A low Web price: $560
Web upgrade price:$175
| "PhotoShop remains
the king of the image editors, but power has a price." |
System Requirements:
per Adobe
Win 98/NT 4.0 service pack
4+/2000/Millennium (95 Users- it’s upgrade time!), Pentium “class”
Intel/AMD or faster , 64 MB RAM (128MB to run PhotoShop
and ImageReady concurrently),
125 MB hard drive space, CD-ROM drive, , My supplemental system
requirements: Pentium “class”? Baloney. Anything slower than a Pentium
II @ 350 MHz would be maddeningly slow. I wouldn’t even attempt running PS6 on my old 100 MHz Pentium. Note that this software can use
multiple processors under Win NT 4 or 2000.PhotoShop memory rule: More is
better.
Tested System:
Windows98
first edition / NT 4 Service pack 5, Pentium 3 @ 500 MHz (Maybe it’s
time to upgrade), 640 MB RAM, 20 GB IBM hard drive, Creative Labs TNT
16Meg AGP graphics card 1024x768 @ 32bits.
Adobe Systems Inc., 345 Park Avenue, San Jose
95110-2704, www.adobe.com
By phone Monday-Friday, 6am-5pm
PST for 90 days (full version purchases) or 30 days (upgrades), starting
from the date of your first call. An automated directory is available at
800-879-3219. Free information is always available at www.adobe.com
in both a searchable database and a user-to-user forum.
I had a good laugh searching
Adobe's support database for a mention of the slow appearing layer menu. I
typed in “PhotoShop” (even tried variations) and got the message “no
documents matched your query.” Call me suspicious, but I think that
software they’ve made for the last eight years should produce at least
one match, if not dozens. This bug hampered my ability to troubleshoot. In
fairness, this problem was due to my firewall limiting cookies and
scripts. Dropping my shields for a moment produced some references, but my
specific problem was not documented. Additional support can be had via
900-555-2200 at a cost of $2/min or 206-675-6126 at $25/incident. If
you’ve money left over after buying a presidential pardon, consider an
annual support agreement for $149-$1,999 and up dependent on the number of
users and products.
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Review
– Adobe PhotoShop 6.0
by Joe Jacobs, LACS.
PhotoShop 6 is the latest
incarnation of Adobe software’s top of the line image-editing program.
It is also a program I have had much experience with over the years since
I use it almost every day at work and home. I reviewed version 4 in the
November 1997 User Friendly and much has changed (and improved) since
then. Included as a component of PS6 is ImageReady 3.0, the latest version
of their internet-focused imaging software.
Adobe install routines are easy.
Put in the CD, choose some options and click install. You can choose
whether or not to install ImageReady. Previous versions of PhotoShop will not be overwritten or damaged.
You can also install Acrobat
Reader 4.05 and a recent windows Postscript driver.
There is a lot to like in this new
release. The first thing you notice (especially if you have been a user of
previous versions) is an MS Office style menu bar that replaces the
options palette. The bar takes some getting used to but is a definite
improvement over the often-buried Options tab from previous versions. The
bar is context sensitive and changes to reflect the tool you are using.
This change is most noticeable when you use brushes as all sizes and types
are presented in a drop down menu. The menu bar also has a “palette
well” where you can store lesser used ones and access them by clicking
their tabs. This reduces the palette clutter that has always been a
problem with PhotoShop.
Adobe has also added a tool
sensitive “right-click” menu, which presents options that formerly
required trips to a palette or a menu command.
One considerable aggravation has
been removed – Presets (brushes, color libraries etc) now load without
the tedious path search we became accustomed to in earlier versions.
PhotoShop has some new Web-centric
additions: The slice tool is really neat - once you chop up an image it
saves the pieces and writes the html code for the table (some of this
functionality is duplicated in ImageReady). The Color picker now warns
about colors that are out of gamut for the web. It also gives the usual
CMYK warning and takes values in hex.
Another neat web tool is the
Transparency export wizard. This assists you in exporting transparent gifs
while avoiding the halo effect so common with transparent gifs.
Typography is much improved. PS6
now has controls similar to publishing programs like PageMaker
and QuarkXpress - controls over
kerning, leading, tracking, and paragraph styles. Gone is the Type Preview
dialog box – text previews directly on your image.
It also has some fun stuff like a
text warper that produces deformations previously achievable only with
Illustrator . This is a welcome improvement since typography has been one
of PhotoShop’s weak spots.
Speaking of Illustrator, PS6 now
has basic vector-based tools for drawing simple shapes. They’re
primitive but they beat switching programs for minor tasks.
Some improvements are similar to
functions previously found in 3rd party plugins – the Extract
tool is similar to Extensis Mask Pro.
It is useful for isolating elements from a background. It’s a decent
masking tool but can require a lot of fine-tuning. Really fun is the
Liquefy tool which pushes, pulls and smears pixels around. Not exactly
practical but great for imitating Salvador Dali.
An interesting new feature is the
Notes tool, an internal Post-it note that can be saved with the file (only
in PhotoShop file format). This tool is handy if you’re collaborating
with others or just want to put a few comments in your work.
Layer Styles are a very useful
addition and probably the biggest single improvement in this version. No
longer must you remember every single setting for a layer effect you like
to repeat later. Once you get your desired look, you just store all
parameters for later use as a Style. Styles are selected, saved, and
organized in their own palette.
ImageReady
is sort of a specialized PhotoShop,
designed specifically for preparing images for the internet - creating
animated gifs, rollovers, and image maps. The tools, palettes and most of
the commands are similar in layout and function. ImageReady
can also display an image and multiple variations that you can produce by
altering dithering and the color table.
One bother is that ImageReady
3 is not really integrated with PhotoShop.
Both are essentially standalone programs with some cross-functionality.
You can send an image from one to the other and share some plugins, but
that’s about it. Both use lots of system resources, so I would not
recommend leaving them open simultaneously since all operations slow down
noticeably. This may be less obvious with a faster CPU. It will not
surprise me if ImageReady
functions are gradually incorporated into PhotoShop.
Another shortcoming is that the
toolbar, while a nice new addition, is not customizable. It would be
helpful if you could add often-used commands and functions. Those who use Extensis
Phototools to provide that feature are out of luck - this software is
not compatible with PS6.
A more aggravating problem is the
“Layer style” or “Blending options” palettes. They took a while to
appear (I timed from 22 to 88 seconds) and during that time PhotoShop is
unresponsive. The cursor can be moved freely, but no hourglass icon
appears to indicate activity. I thought the program froze! This might be a
video driver issue, as I tried another machine with a different card and
had only a brief delay. My investigation continues.
Adobe blows yet another
opportunity to add plugin management features (Wake up guys!). Many of us
have amassed a large collection over the years. Remember that plugins use
RAM, so there is no sense having your huge collection of web plugins
loaded if you’re working on a product shot for a catalog. Two companies
have come out with standalone plugin managers that worked with earlier
versions and should be ok with 6.0 since they run outside of PhotoShop.
They are: Plugin Manager 2.0 by I.C.NET Software (www.icnet.de/intl/pm2inf.html),
and Plugin Commander 1.51 by
Harald Heim (http://thepluginsite.com/).
I tested an earlier version of Plugin
Manager and was pleased with its capabilities.
I made a few sample images in PS6
and opened them with PhotoShop 5
to see what happens. Most layer effects remain intact. Texture effects did
not, and the annotation made with the Notes tool was gone. Any missing PS6
attributes are lost permanently when resaved from version 5. PhotoShop
4 lost all the layer effects. This loss of information between
versions will be an issue if you collaborate with others.
The user guide is 434 pages, broken down into chapters
covering the various functions of the software. It includes tutorials for
first time users and notes on significant changes for repeat users. There
is an index in the back to assist in finding topics, but some index
entries say only “see online help.” I have used various versions of
PhotoShop since the mid-90’s and there’s always a new trick to learn
so check bookstores and the Internet for more information. Visit Adobe’s
Photoshop Expert Center online. There are also many simplified aftermarket
books available to supplement the manual, and I recommend one if you have
no prior experience with PhotoShop. A “Quick reference card” that lists the most common
keystrokes is also included. The user guide is also in PDF (portable
document format) on the software CD for reading on screen. An html-based
help guide is also accessible from the program.
PhotoShop remains the king of the
image editors, but power has a price. It needs CPU speed and memory to run
its best, and has a steep learning curve. It’s also expensive, and in no
time you’ll have spent another 500 dollars on all the neat plugins that
are available. If that scares you, Adobe has several programs with similar
functions that might make a better start for the beginner: PhotoShop LE,
PhotoDeluxe, and the upcoming PhotoShop Elements. Jasc Software’s Paint
Shop Pro is also a good starting point.
Other Goodies
The install CD contains some
sample or demo plugins from several software companies. Also included is a
30-day trial copy of GoLive 5, Adobe’s high-end website builder.
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