We upgraded to Adobe Creative Suite 6 last year, and I'm still discovering new tricks and shortcuts. Generally, I just use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign on a daily basis here at AlphaGraphics. But every now and then I'll open Photoshop.
Because Photoshop is a raster program instead of vector based (which I've talked about in newsletters before), I don't use Photoshop to set up most of the designs that we do here. Photoshop is great for editing photos (naturally), and other image effects, but it's not so great for type. Still, my lack of constant exposure to Photoshop means I get really excited when I discover something new about this powerhouse program.
I speak, of course, of the content aware tool. Despite the fact that this little function renders me almost obsolete, it is an invaluable tool for creating the best possible photos for your design projects.
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| This was literally done with one click.
The Content Aware tool is awesome. |
Despite the fact that I have no idea how this tool works and I don't even want to THINK about the kind of coding that goes into something like this, it makes me think differently about the kind of images I choose for the projects that we do here. I am no longer limited by images without enough copy space. Using this tool, I can add or remove the space I need in order to create the best possible piece.
There are other cool tools I geek out about (Magnetic Lasso, anyone?), but suffice it to say that we are no longer limited by stock photography, because we have the tools now to make our own photos great! Found the perfect image, but the subject is wearing a blue shirt, and all your marketing is orange? Just adjust the color! Ugly telephone poles clouding up your clear blue sky? You
could hire a team of contractors, electricians and landscapers to move them and give you a perfect view...
Or you could just erase them with a click of a mouse. If only that worked in real life!