Apple News » design and graphics

First Look: Adobe Photoshop CS5

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:41:19 +0000

Billed as the most significant Photoshop update in years, and coming on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the release of Photoshop 1.0, expectations are high for the star pupil of the CS5 roster, and in the last couple of months, we’ve had the chance to put the program through the paces. Here’s a quick look at the standout additions: Click to embiggen – Content Aware Fill is the most innovative new goodie, based on some seriously cool technology that Adobe has whipped up in their labs. Early demonstration videos posted by Adobe scientists on YouTube show some mind-bending examples of how this magical mojo automatically fills in the holes left when removing things from complex backgrounds, the kind of retouching that challenges all but the most capable pixel jockeys. In testing this feature, we frankly found it to be a little more hit-and-miss than Adobe would have you believe – it takes some practice to get the hang of how to best use it (hints: feather your selection after lassoing the item to be removed, and try using the Content Aware option in the Spot Healing tool, which lets you gradually “build up” the Content-Aware effect by painting it on, one swipe at a time). Be warned that images hit with this wonder will likely require some manual touch up and finishing touch up; as long as you temper your expectations and spend the time experimenting with Content Aware Fill and Spot Healing, you’ll end up adoring this new hammer. – While it’s not quite new – having been birthed in Adobe’s After Effects – the Puppet Warp tool is nothing short of astounding, delivering unparalleled distortion abilities that go far, far beyond what the name implies. Besides letting you apply incredibly elaborate image stretching in a totally controllable fashion, you can use Puppet Warp to help fix problematic images: watch the second half of this video , where Adobe’s Senior Creative Director, Russell Brown, demonstrates some of the cooler applications of Puppet Warp. Spend ten minutes with this marvel, and you’ll wonder how you lived without it. Click to embiggen – If you’ve always liked the hyper-realistic look achieved by HDR photography, you’ll definitely appreciate the new HDR Toning image adjustment tool, designed to give you the “look” of HDR without having multiple locked exposures of a scene

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First Look: Adobe Photoshop CS5

iPhone Helper Apps for Insanely Specific Scenarios

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:06:00 +0000

Every day, life presents any number of problems that need solving—from settling bets to knowing which fish are OK to eat to remembering where the soupspoon goes in a formal table setting. Your iPhone or iPod touch can act as a digital Swiss Army knife, offering up the right tool to get you through almost any dilemma. We review and rate a collection of handy helper apps and ass-saving accessories that are sure to boost your rep as the consummate boy scout, always prepared for anything. For Anyone Who’s Ever Asked, "How?" Howcast.com’s free iPhone app puts the site’s eclectic collection of how-to videos in your pocket Think of all the things you’ve always wanted to know how to do: fold origami, set a formal dinner table, pick a lock…or maybe have sex in a car? Amazingly enough, you can learn how to do all of these things—and many more—with Howcast’s free iPhone app. This excellent freebie puts an iPhone “wrapper” on the mind-blowing array of how-to video content available on Howcast.com. Click here to read a full review of this app Search for topics in the search bar or tap on Most Recent or Featured to see a list of how-to videos on Howcast. Howcast How-To Videos Howcast Media www.howcast.com Free Six More Ways to Skin a Cat (Not Literally, OK?) These apps offer more practical solutions to real-life problems Heads, You Win; Tails, You Win Need to settle a bet but don’t have a coin to toss? If you spend a buck on My CoinFlip, you’ll never be without a way to force your friends to choose between two options. The app features 11 different types of coins, including a variety of euro coins. The Vatican euro offers a nice option for your Catholic friends. My CoinFlip 1.2.3 Sandro Stricker www.software.sandrostricker.de $0.99 Wait, How Many Spider Rolls Did We Order?

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iPhone Helper Apps for Insanely Specific Scenarios

Corel Painter 11

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:16:00 +0000

Painter has been around the computer graphics world almost as long as Photoshop and has always been the absolute leader in the realm of simulating natural media (paintbrushes, pencils, inks, and so on)—and retains the title to this very day. While this latest version of Painter continues to be the go-to app for painting on your Mac, this update is possibly the least exciting in the program’s history and doesn’t offer much in the way of upgrade incentive for existing users. read more

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Corel Painter 11

Garden Gnome Software Pano2VR

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:01:09 +0000

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. And now that multimedia has taken over the Web, flat 2D images sometimes just aren’t enough anymore. But going from a series of photos to an interactive 3D image can take a bit of work. After stitching the photos together, additional processing is required to turn them into interactive, virtual reality files viewable in a Web browser. Some stitching programs have the capacity to output QuickTime VR (QTVR) files. read more

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Garden Gnome Software Pano2VR

MacFormat Relaunch

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:51:11 +0000

On the other side of the Atlantic ocean is little island nation known as Great Britain. That tiny nation of funny-named food and wrong-side-of-the-street driving, is home to our sister publication, MacFormat . It’s like Mac|Life but with Jaffa Cakes, fish and chips, and tea. read more

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MacFormat Relaunch

Apple Delivers 17" MacBook Pro HDD Fix

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:17:53 +0000

Apple delivered their 17-inch MacBook Pro hard drive fix today, relieving the many Mac users who heard the annoying clicks and beeps. We reported about the problems last Monday and Apple said they were working on an update. Several 17-inch MacBook Pro users with 7200 rpm drives reported clicking sounds followed by an unresponsive MBP. read more

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Apple Delivers 17" MacBook Pro HDD Fix

Eye-Fi Explore

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:13:34 +0000

If you lose track of the photos you’ve uploaded, the Upload History in the Eye-Fi Manager can remind you at a glance. read more

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Eye-Fi Explore

WWDC Sells Out — Again

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:35:19 +0000

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WWDC Sells Out — Again

iMovie ’09

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:16:47 +0000

When Apple introduced iMovie ‘08, it created a schism in the Mac video-editing world. On one hand, the new version introduced an entirely new interface that made editing quick, casual movies far easier than before. On the other hand, Apple was so busy implementing this new model that it didn’t have time to reimplement all the features of previous iterations, leaving a lot of iMovie users believing the new version was really a step backward. read more

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iMovie ’09

iWeb ’09

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:30:41 +0000

All that a seasoned HTML jockey really needs to build a website is a simple text editor. But for anyone new to website creation, iWeb ’09 represents a happy medium between power and ease of use. read more

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iWeb ’09

iPhoto ’09

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:51:46 +0000

Twenty-two years after Madonna sang “Who’s That Girl?” iPhoto ’09 uses facial recognition to organize your photos based on who’s in them. With an Event or album selected, you click the new Name button in the toolbar to get started. iPhoto looks for faces in your photos, and you type in the name of each unknown face to “teach” the app to recognize your friends and loved (or at least photographed) ones. read more

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iPhoto ’09

Adobe Photoshop CS4

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:01:00 +0000

While the 3D Postcard feature adds new dimensions to layers, is it worth $349 to upgrade? Photoshop is the Big Kahuna of image editing, and while other companies have tried to cook up viable competitors, no one has been able to unseat the industry-leading application. CS4 is an update that offers some nifty new additions, but many might find the upgrade decision to be a little less than straightforward. read more

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Adobe Photoshop CS4

Photogene

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:39:00 +0000

We haven’t had this much fun sliding since we were 5 years old. With an underwhelming 2.0 megapixel camera and bare-bones photo app, the iPhone isn’t exactly a photographer’s BFF. Photogene puts them on speaking terms with its powerful, simple, image editing tools. You can make decorative changes with a neat array of frames and symbols, and using a range of sliders, you can adjust the whole image. read more

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Photogene

Belight Disc Cover 2

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:44:09 +0000

Musical tastes may change, but CD labels are forever. BeLight’s Disc Cover helps you create perfect labels and booklets to identify what’s on your burned discs. If Apple’s iApps are streamlined tools, Disc Cover is like a great big toolbox: a little messy, but it gets the job done. read more

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Belight Disc Cover 2

Adobe After Effects CS4

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:03:56 +0000

The new Cartoon effects replicates that cartoon stylization popular in TV commercials. read more

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Adobe After Effects CS4

LogMeIn Ignition

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:22:11 +0000

LogMeIn connects you to your desktop from anywhere in the world. What a rush! read more

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LogMeIn Ignition

FlipBook

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:01:15 +0000

Yeah, FlipBook is that much fun. FlipBook packs full-blown animation features into a polished––if initially confusing––interface. If you have a dexterous drawing finger and dream of unleashing your inner Hayao Miyazaki , FlipBook is worth the learning curve. read more

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FlipBook

14 iPhone Apps to Get You Through the Holidays

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:03:00 +0000

We can almost glimpse the end of this year’s holiday rush, but we’re not quite through the cooking, eating, family events, and other traditions, mostly eating. Armed with an iPhone or iPod touch, this guide of 14 apps–plus a few extras–will see you through the holidays. Watch New Year’s fireworks, or create your own. Make a dinner reservation, or find the perfect recipe. Take a group photo, stream holiday music, send thank-you e-cards, and more. We’re not quite sure when the “holiday season” ends–Superbowl Sunday? read more

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14 iPhone Apps to Get You Through the Holidays

Adobe InDesign CS4

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:33:23 +0000

Live preflighting highlights potential problems as you work. read more

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Adobe InDesign CS4

Alien Skin Blow Up 2

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:33:02 +0000

We enlarged this little ladybug 300 percent using Blow Up 2. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t ever have to upsize digital images. But as long as there are clients who blithely provide low-res pictures for use in print publications, we’re stuck having to figure out the best way to get the most out of the pixels we’re given. read more

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Alien Skin Blow Up 2

CameraBag

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:30:22 +0000

CameraBag adds mutliple filters to your iPhone photos. read more

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CameraBag

Panorama

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:30:56 +0000

Panorama makes your iPhone open wide, not your wallet. read more

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Panorama

Photoshop CS4 [Up Close]

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:57:00 +0000

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Photoshop CS4 [Up Close]

Photoshop CS4 [Up Close]

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:57:00 +0000

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Photoshop CS4 [Up Close]