Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
Unlike CS6 , where a lot of the supposed new feature film were n’t that just , this cubic centimeter release has plenty to get your teeth into . There ’s something for everyone , but the real star is the Camera Shake Reduction filter . The improvements to the 3D engine are also celebrated . finally it ’s all go to look on whether you buy into the Creative Cloud , software - leasing model or set out looking for alternatives . As it is , this is a adequate release with usable function rather than unneeded bloat .
Say goodbye to physical medium and Photoshop CS6 , and hello to a Creative Cloud subscription and Photoshop CC .
The first point to remark is that there ’s now only one version of Photoshop , whereas before you necessitate to pay extra to get the prolonged variation , which include features such as 3D. Now , everyone gravel everything and update will happen on a rolled foundation , not every 18 months or so .
There are a lot of belittled and modest tweaks and feature sweetening in this discharge , but those are n’t pop off to convert anyone that the Creative Cloud experience is deserving get . The newspaper headline - grabbers are an all - new Sharpen filter , funding for Camera Raw 8 , and a Camera Shake Reduction option .
Other features worth name let in editable rounded rectangles , multiple path , shape and transmitter selection , the copying of CSS attributes , expanded Smart Object livelihood , the ability to hold open type format as a preset , as well as organization anti - aliasing . There have also been a number of improvements to the ponderous and underpowered 3D engine .
When you first sign in to Creative Cloud , a CC helper app will set up on the menu bar . This let you access downloads and updates for all the CC apps , any file you ’ve hive away in the swarm , newfangled fonts and the Behance showcase system . When Photoshop CC runs , your Adobe account name will come along in the primary app menu , allowing you to sync your circumstance .
To Camera Raw 8 then and a likely first stop for open Raw images , though it can also process other formats such as Jpegs . The interface put up a useful way of getting started with a photo . Adobe has a trend to keep re - inventing the wheel , and that ’s surely the guinea pig here . Lots of the pecker and adjustment in Camera Raw 8 are available in the master program , where they can be well apply on layer . Here you’re able to use readjustment brushes with a masquerade party system , but it ’s clumsy and slow compared to using an adjustment level with a mask .
The exclusion is the Spot Removal tool , which is actually a general healing copse . This is particularly clever , as once an area is marked the tool identifies a desirable replacement area , then apply the texture from that region while retain the tones from the original region when blending them together . If you do n’t care the selected source , you may just move it to a better one .
There ’s also a whole collection of basic corrections . One new choice is the Radial Filter , which is really a masquerade system that uses the establish - in registration . It ’s also worth observe that Camera Raw can now be used as a filter , to let access to that group of slider - based adjustments , and that it supports 16 - turn and 32 - bit image for toning HDR images .
Sharpening image is an oftentimes - call in sphere , so we were concerned to see the all - unexampled Smart Sharpen filter . The filter window can be resized , reach it easy to see the prevue , and there are chief controls for amount , radius and reducing randomness .
During testing , it not only delivered really crisp and artefact free consequence , in mid - tones and highlight areas , but it also made noise and artifact in shadow areas a sight more noticeable . Using the Noise slipper smoothed those out , though at the cost of the highlight detail inside the main border of object in the photograph .
There are options for fading the effect on high spot and shadows , but while we found that the high spot slice worked very well , the shadows effect was a tidy sum less effective . liken to the Smart Sharpen tool in CS6 the results are very similar , though CS6 tends to make harsher edges , while CC is more even and a little better on the detail .
The big newfangled feature in Photoshop CC is the Camera Shake Reduction filter . Even the most skilled photographers can ruin epitome if the photographic camera run during the shot , so this feature is to rent you salvage shots made unusable due to photographic camera movement . Whether your blur was make by slow shutter speeding or a long focal length , Photoshop analyses its flight and help restore edge .
Image resizing is one area where Photoshop has left it to the third political party plug - in market , but now it ’s here with a new system . There are options for preserving details or making smoother or sharper , or you may just leave it on automatic . Taking a 12 - megapixel mental image and hit it poster size of it by 300 per penny took 16 seconds in CC compare to just three seconds in CS6 , using the best for enlargement pick . The CC translation was sharp , with more detail and a dependable result , but it bet like it was using more demarcation to give the picture more encroachment .
Photoshop CC ’s Bicubic Smoother choice also did the upsizing in three seconds and the result were indistinguishable to that in CS6 . Trying the same thing with OnOne Software ’s Perfect Resize 7.5 plugin take significantly longer at 81 seconds , but it did n’t have to resort to using extra contrast , circles were better define , upright were straighter and diagonals slightly less jagged .
So , we got a better result using CC , but not as good as OnOne ’s third - company plugin .
3D for everyone
If you have n’t used Photoshop Extended , then you wo n’t have make out across Photoshop ’s attempt to incorporate 3-D , which has been a morsel hit - and - drop due to its instability . For Photoshop CC , the scene panel has been make over to make it more like regular Photoshop , and 3D painting is now a lot quicker , though it ’s worth stand in mind that it was pretty slow before .
You should also note that import 3D files from elsewhere is still limited in terms of data formatting , and a lot of OBJ file do n’t spell properly as well . The lights are gratefully a mountain faster and more reactive , though the system of showing them in the 3D scene still is n’t particularly good .
