INTERFACE
Right off the bat the first thing that is new about CS6 is its user interface. In the past you couldn't really tell the difference between CS2, CS3, CS4 or CS5 by just looking at the open program. But open CS6 and the blackness immediately grabs the cool factor. And anyone that is familiar with Adobes photo editing program Lightroom will see the similarities in the look.
MINI BRIDGE
Lightroom has been a better workflow and photo management tool since its original release. Since Adobe produces both Photoshop and Lightroom it only makes sense that they have added the functionality of Lightroom to the powerful editing program that is Photoshop. I have tried to use Lightroom in the past, but the editing tools I depend on are either not in that program or they are weaker or less adjustable than in Photoshop. Over the past year or so I have tried so hard to be a "Lightroom" guy, but eventually went back to using Adobe Bridge for management and Photoshop for editing.
My jealously for photographers that use Lightroom was growing stronger and stronger, But with the release of CS6....now I don't feel so bad! Adobe introduces the "Mini-Bridge" window that allows you to view the Bridge program at the bottom of the Photoshop editing screen! You can simply view the files in Bridge, drag the files you want to open in the Photoshop editing screen, and then hide the Bridge window until you need to view it again. (HA! Lightroom snobs...who is back on top now!) How does it work? Go to "File" in the top navigation bar then selection "Browse in Mini Bridge." You will now see the Adobe Bridge program open at the bottom of the editing screen. Simply drag and drop your files into the editing window.
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AUTO ADJUSTMENTS.....ACTUALLY WORK!
Brand new to Photoshop CS6 is really something that has been in just about every release of the program. I have honestly never used the "Auto" button when using adjustments such as Curves or Levels. The reason behind it is that at one point I tried it...once...and the result was so horrible and wrong that I never touched it again. But CS6 is a whole new story. The Auto adjustments actually work...really, really well. Does that mean that you will never have to manually create an adjustment? Of course not, but Photoshop will get it really close for you. If not perfect. The guys over at Gizmodo explained Adobe achieved this by having hundreds of people manually correct thousands of images. Adobe then took their histograms and curves into a database inside of CS6. The "auto" button reads from that database to logically apply the adjustments to your image. How well did that work out? See the comparison of the same image edited in CS4 vs. CS6.
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You can see in the image above how horribly wrong CS4 performed using the auto curves adjustment (cntrl-m on pc, command-m on mac) compared to a spot on perfect job with CS6.
NEW BLUR TOOLS!!
Trying to fake lenses or technique have always come off a little phony in photoshop unless you really know how to pull it off. In CS6, Adobe has added three cool new Blur Filters that pretty much allows anyone to pull it off....and in a way that is easy and looks legit. Iris, Tilt Shift, and Field blur are amazing.
IRIS BLUR: shooting with a low aperture lens (2.8, 1.8, 1.4, & 1.2) "wide open" creates a small plan of focus. Shooting in this way gives you those images that where only say the face is in focus and the rest of the image is blurred (or a large depth of field.) This type of image also creates a look that has been coined "Bokeh" or large circles of light that seem to be far off in the background of an image. Before you needed to have a low aperture lens (and still do in order to create this image correctly) but CS6's Iris filter does a really good job at replicating it.
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TILT SHIFT BLUR: Most people will be familiar with the tilt shift style of images made popular (or easily accessible) by the Lensbaby company. Again while having the gear to do Tilt Shift images is best, CS6 again is a nice substitute if you don't have the cash to spend on more equipment (no more cash as in you spent it all on the $900 Photoshop compared to sub $100 Lensbaby kits)
These images are quick examples. Play around with them enough and I am sure you will find better and more uses for them. I have only been messing with them for a few days myself.
CONTENT AWARE
While the content aware feature is not new to CS6....it is better. In previous versions of Photoshop, using the content aware feature wasn't bad, but it wasn't really spot on either. With CS6's improved graphics engine the guess work done by Photoshop tends to be a little more spot on than in previous version. If you have used say the Patch Tool or used content aware "move" feature in previous version you will see the difference right off the bat in CS6.
Patch Tool
Below is a before and after. The after being maybe two minutes tops of editing. Again, content aware will not solve all of your problems 100% correct all the time, but it is way closer to doing so in CS6.
COLOR RANGE AND SKIN SELECTION
If you do any sort of studio photography you are probably pretty familiar with skin retouching. While I haven't dug deep into using the color range selection....just playing around with it is enough to know that it is going to be awesome the next time I am doing any retouching work. What does it do? Photoshop will know not only dissect colors in your image, but skin tons as well. Thus you can effectively create a skin tone only layer mask. Maybe some of you guys are more versed on this than I, but my Wacom tablet, alt button, and pen tool can finally get some much needed rest....check it out.
Use the "Marquee" tool to select around the skin area then click on the "select" option in the top navigation bar > color options from the sub menu. When the window pops open choose "skin" from the sample colors pop down. (sunburnt models rejoice!)
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CROP TOOL
Another tool that got a really cool upgrade is the crop tool. Something as boring as the crop tool is actually awesome again. In previous versions of Photoshop, you would drag a box around your crop and...well that was about it. In CS6, when you select the crop tool the edges of the images becomes active. Meaning you can move around and decide on your crop BEFORE you decide that is the selection you want to make.
MOVIE EDITING!!!
Photoshop CS6 will not replace Final Cut Pro or Premier Pro (yet) but if you do some minor movie editing you will now be able to do it all in Photoshop, using the Photoshop tools. This alone might have me never opening iMovie again. Simply open a movie file from Photoshop and it is shown in the timeline bar at the bottom. From there you just add layers as you would an image to the movie file.
For me, the best way of learning anything is just by messing around with it. If you have never used Photoshop before or couldn't afford it in the past, the free download is well worth it. For anyone that does use Photoshop you will notice the changes right away. If you want a guided walk through.....once you have it downloaded select "Window from the top navigation bar > Workspace > whats new in CS6" All of the new features open in a tool bar to the left. Browse through the top window bar and submenu's highlighted in blue are all upgraded or brand new to CS6.
Have any questions on using Photoshop (CS6 or previous) Please feel free to hit me up on FACEBOOK or shoot me an email!
hmm, you're making me more interested in the upgrade.... but, why do you have Lr envy when you have Bridge/ACR?? Ok, not as pretty at Lr but adjust the bg colour to black and it's not too ugly.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't use Mini bridge already in CS5? ok, yes, it's way cooler across the bottom like that, but that's a cosmetic change, not a new feature.
Damn, there goes my tilt shift action! now everyone can do it!! :) love the iris blur thingy though, that will very helpful when you've shot a group at f8 and the bg is too sharp, and you don't want to spend too long in Ps cos you aren't being paid enough... does it only draw out like an elliptical marquee? or can you make an irregular shape?
questions questions! I may just have to upgrade! :)
Hey Gillian! I just saw this comment. sorry for the slow reply back!
ReplyDeletehaha ahh my lightroom envy. I guess I see photographers use Lightroom and make one adjustment across all of their images and I just can't do that. I have to look at each one, even if I do edit them the same...I cant apply changes to a huge group of photos.
I opened mini bridge in CS5 a couple times, but was just too accustomed to bridge > acr > PS. But having it within the editing pane just seemed a simpler way to use it, rather than the side tool bar area and stuff. But yeah you are correct, it was in CS5, but as I was saying about the CS6 release....is that they took the features that were previous versions of PS and made them better.
I have done the tilt shift thing in PS as well and their tilt shift editor does it way better (or easier?? lol) With the Iris blur, you can manipulate outside of a elliptical marquee. And that would be a killer use for it!
Honestly, since I downloaded CS6 and started using it more and more, I moved back to using CS5 at the moment because of the change in the ACR.....and I know I wont be able to afford CS6 any time soon. New lens? or a CS6...new lens is going to win that fight.