Adobe recognizes that many people use both Lightroom and Photoshop in their workflows, and so is offering a special deal where you can save 30% off the full version of Lightroom 4 if you purchase it together with the new Photoshop CS6 in any form. This means if you buy Photoshop CS6, Photoshop CS6 Extended, or any CS6 suite edition (which all contain PS), you’ll get 30% off Lightroom when you buy them at the same time.

And it works for either buying the full version or upgrading from an older version of Photoshop or the CS suite… So if you are buying Lightroom for the first time, you’ll get 30% off the price of the full version (normally $149/€109/£87) – and in the U.S. they round this down to just $99. No promotion code is required to activate the discount, which will be reflected in your shopping cart just prior to checkout. This offer is valid worldwide until Decem­ber 31st, 2012, but pricing is available only through the online Adobe Commercial Store (in other words, Volume and Education customers are not eligible, perhaps because the LR4 student edition is already US$79).

These are both brand-new releases – for what’s changed, see What’s New in Lightroom 4 and What’s New in Photoshop CS6…

Or grab some chances to win Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 for free!

Lightroom with Photoshop – Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop?

Lightroom is an end-to-end photography solution designed expressly for digital photograph­ers, helping them work faster and more efficiently with one image, an entire shoot, or a large image library, while maintaining the highest quality. Photoshop is the industry standard in digital image editing, with advanced tools used by photographers, graphic designers, and other professionals for detailed, pixel-level editing and compositing, and working with multi­layered files.

Why should I use Lightroom if I already have Photoshop, or vice versa?

Lightroom is designed to boost your efficiency by handling the essential tasks a digital photo­grapher faces in one intuitive environment. It includes powerfully simple one-click adjustments, as well as the widest range of advanced tools for efficiently processing entire shoots, manag­ing photo libraries, and showcasing images. When you need it, tight integration between Lightroom and Photoshop lets you easily take advantage of the power of Photoshop for more complete creative control, high dynamic range photos, and panoramas, all with pixel-level accuracy and precision.

Is Lightroom included in Adobe Creative Suite?

No. On the whole, Lightroom and Adobe Creative Suite address different audiences. Creative Suite is primarily focused on design and the delivery of rich creative experiences while Light­room addresses the needs of advanced amateur and professional photographers.

What is Adobe Bridge, and what is the difference between Bridge and Lightroom?

Adobe Bridge is a file browser and file management application that is included with Photoshop CS2 or higher and Adobe Creative Suite. Bridge is designed to work with a wide variety of graphics, image, and video file types to manage files in varied workflows involving all the applications in Creative Suite. Lightroom and its file management functions are tailored specif­ically for the digital photography workflow. Lightroom unites your key photography essentials, including image editing, in one intuitive application. Lightroom uses file importing and a data­base structure that speeds up searches and enables Lightroom to store information about as well as display images on offline media. Bridge cannot display offline images.

Related Posts

• New Giveaway! Win Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE ($1K Prizes)
• Adobe Lightroom 4 Beta Release is Here! Now Available Free to Public
• Compare Photoshop Editions: CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3
• Adobe Lightroom 3.5 and Camera Raw 6.5 – Final and Free Updates
• Adobe: New Tablet Apps Soon, “Doubling-Down” on HTML5 for CS6

[UPDATE (April 23rd) – CS6 is out!]

Creative Suite 6 is now available for instant download and direct shipping, and there are many important differences in this release compared to Creative Suite 5, including hundreds of new features added to the individual applications.

And after giving away CS6 Master Collection earlier this month, we now would like to focus especially on Adobe’s popular lineup of Digital Imaging Products. In particular, we want to give brand new copies of Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4, and Photoshop Elements 10 to three of you, our amazing readers!

There will be one winner for each of these products, which are the commercial English versions for either Windows or Mac OS. The three winners will receive them in prize packages also containing Adobe/CS6 tee-shirts, pens, and other goodies. 1st prize is Photoshop, 2nd prize is Lightroom, and 3rd prize is PSE – with a total estimated retail value for all prizes of US$1000.

Sound good?  These are all brand new releases, so it may help to know what’s new in Photoshop CS6, what’s new in Lightroom 4, and what’s new in Photoshop Elements 10.

How to enter?  It’s easy to gain up to four chances to win…  The contest is open to residents of North America, U.K., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – and to enter just do one (or more) of the following:

That’s it!  Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the drawing – so if you do all four, you would receive 4 different chances to win one of these software packages.  Be sure your email is correct so that we can contact you. One entry per reader for each method, but please do share and tell your friends and colleagues who would like the software as well. Thanks also go out to our friends at Adobe for helping sponsor this giveaway!

Submissions are open until 11:59pm EDT on Friday, May 18th, 2012. The winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries, and contacted via email – and we’ll announce the lucky recipients (first names only) right here the following week. If you’re one of them, then you’ll be receiving Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4, or PSE 10 for free!

» Email this to a friend

Terms & Conditions

Contest is open to residents of USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with up to four entries per person as outlined above. The sweepstakes winners will be determined at random from all valid entries. The participants whose names are drawn must respond to email notification within 72 hours after sending. Estimated maximum retail value of all prizes is US$1,000, which will include the full, upgrade, or education versions as appropriate. By entering, all entrants agree to release ProDesignTools.com (the Sponsor), and its employees from all liability and claims relating to participation in the contest. No substitu­tions or transfer of prizes or cash redemptions permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, suspend or alter the rules and parameters of the sweepstakes. Sponsor also reserves the right to substitute a prize or prizes as Sponsor deems suitable in the event that prizes become unavailable for any reason.

All federal, state and local taxes, as well as any customs duties, other taxes, fees and/or sur­charges will be the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners under the age of 18 (as of winner announcement date) must have their parents’ and/or legal guardians’ consent to accept prize. By acceptance of prizes, the winners agree to release ProDesignTools.com from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for damages. Offer void where prohibited, regu­lated or restricted by law in a manner inconsistent with the purposes and rules hereof. This promotion is in no way associated or connected with Facebook or Twitter.

Related Posts

• Win Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 or Elements 10 Bundle, Free!
• New Adobe Photoshop Elements 10: Five Free Copies to Give Away!
• Win New Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, Free!
• Win Adobe CS6 Master Collection Suite FREE! ($2,600 Giveaway)
• Become the Next Photoshop Evangelist and Win CS5.5 + Free Trip

Adobe is continuing its special “Deal of the Day” program and the next big deal is a huge 50% off their bestselling consumer product, Photoshop/Premiere Elements 10 with coupon code – just in time to use your 2011 tax refund and save today…

This means – for one day only – for either product Photoshop Elements 10 or Premiere Elements 10 you can pay just $50 instead of $99… and for the complete bundle containing both Elements products you can pay just $25 more: $75 instead of $149!

[ See: What's new in PSE 10? Check the reviews. ]

This isn’t an upgrade – it’s the full retail version, available for instant download on either Windows or Mac OS, in any available language (the boxed ship­ment is not offered at this low price).

But note, to take advantage of this deep discount you must activate the deal with this promotion code linked: ELEMENTS50.

The 50% off is available in North America – but in Europe and the UK, the offer is still nice: Save up to 30% on the Elements family of products, with free delivery included.

This incredible special doesn’t apply to the Education editions or for upgrades from older versions, there’s no additional break for those – but this price is lower than the upgrade price anyway so you still come out ahead…

The new release will work side-by-side with any previous version(s) of Elements you may own. If do you have an older product installed, you can automatically import and convert your work.*

This “One Day Deal” is available for purchases made directly from Adobe by retail customers on Monday, February 16th, 2012 only, before 11:59pm PDT. The discount will be reflected in the shopping cart just prior to checkout when coupon code is activated. Pricing is available only through the Adobe Store, one discount per customer. Education, OEM, and volume licensing customers are not eligible.

So if you’ve been thinking about making the jump to the #1 selling consumer photo- and video-editing software† , here is a terrific entry! If you prefer to try before you buy, you can immediately download the fully-functional free trial, and then just convert it before midnight to secure the lower price.

[ Compare the differences between Photoshop CS vs. Elements vs. Lightroom. ]

Bottom line, this savings will not be available anywhere else and is the lowest price ever offered for Photoshop and Premiere Elements, and that probably ever will be… Don’t miss out on this great oppor­tunity before it expires.

Check out our great free resources for Elements:

• Find out more about the Elements 10 release.
• Read a review & rating round-up for Photoshop Elements 10.
• What are the differences between PSE 10 vs. 9 vs. 8 vs. 7 vs. 6?
• Four hours of free online video tutorials for Photoshop Elements 9 & 10.
• Download the free 95-page e-book: Guide to Photoshop Elements.
• Download a full and free trial of Photoshop and/or Premiere Elements 10.

— CS6 Grace Period! Buy CS5.5 Now + Get Free Upgrade to CS6 When It Ships

— Adobe: CS6 on Track for “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features

— Sneak Previews of CS6: Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash Pro, Illustrator & Premiere

— Win New Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE! ($1000 Giveaway)

— What’s the Difference Between Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 – What’s New in Features?

Related Posts

• One Day Deal: Save 30% on Adobe Photoshop CS5 – Up to $300 Off!
• Buy Adobe Lightroom 3 and Save $100 with Coupon Code, and More
• Coupon: Save up to $50 on Adobe Elements 10 (Photoshop/Premiere)
• New Giveaway! Win Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE ($1K Prizes)
• Compare Photoshop Editions: CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3

[UPDATE (May 7th) – CS6 is now shipping!]

At Photoshop World last week, we had the chance to sit down with Adobe Senior Product Managers Bryan O’Neil Hughes and Zorana Gee for hours of in-depth walkthroughs of the new Photoshop CS6 release. And all we can say is – on top of what we already knew and experienced – this is the Photoshop version you’ve probably dreamed about…

And with over 1 million downloads in a week, clearly we’re not the only ones thinking that. Gizmodo calls it, “The best update in recent memory” … PC Magazine says, “The future of creative image editing is upon us – this new version will thrill nearly all categories of users, from photo­graphers to designers” … USA Today writes, “Having lots of fun with the new tools – the new inter­face is a huge improvement, and the images really do look sharper and more pronounced.”

For expediency we put together a quick “cheat sheet” below of the top differences and new features in Photoshop CS6 as compared to PS CS5. Naturally if you’re still on CS4, CS3, or earlier, then you’d also need to add in the differences between CS5 vs. those older versions.

But really, it’s also a fit and polish thing – with two years since the last major release (and having no architectural challenges to worry about), the Photoshop team had plenty time to hone this into a smooth and polished product. This is reflected in the 62% more new features added in this cycle contrasted to the previous one, and nearly twice as many JDI requests (user-focused “Just Do It” items) addressed.

Importantly, Photoshop CS6 will run alongside any previous PS version(s) you may have installed, without difficulty or conflict. So you can safely download and check out the free trial version for 30 days, and then easily uninstall it if you decide not to purchase it in the end.

Photoshop CS6 System Requirements and Performance

How about performance? This is always a big question for users, because sometimes moving forward in software necessitates moving up in hardware. But not so here. We asked Bryan about this directly on how Photoshop CS6 performs versus CS5 on identical machines. The answer (thanks for streamlining, optimization, and much broader use of the GPU): “On the same hardware, in almost all cases, Photoshop CS6 is considerably faster than CS5… and not just on the newest computers, but CS6 will support older machines as well.”

Now, some notes on support and system requirements. Officially, Photoshop CS6 is not supported on Windows Vista, because Adobe found that current Vista use is tiny compared to Windows 7 and XP. So Win 7 and XP will continue to be supported – which was a relief to those worried the same thing might happen with Photoshop and XP as what they did with Lightroom 4. But note importantly, though Windows Vista is not “officially” supported for Photoshop CS6, Adobe does not restrict users from installing and using it on Vista… Also, PS Extended’s 3D features and some GPU-enabled features are not supported on Windows XP.

On the Mac, the major specification change is your processor must be 64-bit capable (most Macs are, but here’s how to tell).  But the good news is outside of those spec changes, the system requirements remain the same as they are now for Photoshop CS5, on both platforms. And there are no known issues running Photoshop CS6 on the future Windows 8 or on Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion).

What’s New in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5?

Here’s the lengthy list:

• The long-rumored darker and modern user interface
• Redesign and clean-up of all icons, buttons, dialogs – plus rich cursors
• New Content-Aware Move, Extend, and Patch Tools
• Terrific [DSLR] video editing in both Standard and Extended versions
• Skin-Aware Masking with Face Detection – auto-generation of skin-tone masks
• Complete overhaul of 3D in Photoshop CS6 Extended – 1 tool now does work of 14
• Some great new (and realistic) brushes – Erodible Tips and Airbrush Tips
• Brand new Camera Raw 7 technology like in Lightroom 4
• White Balance and Noise Reduction as a selective Brush
• Text/Character Type Styles and Paragraph Styles
• Adaptive Wide Angle Lens Correction to fix distortion and straighten lines
• PixelBender now built in to Photoshop CS6 for oil painting filter
• Enhanced and more flexible Brush Pose, Brush Projection, and Color Dynamics
• Rewritten vector engine, real vector strokes with Dashed and Dotted Lines
• Mercury Graphics Engine gives 10-100X faster Liquify, Transform, Warp & more
• Big gains in performance throughout due to much greater usage of the GPU
• Blur Gallery for creating shallow depth of field, tilt-shift blur and graduated blur
• Much smarter “Auto” for better starting points and one-click corrections
• Lighting Effects is back and better than ever, with much improved controls and 3D
• Completely reengineered and nondestructive Crop Tool, like Lightroom’s
• Background Save, including tunable Auto-Save and Crash Recovery
• Integrated Layer Search/Filtering – by name, effect, style, mode, or attribute
• Easy migration tool that imports/exports custom presets and settings
• New “Bicubic Automatic” default for Image Size always does the right thing
• Path snapping & anti-aliasing improvements – critical for exacting work
• Easy insert of Lorem Ipsum text from the Type Menu
• The return of Contact Sheet II and PDF Presentations in Photoshop
• A completely redesigned and enhanced Print dialog

For more information on most of these, see the Photoshop FAQ: New Feature Overview…

To the disappointment of some, the much-buzzed Photo Deblurring feature demoed at MAX hasn’t made it into CS6… that is still considered “early-stage research” – but we can always hope for it in Photoshop CS6.5 or CS7!

Top Favorite Features in Photoshop CS6

Here’s a great video series reviewing all the major new features in detail… (runtime 40 mins.)

Lynda.com also has an excellent and free 2½-hour video introduction to everything new in Photoshop CS6, with 29 chapters from Deke McClelland, who calls it “a remarkable upgrade.”

Your Turn

Have you used Photoshop CS6 yet – either purchased it or tried the beta or run the free trial? What do you think?

Share your thoughts in the comments below or at Adobe’s Photoshop CS6 Feedback Forum or the new published User Reviews…

Related Posts

• 8 Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks – New 3D, Video, Depth-of-Field Tools
• Photoshop CS6: New Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend Tools
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Look? More Sneak Peeks [VIDEO]
• Sneak Peeks at Illustrator CS6: New Gradient & Pattern Features
• Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition CS6 FAQ and Highlights

[UPDATE (May 7th) – Creative Suite 6 is now shipping!]

NEWS FLASH – Earlier today Adobe surprised everyone by announcing a free public beta release of the eagerly-anticipated Photoshop CS6…  The company has slipped out 8 different sneak peeks of the upcoming product since January – and considering there are now about two months left before CS6 ships, the timing for a beta was right.

“The world’s best digital image editing software is about to get even better. Explore Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta for a sneak preview of some of the incredible performance enhancements, imaging magic, and creativity tools we are working on. Discover for yourself why Photoshop CS6 will be a whole new experience in digital image editing.

You can probably tell from the number of “sneak peeks” we shared with you that we’re proud of Photoshop CS6, and excited by the opportunity to get this beta into your hands now, as an advance preview.”

16 Top New Features in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5

• The much-discussed modern and darker user interface
• Content-Aware Move, Extend, and Patch Tools
• Excellent [DSLR] video editing in both Standard and Extended versions
• Complete overhaul of 3D in Photoshop CS6 Extended
• Some great new (and realistic) Brush Tips
• Brand new Camera Raw 7 technology like in Lightroom 4
• Text/Character Type Styles and Paragraph Styles
• PixelBender now built in to Photoshop CS6
• Adaptive Wide Angle Lens Correction
• Custom vector strokes with Dashed and Dotted Lines
• Core productivity enhancements, blazingly fast performance
• Blur Gallery for creating shallow depth of field and other effects
• New and improved non-destructive Crop Tool, like Lightroom’s
• Background Save, including Auto-Save and Crash Recovery
• Migration tool that imports custom presets and settings
• The return of Contact Sheet and PDF Presentations in Photoshop

See What’s New in Photoshop CS6? for the complete list and more details.

Photoshop CS6 Beta Download Availability

The free Photoshop CS6 beta program is open and available to the public. Anyone with an Internet connection can download and test it out in full. You do not need to own (or have tried) a previous version of Photoshop, and there is no serial number required. The Photoshop CS6 beta is fully functional and will not overwrite or interfere with any existing installation of Photoshop – it is completely separate and can be run side-by-side with older releases.

You can download the software immediately and use it freely until the PS beta expires which will be shortly after CS6 is released (mid-May). The file size is about 1.7 GB on Windows and 1.0 GB on Mac. There is also some good news on the minimum system requirements – unlike what happened with with Lightroom 4, Windows XP continues to be supported with Photo­shop CS6. However on the Mac side (only), you must have a 64-bit system (here’s how to tell).

Note that the beta is for the Photoshop CS6 Extended version, so take this opportunity to try out the 3D image and motion graphics editing capabilities of Photoshop Extended… (Learn more about the differences between PS Standard vs. Extended)  Both Photoshop editions will be available for purchase separately or as part of a suite. Customers running CS3 or CS4 will have until the end of the year to receive discounted upgrade pricing.

Please see this Photoshop CS6 FAQ for more details plus installation instructions, as well as more information on the new features and known issues. Also be sure to give your feedback to the Adobe developers…

Introduction to Photoshop CS6

And here’s a great video series on what’s new and to get you started…

See also:

— CS6 Grace Period! Buy CS5.5 Now + Get Free Upgrade to CS6 When It Ships

— Adobe: CS6 Available “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features

— Sneak Previews of CS6: Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash Pro, Illustrator & Premiere

— Win New Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE! ($1000 Giveaway)

— Revealed! What’s New in CS6 for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition

Related Posts

• Adobe Releases CS6 – Now Shipping plus Download Free Trials
• What Are the Differences in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 — What’s New?
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• Photoshop CS6: New Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend Tools
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Look? More Sneak Peeks [VIDEO]

It’s no secret that Adobe lately has been slipping out little sneak peeks of “a future version of Photoshop” – presumably Photoshop CS6, when it comes out…

What’s surprising is that over the past two months we’re now up to 8 (eight!) different videos released in total, to date.

The first 5 previews arrived in January and February, and now we’ve got 3 more so far in March…

This latest set shows off new capabilities for working with 3D and Video, as well as easily creating shallow depth of field in any image (a.k.a. the bokeh effect, the technique of aestheti­cally blurring the background).

The new Iris Blur Filter can quickly add selective blur to any image without masks, layers, or depth maps – making it very easy to “pop out” a photograph’s subject with the appearance of shallow focus:

The 3D and Video features from the other two sneak preview demos would presumably be part of Photoshop CS6 Extended, as they fall into the higher-level categories defining the differences between the Standard vs. Extended versions of Photoshop.

So in this next demonstration, Adobe says they’ve completely overhauled and enhanced how 3D works in Photoshop, with focus on performance and usability… Check out how smooth and easy it is to manipulate and change the look of 3D objects:

And the final (8th) video was created entirely in a future version of Photoshop… Which means Photoshop will be able to do significant video editing, and naturally begs the question, how might this interact or overlap with Adobe’s dedicated production tools, Premiere Pro and After Effects?

Adobe answers this: Video is now being generated by photographers – everyone really… We see a lot of room between consumer offerings and Premiere Pro… The goal is to balance the power of Photoshop with an easy and approachable on-ramp to video editing …

See the 5 earlier Photoshop Sneak Peeks, or when we estimate that CS6 will be shipping.

Check out the Photoshop Image Deblur demo from Adobe MAX in L.A. – plus more before-and-after photos deblurred by the technology.

Related Posts

• What Are the Differences in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 — What’s New?
• Photoshop CS6: New Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend Tools
• Adobe Photoshop CS6 – Another Look? More Sneak Peeks [VIDEO]
• Sneak Peeks at Illustrator CS6: New Gradient & Pattern Features
• Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition CS6 FAQ and Highlights

[UPDATE – Also see our new Photoshop CS6 Giveaway!]

If you like Photoshop and want a free paid trip to Photoshop World plus a CS5.5 suite, check out Adobe’s Next Photoshop Evangelist contest…  All you have to do is create and upload a 1-2 minute video demonstrating your favorite “Hidden Gem” in Photoshop CS5.

What’s a hidden gem? Essentially, it’s just a lesser-known feature or workflow of the product that you find valuable – perhaps using a function or tool in a way that Adobe didn’t imagine… For some great examples, check out this helpful series of Photoshop Hidden Gems that Adobe produced.

Submit your video here »

The top 5 videos will be selected and voted on, with the winner receiving a $4,000-$6,000 prize package including a trip to the PSW Conference either in Washington, D.C. this spring, or in Las Vegas this fall – plus a full copy of CS5.5 Design Standard. The trip includes roundtrip airfare, lodging, event admission, and spending money – plus meeting Adobe’s Photoshop Product Team personally and the opportunity to demonstrate your hidden gem live at the show. Four runners-up will get a free $1,000 copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended.

It’s open to users 18 years or older in the USA, Canada, U.K, and Germany. No purchase is necessary to win – because if you need Photoshop CS5 to use for your entry, you can easily download the fully-working free trial for 30 days. You can submit as many original videos as you like, just be sure to mention the phrase “hidden gem” in each… For some ideas of what to talk about, see the list of new CS5 features for Photoshop (and all other products). Complete contest rules here.

The submission deadline is March 5th after which five finalists will be chosen by Adobe, and the grand prize winner will be selected by the Photoshop community on Facebook. All five finalists will be showcased by Adobe on several venues. So show off your Photoshop skills and sharing abilities and you could be on your way to Photoshop World this year with a new CS5 suite on your laptop and some fame to your name.

Enter here »

Related Posts

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• New Adobe Photoshop Elements 10: Five Free Copies to Give Away!

We’ve seen a few sneak peeks already of what Adobe’s working on now in Photoshop – but this new one is the best to date, it’s pretty incredible… They don’t say which release these capabilities could make it in (or when), but presumably it’s Photoshop CS6.

This new demonstration takes the much-praised concept of Content-Aware Fill that was introduced in Creative Suite 5 and carries it much further with new Content-Aware Move, Extend, and Patch tool features. It’s hard to explain but you can see how it works with the 2½ minute video below.

Last month we actually put together a guide to getting the best results with Photoshop CS5′s Content-Aware Fill, but these new tools clearly make the work much faster, simpler, and more flexible… and dare we say magical (see the “before and after” screengrabs below the video).

See more advanced features of Photoshop Content-Aware technology. Straight from Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes, this video shares how to seamlessly move, extend, remove, or patch an object from an image.

Roll over the image with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results – wow:

Bonus!  Another new sneak peak here: the next version of Photoshop should be able to smoothly migrate presets from your previous version(s), as well as import and export these settings for easy sharing. There will also be the ability to duplicate multiple selected layers and layer groups with Cmd-J, plus Adobe is bringing back Contact Sheet and PDF Presentations in Photoshop. Finally, they’ve knocked out many smaller “JDI” requests (meaning Just Do It) from customer feedback – like brush improvements, new file formats, and better printing:

See the 3 earlier Photoshop Sneak Peeks, and the 3 later ones, or when we estimate that CS6 will be shipping.

Check out the Photoshop Image Deblur demo from Adobe MAX in L.A. – plus more before-and-after photos deblurred by the technology.

Watch tutorials with current Content-Aware Fill tricks & techniques.

Related Posts

• What Are the Differences in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 — What’s New?
• 8 Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks – New 3D, Video, Depth-of-Field Tools
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• Sneak Peeks at Illustrator CS6: New Gradient & Pattern Features
• Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition CS6 FAQ and Highlights

Last month Adobe quietly revealed a first look at Photoshop CS6, which was received with hundreds of thousands of views…  And now we have second and third looks, new sneak peeks which focus on performance gains and vector improvements (with dashed and dotted lines).

As images grow larger and larger in resolution and file size, even simple actions such as saving your files can slow down productivity – which has been a point of interest in Photoshop CS5. In this preview, a smooth and oft-requested Background Save capability is introduced allowing you to fully continue working while all file saving takes place in the background, regardless of size or compression.

Large images also slow down functions like Liquify… In the video, a 100MB photograph lags when loading and editing in Photoshop CS5. Now this new Photoshop (CS6 we presume) uses the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) to greater effect to bring real-time loading and editing responsiveness. See how much faster and crisper the Liquify filter works, enabling effectively unlimited brush sizes:

It’s not mentioned in the video, but word has it from Adobe that in addition to background save, the new version of Photoshop would also include crash recovery…  And if it has crash recovery, we can maybe take it a step further and hope that it also has auto-save – as all three are related functionally. These would be some long-requested features coming to reality.

Here below is the most recent of the 3 sneak peeks thus far, this one just out…  Photoshop can now also do dashed and dotted lines – easily creating them with one click, specifically addressing a longtime feature request from many designers and illustrators.  Per Photoshop Product Manager John Nack, note the presence of controls for “real” stroke & fill (not dependent on the modal layer style dialog) on the options bar:

If you missed the first Photoshop CS6 sneak peek, it’s definitely worth two minutes of your full-screen time if you haven’t seen it yet – introducing the new user interface, rich cursor support, plus advancements in the Camera Raw processing engine that will power Photoshop CS6:

Check out what it does to this simple cellphone shot of the Eiffel Tower using just a few (new) sliders, restoring it more accurately to how it looked to the photographer’s eye at the time of capture…

Roll over the image with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

What else do we know about Photoshop CS6? Well, there’s the chance we’ll see the much-discussed Photoshop Image Deblur tool that Adobe showcased at the annual MAX show last fall – and then later published more before-and-after images for demonstration. But from the sounds of what Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes said afterwards, it could be too “early stage” to make the CS6 release.

So all in all, some cool and welcome enhancements to the Photoshop product but nothing too earth-shattering quite yet – we think Adobe could be saving the “big gun” new features (a la CS5′s Content-Aware Fill and Puppet Warp) for closer to the actual CS6 launch date.

Related Posts

• What Are the Differences in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 — What’s New?
• 8 Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks – New 3D, Video, Depth-of-Field Tools
• Photoshop CS6: New Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend Tools
• Sneak Peeks at Illustrator CS6: New Gradient & Pattern Features
• Premiere Pro, After Effects and Audition CS6 FAQ and Highlights

[UPDATE (May 7th) – Here it is, Creative Suite 6 has been released!]

Late last week we received these two inquiries via our Contact page:

“Could you please provide a proposed release date for CS6 Design Premium software? I can’t see anywhere on your site where this is mentioned except for the U-turn regarding upgrade policy from earlier versions.”

“I have a budget meeting tomorrow and need to know the approximate release date and projected cost of the CS5 to CS6 Master Collection Suite upgrade.”

So, this is something people really want to know now.  And we have written about it before, giving clues in posts here as far back as March and July of last year…

But it’s clearly time for an update.

Even today, we wish we could give you exact dates and numbers for those questions, but Adobe hasn’t publicly disclosed that information – and likely won’t until CS6 is launched… However, we can make a best estimate of the possible timing for the Creative Suite 6 release window.

On Adobe’s site now there is a document referencing the new CS Release Schedule.  Here are a few of the key elements contained within this Message Summary:

New CS Release Schedule

To enable customers to successfully capitalize on these industry trends, Adobe is innovating quickly and we are introducing a new release schedule for Creative Suite:

• In order to keep customers ahead of these industry trends, we will issue midcycle releases in between our traditional milestone releases.
• We are extending the time between milestone releases to two years.
• There will be one midcycle release during each cycle. So, once every 12 months there will definitely be a substantial release for CS.
• Since features in the midcycle release are primarily focused on keeping users ahead of the industry trends at that time, not all point products will be revised in a given midcycle release.
• This new Release Schedule debuts … with CS5.5 as the first of these midcycle releases.

So reading between the lines here – if milestone (new major number) releases will be every two years, and if every 12 months there will be a new version of Creative Suite coming out, then taking the CS5.5 launch date of May 3, 2011 and adding twelve months would give an expected CS6 shipping date in the early May 2012 timeframe.

Of course, software development schedules are never exact, and your mileage may vary – but this is about the best estimate right now from public information.

[UPDATE – More precision on the Creative Suite 6 release date...]

How about CS6 pricing? This won’t be published in advance, but when moving from CS4 to CS5 Adobe kept prices pretty much the same – so the most reasonable budgeting strategy is to use the same cost figures for Creative Suite 5 for a similar product, or for a similar upgrade.

[UPDATE (March 26th) – CS6 Grace Period Savings: Buy CS5.5 Now + Get CS6 Free!]

What else do we know about CS6?

First and foremost, Creative Suite 6 will continue to be available in all the forms you’re used to today with CS5 – download or boxed, full or upgrade, individual or suite, perpetual (perma­nent) or subscription. And based on the Message Summary document, all major products are likely to receive substantial revisions and new features.

What about upgrade paths? Well the big news here is Adobe recently postponed big changes to the upgrade policy, so current CS3, CS4, and CS5 customers will be able to upgrade to their choice of CS6 products.  CS2 customers can still upgrade to CS5.5 now, but will be too far back to receive discounted upgrade pricing to CS6. However, there may be a brief grace period where anybody (including CS2 users) could upgrade to CS5/CS5.5 and then receive a free further upgrade to CS6, if Adobe continues what they’ve done in the past after Creative Suite announcements. Stay tuned here as we’ll have quick news of that program if it’s offered.

Adobe will also be offering a Creative Cloud alternative (where access to the software is rented monthly by paid membership) but — and there’s a lot of misunderstanding here — the cloud will be completely optional and not required by any customer (either existing or new) to buy or use it… In other words, it is an addition – not a replacement.

We also now know that Adobe’s two new products Edge and Muse will not be part of CS6, and will be available via separate subscription or cloud only. At the same time, we know that Adobe Acrobat, Lightroom, and Photoshop/Premiere Elements will not be affected by any cloud or upgrade changes.

[ Learn more about the features and timing of Creative Suite 6. ]

Adobe Photoshop CS6 – a Sneak Peek

Did you catch the little “sneak peek” video that Adobe slipped out on YouTube last week, presumably a first look at what’s to come in Photoshop CS6?

[UPDATE (March 2012) – More sneak peeks of Photoshop CS6 have just been released, including new Content-Aware Move & Extend Tools... plus 3D and video editing.]

There were some interesting details revealed – confirming longtime rumors, Photoshop is getting a darker and redesigned user interface that allows for a more immersive experience and consistency between other Adobe applications, plus rich cursor support that gives a floating heads-up of significant brush metrics right near the action. And as is customary, Photoshop CS6 will continue to use the same new Adobe Camera Raw 7 processing engine that’s also available now in the new release of Lightroom 4.  ACR 7 has been rewritten and can do some pretty amazing things very quickly, as shown in the video.

Check out what it does to this iPhone camera shot of Paris – how easily it brings up the foreground without blowing out the background, recovering highlights and boosting clarity for a more compelling image using just a few sliders…

Just roll over with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

So the video is definitely worth two minutes of your full-screen time if you haven’t seen it yet – and we’re likely to get more previews in the coming months because it’s titled “#1″ in a new YouTube playlist Adobe created called “Sneak Peeks”:

See the rest of the new Photoshop CS6 sneak peeks here or download the free Photoshop CS6 beta release.

What other features coming in CS6?

Well, of course we also have the possibility of the stunning Photoshop Image Deblurring feature that Adobe demoed at MAX last fall – but from what PS Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes said earlier, it sounds like a long shot for deblurring to make the CS6 release.

It seems more likely we could see some of the other MAX feature sneak peeks finding their way into CS6 products, including Liquid Layout for InDesign, plus 3D Video Meshes, Auto-Align New Dialogue Track, and Auto-Sync Crowd-Sourced Video for Premiere Pro & After Effects, as well as all the rest of the sneak peek demos.

See also:

— CS6 Grace Period! Buy CS5.5 Now + Get Free Upgrade to CS6 When It Ships

— Adobe: CS6 on Track for “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features

— Sneak Previews of CS6: Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash Pro, Illustrator & Premiere

— Win New Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE! ($1000 Giveaway)

— What’s the Difference Between Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 – What’s New in Features?

Related Posts

• Adobe: CS6 Due Out “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features
• Adobe Confirms Release Cycle for Creative Suite; CS6 Out Mid-2012
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• Adobe Releases CS6 – Now Shipping plus Download Free Trials
• What’s New in Adobe CS6 Upgrade? A Product Feature Overview

Content Aware Fill is one of the major features added in Adobe Photoshop CS5, and is said to be one of its greatest new timesavers. CAF allows you to move or delete parts of your image and Photoshop will automatically and intelligently fill in the space left behind. We’ve written about it before with the quote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguish­able from magic.” [Arthur C. Clarke]

And in our shop here we save hours every month from using Content Aware Fill as well as other CS5 advancements like Puppet Warp and the improved edge/masking tools.

Yet we still see some people claiming that Content Aware Fill “doesn’t work,” “doesn’t give results like in the demo video,” “doesn’t use the right back­ground,” or is just hype, smoke-and-mirrors, or a “gimmick.”

It’s true that it doesn’t always work and of course has its limitations. You can’t synthesize brand new material or hidden content that doesn’t exist in some related form elsewhere in the image. And often it will require some retouching afterwards to get the final result you want.

But usually it will get you most of the way there very quickly – if you know the most effective ways to use the feature. The best is when it “just works” without doing anything special, and this happens often enough too…

Here is a quick before-and-after example that required doing nothing more than an item selection and a content-aware delete… and one could say that for (literally) a two-minute job, it borders on magic…  Just roll over with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results:

So what are the tips for ensuring Photoshop’s Content Aware Fill works the way you want? Here are two video walkthroughs to help learn how to make it do your heavy lifting.

The first features Russell Brown showing several before and after examples – with the key technique being to make a tight selection of what you want to fill or remove, and then expanding your selection by 5-10 pixels all around… (use the Select menu > Modify > Expand… Expand Selection by X Pixels) Setting things up that way gives the CAF algorithm just the right amount information on what it should remove and what it should use to fill in the space, without getting things you don’t want or mixing in too much.

The second tutorial is from Terry White and shows how to use Layer Masks to exclude the part(s) of the image you don’t want Content Aware Fill to draw data from at all. Alternatively, you can do the inverse and use the same method to include only the areas you do want the tool to use when composing the filled space. And as the video title indicates – “What to Do When Content Aware Fill or Content Aware Scale Doesn’t Work” – he gives tips for using Photoshop’s Content Aware Scaling feature as well.

And of course if you then combine both of these techniques your results will be better still, and CAF will work as best as possible for you…  Sometimes it takes a little experimentation, and if the area to be filled is complex (or large), then break it up and do it in pieces instead – in other words, take smaller selections and fill them in one-by-one.

Here they are… and hopefully with the skills from these two videos in hand, you’ll get more satisfying – fast and timesaving – results from the latest version of Photoshop.

[Extra:  Watch Part 1 of Russell Brown's show.]

[UPDATE (February 1st) – And another third, quick new video from Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O'Neil Hughes: Getting the Best Results with Content-Aware Fill.]

[UPDATE (February 14th) – Check out the sneak peek of Photoshop CS6 which contains new Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend tools!]

Download a free trial of Photoshop CS5 and try it out yourself!

Check out more of the best tutorials for Photoshop (any learning level or product version).

Watch other video demonstrations of more Content-Aware Fill tricks & techniques.

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• Advanced Magic with Photoshop CS5′s Content-Aware Fill

[UPDATE (March 6th) – The Lightroom 4 final release is now shipping!]

NEWS FLASH – Adobe has just announced a free public beta release of the eagerly-anticipated Photoshop Lightroom 4, with new tools and advancements to enhance and share your digital photograph library:

“Available as a free public download from Adobe Labs for Windows and Mac, the Lightroom 4 beta is a preview of new features and capabilities that will be offered in the final release of LR4, expected in early 2012.

The beta features refined technology for superior shadow and highlight processing, expanded management capabilities including enhanced DSLR video support and the ability to create beautiful photo books from within Lightroom. Adobe encourages photographers to try the beta release and provide feedback to the product team.”

The news comes six years to the day from the very first beta release of Lightroom 1 on January 9, 2006, where it all started…  Lightroom is Adobe’s digital photography workflow solution helping amateur and professional photographers quickly import, manage, enhance and showcase their images.

And great news – some long-requested new features are here now in LR4…

New Features in Lightroom 4 Beta

• Highlight and shadow recovery brings out all the detail that your camera captures in dark shadows and bright highlights.
• Photo book creation with easy-to-use elegant templates.
• Location-based organization lets you find and group images by location, assign locations to images, and display data from GPS-enabled cameras.
• White balance brush to refine and adjust white balance in specific areas of your images.
• Additional local editing controls let you adjust noise reduction and remove moiré in targeted areas of your images.
• Extended video support for organizing, viewing, and making adjustments and edits to video clips.
• Easy video publishing lets you edit and share video clips on Facebook and Flickr.
• Soft proofing to preview how an image will look when printed with color-managed printers.
• Email directly from Lightroom using the email account of your choice.

LR4 Beta Download Availability

The free Lightroom 4 beta program is open and available to the public. Anyone with an Internet connection can download and test it out in full. You do not need to own (or have tried) a previous version of Lightroom, and there is no serial number required. The Lightroom 4 beta will not overwrite or interfere with any existing installation of Lightroom 1, Lightroom 2, or Lightroom 3.

You can download the beta immediately and use it freely until the product expires at the end of March. Please see this detailed post for the minimum system requirements and installation instructions, as well as more information on the new features and known issues. One possible hiccup for some users is that Lightroom 4 is not supported on Windows XP systems.

Also be sure to give your feedback to the Adobe developers…

Introduction to Lightroom 4

And here’s a great video series on what’s new and to get you started…  Afterwards, explore more on the differences between Lightroom 4 vs. Lightroom 3.

For Lightroom 3, the Current Release

Related Posts

• Adobe Lightroom 3.5 and Camera Raw 6.5 – Final and Free Updates
• Adobe Lightroom 3.4 and Camera Raw 6.4 – Final and Free Updates
• Adobe Lightroom 3.3 and Photoshop CS5 12.0.3 – Free Updates Out
• Adobe Releases Final Version of Lightroom 3.2 – A Free Update
• Photoshop CS6 Beta Release is Out! Free Download Now Available

“What’s the difference between the different Photoshops?”

We’ve seen this question sooo many times, we just had to write a complete article about it.  With four different members of the Adobe Photoshop family, it can be confusing what is what and which to get…  And now that Photoshop Elements 10 has just been released, it’s a good time to look at this.

If you ask Adobe, they’ll tell you:

Q:  How do Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop Lightroom software differ?

A:  Photoshop Elements 10 (US$99) is designed for people who are just getting started with digital photo editing, and delivers powerful yet easy-to-use options that help you organize, edit, create, share, and help protect your personal photos.

Photoshop CS5 (US$699, actually CS5.1) is the professional standard for creating and manipulating powerful images, and Photoshop CS5 Extended (US$999) delivers every­thing in Photoshop plus tools for creating and editing 3D and motion-based images.

Photoshop Lightroom 3 (US$299) addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers, enabling them to import, process, organize, and showcase large volumes of digital photographs quickly.

And indeed they do nicely summarize all the different versions on one page.

So that’s a good starting point, but let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s another way of looking at it, functionally:

• Photoshop CS5 – The latest-and-greatest “flagship” (or regular/standard) version of the breakthrough industry-standard tool – the world’s leading pixel manipulation program.
• Photoshop Elements 10 – A scaled-down, simpler version for hobbyists and home market, with fewer features, functions, and options – it offers “elements” of the full program.
• Photoshop Lightroom 3 – Not really “photoshop” or a pixel-level editor at all, but rather a non-destructive image workflow system for serious and pro photographers.
• Photoshop CS5 Extended – The “top of the line” with everything: it takes Photoshop CS5 and adds editing for both 3D and motion (video!) content, as well as image analysis.

That captures the essence, and we have in-depth comparisons below. But if just from reading that you’re unsure which one is right for you, Adobe offers free downloadable trial editions of all four editions which are fully-functional for 30 days. So you can get any one (or multiple, or all) for tryout to see which work(s) best.

But it’s not “either/or” – many folks actually end up buying two of these: Lightroom together with one of the CS5 editions (or Elements) – they are complementary and integrated to work well together, in fact Adobe offers a 30% discount when those products are purchased at the same time.

All four products are available for both Windows PC and Mac OS – and in fact all of them can be run on both platforms, with the ability to install on up to two computers for each tool. If you own a previous release of the same product, then you may qualify for the Upgrade version which costs less ($US79 for Elements, US$199 for Photoshop CS, and US$99 for Lightroom), otherwise you’d get the Full version.

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop CS5 Extended

OK, we’ve actually written a whole separate article on just that question – the differences between Photoshop vs. Photoshop Extended – so please see that related piece for more details there… 

Importantly, note that in almost all of Adobe’s suites, and in all of Adobe’s education versions for students & teachers, the edition of Photoshop is Extended.  That’s a good thing.

For the other three editions (Photoshop CS5 vs. Lightroom 3 vs. PSE 10):  What are some of the features in one version but not the other(s), or unique to each?

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop Elements 10

As mentioned earlier, most would say that Photoshop Elements 10 is a stripped-down version of the full Photoshop CS5 with significantly fewer features, options, and controls. On the other hand, PSE is targeted towards the consumer market and Adobe has designed it to be easier to get started with and learn to use.

There is a long list of features it does not contain as compared to the full Photoshop CS5. Here are a few that Photoshop CS has, but that Photoshop Elements does not have:

• Puppet Warp
• Pen Tool (vector drawing & selections)
• Content-Aware Fill
• 64-bit support (for performance)
• HDR Pro
• Paths Palette
• Vanishing Point Tool
• History Brush
• Curves
• Full 16-bit RGB
• Creating custom Actions (scripting)
• Full Layer Groups (Sets) and Styles
• Smart Objects, Filters, and Guides
• Color Balance and Match Color
• Channels Palette and Mixer
• Slice Tool (Web graphics)
• Automatic lens correction
• Warp Transform Tool
• 3D objects & text
• Pixel Bender plug-in
• CMYK and Lab color models
• Truer Edge detection technology
• Adjustments & controls for everything

That said, because Photoshop Elements is meant for home use, there are some features it contains that Photoshop CS5 does not have – for example, templates for photo books, slideshows, greeting cards, email, print calendars, scrapbook pages, and online albums, as well as drop-in frames, backgrounds, and artwork, plus online sharing options for Facebook, Flickr, etc.  Elements also offers more user assistance through aspects like Guided Edits and shortcuts like Quick Fix mode, the Smart Brush tool, and Cookie Cutter tool.

For keeping track of images, Photoshop Elements includes the Organizer to manage photos and videos, which is considered to be simpler but slower than the Bridge media browser that comes with Photoshop CS5. However, most users feel that Lightroom’s smooth library and cataloging functions are superior to both, and especially better and faster when you have a large number of images.

Note that for students and teachers, Adobe gives a much bigger discount on Photoshop Extended (80% off the regular price) than on Photoshop Elements (only 20% off).

Compare Photoshop CS5/Elements vs. Lightroom 3

So, how is Lightroom different from all of the above? Lightroom 3 an intuitive digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for advanced amateur and professional photographers. LR3 lets you manage, edit, and showcase all your photographs – and do it quickly, powerfully, smoothly. It’s a complete photo and data management solution that was built from the ground up by Adobe to streamline workflow productivity for photographers.

Lightroom has the library and cataloging functions to work with a large collection of images easily and process them rapidly in groups or batches, with a sophisticated database for very fast search, keyword tagging, and previewing functions – even when your image files aren’t accessible on your computer. It has built-in RAW processing (also works with .JPEG, .TIFF, and .PSD images) and can make correc­tions based upon the camera and lenses you use.  LR has terrific tools for “developing” like correcting exposure, adjusting tone, lighting, white balance, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction, which are state-of-the-art. There’s also a local adjustment brush for dodging and burning, graduated filters, and so on.

And all of it is nondestructive, meaning you can go back and simply undo or redo changes to any image at any time, even years later. This is much like film, where photographers can always return to their original negative – whereas in standard Photoshop, once you change and save an object, you permanently change the pixels.

Lightroom is not for performing detailed raster-level editing, creating images from scratch, compositing multiple images, using layers, cloning & healing, adding text (except for watermarking), drawing shapes, editing objects out of a photos, or many of the other capabilities Photoshop has.  However, many thousands of serious photographers use Lightroom very efficiently every day for 90% of their needs, and then pop out to tightly-integrated Photoshop for the rest (retouching and post-processing).

Lightroom is an end-to-end digital photography solution so it also includes features to showcase your work in customized print layouts, slide shows, and web galleries, and on popular photo-sharing sites.

So if you want the photographer’s workflow to manage thousands of images with ease then you’re talking about Lightroom, but you want to perfect a single image with the “gold standard” professional editing & finishing tool then you’re talking about Photoshop. The two products complement each other and together comprise a complete image processing system.

Adobe has an excellent FAQ on Lightroom and more on the differences between other tools.

This short video answers the question “What is Lightroom?” for new users of the product. Lightroom unites your digital photography essentials in one fast and intuitive package and gets you there with the tools you need to create great images, manage all your photographs, and showcase them with style and impact.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)

Interestingly, all products in the Photoshop family share the same underlying image processing technology to ensure consistent and compatible results across applications that support raw processing. This is called the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plug-in and it’s packaged in with Photoshop CS, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom. This is the interface where support for new camera models and lens profiles is added, so Adobe updates this plugin on a regular basis (about every 3-4 months).

You can get access down to the powerful ACR features from within Photoshop CS or Elements, while Lightroom essentially takes Camera Raw and centers a full-featured application around it with all the streamlined workflow and cataloging benefits described above.

Free Tutorials and Training

Learn how to use these tools!  As mentioned above, you can download a free trial of any or all of them to get started, and then:

• Best Free Photoshop Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Training & Tutorials
• 4 Hours of Free Video Tutorials for New Photoshop Elements 10 & 9
• Three Hours of Free Courses on Lightroom 3, plus Other Resources

Have any other questions about the differences between these Photoshop products?  Just ask them below and we’ll answer!

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Time-lapse photography videos are all the rage these days…  Here is one of our recent favorites from Norwegian landscape photographer Terje Sorgjerd – incredibly beautiful and perfect for the season (watch full-screen):

Photoshop isn’t normally known for its video capabilities, but it’s actually quite easy to take a series of still photographs (edited as desired) and then create your own timelapse video using Photoshop Extended… This will work in the CS5, CS4, or CS3 versions.

Photoshop guru Russell Brown gives the details below on how to make and export your own creation:

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Adobe Photoshop is a sophisticated tool with a 21-year history and a seemingly-endless array of powerful capabilities.  And after spending $549 for the product with discounts (or $199 for students), who wants to pay a lot more to learn how to use it all?

Fortunately there are a number of avenues to get great training and tutorials for free. The first stop is Adobe TV, which has nearly four hours and 37 chapters of 100% free tutorials for Photoshop CS5 alone. There is also a wealth of content for prior versions like Photoshop CS3 and CS4. It’s a good place to get started and orient yourself with the major functions, and all of it is gratis.

For learning how to use the best new features added in Photoshop CS5, take a look at our collection of articles with tours of:

• Content-Aware Fill
• Puppet Warp
• Top Masking Techniques
• Creating Time-Lapse Videos
• Impressionist Oil Painting

We also have a regular page here on the site with a rotating selection of tuts for all versions of Photoshop, stepping through various tips and tricks. And for a terrific set of little-known but very handy techniques, check out Adobe’s Photoshop “Hidden Gems” series with Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes.

Lynda.com is the leading independent website providing online video training for Adobe products, with nearly 800(!) hours of coursework for Photoshop – covering all versions dating back to Photoshop 6 in 2002. Courses are extensive, often running several days – and there are always some chapters that are free for anybody to view, with full access starting at $25/month. But we have partnered with them for our readers to receive a free 7-day trial with unlimited access to the entire site, and get one week of all 1,036 courses in their Online Training Library for free.

If you’d like a free top-flight course to really get you going in Photoshop from the ground up, check out the three online skills clinics below from the experts at National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)…  These exclusive web-based training sessions with the “Photoshop Guys” are a great opportunity to quickly get up to speed on the timesaving features and breakthrough tools in the latest version.

If you don’t already have Photoshop, just download the free trial so you can work side-by-side in these three classes, which were originally given live to customers but are now available free to all users via on-demand replay:

• Class 1: Photoshop CS5 – Up & Running in No Time
• Class 2: Cool Photoshop Skills – Effects and Retouching Anyone Can Do with Photoshop CS5
• Class 3: Photoshop CS5 Street Smarts – Shortcuts, Killer Tips, and Next-Level Skills

These excellent Photoshop tutorial videos run four hours in total and can be viewed here: Exclusive Adobe Photoshop Clinic Webcasts.

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Many people have been making guesses on what’s happening now that Flash Player for Mobile will not be further developed.  There’s a lot of talk and speculation out there, as folks try to figure out what it means…  So take two dozen common questions on the subject, and here are the official answers Adobe sent to us:

What is it that Adobe is announcing?

Adobe announced plans to increase its efforts on HTML5, and to focus Flash on mobile applications (packaged with AIR) and PC browsing with an emphasis on use cases not yet addressed by HTML5, including premium video and console-quality gaming. Adobe will no longer develop Flash Player for mobile web browsers. See the blog post for more details.

Does this mean that Adobe is no longer supporting content publishers focused on delivering content via a browser on a mobile device?

Adobe offers world-class tools and technologies including HTML5 tools like Adobe Edge that allow content publishers and developers to bring rich content and experiences across mobile web browsers using HTML5.

What does this mean for Flash Player support on desktops?

Adobe is fully committed to providing a great experience for use cases not yet well supported by HTML, including console-quality gaming and premium video. In fact, Flash Player 11 just introduced dozens of new features, including hardware accelerated 3D graphics for console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content protection. We are already working on Flash Player 12 and a new round of exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high definition entertainment experiences.

Why is Adobe making this move now?

All the major platform providers (Android, iOS, Windows 8) are betting on HTML5 for browsing, some even to the point of excluding third party plug-ins such as Flash Player. Adobe sees this as the right time to increase our focus on accelerating the development of HTML for in browser experiences, especially on mobile (phones and tablets), and general purpose apps, while using Flash to drive what’s possible in advanced interactive entertainment areas like console-quality gaming and premium video so that it can continue to serve as a blueprint for further work on HTML. Flash developers get the greatest reach by targeting mobile devices with apps packaged with AIR, and that is where we are investing while helping the mobile browsers advance the state of the art of what can be done in a browser using HTML5. Our strategy allows us to maintain leadership in content published through the web and app stores and gives developers the best tools to create content across all platforms.

Will Adobe continue to support AIR? On Mobile? On TVs?

Adobe is fully committed to enabling Flash-based apps on mobile and digital home devices. These apps are packaged using AIR for mobile devices and can be packaged with AIR or web runtime technologies on TVs and other digital home devices that use the TV as a display.

Will the Flash Player continue to be available on the Android Market?

Yes. We will continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates to Flash Player 11.1 on Android Market for existing devices.

When will Adobe stop supporting Flash Player for browsing on mobile?

Adobe will release one more version of the Flash Player for mobile browsing, which will provide support for Android 4.0, and one more release of the Flash Linux Porting Kit – both expected to be released before the end of this year. After that time, Adobe will continue to provide critical bug fixes and security updates.

What will happen with Flash Player support on RIM’s BBX platform?

Adobe will continue to support RIM’s use of the Flash Player on the current PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates. RIM has done a great job optimizing the Flash Player for their platform and as a result the RIM playbook provides a great experience for consuming Flash content. RIM is expected to leverage their expertise with Flash to continue to support and ship the Flash Player on BBX devices for the foreseeable future.

Will the current version of Flash Player support smartphones and tablets that are coming to market over the coming weeks and months?

It depends on the version of the OS, silicon, and browser supported on the device. We are working with OEMs to determine the appropriate support and transition plan for their current and planned devices.

Will Adobe stop OEMs from shipping Flash Player on devices?

No, Adobe will not stop OEMs from pre-loading and shipping the Flash Player. We expect some of our OEM partners to opt to continue working on and releasing their own implementations of the Flash Player. However, Adobe will be recommending mobile OEMs discontinue pre-loading new devices with Flash Player due to expected OS and browser compatibility issues. However, existing licensees can continue shipping Flash Player at the manufacturer’s discretion.

Will 3D support and any of the console-quality Flash games you demoed at MAX come to mobile devices?

Yes, game developers will be able to bring console-quality games with hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to mobile devices as Flash-based apps packaged with AIR. On the desktop 3D games can be delivered with Flash within the browser. However, 3D content will not be supported in Flash Player on mobile browsers.

What does this mean for Flex?

Flex SDK 4.5 supports the development of mobile applications that target, or are packaged with AIR. Mobile applications built with Flex SDK are installed on phone or tablet devices and do not rely upon the browser or Adobe Flash Player to run; as such, they are unaffected by this announcement.

How does this affect other Flash Platform tools?

This news has no impact on the Flash platform tooling offerings (e.g. Flash Builder) from Adobe. We continue to invest in Flash Pro and Flash Builder for developing Flash-based content for the PC web and mobile apps, especially games and premium video.

Is Flash getting more and more replaced by HTML5? How will Adobe advance Flash Player on desktops and stay relevant?

We are continuing to invest in Flash to deliver the most advanced web experiences on desktops, focusing on features that are not yet available in HTML5. Flash Player 11 just introduced dozens of new features, including hardware accelerated 3D graphics for console-quality gaming and premium HD video with content protection. Flash developers can take advantage of these features, and all that Flash has to offer, to reach more than a billion desktops through their browsers and repurpose their content to hundreds of millions of mobile devices through popular App Stores using Flash-based apps packaged/enabled with AIR. We are already working on the next future version of Flash Player and a new round of exciting features which we expect to again advance what is possible for delivering high definition entertainment experiences across the Web and devices. We will continue to leverage our experience with Flash to accelerate our work with the W3C and WebKit to bring similar capabilities to HTML5 as quickly as possible, just as we have done with CSS Shaders. And, we will design new features in Flash for a smooth transition to HTML5 as the standards evolve so developers can confidently invest knowing their skills will continue to be leveraged.

How many Flash-based apps are available on App Stores today?

There are thousands of Flash-based apps available on App Stores like iTunes App Store, Android Market, BlackBerry App World, and Amazon’s Appstore for Android. Popular and top rated examples include Machinarium, Politifact, Dr Stanley’s House, Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook, WatchESPN etc.

How are Flash-based apps different from HTML5 apps?

Flash-based apps support features and capabilities not yet supported in HTML5 such as 3D graphics and content protection for premium video. Developers are able to deliver high-end entertainment experiences as Flash-based apps packaged via AIR on mobile platforms and within the browser on PCs.

What about Flash Player and support for web browsing on TV’s (Google TV, Samsung SmartTVs and other connected Digital Home devices)?

Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on supporting Flash Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the Flash Player Porting Kit to do so. However we believe the best approach to deliver Flash-based content on televisions is through applications, not a web browsing experience, and we will continue to encourage the device and content publishing community down that path.

What happens to Flash browsing support in the Google TV solution?

We recommend you talk with Google, but we believe Google has no immediate plans to remove the Flash Player from the Google TV browser.

Do you regret having waited so long after Steve Jobs predicted that Flash Player won’t work on mobile devices 1.5 years ago?

HTML5 has matured and is able to deliver a great web browsing experiences across mobile devices. At the same time users consume the richest content almost exclusively via apps on smartphones and tablets today. At Adobe we are focused on delivering the best tools and technologies for our developers and content publishers so they can offer the best possible experiences to their customers across platforms – from desktops to smartphones, from tablets to TVs. We are proud to lead the industry with HTML5 tools while offering new, cutting–edge features in Flash that are not yet supported in HTML5.

Is this expected to improve the relationship between Adobe and Apple?

Adobe and Apple have a longstanding relationship and Mac and iOS users are very important to Adobe. Like with any other company in the industry we work closely with Apple in specific areas like support for our Creative Suite products on Mac OS while we compete in other areas like video editing tools.

What platforms and browsers will Adobe continue to support with Flash Player for browsing?

Adobe plans to continue to support Apple Mac OS X and Safari; Google Chrome Browser for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows and Intel-based Chrome OS; Microsoft Intel-based Windows and desktop Internet Explorer; and cooperate with other third-party browser providers such as Mozilla and Opera.

How will content publishers serving premium video reach mobile devices?

Content publishers can continue to stream premium, Flash-based video content across platforms and devices including the iPhone and iPad using Flash Media Server 4.5. Additionally, content publishers can deliver premium video experiences as Flash-based applications packaged with AIR across platforms including mobile devices and connected TVs.

Does Adobe intend to bring HTML5′s capabilities to full parity with Flash Player? If yes, then why continue supporting Flash Player for desktop?

HTML5 today cannot replace the Flash Player as a platform for delivering console gaming or premium video experience on desktop computers. Adobe plans to leverage ongoing innovation in Flash to provide a blueprint for our work in HTML5. We believe there are opportunities for significant new innovation in both Flash and HTML5, and we are focused on enabling developers to create and publish the richest possible content, regardless of the underlying technology.

Will Adobe create Flash Player for Windows 8 on ARM and Windows 8 on X86?

Adobe’s plan is to support Flash Player with all of the popular browsers on Windows 8’s desktop interface (not the Metro interface) on x86.

Check out Flash Pro CS6 generating HTML5

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Knowing how to make a good mask is one of the most important things you can learn to do in Photoshop. With accurate masks you can completely control the placement and movement of all the elements of your image. The techniques shared in these videos will help you get the most out of the new masking capabilities in Photoshop CS5… And when you combine them with the new content-aware fill feature to magically fill backgrounds of moved or deleted objects, well then you’ve really got something.

The first video is a two-part playlist, New Masking Basics: Get up-to-speed with the great new masking tools and techniques in Photoshop CS5, to quickly and easily create professional quality masks, including a photograph with challenging hair.

The second video, to the right, also plays in two parts – New Advanced Masking: Learn some of Photoshop guru Russell Brown‘s favorite methods for masking out the background from a really difficult image.

The third and final video is Advanced Motion Blur Masking and Blending: This tutorial will get you through the toughest motion blur with flying colors… Also learn some advanced blending tips and techniques.

For full-screen viewing, click the expand icon and then 480p after pressing play on each thumbnail:

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We’ve previously covered 17+ hours of free video tutorials for Creative Suite 5, plus three hours for Lightroom 3 – so here are some brand new training resources for the just-released Adobe Photoshop Elements 10… Most of these tutorials also apply to Photoshop Elements 9, which shares the same interface but just doesn’t have as many features.

In these three courses the experts share how to get started, the basics of the software, new features, how to use key tools and functions, plus their favorite tips and techniques. In sum, there is over four hours of free content, with 46 separate chapters.

If you need a copy of Photoshop Elements 10 to get going right away, just download the free trial and it will work fully for 30 calendar days, which should be plenty of time to get through the classes.

If you prefer learning in written form, we’ve got the Adobe Photoshop Elements Guide – a free 95-page e-book you can download as well.

This extensive series is presented by teaching gurus Tim Grey and Chad Chelius, and was produced by video2brain.

For affordable live, interactive training on Photoshop Elements, we recommend the excellent online workshops given at Everyday Elements.

See what’s new and improved in PSE 10 – or see what the industry reviews are saying.

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Here is the latest news on Photoshop Image Deblurring:  In response to some of your questions here at ProDesignTools, we contacted Adobe and requested they help “bring into focus” the new Deblur feature that could be in a future Photoshop. We got in touch with Dr. Jue Wang, Adobe senior research scientist, and as a direct result his team has provided more examples of the technology using notable photographs. Most of these are well-known from history or come from independent sources, and thus began with natural camera blur.

For those just joining us on the story, here’s a quick review: Earlier this month we ran a feature article on this “sneak peek” of an amazing new capability revealed at Adobe MAX. Several blurry photographs were processed through a new Photoshop plug-in to give before-and-after results that wowed the crowd, even more than the other popular sneak demos at the show. [See the full video in HD]

Why did controversy later arise? For the last brief image of his demonstration, intending to be entertaining and relevant to the audience, Dr. Wang used a photo of Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch that had been synthetically blurred. Creation of synthetic inputs is common practice across the research in this field, but out of simplicity, Dr. Wang did not go into those origins at the time.

The original sharp version was found online, and even though the other images came from real-world blur due to camera shake, this opened the door for some to raise questions about the efficacy of the developing technology. After we contacted them, Adobe added an update to their Photoshop.com blog post explaining why synthetic blurring was used for that example, but some skepticism remained.

So we got in touch with Dr. Wang again and have been working with him over the weekend. In response, his team put together a group of independent photographs that began with natural camera blur and included the results from Photoshop’s Image Deblurring algorithm. Here is what he wrote to us yesterday:

This is still early-stage research and as it develops we will definitely be reaching out to the community for testing examples. But at the moment our researchers are still refining the technologies. In the meantime, we have put some real-world examples on our fun Deblur Famous Photos webpage, and there will be more. On the page you can also find a way to contribute to our research.

We hope you find these as helpful and interesting as we do. Just roll over each photo with your mouse (or tap) for the before and after results. And if you have an image of your own or a good-case historical photo, please see the invitation on how to propose it for deblurring at the end of this article.

Robert Capa’s D-Day Photo

This is perhaps the most famous blurry photograph in American history. It was taken by Robert Capa on June 6, 1944, during World War II. The picture captured an American soldier landing on Omaha Beach on D-Day in Normandy, France. As you can see, the technical quality of the original is challenging – there is an enormous degree of blur, noise, and artifacts. It’s an extreme test of the Photoshop deblurring algorithm, but check out the noteworthy result – particularly in the foreground, and the new detail revealed in the G.I.’s face.

Microsoft’s Sculpture Test

Here is an authentic photograph Microsoft used as a test for their own picture deblurring solution, which involved having hardware gyro sensors built into a special camera and then using the sensor data recorded at the time of image capture to automatically deblur each photo taken on it. As a challenge, the Adobe team fed the same original Microsoft image blurred from camera shake into the Photoshop prototype, which of course did not have the benefit of the recorded data to work backwards from. Yet the Photoshop output compares favorably with Microsoft’s result that had required the special apparatus.

Korean Pagoda

One last example we’ll cover is from the Hwanho Sunrise Park in Pohang, Korea. This photo­graph was an inspiration to the Korean team that originally created the Photoshop unblur technology, in that the image convolution was so bad that it seemed impossible to save. But the researchers didn’t give up working on their algorithms – and then finally late one night, it worked. Notice in particular the water, the trees, and the bench at the lower right.

More

Of course, the developing algorithm does not always work so well (which the researchers freely admit) – and you can see an example of that, plus more details and estimated blur kernels for all images at the Deblur Famous/Interesting Photos page, where visitor submissions of additional photos are also invited.

Read more about this sneak peek, or watch the original Photoshop Deblur demo in its entirety, now in full-screen High Definition video…  Also catch the cool sneaks for other Adobe products:

• InDesign Liquid Layout
• Three for Premiere Pro & After Effects
• All 11 sneak peeks presented at the show

See the best from Adobe MAX 2011 – including the keynote presentations plus over 160 hours of free tutorials and training sessions from the experts, on a wide range of topics covering all major Adobe applications.

Check out more Adobe Photoshop (CS5) magic with advanced demos and techniques for the new Content-Aware Fill feature as well as Puppet Warp.

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Can you imagine a new feature in Photoshop that could automatically deblur photographs to restore the originally-intended subject material to clarity and focus?  Adobe can…

This demonstration comes from last week’s Adobe MAX conference in Los Angeles, where the last major session showcases “sneaks” of what Adobe is working on but hasn’t revealed yet. There are no guarantees for what may or may not appear in a production release, or when. But, could this appear in a future version like Photoshop CS6?  Well, watch this video and make up your own mind:

Adobe Photo Deblur: How Does It Work?

From the video you see the key element in the unblurring feature is the program’s intensive computation of a “blur kernel” (or point spread function), a unique signature which describes the motion trajectory of the camera while the shutter was open during the creation of the flawed image… Then, once this path is determined, further computation applies it to the blurry picture to reverse and work back to what the photograph should have looked like originally – in other words, to remove the blur and restore a sharp image.

For the clearest example, check this high-resolution before-and-after still photo comparison. Or see brand new amazing photos of this capability that have been released since the show.

Watching it in action is pretty amazing – unreal even – as heard in the gasps and incredulity of the audience, which at this venue is a pretty sophisticated crowd. The show’s emcee calls it, “mind-blowing, cool Photoshop magic.”  And though this plug-in can’t correct a picture that’s just plain out of focus, with the rise of cellphone cameras everywhere and the iPhone now being the #1 camera on Flickr, the ability to fix camera shake and repair blurry or smeared images could be a very big deal.

So, back to the previous question – could this new feature be coming in Photoshop CS6?  Well, Creative Suite 6 (or whatever CS “Next” is called) could be about six months away or so – and picking up some of the cues from Adobe presenter Jue Wang, it’s unclear…  He says in various spots, “we have been working on this problem for a while and have built a prototype to solve it,” and, “you can see there are a lot of controls here because it’s still an early prototype,” so it’s hard to say how close something like this might actually be.

What do you think?

Let us know in the comments below.

See the best from Adobe MAX 2011 – including the keynote presentations plus over 160 hours of free tutorials and training sessions from the experts, on a wide range of topics covering all major Adobe products.  And we’ll have more MAX sneaks here for other Adobe products in the coming weeks… For instance, here are new sneaks for InDesign Liquid Layout and Premiere Pro Syncing.

Check out more Adobe Photoshop (CS5) magic with advanced demos and techniques for the new Content-Aware Fill feature as well as Puppet Warp.

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