Adobe Photoshop Camera Raw 4.1 for Photoshop CS3 is now available for download (Mac | Win) from Adobe.com.  In addition to supporting 13 new cameras, this release brings welcome improvements to sharpening and noise reduction.  Jeff Schewe has posted a great & highly detailed overview of what’s new. If you want the cheap n’ cheerful overview, here’s what the Read Me* file has to say:

Clarity
New Control available in the Basic panel. Clarity adds depth to an image by increasing local contrast. When using this setting, it is best to zoom in to 100% or greater. To maximize the effect, increase the setting until you see halos near the edge details of the image, and then reduce the setting slightly.

Sharpening Improvements:
Additional controls available in the Detail panel. The zoom level must be set to 100% or greater in order to view the effects of these controls.

Amount
Adjusts edge definition. Increase the Amount value to increase sharpening. A value of zero turns off sharpening. In general, set Amount to a lower value for cleaner images. The adjustment locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels based on the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify. Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging this slider to view the sharpening on a grayscale preview.

Radius
Adjusts the size of the details that sharpening is applied to. Photos with very fine details may need a lower radius setting. Photos with larger details may be able to use a larger radius. Using too large a radius will generally result in unnatural looking results. Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging this slider to preview the radius effect on edge definition.

Detail
Adjusts how much high-frequency information is sharpened in the image and how much the sharpening process emphasizes edges. Lower settings primarily sharpen edges to remove blurring. Higher values are useful for making the textures in the image more pronounced.

Masking
Controls an edge mask. With a setting of zero, everything in the image receives the same amount of sharpening. With a setting of 100, sharpening is mostly restricted to those areas near the strongest edges. Press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) while dragging this slider to see the areas to be sharpened (white) versus the areas masked out (black).

* Hah–I will get someone to read the contents of a Read Me!  (Talk about an ironic name. Those things are like reader-repellents.)

Maybe it’s the BBQ warming up next to me, but I’ve got weird sculpture (food-based and otherwise) on the brain:

• Jennifer Maestre makes amazing pencil sculptures. [Via Reen Bodo]
• Crazy for Corks provides examples (crazy and otherwise) of how to reuse wine corks. [Via]
• You may have been a good smuggler once, but now you’re dark chocolate… Find out how to make a Han-Solo-in-carbonite chocolate bar.  (There’s also a queso version, si quieres.) [Via]
• If that’s up your alley, check out this life sized cake-Skoda (and accompanying TV spot).
• Cara Barer photographs books turned into sculpture.
• Devorah Sperber plays visual tricks using spools of thread. [Via Clare McLean]

Wherever possible & useful, Adobe apps try to share code libraries that enhance integration.  By picking up Photoshop and Illustrator libraries, for example, Flash CS3 is able to import & convert these apps’ files, much like After Effects, Premiere Pro, and other apps that use the libraries.

InDesign has long been able to place PSD and AI files, even turning on and off layers, applying layer comps, etc. to reconfigure files on the fly.  In CS3, however, InDesign has also integrated the code that enables Photoshop layer effects (glows, bevels, drop shadows, and more).  This means that you can apply these effects to native InDesign artwork, making it possible to apply & adjust effects without bouncing back to Photoshop.  Over on CreativePro.com, Anne-Marie Concepcion & Pariah Burke talk about ways to take advantage of these capabilities. 

If there are other places you’d like to see the apps share code, please let us know.

Takin’ it to the streets (no Michael McDonald required):

• Kiev’s Інтересні казки ("interesting cases") crew produces all kinds of bright graffiti.  More images are here.  [Via]
• If you enjoy that work, check out Brazilian twins Os Gemeos.
• Time Magazine–not usually the go-to source for fresh urban style–offers a gallery of street art. [Via]
• Dan Witz creates delicate works on walls, like this one from his hummingbirds series. (Note the airbrushed shadow.)  Gotta love this big adverb, too.
• "Urban primitive" artist Billy has created an art car for Hyundai.

Like your computer desktop, but wish it were a more insane chromatic freakout?  You’re in luck: a variety of CS3 wallpapers are available via Terry White’s Creative Suite podcast site.  Also available: closing eyes, mashing fists into eye sockets, enjoying the fireworks. 😉
(FWIW, I dig the aesthetic; I just dig busting chops a little, too.)

Adobe Bridge is designed to be highly extensible–first via JavaScript and HTML, and now (in CS3) via Flash/Flex SWF files.  SWFs can function as panels inside Bridge, letting developers write network-aware modules that can leverage the full power of Bridge (previewing images, reading/writing metadata, etc.).  Bridge PM Gunar Penikis has posted a useful example of a SWF extending Bridge:

Once loaded into the Bridge startup scripts folder, the BridgeExportToJPEG extension will demonstrate a Flash UI panel in Bridge (screenshot) that is functional in driving Bridge to create JPEGs and manipulate XMP metadata. All the thumbnails that are created in Bridge are JPEG based, so it is possible to export these thumbnails as JPEGs — for example if you want to create a JPEG catalog, or quickly send JPEGs of your RAW files.

To install this extension in Bridge, download it, then launch Bridge, go into Preferences, choose Startup Scripts, and then press Reveal to pop the folder open in your Finder/Explorer.  Then drag the script & SWF into that folder & relaunch Bridge.  It’ll then be possible to show the panel by choosing Window->Show Export to JPEG.

Granted, the interface is "engineer art" (less polished than what you’d generally find in an Adobe app), and it’s possible you’ll run into bugs/limitations.  Even so, we think the component offers some useful functionality, as well as source code you can modify as you’d like.  Thanks to Bridge team member David Franzen for whipping it up.

For more info on extending Bridge, check out the Bridge SDK.  For more examples of Flash extending Bridge, stay tuned.

Photographer, author, and scripter Ben Long has updated his popular set of AppleScripts, taking the Photoshop Action Pack to version 3.5–adding CS3 compatibility and a new action in the process:

The Photoshop Action Pack lets you
control Photoshop CS, CS2 and now CS3 from Apple’s Automator,
allowing you to create complex automated image processing workflows.
Through Automator’s drag-and-drop interface, you can easily build
stand-alone applications, droplets, Finder plug-ins and watch folders
that automate all sorts of normally tedious operations. With the
addition of the Photoshop Action Pack, you can use Automator to drive
Photoshop.

As with previous versions, the Photoshop Action Pack v3.5 is
free, although donations are gratefully received through an attractive PayPal button.

On a semi-related note, Ben has also posted an interesting article containing tips on night photography.  I could stand to take some of this advice, in order not to produce more images that look like they’ve been doused in soggy Fruity Pebbles. (At least they’re good for testing noise reduction technologies.)

• onOne, the publishers of resizing tool Genuine Fractals and other Photoshop plug-ins, have gone native with their tools, offering Universal Binary versions of Mask Pro, PhotoFrame Pro, and Intellihance Pro along with Genuine Fractals.  They’re offering some free UB updates as well as a plug-in suite that includes all four tools.
• The file transfer experts at YouSendIt have created a Photoshop plug-in that automates the process of sending large files, directly from Photoshop.  Sounds pretty cool, though I haven’t gotten to check it out.  I’ve always wanted a way inside Photoshop and other tools to say, "Okay, these three open files–bang, send ’em to my client, zero fuss."

Last year the Adobe Web team integrated the former Macromedia and Adobe Exchanges into a single content repository.  A number of customers complained about slow performance and difficulty navigating the new site, so the Web team has been hard at work conducting interviews & building a revised system.  The new Adobe Exchange launched today as a beta, using an HTML interface in place of the former SWF UI.  (You can find Photoshop-related content here.)  If you have feedback for the Web team, please let them know via the Exchange forum.

We’ve often heard Photoshop namechecked in pop culture, from The Daily Show to CSI, Desperate Housewives to Casino Royale.  Until now, however, I hadn’t seen it appear in a novel. Photoshop staffer Zorana Gee reports,

I was reading Douglas Coupland‘s new book (JPod) on my flight home from
Michigan and was pleasantly surprised to find that on page 258 is a
reference to most of Photoshop 7.0 engineers and managers (taken from the
splash screen).

His book is filled with random and often gratuitous references to many
mundane things we often face/see/are bombarded with in this ‘internet-era’ –
so our splash screen names have managed to infiltrate into the subconscious
minds of our customers…cool. 🙂

Say it with me: Seetharaman Narayanan, Seetharaman Narayanan… 😉

In the last few days, a couple of people have remarked that they’ve purchased Photoshop CS3, only to realize later that they really want Photoshop Extended.  There’s no upgrade path that lets you go CS3->CS3 Extended for less than the price of the CS2->Extended upgrade, but you do have another option: Adobe Customer Service can work with you to return your standard license, then purchase an upgrade to Extended instead.  They point out that only customers within the 30-day money back guarantee window can return/swap product; more details on that.

The crew behind Filter Forge, the Photoshop plug-in that lets you roll your own filters, have announced three new versions of the application.  Filter Forge consists of a node-based editor used for assembling a series of mathematical operations into a filter.  $99 gets you access to the repository of community-generated filters; $199 gets you standard filter creation; and $299 buys the ability to enable more advanced modules (e.g. 32-bit processing).  I haven’t gotten to try it yet myself (no Mac version yet, as far as I can see, and I’ve yet to install Parallels or the like), but I love the idea of democratizing the creation and sharing of Photoshop components.

The Help files that ship with Adobe products seem to catch a lot of slings and arrows from users.  There are some fair points to be made, and one small team of writers can never be as specific, detailed, or personable as the many third-party books out there.  This is especially true when the Adobe writers are trying to finish their work far in advance of shipping the product, in order to have time to localize the content into multiple languages.

The reality is that the people using the apps day in and day out (y’know, real customers) are likely to have plenty of good ideas and info to contribute. Recognizing this, the documentation team is now publishing the help content via LiveDocs–the user-editable Web publishing system rolled out by Macromedia. This has two important results:

• Adobe help content is now accessible via search engines.  So, even if you think the Help menu is made of Kryptonite and prefer to look for documentation online, high-ranking hits from the Adobe materials can be found there.
• More interestingly, the content is open to comments from users. On this page, for example, user Shangara Singh asks for clarification about noise reduction in Camera Raw, drawing a reply from the documentation team.  Elsewhere people can flesh out topics, add tips, and so forth.  I plan to do so myself in a few spots.

Like most things, this is just one step, but I really like the direction of baking more community into our apps.  Whether it’s help content, scripts, palettes, or anything else, we have to get out of the business of Adobe trying to do everything & make it easier for people with the know-how to share it with one another.  More thoughts on that to follow.

I knew the training and documentation folks had been busy, but I didn’t realize to what degree: more than 200 short videos covering the CS3 family are online in the Adobe Design Center video workshop.  You can also tap into this content via the desktop by using Bridge Home (screenshot).

I’m pleased to relay the news that 30-day tryout versions of the Creative Suite 3 family are available for download from Adobe.com.  (Photoshop Extended is here.)   Only English versions are ready at the moment, but other language versions should follow in a few weeks, via the same URLs.

Russell Brown has a certain Jobsian knack for not only seeing interesting possibilities, but for getting folks to jump in on his crazy little journeys.  A few months back, Photoshop 3D engineer Pete Falco and I accompanied Russell on a field trip to Monterey, CA-based Cyberware.  There Steve Addleman was most hospitable as he scanned our domes (pix here), turning them into digital files compatible with Photoshop CS3 Extended (quick clip of Russell’s gourd spinning in PS).

Ah, but why stop there when you can look fantastic in plastic, thanks to a 3D printing machine?  Russell persuaded Steve Chapman of Gentle Giant Studios to then render our busts, leading to quite possibly the vainest objects in my entire life.  I kept trotting out the damn things at our recent housewarming ("Honey, they’re conversation pieces; they need a spotlight"), only to get them firmly shooed back into an obscure bookcase.

And yet that’s not the half of it: Russell re-teamed with these guys at last month’s ADIM conference, scanning the attendees and turning them into action figures–some 130 full color, custom made heads in all.  Right on!  The only question: How can they top it for next year?

Tangentially related at best:

• Materialise MGX produces consumer goods through what looks like an amazingly high-fidelity 3D printing process.
• Evil Mad Scientist wants to make 3D printing cheap and sweet–by printing on sugar.  [Via]
• The NYT has an interesting article about rapid prototyping, but I waited too long to post it and now it’s behind a subscriber login.  I’m providing the link in case you have access.
• Speaking of 3D heads, Hoss Gifford’s got a whole chorus of ’em fashioned into a synthesizer.
• And speaking of unusual heads, here’s Oliver Laric’s rendered in IMG tags. (Try resizing your browser window and watching the effect.)

ImageReady is dead; long live ImageReady.

The Web optimization companion to Photoshop has reached the end of its road with the arrival of CS3.  ImageReady 1.0 introduced great new capabilities in 1998 (cutting literally hours per project from the Photoshop->DeBabelizer->GIFBuilder process my shop had been using)–something for which I’ll always be grateful.  In the time since then, however, customers made it clear that they wanted IR’s functionality inside Photoshop*.

The vast majority of what debuted in ImageReady (slicing, N-up optimization, multi-layer selection, variables, animation, frames to layers, etc.) has, by popular demand, been integrated into Photoshop.  A few remaining things (image-based rollovers, Web content palette, SWF export) haven’t made the journey.  Therefore Adobe tech support has created a document that details what is & isn’t in Photoshop CS3, noting where to find things & suggesting alternate ways to get certain functionality (e.g. rollovers).

*Incidentally, for the conspiracy-minded out there, it’s worth noting that we decided to migrate IR into Photoshop & to discontinue it as a standalone app right after the CS1 cycle (late 2003)–and not, in other words, because of Adobe acquiring Macromedia and Fireworks.

The folks behind the Adobe CS3 Creative License Conferences have asked for a little help in spreading the word, so I’m passing along detailed info in this post’s extended entry.  Synopsis: there are one-day sessions in six N. American cities between now and mid-June ($79), plus two-day sessions in NY and LA towards the end of June ($199).  Beyond training, attendees will receive access to Lynda.com resources, discounts to Adobe Max, and more.  Read on for the full details.

Continue reading →

Q. Can I switch my product from Windows to Mac or vice-versa?
A. Yes. Just call Adobe Customer Service (800-833-6687 in the US; 020 7365 0733 in the UK; more country-by-country numbers here) for assistance. The process, as I understand it, involves signing an agreement stating that you’ve destroyed the product on one platform, and in return Adobe will send you the product for the other platform.  According to the service folks, there may be a cost involved; verification of product is required; and restrictions apply.
 
Q. Why are Customer Service hold times so long?
A. The CS3 launch is far and away the single biggest in Adobe’s history, and during the first week or so I heard many stories of long waits on hold.  I’m not surprised that the phone lines were slammed, and although I’m not hearing the reports now, you may want to open a Web support case instead of calling, or contact us during non-peak business hours.

Q. I purchased a CS2 product after CS3 was announced.  Do I qualify for a free upgrade to CS3?
A. Yes. Again, call Customer Service in your region to discuss the details. Verification of CS2 product is required and restrictions apply.  When in doubt, call; these folks are there help.

Here’s one of the weirder applications of Photoshop (and Premiere): using the archaic Filmstrip file format (do we even still support that? apparently so) together with a desktop inkjet & box cutter, Jesse England was able to print his own Super 8 & 16 film. Madness! (The results remind me a little of the fetishization of the lo-fi PXL-2000.) [Via Gary Cohen]

Elsewhere in the world of because-we-can printing, the crew at Evil Mad Scientist has created a CNC (computer numerical control) toaster, good for burning one’s face onto bread.  (I wonder if Epson will start making archival-quality papadums.)  These guys link to a similar project at Olin College, this time using a laser to put Elvis onto white bread (goes great with PB, bacon, and banana, I’m told).  Oh, and you can use lasers to geek out your matza–guaranteed to repel any potential mate within 50m. [Via John Peterson]

[Mentioned previously: Your Name On Toast]