Given all the updates and changes to Photoshop CS5, I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite new features so you can see just how big of an update this really is. These are just a few of the features included in CS5. Add in 64-bit support, Mini-Bridge and Repoussé among others and you can see just why people are so geeked about this.
Content-Aware Fill. A lot has been talked about this feature even before the release. Having worked with this for a while now, it does live up to the hype. Select your flawed area, hit Delete (on the background) or Shift+Delete (on a layer) to instantly bring up the fill dialog box. Choose “Content Aware” under Use and hit ok. The results are amazing. Complex textures and tones are intuitively added to replace the flawed image.
Puppet Warp. Not only is this feature fun, but very simple. Take any object on a layer, then go to Edit>Puppet Warp. Click to add handles over the automatic grid, then drag them to warp your image.
HDR Toning. Finally Photoshop can create quality HDR images with a single file through the use of the new HDR Toning adjustment. It has several presets to choose from or you can manually create your own style. This adjustment allows you to still create HDR images traditionally with several images in a series or with just one image.
Mixer Brush. This is probably my favorite new Photoshop feature in a very long time. The new Mixer Brush will give you total artistic control of your image using virtual brushes that mimic traditional techniques, such as a fan brush, dry brushing, wet media mixing, etc. The best part is, it is perfect for using a Wacom tablet and stylus. The newer Intuous series that feature the 6-point stylus work best, but even with my $59 Bamboo I can paint directly on my image or create a new masterpiece from a blank canvas. The possibilities are endless. A friend asked me the other day, “Does this mean the end of Corel Painter?” My answer is simple – yes.
