Adobe launched Creative Suite 5 ( CS5) today with a lot of new features for Photographers. CS5 goes on sale late this June.
In addition to some great work flow improvements for RAW images and media management, here are some of the top new features in Photoshop CS5:
- Complex selections made easy : Select specific areas within an image in fewer clicks. Easily select intricate image elements, such as hair; eliminate background color around selection edges; and automatically vary selection edges and perfect masks using new refinement tools.
- Content-Aware Fill : Want to get rid of that car parked in front of your house, or the powerlines in that nice landscape shot? Check out the follow sneak peak on Youtube
- HDR imaging : Create photo-realistic or surreal HDR images with unprecedented speed, control, and accuracy. Get better-than-ever results thanks to automatic ghost removal and greater control with tone mapping and adjustments, and even give single-exposure photos the look of HDR.
- Puppet Warp : Precisely reposition any image element to create a more visually appealing photo. For example, easily straighten an arm that’s bent at an awkward angle.
For more info from Adobe go the the “What’s New in Photoshop” here .
Upgrading from CS4, or want to buy CS5? Check out the pre-orders on Amazon here.
Be sure to answer our poll on the right-side! –>
Judging Round Complete
Congratulations to 1st Place Nick Board, 2nd Place Anthony Mak , and 3rd Place Michael Jackson. There were nearly 300 shots submitted this contest.The top three was definitely a tough choice in the end. The quality of the photos and wide range of subjects was fantastic. The popular vote is still open for a couple more days – so other photos still have a chance to place! Also listed are honorable mentions, picked from the top rated photos from the judges.
Top Place Photos
1st Place Photo By : Nick Board
2nd Place Photo By : Anthony Mak
3rd Place Photo By : Michael Jackson
Honorable Mentions
The “Learn High Dynamic Range” contest is now open for submissions! We have allowed this contest to be open for a while longer than previous since this is a technique-based theme. This requires the submissions to follow the general usage of the HDR technique.
Each submission must follow the technique-based theme of “High Dynamic Range”, HDR. If you are new to HDR be sure to download the free trial of HDRSoft’s Photomatix Pro 3 here. If you wish to purchase Photomatix Pro, simply use the coupon code ‘ThirstyPhoto’ when purchasing online at www.hdrsoft.com for a 15% discount.
You will be able to submit up to 5 photos for this contest. 1st Place prize is Adobe Photoshop CS4!
After some development time, the Facebook App is evolving in a good direction and we hope it will be the main interface for contests to come. Expect the site to be more streamlined over the next couple of months. A simplified cleaner site will replace the current one in time.
How do I submit a photo?
For more info on the contest, its prizes, how to submit, and schedule go to the Facebook App now! http://apps.facebook.com/thirstyphoto.
Look for the Eligibility Icon ( as seen on the left) in the App and click it. Once clicked, the Facebook App will do some checks to confirm you are able to submit a photo to the contest. If you are eligible, you will get access to the proper upload link for the contest. For a breakdown of these icons see info page http://thirstyphoto.com/blog/?page_id=12
Our next contest will have a technique-oriented theme, rather than a subject-oriented theme as we have done to date. This is the first in a series of ‘technique themes” designed to focus on either how the photo is shot, or how the image is post-processed.
So get a head start before the contest is officially announced!
Our next theme will focus on High Dynamic Range shots. There are a number of software solutions out there. Since HDRSoft has a full trial version I recommend downloading it here. The resulting image adds a watermark for trial versions of the software, but this is fine for submissions.
Prizes will include Photoshop and Photomatix Pro!
High Dynamic Range (HDR) images have been quickly gaining in popularity recently. There is a great creative potential in this image processing technique. It has also been the topic of many debates as to whether this technique really enhances one’s photographic skills, or just another way to over-process your images. I feel the resulting HDR images can range from a more true exposure of the scene to a very impressionistic interpretation that reflects the photographer’s mood.
Over the last year, I began to experiment with HDR with my Nikon D300. There are a number of approaches to reach a final image, and it can be a lot of fun along the way. With HDR software these days (I use Photomatix Pro, from HDRSoft) , you can create high dynamic range images out of a single RAW image. Yet, this limits the range of possibilities you have when processing the final image. Three exposures give you the best range of highlights, midtones, and shadows to work with in your HDR software tools.
In this post, I will talk about how exposure bracketing can give you satisfying results for your first HDR image.
In the next few pages, I will talk about:
- Taking your shots
- Reviewing your images
- Creating your final HDR Image!
On to page 2 “Taking your shots”
Okay this looks like a promising tool I could spend hours in tweaking the controls and lighting in some of my old HDR Shots. It also revives my interest is playing around with HDR shots again. Yet – I am still obsessing with toy cameras at the moment, but I think I’ll check PhotoEngine out this week.
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