Things you probably didn't know about Photoshop CS

[Doug Nelson]

Just some odds and ends about PScs that don't get much press. Feel free to add your own. I'll add more as I think of them.

Not only can you edit keyboard shortcuts and assign your own to things that don't normally have shortcuts, you can export the complete list of shortcuts to an HTML page.

Adobe has started using "scrubby sliders", meaning that many settings can be changed by clicking on the value description and dragging back and forth (for example, the radius and threshold of most filters, etc.)

You can now add your own items under the Help menu, such as links to favorite websites (I have mine set here, of course). You can also add any tutorials or tip sheets you have on your local drive. You can add an unlimited number, and control how they're grouped.

There's a new match zoom/position function so you can set multiple documents to the same zoom percentage or exact same viewing area with one menu click.

[Doug Nelson]

When you add Javascripts to the Scripts folder, they're automatically listed in the File>Scripts menu. Plus, you can now build entire user interfaces in Javascript.

There's a new History Log function that records everything you do to a text file (just the thing for our Challenges).

[T Paul]

This one is advertised, but I think a very cool feature:

Match Color command: achieve a consistent look between package shots, fashion photos, and more by instantly matching the color scheme of one image to another.

[T Paul]

Get truer, higher quality output by working with the complete raw data files from most major digital camera models.

This is the feature I am really looking forward to. For all of you digital photographers that work with raw files, you can now work with them in Adobe PhotoShop. It used to be a stand alone product that Adobe released in Feb 2003, but now ships with PhotoShop CS and has been expanded to support more cameras!

[T Paul]

And for you web developers who like to dabble in Flash....

Macromedia Flash (SWF) file export: use ImageReady CS to create Macromedia Flash (SWF) animations, complete with vector artwork and variable text.

[Andrew B.]

1. The zoom tool can be set so all windows zoom when you zoom one. This is NOT the match zoom feature. It does not match the amount of zoom. Instead, it makes all windows zoom in and out at the same time.

2. The hand tool can be set so all windows scroll together.

I'm surprised these were not mentioned in any of the preview literature I read. These are excellent features. With this you can have two versions of an image on the screen at the same time, and scroll and zoom both together as you compare them. Or, you can have two views of the same image open at once, each at a different zoom level. And then move around with the hand tool and have both move so you can see each area at two different zooms.

[kcohn]

So Andrew: how do you set those two? (I've found the "match zoom".

kcohn

[Andrew B.]

This is taken care of in the option bar when the tool is active. So for the hand tool, click in the box that says "Scroll All Windows." For the zoom tool, click the box that says "Zoom All Windows."