The latest version of Photoshop ( Adobe Photoshop CS2 ) is more than just a bug fix edition ... its an important upgrade ... this software has dealt with a couple of issues I've had with Photoshop from day one ... and dealt with them extremely well. In fact, I think this is possibly the best release of Photoshop ever and to pay my respects I have awarded it the Editor's Choice Award for this month.

Okay, just why am I so excited ... a few reasons ... reason number one ... finally!! A font preview in the Type window. Illustrator has had one for some time now and I couldn't work out why they hadn't bothered with Photoshop, so perhaps it was a time issue. The image below shows how type fonts are displayed. Its great! No more searching through fonts to find that pesky one you can't remember the name of!!

Reason number two ... finally!! Multiple layer selection. This has irked me since day one and now it is in place. Layers can be selected by clicking on them while holding down the control or the shift key. The "link" icon has moved out of the layer itself and to the bottom of the palette. What this means is that if you highlight four or five layers then press the "link" icon, voila! All those selected layers are linked or unlinked with one mouse click. Of course this layer selection feature can be used to move, copy, group and lock layers and more ... Pure bliss!

Reason number three ... in my last Photoshop review ( Adobe Photoshop CS ) I wished for "non-destructive" editing of layers. I wanted to be able to apply filters, amongst other things, and be able to "undo" the function without having to make a copy of the layer. Adobe have done this in their own way with something new called "Smart Objects". Simply, select any layers you want to alter, text, vector or raster shapes, then make them a "smart object". From that point the layers are linked together and can have filters etc added to them. But, they can always be edited in their original form as well. This is brilliant and any experienced Photoshop user will pick this up very quickly.

 

Reason number four ... to match in with smart objects there are now "smart guides". These are guides which pop up as you move objects around the canvas and move into the proximity of another object. Smart (and extremely helpful) guides are just what you've been waiting for in Photoshop and will assist any positioning layouts you want to create. Magic!

Reason number five ... there is a new transform tool called "warp". I was always frustrated by the limitations of the transform tools. This allows more creativity and control over the appearance of objects. The "wow" factor.

 

Reason number six ... the new "vanishing point" feature allows you to clone, paint, and paste elements that automatically match the perspective of the surrounding image area.

 

Of course there are loads of other reasons to purchase this product but I think I've given you a fair idea of what to expect from this powerful upgrade release of Photoshop. You can read about the other new features here.

Adobe have definitely got it right this time, its simply a much better product now.