5 Reasons You Should Get Photoshop CS5

Posted 12th August 2010 by Ben

Speaking as a member of the design team at Media Lightbox, I have no qualms in saying that we require the most efficient tools for designing web pages, icons and system screens.

Having the most recent technology at our fingertips allows us to complete a task with more accuracy than ever before and in a shorter space of time, allowing us to move on to the next design, large video file or animation quickly and without several reviews of the one file. We had previously been using Creative Suite 4 but decided to try Creative Suite 5 free for 30 days (Head on over to Adobe.com to get your free trial!)

Since we took the plunge and downloaded Adobe Creative Suite 5 (CS5), we haven’t looked back. Everyone in our design team love it and we are getting designs uploaded to Media Lightbox and on to other colleagues quicker than ever before.

Today I’m going to talk about our favorite features of Photoshop CS5. You can expect plenty of reviews of the other CS5 applications in the not too distant future!

Content-Aware Fill

Probably the most groundbreaking update ever to come to Photoshop, content-aware fill removes any detail or object from a photograph and fills in the space behind, based on the lighting, texture, color, tone and noise of the surrounding area. Gone are the days of using the clone-stamp for hours on end. The user simply selects an area, goes to “fill” from the edit menu and clicks “content-aware”. Photoshop then does the rest, effectively guessing the pattern to replace the object you’ve selected. Check out this video from IceflowStudios.

We couldn’t resist adding this video below from wopkins on youtube. Please be aware that the video is fake, but very funny! If only photo manipulation was this easy!

Refine Edge

We all know how difficult it is to make a decent selection of hair or fur in Photoshop. With Photoshop CS5, refining an edge is easier than ever before. A basic selection around the desired area is all that is needed. Upon clicking the refine edge button, the user will be faced with a menu showing different ways that Photoshop can manipulate that selection to match what’s happening in the image. Photoshop can change the background color so that the edges can be seen more clearly. With the “Smart Radius” button checked, and the radius slider dragged to the right, Photoshop will detect and select the fine details that would otherwise be impossible to trace.
Once ticked, the “decontaminate colors” check-box will remove colors that may have spilled from the outside area onto the subject. Terry White from terrywhitetechblog gives a brilliant demonstration of selecting hair.

HDR Pro

High Dynamic Range imaging is a set of techniques that allow a greater dynamic range of luminances between the lightest and darkest areas of an image than standard digital imaging techniques or photographic methods. This wider dynamic range allows HDR images to more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes, ranging from direct sunlight to faint starlight.

The great thing about Photoshop CS5 is that creating these photo-realisitic or surreal HDR images is now easier than ever. Images can be joined with unprecedented speed, control and accuracy. HDR Photographers will love this feature! Watch this video of Colin from PhotoshopCAFE.com giving a demonstration of this superior HDR Imaging.

Puppet Warp

Puppet Warp allows Photoshop users to distort or warp a layer with incredible accuracy. Once the user has selected the layer that they want to “Puppet Warp”, they simply go up to “edit” and surprisingly enough, click “Puppet Warp”. A mesh then appears over the layer. The user can control the density of the mesh and add pins/control points. Once these control points have been added, the user simply needs to drag a pin and the others will remain locked in place. It’s difficult to describe but hopefully this video from CS5.org will demonstrate it better than I can explain it!

Painting

Anyone with a graphics tablet will love the new painting feature in Photoshop CS5. Upon clicking on the “Mixer Brush” icon the user will see a 3D preview of how they are holding their brush. In reality the user is simply angling the pen differently on their graphics tablet, swiveling the angle of the mixer brush in Photoshop. The user can push, mix and blend colors on the image they are painting. Alternatively, the user could start from a fresh and paint his/her own design, rather than painting over an existing image. Take a look at the video below to see the two methods side by side or watch mrseverinasj on youtube paint American President Barack Obama.

To Conclude

Here at Media Lightbox, we are constantly improving our designs and system screens. As a member of the design team, I can easily recommend upgrading or purchasing Photoshop CS5 if you haven’t already. The five points listed in this post are only a few of the new features that Photoshop CS5 has to offer. Thinking of getting CS5 but aren’t sure? Already have it and love using it? Let us know in the comments!

If you need to send large Photoshop files to colleagues or clients, try the award winning Media Lightbox. It’s free for 30 days and you’ll have full peace of mind knowing that your design files are secure and backed-up online. Try it now and start sending large files for free!