Photoshop 6 First Impressions
New
Feature Highlights, Page 6
New:
Photoshop
7.0 is now available! 
Enhanced
Web Photo Gallery
I haven't looked at all the new automated features yet, but I did notice that
the Web
Photo Gallery is greatly enhanced. Now instead one type of layout, you have
a choice of four styles: vertical frame, horizontal frame, simple, and table.
The framed styles provide a nice way of navigating the thumbnail gallery. There's
also new options for customizing the sizes of thumbnails and gallery images,
and you can customize the text, font sizes, and link colors.
Action
Droplets
Also
in the automated features is the create droplet command. You may be familiar
with droplets from ImageReady 2, where you could save your optimization settings
as a droplet for quick batch optimization. Now you can convert any Photoshop
Action to a droplet as well. A droplet is a mini-program that automatically
launches Photoshop and performs a series of actions when you drag a folder of
files onto its icon. Best of all, these droplets are cross-platform compatible.
With all these new features, you might be thinking that the learning curve for Photoshop 6 is going to be more daunting than ever. It's true that Photoshop's learning curve can be overwhelming to a new user, but I feel that many of the enhancements -- such as the presets and layer styles -- will make it much easier for new users to begin producing eye-catching designs with less frustration. Experienced Photoshopers, no doubt, will love the convenience.
The flip-side of the coin, of course, is that all this power comes with a price. Screen redraws were significantly slower in Photoshop 6 than in previous versions on my system with 256 MB RAM, 32 MB video RAM, and a 400 MHz processor. Moving layers with a lot of layer styles seem to have the most impact on screen redraws, so it might be advantageous to hide some of the effects as you work on other areas of your image. Fortunately, the enhanced layers palette and layer grouping functionality make it easy to do just that.
You'll also need a big monitor since the Tool Options bar needs 1024 pixels of screen width to display completely. Although it will display at 800 x 600 screen resolution, you won't have access to the palette well. The options bar can be broken off and moved, but unfortunately, it can't be resized.
There's a whole lot more that I haven't mentioned here, and more still that I haven't even explored yet, so be sure to check out Photoshop 6.0 tools and features for more information and tutorials specific to this version.
New:
Photoshop
7.0 is now available!
Poll:
Will
You Upgrade?
Even
if you're still deciding, you can cast your vote in this ongoing poll. Check
back often to see the current results.
Discussion:
Photoshop
6 Features
“...from what I have read and seen this is a must have upgrade...”
More:
Photoshop 6 News and Reviews
Links from all over the Web covering Photoshop 6's new features.
- Intro & Tool Options Bar
- Enhanced Text Features
- Layer Styles & Presets
- Vector Shapes & Editing Tools
- Content Layers
- Web Photo Gallery, Action Droplets, Conclusion
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Sue
Chastain
Your Guide to Graphics Software
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