Photoshop "Overhaul" Might Be Coming
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Thursday, November 8, 2007 by Island Dog | Discussion: WinCustomize News
I think it's safe to say a great many of our members here on WinCustomize are users of Adobe Photoshop. I started using Photoshop somewhere around version 6 and I'm currently on CS2, so this story I saw today really caught my eye (thanks to Hankers for the tip). John Nack, Photoshop Product Manager, wrote some interesting tidbits on his blog regarding Photoshops future and a possible visual "overhaul".
Nack stated, "We must make Photoshop "everything you need, nothing you don't." While giving no specifics about changes, one can look at an application like Adobe Lightroom which has editing "modules" who change with the task at hand. Nack also said that Photoshop needs to become "dramatically" more configurable for users, which could possibly alienate quite a few users, especially ones who are long-time Photoshop users.
So the question goes out to the community, do you think Photoshop needs a major overhaul?
SKoriginals
Reply #3 Thursday, November 8, 2007 11:38 AM
Reply #3 Thursday, November 8, 2007 11:38 AM
I like photoshop just the way it is, I'm using CS3 and don't miss ImageReady at all. The new interface is actually much better but if further changes end up borking and/or leaving out current features then "No Thanks". I've been using photoshop for coming on nearly 10 yrs and am very comfortable with the way it is.
These 'changes' should come as an option so those who are accustom to it are not left wanting the old one/way back. I understand how new users find it a daunting program and it would be useful to them maybe.
These 'changes' should come as an option so those who are accustom to it are not left wanting the old one/way back. I understand how new users find it a daunting program and it would be useful to them maybe.
LostJounin
Reply #4 Thursday, November 8, 2007 11:59 AM
Reply #4 Thursday, November 8, 2007 11:59 AM
I don't use it as much as I used to but I do like how they set things up. Maybe a menu system like that in Office 2007 could be interesting but as it stands right now, I have no complaints about the UI.
BedOverPictures
Reply #5 Thursday, November 8, 2007 12:22 PM
Reply #5 Thursday, November 8, 2007 12:22 PM
As far as I'm concerned Adobe can shove the whole mess with onions. If they want to see how a capable, well-coded, reliable, configurable, powerful, flexible and interoperable bitmap-editing app should look like they can drop thirty mil at Corel's doorstep and apologize for getting their marketing in Photo-Paint's way to begin with.
Here's the news: Everything you can do with PS can be done faster, better, safer and more intuitively in PP. For a good deal less than the absurd premiums Adobe demands for a single raster or vector app you get everything plus about five grand worth of royalty-free no-restriction frosting in every imaginable flavour. There's really no time or much point to try to go into more detail because the Adobe nuts will pour out in pedantic defence (get ready to hear "industry standard" from people who call themselves 'creatives'!) and those who haven't tried likely won't anyway. In any case I hope this propeller-hat sinks the whole Photoshop ship and in doing so cracks open the weathered bow of that great, bloated mess and sends the rats in search of submarines.
Here's the news: Everything you can do with PS can be done faster, better, safer and more intuitively in PP. For a good deal less than the absurd premiums Adobe demands for a single raster or vector app you get everything plus about five grand worth of royalty-free no-restriction frosting in every imaginable flavour. There's really no time or much point to try to go into more detail because the Adobe nuts will pour out in pedantic defence (get ready to hear "industry standard" from people who call themselves 'creatives'!) and those who haven't tried likely won't anyway. In any case I hope this propeller-hat sinks the whole Photoshop ship and in doing so cracks open the weathered bow of that great, bloated mess and sends the rats in search of submarines.
vStyler
Reply #7 Thursday, November 8, 2007 1:02 PM
Reply #7 Thursday, November 8, 2007 1:02 PM
Yeah I dunno, I take my graphics pretty seriously and live in photoshop, have done for years. it has a few flaws I'd like to see fixed but overall it does everything I need it to do and more.
I gave Photo-Paint a decent shot as an alternative and honestly I found it a bit counter-inuitive, harder to pick up, not enough community wide use to make collaboration effective and being a WB skinner.. It'd be nice if the menu's skinned.
I gave Photo-Paint a decent shot as an alternative and honestly I found it a bit counter-inuitive, harder to pick up, not enough community wide use to make collaboration effective and being a WB skinner.. It'd be nice if the menu's skinned.
eidylon
Reply #8 Thursday, November 8, 2007 1:33 PM
Reply #8 Thursday, November 8, 2007 1:33 PM
I kind of agree with BedOverPictures. I used to be a HEAVY PS user, but it's just so insanely expensive now. Then add on to that, the fact of the way their craptivation scheme messes with your computer and leaves your licensing open to their changing on a whim, i decided to completely drop them.
I've been using Paint.NET now for several months... and granted, it's new, and some stuff isn't as easy as in Photoshop yet... especially at first, but i am finding that PDN has pretty much all the same functionality and power... (there are a few limitations, but most of them are on the developers' boilerplate to address, and can be easily worked around in the meantime).
I had also tried GIMP, but even with the plugin that is supposed to emulate the Photoshop environment, i just COULD not find my way around in that program. Which is the other reason i really like PDN, is that it's interface is quite similar to Photoshop's.
I DO miss ImageReady though, just for the sake of being able to easily generate the code for HTML imagemaps.
(and in case you think i'm just jonesing for something free, i actually donated a fair amount to PDN, ... paying for good software is not the problem)
I've been using Paint.NET now for several months... and granted, it's new, and some stuff isn't as easy as in Photoshop yet... especially at first, but i am finding that PDN has pretty much all the same functionality and power... (there are a few limitations, but most of them are on the developers' boilerplate to address, and can be easily worked around in the meantime).
I had also tried GIMP, but even with the plugin that is supposed to emulate the Photoshop environment, i just COULD not find my way around in that program. Which is the other reason i really like PDN, is that it's interface is quite similar to Photoshop's.
I DO miss ImageReady though, just for the sake of being able to easily generate the code for HTML imagemaps.
(and in case you think i'm just jonesing for something free, i actually donated a fair amount to PDN, ... paying for good software is not the problem)
cavalierex
Reply #9 Thursday, November 8, 2007 6:28 PM
Reply #9 Thursday, November 8, 2007 6:28 PM
I don't think a 'ribbon'-like interface would lend itself to Photoshop as well as it did Word, Excel or PowerPoint. But I'm sure Adobe will figure out something cool, as they usually do -- And then we'll all be left drooling, wishing we could afford the new version! 
Btw, I like the interfaces that Corel uses in its Painter and Draw applications. Maybe something more like that?
Btw, I like the interfaces that Corel uses in its Painter and Draw applications. Maybe something more like that?
JanOscar
Reply #10 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:04 PM
No!
Reply #10 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:04 PM
Everything you can do with PS can be done faster, better, safer and more intuitively in PP
No!
GoodBytes
Reply #11 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:28 PM
Reply #11 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:28 PM
Photoshop already takes an eternity to startup. (look it take about 11second to startup CS3 trial)
What if I just want to view a singe picture... I have to wait that long everytime...
and now, as I know Adobe, they will jack up the price, and make it even slower.
What if I just want to view a singe picture... I have to wait that long everytime...
and now, as I know Adobe, they will jack up the price, and make it even slower.
KeithMacDonald
Reply #12 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:44 PM
Reply #12 Thursday, November 8, 2007 7:44 PM
PS needs no overhaul. 'Nough said. (A bigger selection of free filters would be nice though... 
)
)
eidylon
Reply #13 Thursday, November 8, 2007 8:47 PM
Reply #13 Thursday, November 8, 2007 8:47 PM
I TOTALLY agree with GoodBytes... that was one of my BIGGEST complaints with ANY of Adobe's software... be it Photoshop, InDesign, ImageReady or even just Acrobat, ... is the inCREDibly long time which they took/take to start up!!!
Laneyfamily
Reply #14 Thursday, November 8, 2007 10:09 PM
Reply #14 Thursday, November 8, 2007 10:09 PM
Yes, I would say Adobe needs a new look, maybe make the config completely customizeable, that would help make it more intuitive, right now it is not very native, it is a sys that has to be learned rather than, people should be able to install and GO, no, I'm not saying everyone should be an expert at it, I am saying that it should be a comfortable setup, which in my opinon, user since just before CS2 came out, it is not very comfortable till learned, And I feel the same with 3ds max, Autocade, and Maya, they suffer from the same situation. IMO
pjdark
Reply #15 Friday, November 9, 2007 12:01 AM
Reply #15 Friday, November 9, 2007 12:01 AM
yeah i just got PS cs3 extended from my brother, and coming from using the gimp for so long it was a great upgrade. But it is [ to me anyway ] very intimidating to use. The gimp's interface was so simple to learn. pretty much anyways. Now with the gimp 2.4 out, i dunno. pretty much using that for now just for the comfort factor. Ps cs3 is pretty kick ass though. Alot under the hood. 
Alternate Setting
Reply #16 Friday, November 9, 2007 3:05 AM
Reply #16 Friday, November 9, 2007 3:05 AM
I have both PSP(X)10.03 and CS3.
On my machine, load up times from cold are CS3 5-6s and PSP is approx 1s faster.
I was happy enough with PSP until I bought my tablet/pen. PSP on my machine doesn't give me the same quality of response. There's a degree of assuredness when freehand drawing with fine lines, especially the pencil, that CS3 provides me that PSP doesn't. I've gone back to double check this, and the difference is almost palpable, it's not just a 'feeling'.
CS3 first appears stark. However if you already understand some of the basic concepts of working with graphics programs, it's not that difficult to make the initial adjustment.
I'm unsure about changing the interface. I like that it's fairly unobtrusive. I seem to be able to move about the menus okay. I wouldn't object to having the choice of alternating between different workspaces though, if that was how they wanted to introduce a new interface. At least that way, established workflow wouldn't have to be challenged.
On my machine, load up times from cold are CS3 5-6s and PSP is approx 1s faster.
I was happy enough with PSP until I bought my tablet/pen. PSP on my machine doesn't give me the same quality of response. There's a degree of assuredness when freehand drawing with fine lines, especially the pencil, that CS3 provides me that PSP doesn't. I've gone back to double check this, and the difference is almost palpable, it's not just a 'feeling'.
CS3 first appears stark. However if you already understand some of the basic concepts of working with graphics programs, it's not that difficult to make the initial adjustment.
I'm unsure about changing the interface. I like that it's fairly unobtrusive. I seem to be able to move about the menus okay. I wouldn't object to having the choice of alternating between different workspaces though, if that was how they wanted to introduce a new interface. At least that way, established workflow wouldn't have to be challenged.
Armbut
Reply #17 Friday, November 9, 2007 6:39 AM
Reply #17 Friday, November 9, 2007 6:39 AM
Im using CS3, I just FINALLY got used to this interface...
*Adobe...please dont...*
*Adobe...please dont...*
Thomas Santomartino
Reply #18 Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:49 PM
Reply #18 Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:49 PM
I don't have a problem with them providing more options, but I think that a "legacy" interface should also be available for those of us who like and are cumformable with Photoshop the way it currently is.
I think that CS3 is a great upgrade, I'd perfer they do more to allow more usefullness for Extneded and it's 3D options. This is a golden opportunity for Adobe to include UV mapping and real time texturing of 3D models. I really don't care to render 3D scenes in Photoshop itself, but I would like to be able to do more with textures and the great brushes, features, and tools it already has.
I think that CS3 is a great upgrade, I'd perfer they do more to allow more usefullness for Extneded and it's 3D options. This is a golden opportunity for Adobe to include UV mapping and real time texturing of 3D models. I really don't care to render 3D scenes in Photoshop itself, but I would like to be able to do more with textures and the great brushes, features, and tools it already has.
Dark-Star
Reply #20 Monday, November 12, 2007 10:34 AM
Reply #20 Monday, November 12, 2007 10:34 AM
Major changes.. no
Fixing annoying bugs that have been around since CS1.. yes!
I use CS3 and love the changes they have made so far, but I would prefer if they would just fix some of the annoying bugs in the interface/dialogs first. Come on Adobe! You can do it!
Fixing annoying bugs that have been around since CS1.. yes!
I use CS3 and love the changes they have made so far, but I would prefer if they would just fix some of the annoying bugs in the interface/dialogs first. Come on Adobe! You can do it!
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Reply #1 Thursday, November 8, 2007 10:33 AM
No I don't think it needs a major overhaul..