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]

Security firm Secunia has reported a vulnerability with Photoshop CS2 and CS3, whereby a malformed bitmap file (.BMP, .DIB, .RLE) could cause a buffer overflow in the application.  Unfortunately I don’t have more useful info to add at the moment, and I’m heading to Death Valley for the weekend & will be out of the loop for a bit.  I’ll post more details as I get them.  In the meantime, I’d suggest steering clear of files in these formats created by unknown/untrusted parties.  (The good news here is that the formats are pretty uncommonly used in Photoshop, to the point where I can’t remember the last time a customer mentioned them to me.)

I was really pleased to hear film & video peeps’ response to Photoshop Extended last week at NAB, and today we got some more good news: NewBay Media (publishers of Digital Cinematography, DV Magazine, and more) awarded Photoshop CS3 Extended their "Vidy" & "Top Innovation" awards.  Thanks, guys!  Meanwhile Adobe Soundbooth took home DV’s Black Diamond award.

As long as we’re being a little immodest, I’ve seen some other great comments in recent days:

• "It’s simple, really," writes Jim Heid in Macworld. "If digital imaging is an important part of your creative life, you’ll want Adobe Photoshop CS3. The new version provides so many improvements in so many areas that no serious digital photographer, video artist, or designer should be without it" [emphasis added].
• "This upgrade is a no-brainer if you’re a regular Photoshop user," says CreativePro’s Ben Long. "The combination of enhancements to staple features, such as Curves and the Clone Stamp, combined with powerful new additions like the Black and White conversion and Camera Raw enhancements, mean that there’s something for everyone in this update."
• PC World lists Photoshop among "The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time."
• Elsewhere, MacDirectory had this to say about Adobe as a whole:
• "Beyond all the products enhancements and features revealed at the CS3 launch, the one thing that made the strongest and possibly most important impression was Adobe’s attitude. They retained all the enthusiasm and drive of a company that’s battling for market share. They know what their customers need and they deliver that and far more. With each new version, their products are not only richer, but also faster. They are not only a market leader, but remain one of the market’s leading innovators. When Adobe required Macromedia, many of us were concerned that the sudden lack of competition in the electronic design marketplace would lead to a creative lull in product development. Instead, it appears that the energies of two great companies have combined to bring us even more dramatic advancements."
• And lastly, I spied some nice props on the forum : "Chris Cox, I promise you that you will have made a massive contribution to the field of astrophotography with the release of CS3. Your new image stacking + stitching algorithm is going to allow for immense advances in alignment, noise correction, and overall image optimization. This is a hugely powerful tool, and a significant advance over currently available software. I can tell you personally that it will likely save me several hundred manhours of labor per year. Can’t wait to get my hands on a fresh copy. Thanks Chris – this is going to be marked as a watershed moment in astrophotography development."

This all seems to be going over well, according to the analysts at PiperJaffray who surveyed customers at this month’s sold-out Photoshop World. [Via Scott Kelby]

Having worked at a couple of interactive ad shops, I’m always interested in seeing what’s being created these days:

• Pepsi is running a contest to design the next Pepsi can (more info in the press release). Watching the site, my wife remarked, "Now there’s a sound I don’t like to hear in isolation–that wet, pouring sound…"
• Speaking of unique packaging, Nintendo is offering a chance to win custom-painted Wii consoles. [Via]
• How about a scrumptious Whopper?  Er, maybe not: food photography, advertising vs. reality. [Via]
• In response to visual chaos, São Paulo goes ad-free, with eerie results (photo set). [Via].  I’m headed there in two weeks & will keep my eyes peeled for the lack of ads.  In a somewhat similar (but voluntary) vein, Clear Channel is trying out commercial radio without the commercials.
• Lastly, here’s a solid–and I do mean solid–ad for Reynolds Wrap.

By now we’ve probably talked your ear off about the useful things enabled by Photoshop’s layer alignment code–snapping together two or more layers, making it easy to blend group photos, for example; stitching together complex panoramas; and making crisper HDR merges.

After attending NAB this week, however, Photoshop engineer Mike Clifton came up with a crafty (and, to be honest, not "as-designed") use for the Auto-Align Layers command: stabilizing a chunk of video.  First, he shot some deliberately horrible footage out the window on our floor.  He then used Photoshop’s new Import Frames as Layers command* to turn the video frames into Photoshop layers.  Lastly, he selected all the frames and chose Edit->Auto-Align, telling Photoshop to line them all up.  To our surprise, the results are not half bad: check ’em out here (before, after, and cropped).

Now, to be clear, I wouldn’t sell Photoshop as a video stabilization tool, as tools like After Effects are already capable in that regard.  That said, half the fun of building this stuff is in seeing the clever ways people will deploy it, and this strikes me as one of ’em.

*Brought over from ImageReady, actually, but new to Photoshop.

After the, eh, spirited discussion of the Adobe CS3 iconography that ensued last year, I’m a little hesitant to mention the subject again.  That said, designer Adam Betts has posted an attractive set of alternate CS3 icons, free for download.  The imagery is based on the CS3 product packaging, which wasn’t publicly visible when the initial discussion of the icons transpired.  I think they’re rather handsome. [Via Mike Downey]

[Update: Flash PM Richard Galvan points out another set.
[Update 2: My not allowing comments wasn’t intentional; that’s what I get for scrambling to post during a 30-minute layover in Denver… Anyway, comments are open now.]

I’m headed to the airport at 5am Saturday morning (yeah! all glam, all the time, this gig–though I’m not complaining), off to the FITC (neé Flash in the Can) conference in Toronto.  If you’ll be there and feel like talking about Photoshop, Flash integration, or any related topics, drop me a line.  I’ll also be speaking on Monday afternoon, giving an overview of Photoshop CS3.

Adobe has posted a clean-up script for Mac that will remove vestiges of the Photoshop CS3 public beta as well as other pre-release apps.  It’s important to run this script (and not just throw the app folder into the trash!), and/or to use the application uninstaller, before installing the shipping version of CS3 apps.  An equivalent script will be posted for Windows later in the week. (I’m told that tech support is seeing fewer installation problem reports on Windows because people are used to uninstallers on that platform).

I’m attending NAB in Las Vegas at the moment, so staying on top of developments is tricky, but I’ll post more info as I get it.  Thanks for your patience as I work through approving a backlog of comments.

I’m delighted to say that the biggest and best release in Adobe’s history is now shipping!  Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Bridge, Contribute, Device Central, and Version Cue are now available via the Adobe.com store and can be downloaded in tryout form shortly.  The CS3 editions of After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Soundbooth will be shipping this summer, and they’re available as pre-release downloads from Adobe Labs.

One important note:  If you’ve installed a beta build of Photoshop, Flash, Soundbooth, or other CS3 software, you must first uninstall the app(s) before installing the shipping versions:

• On the Mac, the uninstaller is in Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers.  Note: You cannot uninstall by dragging CS3 applications to the trash; instead, you must use the uninstaller.
• On Windows XP, uninstall via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.
• On Windows Vista, in the Programs section of the Control Panel, select Uninstall a Program.

If you experience problems with the uninstall or the install, you may need to use the Adobe CS3 Clean Script which will be available within a few days. [Update: The Mac version is available now; Windows is due shortly. –J.]

//na// Whether or not the medium is the message, it certainly influences it.  People love turning computer bits into big physical forms:

• Design Observer catalogs examples of computer GUI made real (masking tape folders, huge scrollbars, etc.).
• The various "Web 2.0" trends are imagined as a supermarket in this clever video. I want to go around saying "Quakr, Quakrrrrr" but I think I’d get kicked out of the house. [Via]
• Thomas Raschke makes groovy wireframe sculptures.
• Speaking of wireframes, British artist Benedict Radcliffe has created an amazing 1:1 scale Subaru Impreza wireframe sculpture.  Not only is it not a Photoshop job; it apparently it even got a few parking tickets!  Via John Peterson, who writes "It’s s ort of an extreme example of the cursor-kite or the giant red Google pushpin."
• And speaking of vehicles, check out this life-size model car.  Having carved myself up plenty while modeling, I fear equivalently large X-Acto knives. [Via]
• And finally, for those of you that love primates and/or small Italian laborers, there’s a 4-storey Donkey Kong made from Post-It Notes. [Via Veronique Brossier]

Who knew that Pantone is into snuff films?  The company has gotten inkthirsty, urging customers to bust caps into outdated formula guides, then rewarding them for their trouble. Whoever creates the best video of colors getting clipped (ba-dum, tssch) will win an iPhone & other loot.  More info is in Pantone’s press release.  Please tell me that someone will get Sean Penn involved…

In more tranquil color-related news:

• Designer Veerle Pieters gives some good advice on picking palettes.
• Tangerine is a little Mac app that provides "a universal color palette system," making it possible to manage and apply color schemes across apps. [Via Bryan O’Neil Hughes]
• Colorstrology aims to pair you with "your personal birth color."  I, apparently, get "Azalea." Meh.  Can’t I get something cool, like Gunmetal, or White Chocolate?
• Color in Motion imagines colors as characters, acting out the qualities of each & giving a little background info.
• KolorWheel turns iPods into color scheme picker.  The idea, apparently, is that you can hold the ‘pod next to an object while picking colors.  [Via]

Now, how can I get Ice-T out of my head?

Who knew that Pantone is into snuff films?  The company has gotten inkthirsty, urging customers to bust caps into outdated formula guides, then rewarding them for their trouble. Whoever creates the best video of colors getting clipped (ba-dum, tssch) will win an iPhone & other loot.  More info is in Pantone’s press release.  Please tell me that someone will get Sean Penn involved…

In more tranquil color-related news:

• Designer Veerle Pieters gives some good advice on picking palettes.
• Tangerine is a little Mac app that provides "a universal color palette system," making it possible to manage and apply color schemes across apps. [Via Bryan O’Neil Hughes]
• Colorstrology aims to pair you with "your personal birth color."  I, apparently, get "Azalea." Meh.  Can’t I get something cool, like Gunmetal, or White Chocolate?
• Color in Motion imagines colors as characters, acting out the qualities of each & giving a little background info.
• KolorWheel turns iPods into color scheme picker.  The idea, apparently, is that you can hold the ‘pod next to an object while picking colors.  [Via]

Now, how can I get Ice-T out of my head?

Hey, you know who’d probably like multi-touch input?  Dogs, apparently.

That video reminded me of a little anecdote: Not long after I joined the Photoshop team, I was treated to the very unique experience of having Jeff Chien and Todor Georgiev (who really should start Todor & Jeff’s Image Science Hut) simultaneously trying to explain high-powered image science concepts in their respective accents (Taiwanese & Russian Bulgarian*, respectively). When I’d fail to grasp what one was saying, the other would get frustrated and break in–not exactly making things better (though not for lack of trying).  I was a little bewildered, bemused, and unable to believe that these guys would spend their time trying to educate me, of all people.

Anyway, Todor started to explain color matching by holding a CD on three fingers, saying, "It is like a table, you see?  You remove a leg, it becomes unstable…" He illustrated his points by explaining the human perceptual system, noting that whereas a person would respond to certain colors, "If I show this to a dog, the dog will not like it. I show it to a fish, the fish will not like." At that point I interrupted to say, "But Todor, we’ve already sold it to all the humans; dogs are our next target market!" "Okay okay," he replied, "You want dog version, I’ll give you dog version…"

So, do be careful what you wish for. 😉

PS–These Reactrix guys (of the dog/ball demo) have an interesting reel on their site, showing more applications of their technology.
* D’oh; Sorry, Todor, and thanks to Marc Pawliger for the correction.

On the insane off chance that you aren’t hearing enough from me already, you can tune into some new podcasts:

• Inside Digital Photo is a new program from Popular Photography & Inside Mac creator Scott Sheppard. In the latest episode (recorded at Photoshop World last week) I spoke with Scott about all things Photoshop, Bridge, Camera Raw, and Lightroom.  Scott also recently spoke with Lightroom peeps Tom Hogarty & George Jardine.
• Tips From the Top Floor is a digital photography podcast hosted by Christoph Marquardt. We chatted today about Photoshop, hitting features big and small & talking a bit about the future. (Look for the various subscription links below the intro text, or click little Play button to listen right on the page.)
• I also spoke with Justin Seeley of PhotoshopQuicktips.com, demoing some of the new CS3 features for a video podcast.  I don’t yet see it on the site, but I’d expect it to appear there soon.

Martin Evening has posted a great intro to using Photoshop CS3’s new Quick Selection tool together with the new Refine Edge* dialog.  He demonstrates using the tools together with a gradient map adjustment layer (a venerable tool that might get some "I-did-not-know-that"’s on its own) to replace the background in a photo.  Additional details, plus his downloadable PDF overview of Photoshop CS3 and Bridge, are on PhotoshopNews.com. [Via]

* What Martin quite modestly doesn’t mention is that it’s because of his urging–and engineer Jeff Chien’s late-stage efforts–that Refine Edge works not only on selections, but on channels & layer masks as well.  Seeing this demo makes me glad he talked us into it.

With all the new products Adobe is introducing, figuring out which Suite configuration(s) make sense based on your needs can be a bit challenging.  The company created a Flash-based app that lets you view configurations according to job function ("I want to make videos, plus print some stuff…"), but I like the way Web developer Mark Eagleton (not affiliated with Adobe) cuts to the chase with his little configurator: pick the apps you want & view the different pricing options for getting them.  Nice, and right to the point. (Thanks, Mark.)   [Via John Dowdell]

PS–No word yet on a CS3 Retroencabulator…

When you talk to loved ones about techy stuff, do you imagine it sounds to them something like this?  The video, pitching a device called "The Retrooencabulator," may or may not be a gag, but it’s brilliant either way.  Now, as I get ready to take a stage at Photoshop World, I can only hope my demo doesn’t sound like so much mumbo jumbo…  [Via Michael Tapes]

The vid reminds me of my first real Web job, when my company was designing a site for Brisk Iced Tea. (Remember those claymation ads?)  I was so proud that I called my folks and walked them through pulling up the site.  Even the most basic terminology can be a problem:

• Me: "Now click the window with Bruce Lee in it…"
• Them: "Oh, there’s no window."
• Me: "What?  I mean, you see Bruce Lee, right?"
• Them: "Oh yes."
• Me: "Okay, now click the window he’s in…"
• Them: "But he’s not in a window, he’s in a temple of some sort…"
• [Continue like this until I finally realize that they’re looking for a literal, physical window, and have no idea what the little box around the Web site is called.  Aaaaand, cut.]

[Update: Okay, it’s gotta be a gag; see also this Chrysler video. Sometimes during a long press tour, PMs will challenge one another to sneak little phrases into their demos (“the ol’ college try,” “gonna end in tears,” etc.), just to keep it interesting. Now I really want to hear Chad Siegel talk about InDesign’s sinusoidal magneto-reluctance…]

//na// Hitting Opt-Shift-Y*, switching to Luminosity:

• Rock and Royal makes crazy bespoke lighting–chandeliers & mosaics as skulls, pistols, globes–you name it. [Via]
• The folks at the Baltimore Museum of Industry really like light bulbs.  I mean, they really like ’em–to the tune of collecting more than 50,000 historic bulbs. Catherine Wagner spent two years in residence there, photographing "A Narrative History of the Light Bulb."  Here’s a small gallery of her images. [Via]
• Enjoy wearing clothes, but wish they consumed more natural resources?  Try Lumigram’s luminous clothing. [Via]
• The crew at Universal Everything created a "software-based realtime wind tunnel" to make bits of light silhouette the new Audi TT. [Via]

* In a blog full of obscure nerdery bits, this is quite possibly the most obscure and nerdy thing I’ve yet said–quite an accomplishment, don’t you think?

//na// Interesting art bits to pass along:

• Most disturbing. Art supply. Ever.: Pencils made from cremated humans.  I have no idea what to say. [Via]
• Less outlandish body art: peeling manuscript as tattoo. [Via]
• Flickr is hosting a photo set on Swiss graphic design.
• Veerle Pieters showcases the tasty illustrations of Catalina Estrada.

As you may or–as seems overwhelmingly likely–may not know, Photoshop ships with a plug-in for reading and writing JPEG 2000-format files.  Compared with the regular JPEG format (technically known as JFIF), JPEG 2000 offers advantages such as support for higher bit depths, more advanced compression, and a lossless compression option.  Adobe developed the plug-in in anticipation of cameras entering the market with native JPEG 2000 support on board.

The thing is, that hasn’t happened, nor have we seen other widespread adoption of the format in places we know Photoshop is being used.  Therefore with Photoshop CS2 we made the call to stop installing the plug-in by default, but to continue making it available via the product CD.  What’s probably not obvious is that existing features keep consuming resources to maintain & test, even if no features are added to them.  As we plan for the future, we need to retire features that no longer make sense & focus instead on capabilities that matter.

So, do you use JPEG 2000?  If so, please give a shout and let us know how & why you use it.

PS–Note that support for JPEG 2000 as a file format by itself & support for the compression options it offers are two separate things. PDF supports JPEG 2000-compressed images, so we wouldn’t remove that support.  I’m just trying to gauge the value of supporting standalone JPEG 2000 reading and writing.

[Update: We’re not planning to change Photoshop’s JPEG 2000 support strategy anytime soon. Thanks for all the feedback. We’ve got what we need, so I’m switching off comments. –J.]

Nerdery for the masses: Oil of Olay taps into the world’s love of Undo in this crafty new ad. [Via]

The piece reminds me of a concept from an ad agency that was pitching Adobe.  They showed a sequence of images of Michael Jackson in reverse chronological order, running from scary-present-MJ to Jackson Five-cute.  The caption: "Multiple Undo."

On a related note,
the crew at PhotoshopCafe had fun creating spec ads for Photoshop.  I really like the Biblical Sampson bit.  "Go ye forth and bringeth down the house," indeed… [Via Colin Smith]

I’m often asked what features of the CS3 release are unique to Photoshop Extended. This edition starts with all the capabilities of Photoshop CS3* and extends them (hence the name) with the following:

1. Opening/placing 3D files (specifically .3DS (Max), .OBJ (Maya), .U3D (Acrobat 3D), Collada, and KMZ (Google Earth), then adjusting their view options (rotation, camera parameters, render mode, cross section, etc.).  Animation data in these files is preserved.  Photoshop does not include 3D modeling tools, but it is possible to turn planar geometry from Vanishing Point into a simple 3D model or 3D layer.
2. Painting directly on the textures of 3D files & updating the models.  (I’ll try to post or at least link to a demo of this working as it makes things clearer.)
3. Opening/placing video files (essentially anything that QuickTime supports) and image sequences, treating these as video layers that you can scrub back and forth and on which you can paint, erase, run filters, etc. Some details:
   • PS Extended includes a revised Animation palette, more consistent with what you find in After Effects.
   • Basic GIF-style frame animation is in both Photoshop and Photoshop Extended, as it was in CS2. In Extended you can toggle the mode of the Animation palette between frame mode & timeline mode.
   • PS Extended features new a Render Video dialog that lets you render files in whatever formats QuickTime supports, or as image sequences.  If you have Flash 8 Professional or Flash CS3 Professional, the video export list includes FLV.
   • The “frame offset” option in the new Clone Source palette makes it possible to clone/heal from one point in time to another and is unique to Extended, whereas the rest of the palette is the same in both editions.
   • The ability to import video frames as layers is in both editions of Photoshop CS3, because it was previously in ImageReady.
4. Support for painting and layers in 32-bit/HDR files.  Merge to HDR is enhanced in both editions, as is basic HDR editing (e.g. using Levels).  The rationale for dividing the HDR enhancements is that the photography-centric parts appear in both editions, whereas the aspects geared towards film, 3D, and technical work are in Extended only.
5. MATLAB integration: It’s possible to access Photoshop CS3 Extended directly from the MATLAB
   command prompt in order to grab image data from Photoshop, use
   MATLAB to run different image processing routines, and then return the image data to
   Photoshop to view the results.
6. Measurement & counting tools: Photoshop Extended makes it possible to set a scale for the image (e.g. 512 pixels = 30cm), then take measurements of selections and rulers.
   • This includes tools inside Vanishing Point for taking measurements in perspective.
   • Measurement scale is specified via the Analysis menu, which is unique to Extended.
   • The Count Tool (nothing to do with this guy) is a simple but effective way to annotate an image (e.g. while counting blood cells)
7. DICOM format support, enabling the app to open files from medical imaging devices (CT scans, X-rays, etc.).
8. Image stack analytical filters, which make it possible to stack multiple images into a single Smart Object, then run a filter across the range of images.  For example, an astro photographer might take a range of high-ISO images, then run Mean or Median across the range.  (It also makes for a great “disappearing tourist” demo…)

There’s a great deal more about Photoshop Extended online, and as I say we’ll endeavor to provide some video demos ASAP as they’ll make a number of points clearer.  That said, I hope this list provides a useful summary.  For reference, none of these features were included in the Photoshop public beta.  [Update: I’ve revised the video section in hopes of being a bit clearer.]

* A note about naming: The products are, officially, “Photoshop CS3” and “Photoshop CS3 Extended.”  That is, there’s no “Photoshop Standard” per se.  That’s why you may see us refer to “the regular version,” “the standard version” or something similar, but not “Standard” with a capital S.

With strains of Schoolhouse Rock in my head, I’m delighted that the big day has arrived: Photoshop CS3 and the entire CS3 product line have been announced! 

13 full new applications… six new Suites… a fistful of new technologies (Device Central for mobile authoring, Acrobat Connect for conferencing, and more)… It’s all a bit overwhelming, I know.  There’s so much news coverage this morning that I don’t yet know where to point you.  So, a couple of suggestions:

• The live webcast this afternoon (starts at 3:30pm Eastern/12:30pm Pacific) will feature lots of news and demos.
• Here are PDFs of what’s new in each app, as well as a quick tour of Photoshop CS3.

I’ll of course be posting plenty more in the hours, days, and weeks ahead (when the actual job doesn’t intrude, you know ;-)).

Terry White, one of Adobe’s in-the-field application pros, reports that this week the video-enabled Creative Suite Podcast has reached its 2 millionth download, averaging 16,000 downloads per episode.  With more than 100 episodes now online, the podcast has become a great resource & was named a 2006 iTunes People’s Choice Award winner.  Keep up the great work, guys.

In other video/podcast news:

• A few weeks back I did a little video interview with the folks at 49Sparks, talking for 10 minutes or so about all things Photoshop.  "Why is he wearing a military flight suit?," some may ask. Well, why isn’t everyone?
• My fellow Photoshop PM Bryan O’Neil Hughes recently spoke with the crew at PhotoWalkthrough.com about the CS3 beta, panorama creation, and more.
• Mike Wong from onOne notes that their set of free Lightroom processing presets are now accompanied by a 25-minute video (broken into chunks) from author Jack Davis.

If haste makes waste, the team motto at Silverbrook Research must be, "Let’s get wasted!!"  Offering "a price/performance ratio that is off the charts" according to Lyra Research, the new Memjet printing technology (video) is many times faster than anything else on the market (60 pages per minute of 1600-dpi, full-color printing).  Somewhere a forest groans; somewhere ink salesmen smile.

These Aussies have apparently been (quietly) going berserk filing patents over the last few years, as described in this profile of the company & founder Kia Silverbrook. The Memjet site has a bit more info on the technology. [Via Jim Pravetz]

//na// Friday logo nerdery for your delectation:

• Even if you don’t have tastes-great/less-filling debates about Paul Rand vs. Saul Bass (and God help you if you do), there’s plenty to enjoy in this Logo design history. Many of the logos are available for download in EPS format.  Too bad there’s nothing about the old Adobe logo–the one that looked like rolls of paper for a printing press. [Via]
• Cutting to the present, Graphic Design USA features a look at recent logo trends (and not just the bloopy "Web 2.0" schtick).
• Logotypes.ru is a carnival of copyright infringement, and I’ve loved it for years, downloading & spoofing many famous designs.  (The first rule of Logotypes is you do not tell your legal department about Logotypes.)
• Speaking of spoofs, Mike Judge’s future-satire Idiocracy features all kinds of logo & brand remixes. [Via]
• Logopond offers a plentiful feed of design inspiration.  Viva Napalm Riot & this little devil-mouse.
• Okay, it’s not logo-related per se, but check out the NYC Transit Authority style guide from 1970.  It’s amazing that if it weren’t for the date stamp on the gallery, it would be hard to know that this isn’t a current design document.  Is that a good thing (viva timeless Helvetica!) or a bad one (when in doubt, we punt and go with clean-n’-unobjectionable)? [Via]

//na// If those mammoth screens get to be too much, rest your scalded eyeballs with the help of some paper:

• Thomas Allen makes dioramas from the covers of old pulp novels. Seems like they’re popping up (er, sorry) everywhere, from the cover of James Ellroy novels to the pages of (I think) GQ. [Via] Turning old images into "2-and-a-half-D" creations reminds me of The Kid Stays in the Picture, a film that achieved a similar effect using old photos plus Photoshop and After Effects (popping characters off their backgrounds, panning across them to introduce a sense of depth).
• The folks at the ni9e blog have fun (and no doubt baffle stewardesses) making paper-based visualizations of SkyMall demographics.
• If you’ve got more time (and skills) than money, thank your waiter with some cash origami. [Via]
• Okay, it’s not cash, but check out this amazing folding chair (the name doesn’t do it justice).  Doesn’t it seem like the Apple campus should be full of these?  (Well, maybe if they were off-white.)
• [For more paper goodness, see previous.]

(Upon hearing this blog entry’s title, my wife remarked, "I know when to walk away…")

The folks organizing Adobe’s presence at Photoshop World (just two weeks away) would like to pass along the following heads-up:

Birds of a Feather Meeting – Medical & Scientific Research Professionals
April 4, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Hosted by Adobe – Open to Conference Attendees and Medical Professionals and Research Professionals
Attend this session to see the newest features in Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended developed specifically for customers who use Photoshop for image analysis, visualization and communication. You’ll get to meet the team from Adobe that is charged with developing new features for the medical and research communities and hear from some leading customers in the field and how they use Photoshop in their work.

Attendees will be eligible to win Photoshop CS3 plus other great prizes.

Special Guests: Stephen R. Snow, DDS – with Snow Dental Care & Cosmetic Dentistry; Eric Wexler, MBA – Research Scientist with Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging; Joseph M. Bailey, MD – Montgomery Radiology Associates; and Robert Hurt – Visualization Scientist – Spitzer Science Center.  

Track: Special Event — Room: 207 in the Convention Center

A registration form, plus more info on these guests, is on the Photoshop World site.

//na// Having survived both the Ides & St. Pat’s with toga & liver intact, I feel like celebrating with some assorted design inspiration I’ve uncovered recently:

• Multi-touch might be passé before it even gets here; what we really need are giant, human-powered cursors. [Via]
• Similarly, why do digital photomosaics when there’s Rubik’s cube pixel art?  [Via]  And speaking of cubes, you can put your own photos onto them in Photoshop using the Panos Cube plug-in (10 bucks). [Via]
• In the late 90’s the flat, vectorish Flash aesthetic popped up everywhere (print, TV, etc.).  Now in a retro touch, here’s a Flash-style preloader watch. [Via]  See also the Russian-designed Sand-Time Watch.
• Speaking of preloaders, the one at Coca-Cola’s M5 site adds a fresh touch, running through the years from BC to AD (a small thing, sure, but hey, it’s a preloader).
• Flickr is hosting an excellent collection of laser-cut skateboard decks.  This one in particular grabs me. [Via]  (See also previous: more on laser etching + skating skulls).
• Amka will put your art on a skate deck using vinyl, and they offer large-scale vinyl printing as well. [Via]
• "Octopus" is… well, it’s one thing to do with your flatbed scanner.  On a rather sweeter (and beautifully illustrated) note, see Octonauts [Via] In the real world, scientists have photographed a giant glowing squid — not to mention a six-fingered guy named "El Pulpo."

…but in a good way. John Dowdell discovered that the swoopy, groovy packaging art for Adobe Acrobat 8 was created by tossing cameras into the air, using a long exposure to capture motion.  Check out the story on the Camera Toss blog.  More camera-tossing action is all over Flickr: here’s a slideshow, and images from Jens Ludwig (whose shots are among those to grace Acrobat) are here.

//na//  I’m often inspired by other designers’ work, so I thought I’d pass along some recent Web design finds:

• The Levi’s Copper site makes use of an interesting image & navigation structure, using one huge image as the background.  (Click Male or Female.)  Gotta love the ants. [Via]
• With their ant-sized people, I love the section-intro cards at Baseline Selects.
• Jonathan Yuen’s site gently and beautifully unfolds to reveal his work.  [Via]
• Ferm Living is all about subtle touches–smooth transitions, shifting backgrounds, subtle vignetting. [Via Maria Brenny]
• VIRB is kind of a MySpace, without all the visual suckage. It looks darn nice, even down to individual member pages (like this).

I’m pleased to announce that following a successful public beta period on Adobe Labs, the Adobe Color Management Module (CMM) has been completed & is now available as a free download.  In a nutshell, the CMM turns the color converter part of the Adobe Color Engine (ACE) into a library that can be used by non-Adobe apps. This means you can use a single color management engine across your workflow, enabling more consistent display and output of colors.

Props & thanks to Lars Borg, Peter Constable, Ken Kameda, Manish Kulkarni, Rick Wulff, Daniel Taborga, and everyone else who helped bring the CMM to the community.

My fellow Photoshop PM Ashley Still asked me to pass along the following:

Attention All Photoshop Developers!  

How’s your Mac Intel migration going?
Interested in new APIs for CS3?

Here’s a great opportunity to make sure your plug-ins are ready to go for CS3.  Members of the Photoshop engineering team will be flying out to Photoshop World (in Boston) on April 3rd and hosting a developer workshop to assist with writing CS3 plug-ins.

Details & information on getting signed up.

When: Tuesday,
April 3, 1:00 – 5:00 pm
Where: Room 201 – Convention Center
NDA required: No! This is a non-NDA session
Sign-up: http://www.photoshopworld.com/page-dev-registration.html

If you have questions, email ashley at adobe.com