new feature enhancements in Photoshop CC

IF you are considering upgrading to Photoshop CC here are some new features...

Adobe released a major update to its Creative Cloud apps. Of key interest to photographers will be the updates to Photoshop. They are significant. Here are most of the new feature enhancements in Photoshop CC:

Photoshop merged to include Extended. The more expensive Photoshop package which includes 3D capability and sophisticated image analysis tools has now been merged into Photoshop CC. Now, there is just one Photoshop.

All-new Smart Sharpen. Photoshop CC analyzes image data to maximize clarity and minimize noise and halo. A range of new editable options lets you fine-tune images to get richer textures, crisper edges and more distinct details.

Intelligent up-sampling. New up sampling feature is more accurate. It lets you enlarge low-resolution images so they look much better in large print. The intelligent part is that the new upsampling feature preserves detail and sharpness without introducing noise.

**Camera RAW Automatic Upright. With new Adobe Camera Raw 8, you can fix perspective distortions easily with Automatic Upright. You have lots of control over how you want to fix the perspective of your photos.

**Adobe Camera Raw 8 & Adobe Camera Raw as a filter. Apply new effects to your images with ACR’s new Advanced Healing Brush, Radial Gradient and Upright tools. Adobe Camera Raw’s powerful tools can now be used as a filter, allowing you to use controls like Clarity, Noise reduction and Temperature on any layer at any time. See our tutorial.

Editable rounded rectangles and other shapes. Creating shapes has never been so flexible. The ability to resize and re-edit shapes after they’ve been created is one of the most-requested features added to Photoshop CC. Web designers will also be able to export CSS data from files to use later.

Multiple shape and path selection. This lets you select multiple paths, shapes, and vector masks simultaneously. You can target the path (and any layer) you want on canvas with a new filter mode.

Camera Shake Reduction. Just what it says. This feature is designed to let you salvage shots made unusable due to camera motion. Whether the blur was caused by slow shutter speed or just poor technique, Photoshop analyzes its trajectory and helps restore sharpness. This won't save a completely out of focus picture, but it will take those images that are just a tiny bit off and make them sing. See our tutorial.

Smart Object support for Blur Gallery and Liquify. This lets you non-destructively add blur or liquify effects to your images. The original file stays intact as you edit or remove the effects—even after saving your file.

Conditional Actions. Put routine processing jobs on autopilot with Conditional Actions. These commands use if/then statements to automatically choose between different actions based on rules you set up.

Improved Min and Max filters. Create more precise masks and selections with more powerful Minimum and Maximum filters, which now include options to preserve squareness or roundness.