It appears as Adobe are evolving they're getting better and better. CS3 showed us new features such as non-destructive smart filters, quick selection, 3D compositing, enhanced RAW image processing and HDR support.



Adobe's new software, Creative Suite 4, is intended to meet special challenges such as effective collaborations between designers and developers, embracing new media, reinventing publishing and embracing the explosion of connected media. Chad Seigel, Group Manager for Creative Suite has been quoted as saying, "Adobe is trying to break barriers and integrate all products."

Improvements to Photoshop CS4 include an enhanced user interface with the entire application enclosed in the frame, meaning that dual monitor users can have more than one application running. The workspace switcher is for swapping between applications such as Camera RAW 5 and Bridge.

Other welcome enhancements include zoom ratio which is less likely to show jagged or pixelated lines and also possesses a flicker free zoom. Now you can rotate the canvas without jagged lines and the brush size can be previewed directly on the document. Now when the tool is placed over the image it can be moved in size and you can preview it before you use it.

Another tool that has been improved is the Dodge/Burn tool; when adjusting the shadows, midtones or highlights the tool no longer will impose on the other two. When adjusting the saturation on the sponge tool it will no longer move out of acceptable gamma.

Adjustment has a dedicated window with all the tools found in the area such as levels, curves, brightness & contrast and exposure. The preview window is in the tab instead of a new window that overlaps the image. This means your picture can be viewed in its entirety and as an added bonus tools such as curves can be adjusted directly on the image for localised amendments.

The icons are also simplified for well-organized use; now you can see what you want to do much faster than before.

Another part of the CS3 features that has been improved is the clone tool. When your area is selected by stamping on it, a preview of the selected area will show on your brush. Therefore, if you're cloning small detail items or subjects such as bricks you can now line them up easier.

The mask panel allows you to select an area which can be manipulated and even inverted which is good for selective color images.

A feature I really like is content aware cropping. The feature works by first masking the areas you wish to retain in the picture. The image can then be resized and the parts that are protected won't be cropped into. The program will start to remove areas in between which is an amazing feature to see and use.

An improved blend layer mode has been added and is great for procedures such as focus stacking. The program automatically adjusts the exposure and color so there's no need to mess about first.

Please note that the images must be loaded in as layers and highlighted. Once you have done that click on Edit>Auto blend layers and the images will be composited together. Also note that you must be patient as the process can take some time.

It can also be useful to create HDR images if you prefer the ones without the ethereal effect that most systems produce.

Photoshop Product Manager, Bryan Hughes, is quite adamant that this isn't a HDR tool as it doesn't give a full high dynamic range in all areas so the familiar ethereal look of a HDR image is absent. He added that if need be it could be described as a clipped version of HDR.

Photoshop CS4 Extended also features 3D support. Two dimensional images can be changed to 3D by giving them x, y and z co-ordinates and these images can also be wrapped around imported 3D images. Photoshop CS4 also works in conjunction with Google 3D warehouse where thousands of 3D images are available to import. Merging a 2D image onto a 3D image is very easy with the only command being the Merge button. The 2D layer will then acquire all the 3D attributes such as decay detail, colour and reflections. The 3D image can be manipulated as well and you can also enjoy features such as creating cut-outs, adding detail or changing colours to the interior of the cut-out.

Another great feature has been added for help with people who are color blind. Colors in Photoshop CS4 can now be adjusted for true color blindness.

One thing I don't like is the removal of the quick tools from the image window bar. When you've opened an image, right clicking on the header bar will bring up five options of duplicate, image size, canvas size, file info for metadata and page set up. I used these a lot, especially file info and to find it's not there adds time to my workflow.

Regardless, at the press release for Photoshop CS4 I was incredibly excited when I saw the new features. The latest features such as the auto blend and content aware cropping feature are astounding. I also enjoy using the localized adjustments on Lightroom 2 so it'll be really beneficial on Photoshop CS4.

Check out the upgrades box and see if you'll use all those extra features. Add to that the efficient zooming and 89 percent less drag on the mouse making it move across the screen faster.

Bear in mind that the list is for the Extended version which supports the 3D applications. If you don't need those then don't bother with Extended but as far as I'm concerned this new version is the best one yet.