Monday, December 17, 2012

Ups and Downs with CS6


Mostly, new software turns me into a quivering mass of dread and my brain turns to unset jello. On the other hand, new program also inspires me. I get excited about all the things I'm going to be able to accomplish with the new tools. That doesn't mean I learn the software quickly and easily. It's that the joy of discovery eases the pain. 

On the Jesse Dread and Inspiration scale, Photoshop CS6 was a 9.5. I have eyestrain from the tutorials that I've watched and I still feel like a blithering idiot. The first time I launched CS6, my jaw dropped. My first thought was a panicky, "What program is this?!" I knew immediately that I was in for a long and steep learning curve. For me, it's a big leap from CS3 to CS6 and I'm still not done.

Would I go back? Not even that proverbial "team of wild horses" could drag me there. (Well, face it, if there were horses involved, who knows.) The point is I find CS6 a dramatic improvement over previous versions and only wish that I made the move earlier. 

The new ACR alone makes the cost of the upgrade worthwhile, if you shoot RAW files. Since upgrading, I have examined  RAW files previously processed in CS3 and been astonished by the untapped information. This is mostly true with the equine action photography. There were countless cases where I got everything I wanted in the image except the exposure—the black horse running into a shadow resulting in under exposure. In most cases, so far, I have found that the RAW file had all the information that I needed, after all. 

And, I haven't even gotten into those incredible brushes. I like painting with the various brushes before, but this is a whole new world. 

Especially if you shoot RAW files, give CS6 a try.  I don't think you will be able to resist it. It's that good.
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Note: new post up at http://www.anitajesse.blogspot.com/ 

6 comments:

  1. You're too modest! You know that you're an expert, Anita. :) And, as for wild horses, you'd be photographing them all the way back to CS3 and coming up with cool new impressions of them along the way!

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    1. You are so kind. I appreciate your vote of confidence. But, I want to be "that" Anita—the one who is an expert and could chase after wild horses. Ah, you have been spying on my dreams, Paul Lester.

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  2. Well, this guy thinks your very good at what you do and quite capable of learning new tricks. All that shows in your final product. I shared your sight with the young lady who owns this coffee shop I support because she is a horse lover. She just bought a new one from overseas somewhere and think she prefer to sleep with it than her husband. :-) I find it interesting you mention the learning curve of new software as I've been thinking about moving up to PSE 11 from PSE6. We'll see.

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    1. Thanks, Monte. Thanks for comment and for sharing my work with your friend and a horse lover. We are all over the place, you know. The story about the horse and the husband makes me laugh.

      Learning curves are exciting, but I always feel that I burn up a few brain cells in the process. I am running short on any I can spare.

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  3. Anita, I'm still at CS 5.5 so it would only be a moderate change for me...that and the upgrade cost are the reasons I haven't made the jump yet. I know I probably will but I'll wait a while. There has been a lot of improvements in PS. since CS 3.

    No matter how you feel internal your results tell a different story about your proficiency with PS. I can't wait to see what you do with this new version.

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    1. I wouldn't think that you would have much to learn going from CS 5.5 to 6. And, yes, indeed, from 3 to 6 was a big leap. Tons of goodies.

      Thank you, Earl for your comment. I know that I have made considerable strides; but, I am keenly aware of the possibilities offered. I suppose that I am greedy. I want command of all of those things as soon as possible.

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Anita