02.04.09
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Review
Load Photoshop CS4 for the time and it’s soon apparent there’s been a bit of a reshuffle; though not an entire overhaul. Given Photoshop’s established reputation and that CS3 was rather chock-full of bright and spangly innovations, it’s any wonder what Adobe could have done to truly take things to the next level for CS4. The answer, amid a handful of new features, is that both usability and accessibility have seen a significant polishing to make them gleam just that bit more. The simplification of many aspects will mean new users will quickly and easily master features and befriend the Photoshop fold, whilst old-timers will be able to more quickly access and apply familiar tried-and-tested features.
In the past, Photoshop has made even the most powerful of computers beg for mercy when working with huge file sizes. However, CS4 has some magic tucked up its sleeve to pump extra power into the equation, making lighter work of large files. First and foremost a 64-bit version is now available, meaning Windows Vista users (Mac users will have to settle for 32-bit for the time being) can utilise in excess of 4GB worth of RAM. It’s the kind of a behind-the-scenes maturity that professionals working huge large format file sizes and retouchers dealing with a 2GB billboard-scale composite will undoubtedly feel.
Perhaps the most significant other ‘hidden’ change is that Photoshop can now benefit from hardware acceleration by tapping into your graphics card. This new OpenGL-powered GPU-injected Photoshop really opens the floodgates of potential, particularly when dealing with Photoshop CS4 Extended’s significant 3D improvements. Cutting to the chase though, with the exclusively photographic blinkers on, there’s limited use for the majority of new 3D tools. Not to look a gift-horse in the mouth of course, there are benefits to be had – in the form of new features such as smooth pan and zoom, ‘toss physics’ and fluid canvas rotation.
One of the classic niggles with past versions of Photoshop has been the preset percentage zoom. This distorts images at ‘classic’ views of 16.7, 33.3 per cent and other such ratios – a problem rectified in Photoshop CS4 with smooth zoom. It’s hard to explain without seeing, but this new zoom option means there are no pre-defined zooming slots; instead, zooming becomes a fluid real-time affair. Not only is this visually impressive, but the really clever bit means only appropriate pixels are presented on screen at any given time – so no more distorted, jagged edges on display, whatever the zoom percentage.
Other new benefits include the odd yet aptly named ‘toss physics’. Rather than holding the space bar and repeatedly clicking to navigate around an image, it is now possible to ‘flick’ the mouse to glide continuously. Fluid canvas rotation also means that – for those retouchers, graphic artists and illustrators who traditionally like working at an angle to the easel (so to speak) – the canvas can be rotated in real time. Whilst this appears impressive, it isn’t
a replacement for canvas rotation; no pixels are actually remapped. Perhaps a note for the future – that really would be something.
Raw power
The other Photoshop CS4 biggie is the major upgrade to Adobe Camera Raw 5.0. For all your camera Raw wants and needs, ACR 5.0 adds the Adjustment Brush for localised non-destructive editing and even the much sought after post-crop vignette. Pushing things one step further there’s a Gradient Filter for graduated filtration effects – be that mimicking neutral density, graduated colour filters or other effects. Anyone familiar with the Develop module in Lightroom 2 will have already tasted the majority of this level of functionality.
Inside CS4
The big new Photoshop CS4 tool that’s the talk of the town is Content Aware Scaling. Rather than transforming an image, which would result in disproportion and distortion of your subject, Content Aware Scaling utilises a clever algorithm that evaluates the importance of certain pixels in the image. By chopping out or adding calculated rows of less important pixels based on the edges within the image, subjects are retained within an image and do not distort upon rescaling. Well that’s the idea – of course it’s easy to get a little carried away, but then selections applied to a channel can provide protection to areas of your image. Anyone familiar with Liquid Resize – an onOne plug-in – will know the potential provided here, especially for those working with restrictive page layouts. Internet blogs have been raving about this feature for quite some time, although it’s not the sort of subject to bring up at a Magnum photographers’ convention.
Other new built-in tools include Blend Focus. Multiple images of the same scene, each with a different depth-of field, are automatically combined into one sharp image. Undoubtedly clever, though it has to be queried when such a tool would ever be of practical use to any photographer. However, off the back of this tool there has been enhancement in both auto-alignment of layers and blending of images, offering a higher level of accuracy – perfect for HDR compositing or generating panoramas.
The workspace itself shows change and, by adopting the ‘web browser’ tab format towards the top of the screen, files can be quickly toggled between. As well as the traditional workspace, other ‘small change, big difference’ features mean it is possible to define and save your own workspaces. If you really push the boat out and buy into Photoshop CS4 Extended then there’s even the option to develop your own custom-made Flash panels to work natively inside the program. You may have to be a programming whizz to make the most of such a feature, but it does mean third-party developers will have the option of plugging in special extensions, such as Adobe’s own default, Kuler – a panel that is essentially an online community of saved colour swatches, where you can explore, create and share your own colour themes. Not wanting to miss a beat, Adobe has quickly clicked with the online community buzz of the moment by also including the new Adobe Community Help.
Once ‘hidden’ adjustment layers now take pride of place as a primary panel, with each adjustment type visually represented by a tile. Not only can these be applied with the single click of a mouse, all adjustments can be made on-image; with no more unnecessary blind-tweaking of sliders and curves. Similarly, that familiar Photoshop staple, the mask, also has a panel all of its own, incorporating quick and easy options, including vector masks.
The infamous Clone and Heal brushes now work a little less ‘blindly’ too, with the brush showing a live preview. Other tools to get a new lick of paint include both Dodge and Burn – with a ‘protect tones’ option. Many a pro skin retoucher will know the importance of these tools, but this updated format means it can be used much more broadly. For example, countering subtle underexposure to balance a picture will no longer leave the adjusted area looking bleached out, but much more akin to the original.
Take it to the Bridge
Another familiar face to accompany Photoshop is the often underused Adobe Bridge. Picking up where CS3 left off, Bridge CS4’s most important new feature is that it automatically runs in the background. Start up your machine and it’s sat behind the scenes, patiently waiting to be used and, importantly, not sucking away at memory or system resources. The immediacy of this should mean less time using a standard browser and much more time in Bridge. Better still, after numerous requests, full screen previews are now possible – even for multiple images in a carousel-style selection. A further nod towards Adobe’s all-encompassing array of programs, Bridge is even clever enough to preview a whole host of files types. Navigation has been improved too, with the new ‘breadcrumbs’ at the top meaning snappy navigation between folders in the existing path.
The most impactful changes in the Extended version revolve around new 3D tools. As well as built-in 3D models, there’s an entirely dedicated 3D menu to assist with browsing models and textures. It’s even possible to paint directly onto your models, even ‘cutting away’ panels to gain access to the internal surfaces as applicable. Whilst not immediately useful for photographers, there are certainly many architects, animators and other graphic artists who will benefit. Workflow is significantly improved too, with a Suite-wide compatibility that means 3D models can be imported into programs, like After Effects, in their raw format for immediate use.
No 64-bit Mac version?
Windows users will get the privilege of Photoshop CS4 in 64-bit, meaning your machine will be able to utilise a larger capacity of RAM – perfect when dealing with larger file sizes. Older 32-bit programs can only utilise up to 4GB of RAM, even if your machine has more than this.
However, it has by no means been Adobe’s intention to shun Mac users; the ‘blame’ lies as much with Apple. Last year Apple discontinued its Carbon 64-bit program, leaving companies like Adobe without the means to port current codebase in 64-bit. Adobe will now have to port to Apple’s native Cocoa programming language – no walk in the park. Fortunately more recent programs, such as the 64-bit Mac version of Lightroom 2, show Adobe’s dedication to ensuring that a port will happen, though this seems like it will be an upgrade at a later date or, dare I say it, as far along as CS5!
Specification
Price: CS4 £570; upgrade from £165
CS4 Extended £890; upgrade from £325
Windows
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or above) or Windows Vista (certified for 32-bit and 64-bit editions). 1024x768pixel display or above. 1GB RAM minimum
Processor: Intel Pentium 4 processor (1.8GHz minimum), plus dedicated 16-bit video card as some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
Hard disk space: 2GB+ of available hard disk space
Other software: Full Creative Suite 4
Mac OS
Operating system: Mac OS X v10.4 or 10.5. 1024x768pixel display or above. 1GB RAM minimum
Processor: PowerPC G5 or multicore Intel processor, plus dedicated 16-bit video card as some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0
Hard disk space: 2GB+ of available hard disk space
Other software: Full Creative Suite 4
Summary
It’s been a short 18 months since the full release of Photoshop CS3, so for CS4 to arrive so promptly will feel a little too rapid for many. From a professional point of view, it’s primarily the new Bridge, OpenGL-enhanced smooth zoom, Adobe Camera Raw 5.0 and the 64-bit version that provide genuine improvements – though
many may see these as proportionately subtle changes. If you already own Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS3, then the upgrades feel a little limited, making immediate purchase questionable. However, the new Adobe Camera Raw 5.0 update can be felt with vigour, offering as many features for camera Raw post-production as Lightroom 2’s Develop module.
Overall, it’s when viewing the Creative Suite 4 Master Collection as a whole that Adobe’s master plan becomes clear; the emphasis on cross-program workflow can be felt with most bite – ideal for those outputting a multitude of media, not just for those in the business of photography. As such, the final scores awarded here are based primarily on Photoshop CS4 MC as well as the well-supported and excellent stand-alone program that it is; though not to ignore the otherwise potentially mediocre upgrade, depending on your existing set-up and current stable of programs.
Mike Lowe
Contact
www.adobe.com/uk
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