Features
If I recall correctly, the previous version of Photoshop (11.0, called CS4) was released in September 2008. Its successor came swiftly. As many of you probably know, on the 12nd April 2010, the latest version has been announced. It is now in pre-order state, but there are teaser videos and feature articles available. This will be yet another one of those. The brand new features of the product are already known, so we'll go over those in this article.
Enhanced RAW converter Photoshop has been containing Adobe Camera RAW for a long time now, which enables conversion of RAW files from common camera models to more image formats. The converter is usually updatable over time. After versions v5.xx, CS5 includes v6.00 with even more vignette options and more advanced noise filtering, which does non-destructive noise reduction while retaining color information and details. It is high time for it, and we're dying to see this non-destructive stuff. Apart from that, the converter will also include a plausible film grain effect resembling true analog photos.
Are we looking forward to it? Starving for it, actually, because of better noise filtering.
Enhanced lens correction Different lens correction tools were available in the past as well, curing lens errors like chromatic aberration, geometric distortion and vignetting. However, you had to use these manually. CS5, on the other hand, will support camera model-based automatic correction, which means that the application will be able to do correction work independently, based on EXIF camera and lens data.
Are we looking forward to it? Moderately. This is not an indispensable feature, but it can indeed make your job easier.
New horizon adjustment tool The Straighten Tool will help you adjust your photos which happened to be a bit askew. Photoshop Elements already contains a similar feature, now it will be available in the bigger brother as well.
Are we looking forward to it? As such problems can be solved easily in other ways, this is not much of a boon.
Better selection edge management Photoshop lets you cut objects from photos a thousand different ways, but these provide a varying degree of accuracy with complex objects like hair. Judging by the published videos, the new edge management will be a huge step forward. The algorithm is told to be able to distinguish wanted areas from the rest to a much better degree. This is what the ads say, but only actual trial will tell the last word.
Are we looking forward to it? Terribly, with a hint of suspicion.
New brush management features There's a Mixer Brush Tool which can merge different brushes to provide hitherto unseen variations. This means more paint-like effects can be achieved by a few strokes.
Are we looking forward to it? Moderately. The dextrous and those with an affinity for painting should be excited.
Enhanced HDR capabilities Combining multiple photos with different exposure levels to get a HDR picture was not a difficult task in previous versions either, but it was a bit too automatic. You could not control much details. Now, many attributes of combined pictures can be modified before saving, such as gamma, exposure, or details, but you can also sharpen the image or get rid of ghosts caused by little motion differences.
Are we looking forward to it? Moderately. It is not something you use on a daily level, but it can come handy sometimes.
Content-aware fill This tool had precursors like the Patch Tool or the Clone Stamp, but Adobe promises a much more advanced thing now. If you want to remove an element from the picture, you just have to select it roughly, and Content-Aware Fill will fill the area with a pattern that matches the selection's environment. There are plugins which offer similar tools, but they are not very accurate while being horribly slow. We don't expect the new Photoshop feature to be much faster, but we do want it to give better results.
Are we looking forward to it? Can't wait!
Puppet Warp Now this is a rather interesting tool! It lets you create tilt points on any object—such as elbows, ankles and necks on a human body. Using the tilt points, Photoshop is able to distort the picture realistically, which means a head, arm or leg can be turned, or a tree bent while retaining the natural look.
Are we looking forward to it? More than moderately, although the frequency of practical use is unclear.
Enhanced B&W conversion Previous versions included similar features, and with a small practice, the same could be achieved in ancient PS releases as well. This enhancement offers help for beginners and those short on time to convert color images to black and white. The news tell of many templates and a new Lab BW action.
Are we looking forward to it? Moderately.
Easier UI plus GPU based tools If you have a strong computer, your work will become even more spectacular than in previous versions. Adobe offers a heap of small enhancements: easier layer property adjustment, a spectacular on-screen color selection wheel, fluid mouse-controlled zooming, crop markers with a Rule of Thirds grid, and so on.
The new Photoshop CS5 release contains many other small enhancements which we'll only mention:
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Support for 64-bit platforms on Mac in addition to Windows.
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Better Lightroom-Photoshop cooperation.
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Better media management (Adobe Mini Bridge module)
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Adobe CS Review module
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Even more simplified UI customization
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Enhanced printing capabilities
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