers from the Options bar or with menu commands.
Streamlined performance
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Tools that are not used for Web production and are redundant with Photoshop have been eliminated.
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The enhanced Edit In (previously Jump To) command displays only the Photoshop or ImageReady document at one time.
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Edit In ’ ImageReady is in the Photoshop File menu and File Browser to increase its accessibility.
Flash export
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You can save to SWF Export for export to flash files.
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Vector information of text saved in SWF format is preserved.
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SWFs from ImageReady can contain dynamic text including embedded fonts.
Export layers
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You can save individual layers and layer sets as files.
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When saving, you can specify individual formats for individual layers.
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You can specify individual compression settings for each layer.
Enhanced tables
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The new Table palette (Figure 2.7) controls border, padding, and spacing values.
Figure 2.7: Image Ready s table palette enables you to easily define an HTML table. -
Individual table cells can be specified in pixels or percent so that they will expand in a browser.
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You can specify how ImageReady generates HTML to favor COLSPAN or ROWSPAN settings.
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In the writing of this book I had the opportunity to test out all of the new features in the latest versions of Photoshop and ImageReady. I found that most of these features really improved the performance of the programs. I particularly like the Filter Gallery because it eliminates the guess work in the application of multiple filters ”no more fiddling around with filter settings. It s presented in an elegant interface that quickly previews the results of filter combinations.
I ve used the Crop and Straighten automation numerous times and believe me, it is a real time saver. I also like the new Picture Package Layout Editor for creating custom layouts. In the past, I spent a lot of time matching colors from one document to the other using the old Hue/Saturation workaround that was time consuming and produced dubious results. The new Match color dialog box is a godsend. It simplifies the process and greatly improves the results.
I like the Layer comps feature for the ability to quickly review multiple versions of a document. The File ’ Scripts command that automatically exports Layers to multiple documents, saves Layer comps to Files, PDF presentations, or to a fully interactive Web Gallery are excellent automations. I ve created dozens of new key commands too and printed a list that I have attempted to memorize.
I think that you ll find that this upgrade of Photoshop is more than just a cosmetic facelift. Its automations can liberate you from many repetitive tasks . Its new or enhanced commands can endow you with more precision and unleash your creativity.
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Improved rollovers and slices
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You can apply rollovers to an individual slice or you can apply them to multiple slices.
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You can create multiple slice sets in a document.
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Individual slice visibility can be toggled on and off. Invisible slices are not saved to HTML documents.
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Slices can be cut, copied , and pasted.
Better metadata
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You can embed metadata to GIFs, JPEGs, and PNGS.
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You can create sidecar metadata files to reduce file size .
Faster work flow
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ImageReady supports conditional logic in Actions. With the new Insert A Step button in the Actions palette, you can program an Action to scan for certain image characteristics and apply the Action only if the images meet the criteria.
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You can save your output settings to multiple files by using File ’ Output Settings.