TOPIC: ADOBE INC.
10th February 2026
Adobe Photoshop includes a set of tools that address two of the most common tasks in digital editing. The first is reducing image file sizes for faster loading on websites without sacrificing more quality than necessary, and the second is removing or repositioning unwanted elements within a photograph in a way that blends convincingly with the surrounding content. Both areas have continued to develop considerably, and the current release, Photoshop 2026 (version 27.x), introduces AI-powered approaches that represent a significant step forward from earlier methods.
Preparing Images for the Web
For anyone producing website photos, banner advertisements or other online assets, the balance between image quality and file size is a constant consideration. A large image file slows down a web page, which can harm both the user experience and search engine performance. Photoshop's export tools were built with this trade-off in mind, and the process begins before the export dialogue is even opened.
Resizing Before Export
The recommended first step is to reduce the image to an appropriate size using the Image Size dialogue. After opening the image in Photoshop, this is found under Image > Image Size, with the keyboard shortcut Alt+Ctrl+I on Windows or Command+Option+I on macOS. A new width can be entered, the unit set to pixels, and the change confirmed with OK. This produces a smaller version suited to web use. A very large image can remain unnecessarily heavy even when compressed at export, so cutting the pixel dimensions at this stage reduces the amount of data a browser has to handle from the outset.
Export As and Save for Web (Legacy)
Adobe now recommends File > Export > Export As as the primary route for web graphics in current versions of Photoshop. It handles PNG, JPEG, GIF and SVG formats, supports multiple scale factors for high-density displays, and is built on newer, faster code. The older File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy), accessible via the keyboard shortcut Alt/Option+Command+Shift+S, is still available and retains some advantages: it offers more granular control over compression, provides a live file-size estimate beneath the preview pane and remains the only route for exporting animated GIFs. Adobe describes it as a legacy option maintained for compatibility, noting that it uses more memory and can be slower than Export As on large files.
Whichever route is taken, the Save for Web window presents four viewing tabs: Original, Optimised, 2-Up and 4-Up. These allow the untouched file to be compared with one or more compressed versions side by side, making it easier to judge whether a reduction in file size has produced noticeable visual degradation. The 2-Up view is particularly useful, placing the original and the optimised image next to each other so that quality settings can be adjusted, and the effect observed immediately. Lifewire suggests that a quality setting between 40 and 60 is a reasonable range for JPEG exports, and that preset levels such as JPEG Medium can save time.
File Format and Final Adjustments
Save for Web allows the format to be changed to JPEG, GIF, PNG-8, PNG-24 or WBMP. JPEG suits photographs and images with a broad range of colour, while PNG formats are better suited to graphics requiring transparency or hard edges. The image dimensions can also be adjusted within this window by entering a width or height directly or by scaling by percentage. Clicking the chain link icon changes both dimensions proportionally, while entering width and height independently allows the proportions to be changed.
Lifewire notes that the values shown beneath the image preview include the file type, the file size and how long the image will take to load on a website, all of which update as adjustments are made. Once satisfied with the result, clicking Save prompts for a file name and destination, and the optimised version is stored separately from the original working file.
A Note on Resolution and Colour Mode
Web graphics are often described as requiring a resolution of 72 dpi and RGB colour mode. The RGB colour mode requirement is sound, as screens display in RGB rather than the CMYK mode used for print. The 72 dpi figure is a longstanding convention rather than a technical requirement: browsers render images according to pixel dimensions alone, and the dpi value embedded in a file has no effect on how it appears on the screen. Lifewire presents these as common characteristics of web-ready graphics, and they remain useful shorthand for communicating that an image is intended for screen rather than print.
Removing and Repositioning Elements: AI Tools in Photoshop 2026
The landscape for removing unwanted elements has changed substantially in recent releases. Photoshop 2026 now provides several AI-powered approaches that produce results significantly better than the traditional Content Aware tools in most situations. Understanding which tool to reach for first, and when to fall back on the older methods, saves considerable time.
The Remove Tool
The AI-powered Remove Tool, available since Photoshop version 24.5 and substantially upgraded in Photoshop 2025 and 2026, has become the go-to option for most removal tasks. It is nested under the Spot Healing Brush in the toolbar and works by painting over the area to be removed with a brush. The tool uses machine learning to analyse the surrounding image and reconstruct what should be in place of the removed content, rather than generating entirely new material. This makes it particularly consistent for retouching tasks such as removing blemishes, power lines, stray objects and sensor dust, where predictable results matter.
In Photoshop 2025 and later, the Remove Tool gained a Mode option allowing the user to choose between standard AI processing and generative AI powered by Adobe Firefly. Auto mode lets Photoshop decide, applying generative AI for larger removals where it can create new image detail from scratch and skipping it for smaller, simpler areas where a faster local result is sufficient. Using generative AI requires an internet connection to Adobe's Firefly servers and consumes generative credits. For smaller areas, the non-generative mode is faster and often equally effective.
Generative Fill
Generative Fill operates differently from the Remove Tool. A selection is made around the unwanted element using any selection tool, and the Generative Fill option appears in the Contextual Task Bar beneath the selection. Leaving the text prompt blank instructs Photoshop to fill the selected area using the surrounding pixels, effectively removing the object. Entering a text prompt instead replaces the selected content with newly generated material matching the description. Each generation produces three variations to choose from, and the result is placed on its own layer with a mask, preserving the original image underneath.
In Photoshop 2026, Generative Fill supports multiple AI models. The default Adobe Firefly Fill and Expand model consumes one generative credit per use. Partner models including Gemini 2.5 (Nano Banana), FLUX.1 and FLUX.2 pro are also available for selections requiring a different approach, and these are treated as premium features with their own credit costs. Generative Fill works best when the entire object is included loosely in the selection and the prompt field is left blank for removal. Attempting to type removal instructions into the prompt field tends not to improve results, as the model responds to descriptive prompts about what to generate rather than instructions about what to delete.
The Content Aware Fill Workspace and Patch Tool
The older Content Aware Fill workspace and Patch tool remain available and are still useful in situations where the AI tools produce unsatisfactory results or where generative credits are not available. As Expert Photography notes, Content Aware Fill does not use the Firefly AI model and is not subject to the content guidelines checks that can sometimes block generative operations. It can also be a reliable fallback for extending backgrounds and blending restricted regions where the AI tools struggle.
The Patch tool is reached by selecting J in the toolbar with the Content Aware option enabled in the options bar. A duplicate layer should be created first using Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+J (macOS) to preserve the original. A loose lasso is drawn around the area to be removed, and the selection is dragged to a nearby area of the image that contains suitable replacement texture. The structure setting (0 to 7) controls how closely Photoshop follows the shapes of the sampled area, while the colour setting (0 to 10) controls how much colour blending is applied. For the Content Aware Fill workspace, reached via Edit > Content Aware Fill, a green overlay shows the sampling area, which can be refined using the Sampling Brush set to minus (to exclude unsuitable areas) or plus (to restore them). By default, the result is saved to a new layer, and further retouching with the Clone Stamp tool is sometimes needed to finish the edit cleanly.
For quick removal where greater control is needed, the Object Selection tool (available in Photoshop version 21.0 and later) with Object Finder enabled can highlight a distinct subject in pink on hover. A right-click then offers the option to send the selection directly to Generative Fill or, for simpler backgrounds, to use Delete and Fill Selection for an immediate result.
Non-Destructive Editing and the Painting Effect
A principle that connects all of these workflows is non-destructive editing, which ensures that the original content is preserved at every stage. Adobe's tutorial on making a photo look like a painting demonstrates this with a straightforward example, recommending that the background layer be converted to a Smart Object before applying the Dry Brush filter from the Filter Gallery. Doing so means that the filter remains editable afterwards, rather than being applied permanently. The tutorial then intensifies colour using a Hue/Saturation adjustment, setting the saturation to +65 in the sample, and notes that both the filter and the adjustment can be revisited at any point from the Layers panel.
That approach connects neatly with the advice to duplicate layers before using older removal tools, and with the way Generative Fill and the Remove Tool both place their results on separate layers by default. Whether the task is exporting an image for the web, removing an unwanted element from a scene or applying a painterly effect, retaining the ability to revise a decision without starting again is one of Photoshop's most valuable working habits to develop.
Closing Thoughts on Photoshop's Export and Content Repair Tools
Taken together, the export tools and the object removal suite represent two of Photoshop's most practical strengths for photographers and designers preparing work for online publication. Export As and Save for Web (Legacy) address efficient output, helping users reduce image dimensions, compare quality settings and select a suitable file format. The Remove Tool, Generative Fill and the Content Aware workspace address image repair and rearrangement, each suited to different levels of complexity. In Photoshop 2026, the AI-powered approaches handle the majority of common removal tasks faster and more convincingly than the earlier methods, though the traditional tools remain valuable as precise fallbacks when needed.
17th April 2018
Photo editing has been something that I have been doing since my first-ever photo scan in 1998 (I believe it was in June of that year but cannot be completely sure nearly twenty years later). Since then, I have been using various tools for the job and wondered how other photos can look better than my own. What cannot be excluded is my preference for being active in the middle of the day when light is at its bluest, as well as a penchant for using a higher ISO of 400. In other words, what I do when making photos affects how they look afterwards as much as the weather that I had encountered.
My reason for mentioning the above aspects of photographic craft is that they affect what you can do in photo editing afterwards, even with the benefits of technological advancement. My tastes have changed over time, so the appeal of re-editing old photos fades when you realise that you only are going around in circles and there always are new ones to share, so that may be a better way to improve.
When I started, I was a user of Paint Shop Pro but have gone over to Adobe since then. First, it was Photoshop Elements, but an offer in 2011 lured me into having Lightroom and the full version of Photoshop. Nowadays, I am a Creative Cloud photography plan subscriber, so I get to see new developments much sooner than once was the case.
Even though I have had Lightroom for all that time, I never really made full use of it and preferred a Photoshop-based workflow. Lightroom was used to select photos for Photoshop editing, mainly using adjustments for such things as tones, exposure, levels, hue and saturation. Removal of dust spots, resizing and sharpening were other parts of a still minimalist approach.
What changed all this was a day spent pottering about the 2018 Photography Show at the Birmingham NEC during a cold snap in March. That was followed by my checking out the Adobe YouTube Channel afterwards, where there were videos of the talks featured every day of the four-day event. Here are some shortcuts if you want to do some catching up yourself: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4. Be warned though that these videos are long in that they feature the whole day and there are enough gaps that you may wish to fast-forward through them. Even so, there is quite a bit of variety of things to see.
Of particular interest were the talks given by the landscape photographer David Noton who sensibly has a philosophy of doing as little to his images as possible. It helps that his starting points are so good that adjusting black and white points with a little tonal adjustment does most of what he needs. Vibrancy, clarity and sharpening adjustments are kept to a minimum, while some work with graduated filters evens out exposure differences between skies and landscapes. It helps that all this can be done in Lightroom, so that set me thinking about trying it out for size, and the trick of using the backslash () key to switch between raw and processed views is a bonus granted by non-destructive editing. Others may have demonstrated the creation of composite imagery, but simplicity is more like my way of working.
It is confusing that we now have cloud-based Lightroom CC, while the previous desktop version is called Lightroom Classic CC. Although the former offers easy dust spot removal and other features, I prefer the latter because I do not want to upload my entire image library, and I already use Google Drive and Dropbox for off-site backup. The mobile app is interesting since it allows capturing images on mobile devices in Adobe's raw DNG format. My workflow is now more Lightroom-based than before, and I appreciate the new technology, especially as Adobe develops its Sensai artificial intelligence engine. Because Adobe has access to numerous images through Lightroom CC and Adobe Stock (formerly Fotolia), it has abundant data to train this AI system.
12th March 2011
My being partial to the occasional eBook has meant my encountering Adobe's Digital Editions. While I wonder why the functionality cannot be included in the already quite bulky Adobe Reader, it does exist and some publishers use it to ensure that their books are not as easily pirated. In my case, it is a certain publisher of walking guidebooks that uses it, and I must admit to being a sometime fan of their wares. At first, I was left wondering how they thought that the Digital Editions software option was the delivery means that would ensure that they do not lose out from sharing of copies of eBooks, but a recent episode has me seeing what they see.
One of the nice things that it allows is the sharing of eBooks between different computers using your Adobe account. Due to my own disorganisation, I admit to having more than one, however I ended up doing that. The result was that I ended entering the wrong credentials intro the Digital Editions instance on my Toshiba laptop, and I needed to get rid of them to enter the correct ones.
It is when you try doing things like this that you come to realise how basic and slimmed down this software is. After a Google search, I encountered the very keyboard shortcut about which even the help didn't seem to want to tell me: Control + Shift + D. That did the required deauthorisation for me to be able to read eBooks bought and downloaded onto another computer. Maybe Digital Editions does its job to lessen the chances after all. Of course, I cannot see the system being perfect or unbreakable, but a lot of our security is there to deter the opportunists rather than the more determined.
23rd September 2010
It seems that, almost despite the uncertain times or maybe because of them, it feels like an era of change on the technology front. Computing is the domain of many of the postings on this website, and a hell of a lot seems to be going mobile at the moment. For a good while, I managed to stay clear of the attractions of smartphones until a change of job convinced me that having a BlackBerry was a good idea. Though the small size of the thing really places limitations on the sort of web surfing experience that you can have with it, you can keep an eye on the weather, news, traffic, bus and train times so long as the website in question is built for mobile browsing. Otherwise, it's more of a nuisance than a patchy phone network (in the U.K., T-Mobile could do better on this score, as I have discovered for myself; thankfully, a merger with the Orange network is coming next month).
Speaking of mobile websites, it almost feels as if a free for all has recurred for web designers. Just when the desktop or laptop computing situation had more or less stabilised, along came a whole pile of mobile phone platforms to make things interesting again. Familiar names like Opera, Safari, Firefox and even Internet Explorer are to be found popping up on handheld devices these days along with less familiar ones like Web 'n' Walk or BOLT. The operating system choices vary too, with iOS, Android, Symbian, Windows and others all competing for attention. It is the sort of flowering of innovation that makes one wonder if a time will come when things begin to consolidate, but it doesn't look like that at the moment.
The transformation of mobile phones into handheld computers isn't the only big change in computing, with the traditional formats of desktop and laptop PC's being flexed in all sorts of ways. First, there's the appearance of netbooks, and I have succumbed to the idea of owning an Asus Eee. Though you realise that these are not full-size laptops, it still didn't hit me how small these were until I owned one. They are undeniably portable, while tablets look even more interesting in the aftermath of Apple's iPad. Though you may call them over-sized mobile photo frames, the idea of making a touchscreen do the work for you has made the concept fly for many. Even so, I cannot say that I'm overly tempted, though I have said that before about other things.
Another area of interest for me is photography, and it is around this time of year that all sorts of innovations are revealed to the public. It's a long way from what, we thought, was the digital photography revolution when digital imaging sensors started to take the place of camera film in otherwise conventional compact and SLR cameras, making the former far more versatile than they used to be. Now, we have SLD cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony that eschew the reflex mirror and prism arrangement of an SLR using digital sensor and electronic viewfinders while offering the possibility of lens interchangeability and better quality than might be expected from such small cameras. Lately, Sony has offered SLR-style cameras with translucent mirror technology instead of the conventional mirror that is flipped out of the way when a photographic image is captured. Change doesn't end there, with movie making capabilities being part of the tool set of many a newly launched compact, SLD and SLR camera. The pixel race also seems to have ended though increases still happen as with the Pentax K-5 and Canon EOS 60D (both otherwise conventional offerings that have caught my eye, though so much comes on the market at this time of year that waiting is better for the bank balance).
The mention of digital photography brings to mind the subject of digital image processing and Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 is just announced after Photoshop CS5 appeared earlier this year. It almost feels as if a new version of Photoshop or its consumer cousin is released every year, causing me to skip releases when I don't see the point. Elements 6 and 8 were such versions for me, so I'll be in no hurry to upgrade to 9 yet either, even if the prospect of using content aware filling to eradicate unwanted objects from images is tempting. Nevertheless, that shouldn't stop anyone trying to exclude them in the first place. In fact, I may need to reduce the overall number of images that I collect in favour of coming away with only the better ones. The outstanding question on this is: can I slow down and calm my eagerness to bring at least one good image away from an outing by capturing anything that seems promising at the time? Some experimentation but being a little more choosy can save work later on.
While back on the subject of software, I'll voyage in to the world of the web before bringing these meanderings to a close. It almost feels as if there are web-based applications following web-based applications these days, when Twitter and Facebook nearly have become household names and cloud computing is a phrase that turns up all over the place. In fact, the former seems to have encouraged a whole swathe of applications all of itself. Applications written using technologies well-used on the web must stuff many a mobile phone app store too and that brings me full circle for it is these that put so much functionality on our handsets with Java seemingly powering those I use on my BlackBerry. Then there's the spat between Apple and Adobe regarding the former's support for Flash.
To close this mental amble, there may be technologies that didn't come to mind while I was pondering this piece, but they doubtless enliven the technological landscape too. However, what I have described is enough to take me back more than ten years ago, when desktop computing and the world of the web were a lot more nascent than is the case today. Then, the changes that were ongoing felt a little exciting now that I look back on them, and it does feel as if the same sort of thing is recurring though with things like phones creating the interest in place of new developments in desktop computing such as a new version of Window (though 7 was anticipated after Vista). Web designers may complain about a lack of standardisation, and they're not wrong, yet this may be an era of technological change that in time may be remembered with its own fondness too.
24th November 2009
One thing that I recently had to investigate was the possibility of converting CGM vector graphics files into Postscript and from there into PDF. Having used ImageMagick for converting images before, that was an obvious option. However, that cannot process CGM files on its own and needs a delegate or helper application as well. This is the case with raw digital camera files too, with UFRaw being the program chosen. For CGM images, the more obscure RALCGM is what's needed, and tracking it down is a bit of an art. Though the history is that it was developed at the U.K.'s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, it appears that it was left to go off into the wilderness rather than someone keeping an eye on things. With that in mind, here are the installation packages for Windows and Linux (RPM):
Windows Installer
Linux RPM
RALCGM is a handy command line tool that can covert from CGM to Postscript on its own without any need for ImageMagick at all. From what I have seen, fonts on graphical output may look greyer than black, but it otherwise does its job well. However, considering that it is a freely available tool, one cannot complain too much. There are other packages for doing vector to raster conversion and the ones that I have seen do have GUI's but the freedom to look at for cost software wasn't mine to have. The required command looks something like the following:
ralcgm -d PS -oL test.cgm test.ps
The switch -d PS uses the software's Postscript driver and -oL specifies landscape orientation. If you like to find out more, here's a PDF rendition of the help file that comes with the thing:
RALCGM Documentation
12th October 2009
It now seems that we have a new version of Photoshop Elements from Adobe for every year, unless you're a Mac user. Version 7 convinced me to splash out and that gained me Camera Raw recognition of my Pentax K10D along with subtly enhanced image processing power that I have been putting to good use to get more pleasing results than I ever got before.
What can be achieved by using levels, curves and the shadow/highlight adjustment tool for exposure correction has amazed me recently. Quick selection functionality has allowed me to treat skies differently from everything else in landscape photos, a flexible graduated filter if you like. It seems to work on Windows 7 along with Vista and XP, so I plan to stick with it for a while yet.
As you may have gathered from this, it would take some convincing to make me upgrade and, for me, version 8 doesn't reach that mark. All in all, it appears that it is a way of giving Mac users a new release with added goodness after having to stay with 6 for so long; yes, there are new features like automatic tagging in the image organiser, but they just don't grab me. Given that they already have Aperture from Apple and Windows users seem to get more releases, it's a wonder that any Mac user would toy with Elements anyway. Maybe, that's Adobe's suspicion, too.
6th October 2008
The above error message has been greeting me when creating PDF's with Ghostscript on a Solaris box and does need some translation. If you are directing output to a real printer, I suppose that it is sensible enough: nothing will happen unless you can connect to it. It gets a little less obvious when associated with PDF creation and seems to mean that the pdfwrite virtual device is unable to create the specified output file. A first port of call would be to check that you can write to the directory where you are putting the new PDF file. In my case, there appears to be another cause, so I'll have to keep looking for a solution.
Update: I have since discovered the cause of this: a now defunct TEMP assignment in the .profile file for my user account. Removing that piece of code resolved the problem.
2nd December 2007
Even though I have moved to Linux, and it has been fulfilling nearly all of my home computing needs, I do and plan to continue to retain access to Windows courtesy of virtualisation technology. Thought keeping current with the world of the ever pervasive Windows is one motivation, there are others. In fact, now that Windows is more of a sideline, I may even get my hands on Vista at some point to take a further in-depth look at it, hopefully without having to suffer the consequences of my curiosity.
Talking of other reasons for hanging onto Windows, listening to music secured by DRM does come to mind. DRM is seen in a negative light by many in the open-source world, so Linux remains unencumbered by the beast. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, and the whole furore about Vista and DRM earlier this year had me wondering about a Linux future. However, I have been known to buy music from iTunes and would like to continue doing so. Though WINE might be one way to achieve this, retaining Windows seems a sounder option. That way, I am saved from having to convert my protected music files into either Ogg Vorbis or FLAC; the latter involves a lossless compression unlike the former, so the files are bigger with the additional quality that an audiophile would seek. MP3 is another option, yet there are those in the Linux world who frown upon anything patented. That makes getting MP3 support an additional task for those of us wanting it.
In my wisdom, I have succumbed to the delights of expensive web development tools like Altova's XMLSpy and Adobe's Dreamweaver. While I have found a way to get Quanta Plus to edit files on the web server directly and code hacking is my main way to improve my websites, I still will be having a bimble into Dreamweaver from time to time. I have yet to see XMLSpy's grid view replicated in the open-source world, so that should remain a key tool in my arsenal. While I haven't been looking too hard at open-source XML editors recently, there remains unexplored functionality in XMLSpy that I should really explore to see if it could be harnessed.
While I have included implicit references to this already, it needs saying that keeping Windows around also allows you to continue using familiar software. For some, this might be Microsoft Office, but OpenOffice and Evolution have usurped this in my case. Photoshop Elements is a better example for me. Digital transfers from scanners and DSLR's will stay in the world of Linux, while virtualisation allows me to process the images in whatever way I want. For now, I might just stick with the familiar before jumping ship to GIMP at some point in the future. With all that is written on Photoshop, having it there for learning new things seems a very sensible idea.
While open-source software can conceivably address every possible, there are bound to be niches that remain outside its reach. I use mapping software from Anquet when planning hillwalking excursions. It seems very much to be a Windows only offering and I have already downloaded a good amount of mapping, so Windows has to stay if I need to use this and the routes that I have plotted out before now. Another piece of software that finds its way into this bracket is my copy of SAS Learning Edition; there are times when a spot of learning at home goes a long way at work.
So, in summary, my reasons for keeping Windows around are as follows:
- Learning new things about the thing, since I am unlikely to escape its influence in the world of work
- Using iTunes to download new music and to continue to listen to what I have already
- Using and learning about industry standard web development tools like Dreamweaver and XMLSpy
- Easing the transition, by continuing to use Photoshop Elements, for example
- Using niche software like Anquet mapping
Though I suppose that many will relate to the above, Linux still has plenty to take over some of the above. In time, DRM may disappear from the music scene and not before time; accountants and shareholders may need to learn to trust customers. NVu and Quanta Plus could yet usurp Dreamweaver, and there may be an open-source alternative to XMLSpy like there is for so many other areas. The Photoshop versus GIMP choice will continue to prevent itself and all that is written about the former makes it seem silly to throw it away, however good the latter is. Even with changing over Linux equivalents of applications fulfilling standard needs, it still leaves niche applications like hillwalking mapping and that, together with the need to know what Windows might offer in the enterprise space, could be the enduring reasons for keeping it near to hand. That said, I can now go through whole days without firing up a Windows VM, a big change from how it was a few months ago. Still, I suppose that it's all too easy to stick with using one operating system at a time, which is Linux for me these days.
3rd June 2007
For now, I still have my eye on Photoshop CS3, and it was with interest that I noticed that Peachpit Press had published a book, entitled Adobe Photoshop CS3: Up to Speed, exploring the changes made from CS2. The plot thickened when I found that I could download as an e-book.
However, it was then that I discovered a major change made to Adobe Reader for its eighth version: it no longer reads what Adobe titles Digital Editions. For that, you need either the previous version or to download the beta version of Adobe Digital Editions (yes, it does rather appear that they couldn't tie up the final release dates), which appears to be a Flash front end to Reader.
As it happens, I am not so convinced by this development: the thing is in essence coloured black and the mouse pointer disappears a lot of the time. Having menus and navigational screen furniture constantly disappearing and reappearing doesn't do much to enhance the reputations of Adobe's user interface designers. While it wouldn't be too bad if you could customise the colours, you can't; a light grey has to be better than black. Its taking over the whole screen when maximised is another irritation, especially when it covers up your task bar and the Alt+Tab shortcut is needed to leave it without having to hit the minimise button.
Yes, it does do the job, but I still find myself hankering after an Adobe Reader style interface and I have no idea why this has been foisted upon us when the previous approach was a perfectly good one. All in all, I have only to say it seems a premature roll-out of the approach. Now, where's Reader 7 when I need it?
28th March 2007
Last night, I sat through part of Adobe’s CS3 launch and must admit that I came away intrigued. Products from the Macromedia stable have been very much brought under the Adobe umbrella and progressed to boot. One of these that attracts my interest in Dreamweaver and Adobe is promoting its AJAX capabilities (using the Spry library), its browser compatibility checking facility and integration with Photoshop, among other things. Dreamweaver’s CSS support also gets taken forward. In addition, Dreamweaver can now integrate with Adobe Bridge and Adobe Device Central. The latter allows you to preview how your site might look on a plethora of WAP-enabled mobile phones while the latter, unless I have been missing something, seems to have become a media manager supporting all of CS3 and not just Photoshop.
Speaking of Photoshop, this now gets such new features as smart filters, I think of these as adjustment layers for things like sharpening, monochrome conversion and much more. Raw image processing now has a non-destructive element, with Photoshop Lightroom being touted as a companion for the main Photoshop. Speaking of new additions to the Photoshop family, there is a new Extended edition for those working with digital imaging with a 3D aspect and this is targeted at scientists, engineers, medical professionals and others. It appears that data analysis and interpretation is becoming part of the Photoshop remit now as well.
Dreamweaver and Photoshop are the components of the suite in which I have most interest, while I also note that the Contribute editor now has blogging capabilities; it would be interesting to see how these work, especially given Word 2007’s support for blogging tools like WordPress and Blogger. Another member of note is Version Cue, adding version control to the mix and making CS3 more like a group of platforms than collections of applications.
Unsurprisingly, the changes are rung out for the rest of the suite with integration being a major theme and this very much encompasses Flash too. The sight of an image selection being copied straight into Dreamweaver was wondrous in its own way, and the rendering of Photoshop files into 3D images was also something to behold. The latter was used to demonstrate the optimisations that have been added for the Mac platform, a major selling point, apparently.
For me, the outstanding question is this: do I buy into all of this? It’s a good question because the computer enthusiast seems to be getting something of a sidelining lately. And that seems to be the impression left by Windows Vista, it gives the appearance that Microsoft is trying to be system administrator to the world. There is no doubt but CS3 is very grown up now and centred around work flows and processes. These have always been professional tools, with the present level of sophistication and pricing* very much reflecting this.
That said, enthusiasts like me have been known to use them too, at least for learning purposes. The latter point may yet cause me to get my hands on Photoshop CS3 with its powerful tools for digital imaging, while Dreamweaver is another story. Given it doesn’t fit what how I work now, this is an upgrade that I may give a miss, as impressive as it looks. For a learning experience, I might download a demo, but that would a separate matter from updating my web presence. This time next month may tell a tale…
- Pricing remains the bugbear for the U.K. market that it always has been. At the present exchange rates, we should be getting a much better deal on Adobe products than we do. For instance, Amazon.com has the Web Premium CS3 suite from Macromedia Studio 8 priced at $493.99 while it is £513.99 on Amazon.co.uk. Using the exchange rate current as I write this, £1 buying $1.96605, the U.K. price is a whopping $1010.53 in U.S. terms. To me, this looks like price gouging and Microsoft has been slated for this too. Thus, I wonder what will be said to Adobe on this one.