I have been using Photoshop since version 7. I spend a good portion of my working days using Photoshop so when a new release is released by Adobe I’m always eager to try it out. I downloaded Photoshop CS6 when Adobe made the Beta available back in March and although its more evolution than revolution it does have some nice new features, I’ve listed the ones I’ve found most useful below.
#1 – The New Dark Interface
I know this is an obvious one but I really do like the new interface, it definitely helps you to focus in on your work.
#2 – Three Part Blur Gallery
This is a really handy new feature that makes creating depth of field effects so much easier than having to create your own masks. I think the Iris Blur is probably the most useful to me.
#3 – Layer Panel Enhancements
This has been a long time coming and you still can’t do everything I’d like to be able to do but even being able to change transparency and blending modes is a step in the right direction. The new layer filter is also a useful addition.
#4 – Improved Crop Tool
Not a big feature but still much better than the original crop tool. If the layer you are cropping is embedded within a Smart Object then its also none destructive too.
#5 – Content Aware Move and Extend
Content Aware fill came with CS5 and although it’s by no means flawless it does get you pretty good results, really quickly. With CS6 we now have Content Aware Move and Extend and although these aren’t features you’re going to use everyday they are useful additions. I’ve found the Content Aware Extend to provide decent results.
#6 – Paragraph and Character Styles
These are a massive time saver giving you the ability to quickly change multiple areas of type in one hit. A lot of the work I do does include repetitve areas of type. A blog design for example that I was working on recently had loads of repeated areas and this feature made the job of keeping all my typography in order really efficient.
If you haven’t experiemented with these features yet try them out and see if you agree with me.