New Features In Photoshop CS4 by:Mandi Pralle

Adobe Photoshop is the most popular image editing software in the world

. It's used by a number of professionals in the photo, magazine, and film industries, among others. When a new update comes, many people upgrade out of habit and don't really look into what makes the new version different. Others will

The immediate difference any Photoshop user will notice after upgrading is the user interface. A major component of this change is the new application bar. The application bar ties all elements together in a frame rather than leaving them floating as in previous versions. It's designed for better organization of your documents while in use. Old habits die hard, so this may be off-putting for some. For those people, an option to disable the application bar is included.

Photoshop CS4 also supports Flash Panels, which are third party add-ons that function like the native panels in the program. It comes with two by default, and there are a number of user-created ones available as well. This gives you some flexibility to customize your own user interface.

CS4 adds some more interface bells and whistles. It supports OpenGL for the interface, making for smoother scrolling. It also makes using tools, handles, and buttons smoother and easier. If your computer's video card supports OpenGL - and if your computer is even even somewhat new, it does - you can expect a smoother user experience than ever before in Photoshop.

Beyond interface, CS4 has added a number of new features and functions. Several tools have been revamped. The Clone tool now gives you an overlay option for greater accuracy and ease of use. New features have been added to the layer mask and adjustment layers. Layer alignment has been improved as well. Burn.

Perhaps the most talked about feature is content-aware scaling. Unlike regular scaling, which just re-sizes an image simply attempting to keep quality defects to a minimum, content-aware scaling lets you change the composition of an image. You could put two people closer together or farther apart, or even make your picture wider or taller. It goes beyond the scope and purpose of resizing or scaling and assumes a compositional purpose.

One of the biggest overhauls came in the use of 3D in CS4. Before, the 3D functions in Photoshop seemed like they were targeted toward people with experience in 3D modeling and design. Those people are the most likely to already have their own options for 3D, so the people who would benefit most from 3D functions in Photoshop were often left in the dark. Photoshop CS4 brings with it more robust and easier to use 3D.

Overall, there were a lot of meaningful upgrades put into Photoshop CS4. CS3 users should find the newer version easier to use in some significant ways. If you do a lot of composition work or the tool improvements are things that would save you time and effort, it would be worthwhile to upgrade.

Copyright (c) 2010 Mandi Pralle

About the author

Discover how to use the special features in Adobe Photoshop CS4 to create award winning graphics from an experienced professional. Get high quality training on the Adobe CS4 Creative Suite.

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