In November Adobe announced Creative Cloud subscriptions, a new combination of CS desktop apps, cloud services, and touch tools. Unfortunately, on the whole we’ve done a poor job of explaining the real benefits to customers, leading to considerable confusion & concern. I’m sorry for the pain that’s resulted.

First, let’s be clear: Adobe does well when you do well.  Subscriptions have to be good for customers, or they’re not going to be good for Adobe–period.

What sucks is that the very real advantages of subscriptions (most notably, faster access to feature improvements) have gotten drowned out by the perceived disadvantages.  The whole story is clumsy because Adobe hasn’t announced a CS6 version, or any real details about pricing, etc.  Now’s not the time for that (sorry–I wish we could share more right now), so I can only ask for your patience.  Subscriptions will be more interesting & attractive than you might think, so please stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I’m pleased to say that Adobe has announced a new introductory upgrade offer for customers using CS3/CS4:

• The old deal: If you were on CS4 or earlier at the time CS6 shipped, getting a subscription would be the only way to upgrade to CS6.
• The new deal: If you’re on CS3 or CS4 when CS6 ships, you’ll have until the end of 2012 to upgrade to CS6.  You can of course choose a subscription option, and we think you’ll want to.
• Bottom line: During 2012, you don’t have to buy CS5 just to buy CS6.

As I say, please do stay tuned, and please let us know what you think.

Adobe has posted a tech note, “Known Issues with Adobe products on Mac OS 10.7 Lion,” detailing incompatibilities discovered to date. The only Photoshop-specific issue noted is that droplets don’t work. Please see the document for other product details.

Update: Here’s the Creative Suite FAQ on the subject.
Update 2: I’ve seen mentions of “Licensing has stopped working” errors. These appeared in Snow Leopard as well. Please see this tech doc for details.

I know exceedingly well how sensitive people are about their software making connections to the net, and that’s perfectly reasonable.  In Photoshop CS4 & CS5, you can choose Preferences->Plug-Ins, then uncheck “Allow Extensions to Connect to the Internet.” If you’re a system administrator & want more control over how and when Adobe apps can connect, these tech docs may be useful to you:

• Disable CS Live internet access from CS5 applications
• Disable internet access from CS5 Community Help Client
• Disabling Adobe Application Manager automatic updates for CS5 applications

The Photoshop CS4 11.0.2 update (download for Mac | Win) addresses a number of critical issues and vulnerabilities discovered after the product shipped. According to the download page,

Critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 and earlier for Windows and Macintosh that could allow an attacker who successfully exploits these vulnerabilities to take control of the affected system. A malicious .ASL (swatch), .ABR (brush), or .GRD (gradient) file must be opened in Photoshop CS4 by the user for an attacker to be able to exploit these vulnerabilities. Adobe recommends Photoshop CS4 customers update to Photoshop CS4 11.0.2, which resolves these issues.

These issues do not affect Photoshop CS5.

I sometimes hear requests for an easier way to migrate one’s settings from one version of Photoshop to another, or to share settings among users. To that end, Photoshop engineer Tai Luxon has whipped up a little script you may find handy:

I wrote a script to enable simple importing and exporting of Photoshop workspaces. This is a side project with limited testing, so the usual disclaimers apply. It should work in both CS4 and CS5 (although it is a little more robust in CS5), so you can use it to migrate workspaces from CS4 to CS5 in addition to using it to enable easier sharing of CS5 workspaces between machines/people. Please let me know of any snags that you run into and if this is useful.

To run the script, choose “File->Scripts->Browse…” from with Photoshop, then browse to the script’s location on disk.
[Update: Tai has revised the script to deal with an issue related to invalid font styles, and I’ve posted the revision at the link above.]

Inspired by a Photoshop-box-as-mask photo* I posted recently, artist Phillip Valedez worked with Adobe creative director Russell Brown to create a rather terrific “feathered mask,” using only Photoshop CS4 boxes:

(Click for a larger view.)
Feathered selections/masks, incidentally, were one of the killer features of the original Photoshop–released 20 years ago this week!
Here’s a quick time lapse of Phillip at work:

* Sorry that I can’t give the original creator credit, as the photo came to me without attribution.

I still see a fair number of people searching for info about Photoshop’s semi-retired Contact Sheet feature. This 1-minute video shows how it’s been replaced with a better alternative in Bridge CS4:

Ever wanted to quickly show an art director or client a work in progress in Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.? Here’s how to do it (1-minute demo):

Be honest: you had no idea you could do this, right?

Adobe has posted an FAQ discussing Creative Suite support for Microsoft Windows 7. For more detailed technical info, see the technote on “Installing and using Windows 7 with Adobe applications.”
Adobe’s support policy for Windows 7 is the same as it is for Mac OS X Snow Leopard: test and focus on the currently shipping versions of software, while also performing some testing on older versions. Hopefully the wording of this FAQ is clearer than the Snow Leopard version was initially.

Last week’s Adobe MAX conference featured some great Photoshop-related sessions. Here are a few picks that might be of interest. (Full-screen viewing is always recommended.)
Photoshop CS4 Hidden Gems…including Configurator, Pixel Bender, DNG Profile Editor and more with Bryan O’Neil Hughes

How To Work Creatively With 3D In Photoshop CS4 Extended with Zorana Gee [Actually starts at the 9-minute mark; I don’t know why these things aren’t trimmed at all before they’re posted]

The Essentials of Image Enhancement for Web & Flash Designers
with Michael Ninness

If you’re tempted to check out Adobe MAX in LA but haven’t yet pulled the trigger, check out the range of discounts available on attendance, transportation, and lodging. MAX is always an incredible show, and we hope to see you there.
Update: I forgot to mention that my fellow PMs will be presenting some great sessions on Photoshop. From the session guides:

Adam Savage digs Bridge CS4:

Bridge, which Savage calls “crazy useful,” helps him manage the tens of thousands of images on his Mac, both those he’s acquired from other sources to squirrel away for later reference and those he’s shot with his Canon 5D Mark II. He’s up to Adobe CS4 and wouldn’t give up Bridge without a serious fight. “I hated the first version of it, because it was choking up blood on my computer. With 40,000 photos, start asking something to look at them all, it starts dying. The functionality has improved so much since then.”

Cool! [Via Tom McRae]

The new Mac OS X 10.5.8 update fixes a bug that could cause Photoshop to crash when editing a raw image placed as a Smart Object. The (very brief) Adobe technote on the subject links to the 10.5.8 download locations.

If you’re thinking of attending Adobe MAX this fall, know that you can save $400 off the price of admission by buying software through the Adobe.com online store. Check out the details.
[ Note: This discount applies only to purchases made in the US. I know that sucks for folks based elsewhere. From recent experience I can tell you that cross-border pricing, promotions, etc. have a way of becoming nightmarishly complex. ]

Photoshop CS4 unfortunately contains a bug that interferes with running batch printing via actions. Fortunately it’s easy to work around the problem via a script, downloadable from Adobe.com. See this tech note for the script & instructions.

Photographer/author/developer Ben Long has posted a new beta of his Photoshop Automator Actions. He writes,

This 4.0 collection currently only supports CS4 and has a number of bug fixes, and 6 new actions.

Like previous versions of the Action Pack, this collection of Automator Actions lets you drive Photoshop from Apple’s Automator. These are not actions that you can run from within Photoshop’s Actions palette. This is a Mac-only product that allows you to build automated workflows that can go beyond what Photoshop’s built-in actions provide.

Ben is looking for feedback (bugs, etc.) on the new version. For more info on what the Action Pack does, see his earlier post.

In case you’ve missed it, the CS4 versions of Flash, Fireworks, and InDesign have received updates in the last couple of weeks.

• Flash PM Richard Galvan lists the issues addressed in the Flash release, including performance problems & crashes.
• InDesign’s 6.0.2 update (download for Mac, Win) includes the cumulative fixes from the 6.0.1 update (posted in February). For a list of fixes, check out its release notes (PDF), plus info on previous updates.
• Of the Fireworks update, newly minted Fireworks PM Bruce Bowman writes, “This updater fixes the most common bugs that we know about in Fireworks CS4, including numerous text shifting problems, stability issues on Mac and Windows, and bugs related to pasting text from Microsoft Office applications. The team would like to thank you for your patience as we developed this updater.” Here are the full release notes (PDF).

A few months back I mentioned that developer Anastasiy Safari had created a panel-based color picker (screenshot) for Photoshop CS4. He’s updated it a few times, adding features like the ability to specify CMYK values.
The latest version (1.4) is available for download from his site & adds the ability to hide/show the numerical readout area & squashes some bugs. After downloading the file, unzip it and drag the folder into your Adobe Photoshop CS4/Plug-Ins/Panels folder, then relaunch Photoshop and look under Window->Extensions.

I’ve previously noted the following points, but as I continue to encounter folks who haven’t found this info, I thought it would be worth repeating:

1. If you’re using Photoshop CS4 and can’t find Extract, Contact Sheet, Picture Package, Web Photo Gallery, you can download & install them: Mac, Win.
2. If you want to create/edit a Curves adjustment layer in CS4 via a dialog box, you can use this panel (screenshot)*.
3. If you don’t like the CS4 changes to keyboard shortcuts for channels, download this plug-in (Mac)/registry entry (Win).
4. If touching your MacBook Pro trackpad produces unwanted canvas rotation/zooming, you can use this plug-in to disable that feature.
5. You can drag and drop layers between document tabs in CS4; you just need to start the drag from the document surface, not from the Layers panel. (I know, the latter behavior should work, and we’ll work on improving it in the future.)

If I might ask a favor of you: if you hear people complaining about any/all of this stuff, please refer them to this URL (or directly to the ones linked above). I greatly appreciate your help in spreading useful info.

* In case you have trouble installing the panel via Extension Manager, you can download this plain-zipped version, then unzip it and drag the resulting “Curves – Dialog” folder into your “Adobe Photoshop CS4/Plug-Ins/Panels” directory.

I know this is an incredibly specific thing to blog about, but as it recently affected me, I thought I’d mention it: If you’re using Photoshop CS4 on a new MacBook Pro (as I am; thanks, ‘Dobe), I recommend turning on the beefy GPU (graphics card) you paid for.
The new MBPs ship with two GPUs, and they default to running the lower-power embedded GPU that’s also in these machines. You have to switch on the faster one by choosing System Preferences->Energy Saver, then setting Graphics to “Higher performance.” Doing so requires logging out of the machine–kind of a drag.
I made the switch, and I see a noticeable difference in the smoothness of rotating the canvas & zooming. There’s a very large difference when running the Pixel Bender Gallery plug-in. In terms of battery life, I haven’t been able to notice a difference. Apple.com shows the higher-power GPU taking battery life from 8 to 7 hours. I wasn’t getting anything like 8 hours of life using the slower GPU (more typically 3-4 with WiFi on, maybe 5-6 with it off), so I’d read those number in percentage terms (i.e. the faster GPU should cost you something like 12% battery life). Were I taking a cross-country flight, I’d switch off WiFi & revert to using the lower-power GPU.

If you’re interested in learning more about what’s in Photoshop CS4 for photographers (see previous detailed overview) and/or more about Lightroom 2.0, these live online seminars may be up your alley:

Adobe® Lightroom® 2

• Thursday, April 9, 2009, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM US/Pacific

Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 for photography

• Thursday, April 23, 2009, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM US/Pacific

Adobe® Lightroom® 2

• Thursday, May 7, 2009, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM US/Pacific

Adobe Photoshop CS4 + Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 – The pro photo solution

• Thursday, May 14, 2009, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM US/Pacific

This series is designed for professional photographers and photography enthusiasts.

Check out the site for details & registration info.

In the comments section of my post about the Wacom Intuos4, I noticed an interesting comment from brushing engineer Jerry Harris:

If you are holding out on that CS4 upgrade, this tablet might entice you to reconsider. The Photoshop code that interacts with tablets had a great deal of elbow grease applied to it. The result is improved quality at the beginning and end of strokes, as well as improved response to pressure. PS now preserves pressure beyond 8-bit throughout the painting code, whereas before CS4, only 256 levels (8-bits) made its way to this code. This should be more evident when working in 16-bit layers where subtle buildup can occur in the buffers used during painting.

I need to add this point to the list of small-but-important enhancements listed in “CS4: Sweating the Details.”