Comments on: Photoshop CS4 has been announced

By: redge

redge — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:49:45 +0000

i’m new to digital photography, just about to upgrade from the old school film slr. i am really looking forward to photo editing and playing around with photos but im not sure what to go for in software. I was pretty certain Lightroom 2 would do the job, especially for the organisation and viewing but wondering if it will limit me in the editing side of things. i might be new to it but i plan on reading up, learning fast and experimenting with my pics. It looks like i could do plenty of playing around in lightroom but will there be many things i will be missing out on that i would be able to do in photoshop cs4? i know i could buy both but it seems excessive. any help would be great.

By: Robbie R.

Robbie R. — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:30:35 +0000

Matt,

I found the answer to my above question about the ability to leave the mask turned on while using the adjustment brush. While there is no check box as in ACR5 the feature is available via keyboard shortcut. The shortcut is pressing the letter O when using the adjustment brush. As an added bonus if you press Shift O you can cycle through 3 different mask color options.

I found this information from Joe Barrett. His complete explanation can be found here:

http://www.image-space.com/Lightroom_Tips_Tricks/lightroom_beta_two_tips/keep_adjustment_mask_active/keep_adjustment_mask_active.html

Thanks Matt and Joe.

By: Erik

Erik — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:24:05 +0000

If it is anything like the Lightroom 2.0 release (i.e. BUGGY and not at all ready for primetime) I am doubtful that I will upgrade until after the first major service release…

By: Toni Bennett

Toni Bennett — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:16:35 +0000

Hi Matt: Knowing how you feel about Pattern Maker filter, I figured you’d be the one to ask if they dumped it in CS4. I’ve heard rumors it’s not there anymore. And the Extract filter is gone, too?

By: Robbie R.

Robbie R. — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:50:44 +0000

Matt,

I noticed while watching one of the NAPP videos that when using the adjustment brush in ACR5 that there is a new check box marked “show mask”. Scott K. demonstrates this option and it seems to allow the user to toggle a mask showing where the brush adjustment has been made. I have not been able to find this feature in LR2.1 and I’ve felt this was something that needed to be added shortly after beginning to use LR2 because the current method only shows the mask when you hover over the brush ‘control point’. So far I’ve just been running the exposure all the way up as a work-a-round. Is there a way to do this in LR and if not is this a feature that will be in ACR5 and not in LR2?

Also the 2.1 release seems to have solved the problem I was having with going from LR to CS3 and back. Speed is still an issue with the adjustment brush in LR2.1 but I’m working around that by dropping the bit depth on my video driver.

thanks and I enjoy your podcasts.

By: Carolyn Fahm

Carolyn Fahm — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:11:43 +0000

It comes down to this: having just purchased LR 2.0 I have to choose between the CS4 upgrade or a new lens. From what I have seen of the new CS4 features, the lens is winning. The changes this version seem evolutionary rather than revolutionary – like Smart Filters, which was so worth the cost of the upgrade.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:08:58 +0000

CS4 will be my first Photoshop! I love learning from you and Scott…keep up the good work

By: Michael Petrizzo

Michael Petrizzo — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:47:25 +0000

Matt,

After downloading Lightroom 2.1 I still have performance issues with the tool used for sky enhancement (just to the left of the adj. brush). I still get the beachball and have to force quit LR and restart. I was wondering if others were experiencing this and wether Adobe is aware of this issue.

By: Steve L Wells

Steve L Wells — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:50:47 +0000

Matt, I spoke with Adobe online support right after the launch. They are saying they expect CS4 to ship by October 30th. She also had a good point. Since I’m currently using CS2, I can buy CS3 upgrade now and get the CS4 upgrade free when it is released. That way, I can get more interoperability with Lightroom to CS3 and not have to pay for another upgrade in October. I won’t install the CS4 upgrade until I’m sure it is working properly for the majority of the other posters. I want to have the latest version since the majority of the new tutorials, videos, blogs, and articles are for the latest version.

By: Rick B

Rick B — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:36:32 +0000

Matt,

I saw your video about the new Dodge and Burn tools (specifically the “Protect Tones” selection). How does this new feature compare with LR2′s local exposure corrections? Does LR2 protect the tone of the image the way CS4 does?