Adobe releases Photoshop CS6 Public Beta
You can download the Public Beta of CS6 here:
http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/photoshopcs6/
There is a good review of the new features here:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/22/2890617/adobe-photoshop-cs6-beta-hands-on
If you like the user interface in Lightroom, you’ll love the new interface in CS6.
The “…refined, fresh, and elegant Photoshop interface features dark background options that make your images pop.”
If you don’t like the dark interface, don’t panic! You can get rid of the dark background in Preferences (I don’t like the “more immersive experience” – that’s not how my images are viewed) and turn off tabbed windows. The choice is yours.
There are speed increases, GUI improvements, and now video editing is possible right in Photoshop.
The Camera RAW 7 update is fantastic. Just be aware that the new Process Version 2012 requires a different approach to adjusting the RAW image settings compared with what you’ve been doing with CS5 (PV 2010). Use the Exposure to set the midtones – this is now critical. Most of the controls have also changed – all have zero defaults and can go positive and negative, and the underlying algorithms have improved. For example, Clarity no longer creates halos. The results are usually far better than what you could get with CS5 (PV 2010).
Have fun!