Adobe Photoshop CS4 Adds Multi-Touch Trackpad Support

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

As graphics professionals figure out the changes found in the recently announced Adobe Creative Suite 4 (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/23/adobe-unveils-creative-suite-cs4-gpu-accelerated-photoshop/), Wired.com points out (http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/photoshop-cs4-e.html) one Mac-specific feature of Adobe Photoshop CS4 that's been otherwise unmentioned.

Adobe has added support for Apple's multi-touch trackpad that is found in the MacBook Air and newest MacBook Pro laptops. The big Mac-specific feature is support for the multi touch pads found on the MacBooks Air and Pro. You can pinch to zoom in and out, twist the image and also "throw" the picture across the screen: if you hold the space bar down, click and drag the image when it is zoomed in and then let go, the picture will continue to move before slowing and coming to rest. It's very similar to the scrolling on the iPhone.Apple introduced the multi-touch trackpad into the MacBook Air at its release in January and has since added the feature to its MacBook Pros. Apple is rumored to add a glass trackpad (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/07/28/glass-touch-pad-on-next-macbook/) to the upcoming MacBook revision.

While Apple provides basic multi-touch support in its own applications such as Safari and iPhoto, one 3rd party application called MultiClutch (beta) (http://wcrawford.org/2008/02/28/everytime-i-think-about-you-i-touch-my-cell/) allows you to add custom keyboard shortcuts to multi-touch gestures on your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Article Link (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/09/24/adobe-photoshop-cs4-adds-multi-touch-trackpad-support/)

[Kebabselector]

It's mentioned in the comparision between normal and extended photoshop

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/compare/

Do they promote Superior performance on very large images, using additional RAM - usage requires a 64-bit version of Windows and a 64-bit capable computer.

[longofest]

Mac users may not get 64 bit, but we do get multi-touch.

Don't know whether its a fair tradeoff or not, but at least it's something.

[arn]

multi-touch trackpad is something you get very used to. I find myself using it safari all the time and miss it when on a laptop without the multi-touch.

I use the back (3-finger swipe) and zoom (pinch) features more then I would have thought.

[amac4me]

This would surely serve to help productivity and solidifies the argument that those who work on Macs are more productive.

[InLikeALion]

When I saw the 'throw' ability on a demo video, the first thing I thought of was the iPhone-like features of the newer trackpads. That is really exciting that Adobe built in interaction that is so natural.

I've been thinking that due to lack of 64bit code I would skip this release, but subtle features in this and other programs make it seem like I might end up with an upgrade sometime in the next year or so.

[The Tall One]

Nothing like a little style!

[cleanup]

I don't really see the practicality in the "throw"ing objects around the canvas. If I'm using Photoshop, I'm using a mouse, or a tablet. That being said, it's much easier to use Command+Scroll wheel to zoom instead of reaching over for my trackpad. Maybe the rotation function might help, as it's easier than accessing the Rotate Canvas menu, but only in limited circumstances.

[Can]

The best thing in this news item was the link to MultiClutch !

Thanks a lot :-)

[840quadra]

No 64 bit support is a real bummer and a total letdown. Ever since the days of the G4, apple appeared to work closely with Adobe to ensure stellar performance with photoshop. It feels like Adobe resents (somewhat) apple switching to intel. Ever since their releases have been slow, an somewhat lacking in innovative features.

Multitoich is a great thing to have, however I will take processing speed over that any day! I guess we will not be seeing any photoshop demos ( lassic speed tests) in an apple keynote anytime in the near future!


840quadra from iPod Touch

[hob]

now all I need is a new MPB to run it on ;)

I hope Oct. 14th is the day - 'cos I'm getting desperate now.

No 64-bit for CS4.... hm. Multitouch I can see being fairly useful, but 64-bit would be moreso, I think...

[dagamer34]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

[brad.c]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

I still hope Apple will release a multi-touch graphics tablet that will sit beside/beneath/replace my mouse. When that happens, this feature will be useful to me.

And I even think of myself as a silly graphic designer.

[KingYaba]

It feels like CS3 came out yesterday. And here we are with #4. :eek:

[SilentCrs]

Kind of bothers me that there's still such a focus on Photoshop on sites like this. Hasn't the majority of the userbase swung from "graphic artists" to "ordinary users"? There's been more articles about CS4 in the last week than the number of articles about Mac Spore EVER. I could honestly care less about an overpriced graphics program (that apparently, at this point, is more efficient on PCs anyway).

[lazyrighteye]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

I actually know some incredibly legit designers that don't use a mouse with their MacBook Pros. And they work with/for very name brand clients.
They're track pad ninjas. It's amazing to watch them work. Boggled my mind, at first. But they were as fast (or faster) than me with my mouse.

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

I don't bother with a mouse when I'm working with Photoshop or Illustrator on my laptop.
I'm able to control everything just fine. The trackpad is precise enough.

Kind of bothers me that there's still such a focus on Photoshop on sites like this. Hasn't the majority of the userbase swung from "graphic artists" to "ordinary users"? There's been more articles about CS4 in the last week than the number of articles about Mac Spore EVER. I could honestly care less about an overpriced graphics program (that apparently, at this point, is more efficient on PCs anyway).
So don't read the articles.

[millerrh]

I still hope Apple will release a multi-touch graphics tablet that will sit beside/beneath/replace my mouse. When that happens, this feature will be useful to me.

And I even think of myself as a silly graphic designer.

This is exactly what I'm thinking! I wonder if Adobe got some kind of heads up saying, "you guys might want to include multitouch gestures into Photoshop because of some upcoming products."

Can you imagine a new Apple tablet that was like a Wacom Cintiq combined with multitouch gestures for scrolling and zooming? That would be one killer tablet for graphics use. Money in hand if one of those is coming out soon.

[SilentCrs]

So don't read the articles.

Kind of hard not to. I don't see a way to turn them off.

I just wish MacRumors (and other Mac-related sites) would understand that the userbase has changed and we're honestly not interested in advertising, publishing or graphic design work.

[Sayer]

Apple is the one to blame for no 64-bit Photoshop. Apple dropped 64-bit Carbon (HIToolbox) from Leopard in what can only be described as a deliberate (political) change to force apps to Cocoa. A lot of legacy APIs (now apparently all of Carbon) were dropped completely from 64-bit leopard. Granted its been long enough for apps to drop QuickDraw in favor of CoreGraphics, but dropping so-called modern HIToolbox from 64-bit Leopard had no technical merit other than forcing 64-bit apps to Cocoa only.

Adobe could rework their apps to use 64bit-native in separate components and leave the UI as 32bit, but then they'd fragment their codebase for the Mac even more. They could rework the UI in a Cocoa app and leave the core processing in cross-platform, but with the same fragmented code base problem.

Adobe had enough trouble reworking their entire dev process to move to Xcode to support Intel Macs which explains the limited advancement on the Mac recently.

Then Adobe bought Macromedia and started integrating Flash into everything, which again took time away from improving the Mac products (moving to Cocoa or 64-bit).

Reality stinks, but we have to live with it.

[brad.c]

Kind of bothers me that there's still such a focus on Photoshop on sites like this. Hasn't the majority of the userbase swung from "graphic artists" to "ordinary users"? There's been more articles about CS4 in the last week than the number of articles about Mac Spore EVER. I could honestly care less about an overpriced graphics program (that apparently, at this point, is more efficient on PCs anyway).

Kind of bothers others that there's been so many iPhone stories on a site named Macrumors. (Emphasis mine, of course.) But it's Arn's site to do as he pleases, and I'm happy to be here, reading what interests me.

Besides, Photoshop is as relevant to the Mac today as it was 18 years ago. It's Mac history, and will be around for years in the future.

[InLikeALion]

Kind of hard not to. I don't see a way to turn them off.

I just wish MacRumors (and other Mac-related sites) would understand that the userbase has changed and we're honestly not interested in advertising, publishing or graphic design work.

Just because their user base now includes you, doesn't mean it doesn't still include me and other designers, videographers, and photographers anymore. Quit whining. This "string" of Adobe news is nothing in comparison to iphone news, and by far not all mac users have iphones. I guess they should only have articles about macs themselves, but not any applications or peripherals, as not everyone is interested?

Again, quit whining. This stuff is the tools by which I can afford food and shelter for my family. Many other mac users like me are interested.

[Trajectory]

Kind of bothers me that there's still such a focus on Photoshop on sites like this. Hasn't the majority of the userbase swung from "graphic artists" to "ordinary users"? There's been more articles about CS4 in the last week than the number of articles about Mac Spore EVER. I could honestly care less about an overpriced graphics program (that apparently, at this point, is more efficient on PCs anyway).

Then don't read the threads. Just because you're not interested doesn't mean others aren't.

[TwinCities Dan]

Kind of hard not to. I don't see a way to turn them off.

I just wish MacRumors (and other Mac-related sites) would understand that the userbase has changed and we're honestly not interested in advertising, publishing or graphic design work.

I wasn't going to say anything but this retort is silly... :eek:

There IS a way to turn them off, right at the top of your browser there is a "http://" feel free to type something else in there... ;)

Apperently "the userbase has changed" and ALL mac users disregard news about productive apps and we ALL want to read countless articles about relevent topics like games... :rolleyes:

[SilentCrs]

Just because their user base now includes you, doesn't mean it doesn't still include me and other designers, videographers, and photographers anymore. Quit whining. This "string" of Adobe news is nothing in comparison to iphone news, and by far not all mac users have iphones. I guess they should only have articles about macs themselves, but not any applications or peripherals, as not everyone is interested?

How about they focus on what the majority are interested in? Sounds a lot more logical to me. Most consumers today focus on consumer applications of Macs (Internet, word processing, games, etc), iPods and iPhones.

I remember seeing "Design and Publishing" in the Mac section at the local CompUSA years ago. Now in the Apple section at Best Buy you see a focus on iPods.

The user may "include" you, just as the voterbase may "include" handicapped people. It doesn't mean 9/10 of the articles regarding the candidates wooing voters should focus on handicapped voters. If you're in the minority, you should take a back seat to the majority (especially when ads pay the bills here and eyeballs = ads).


Again, quit whining. This stuff is the tools by which I can afford food and shelter for my family. Many other mac users like me are interested.

Given the current advertising/graphic design market, I think you need to find a new profession. But I digress.

productive apps... relevent topics like games

CS4 is a "productive" app? Mostly I see it used for creating (godawful) advertisements and occasionally creative artistic endeavors -- like artwork for movies and... (gasp)... games. "Productive" apps are things like Excel.

If Photoshop was wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow, civilization would go on (and would likely be better as a result). If Excel was, given the number of financial companies that still use it (you know, "productive" work), we'd be majorly screwed.

[nelmat]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

Who says without a mouse, surely this is in addition to existing input devices? I currently use mouse and tablet almost simultaneously - both have their strengths, and adding a trackpad to this mix would not only help, but also continue to aid in the fight against rsi - more hand movements during twelve hour shifts...

[dAlen]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

Well, as a serious former art director (Ive been in video land for awhile), I use the trackpad on the laptop all the time. Faster than a mouse.

Albeit, in the yesteryears when I worked at Coke, I used the trackball.

Peace

dAlen

[nelmat]

Kind of hard not to. I don't see a way to turn them off.

I just wish MacRumors (and other Mac-related sites) would understand that the userbase has changed and we're honestly not interested in advertising, publishing or graphic design work.

You personally might not be, but a great deal of us are - those that invest large amounts on mac hardware and regular updates do tend to be business customers, and a large section of mac users are still in the design and media section - if i've got to put up with constant wittering about that phone, you can soon skip the articles about the one of the biggest software companies in the world.

[Cubert]

"if you hold the space bar down, click and drag the image when it is zoomed in and then let go, the picture will continue to move before slowing and coming to rest."

Shouldn't this happen with the shift key (not the space bar) like other visuals in OS X? (for those who don't know, minimize a window while holding down the shift key; also works for Dashboard and many other things)

[InLikeALion]

Given the current advertising/graphic design market, I think you need to find a new profession. But I digress.

What are you talking about? My industry is one of the most stable - I'm making more and developing more opportunities all the time. As long as there is commerce (and that consumer society you keep prattling on about is what drives it), people will need design, advertising, marketing, websites. Even with a rough economy, those are their valuable to tools for trying to survive it.

You are sounding more and more like a troll than anything.

[InLikeALion]

"if you hold the space bar down, click and drag the image when it is zoomed in and then let go, the picture will continue to move before slowing and coming to rest."

Shouldn't this happen with the shift key (not the space bar) like other visuals in OS X? (for those who don't know, minimize a window while holding down the shift key; also works for Dashboard and many other things)

No. Spacebar is what activates the "hand" tool in PS, which lets you click and drag your screen view around your canvas. Now instead of click-drag, click-drag, it is click-fling, click to stop or let fake friction slow it to a stop.

[jnc]

Oh yeah, that'll be great for those rare moments when I'm even using Photoshop without my Cintiq...

Still, cool news. But ever since I got a bit more involved with iPhoto, I've found I can leave Photoshop closed most times aside from when doing something really intensive.

[SilentCrs]

You personally might not be, but a great deal of us are - those that invest large amounts on mac hardware and regular updates do tend to be business customers, and a large section of mac users are still in the design and media section - if i've got to put up with constant wittering about that phone, you can soon skip the articles about the one of the biggest software companies in the world.

What do you think Apple makes a larger margin on: the millions of Macs out there or the 100+ million iPods/iPhones? There's a reason they took "Computer" out of their company name.

[SilentCrs]

What are you talking about? My industry is one of the most stable - I'm making more and developing more opportunities all the time. As long as there is commerce (and that consumer society you keep prattling on about is what drives it), people will need design, advertising, marketing, websites.

It's nothing compared to the IT industry nowadays. We're the only ones making our way through this downturn unscathed.

[InLikeALion]

It's nothing compared to the IT industry.

Shh!!! Don't mention that - it's not consumer friendly and everyone here might not be interested. :cool:

[inkhead]

Multi-touch in Photoshop CS4 sucks. I've been using Photoshop CS4 for at least 6 months.

The multi-touch is terrible, you do pinch to zoom, but at the same time it starts spinning the image, and it's impossible to control. Then you have to go up and do to clicks to fix the spin issue, no way to turn it off either...

[brad.c]

It's nothing compared to the IT industry nowadays. We're the only ones making our way through this downturn unscathed.

Well that makes sense. In my experience, IT departments were never interested in Photoshop. :rolleyes:

[tgildred]

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

I prefer a trackpad to a mouse. And I'm a graphic designer. It pays my bills, so I guess I'm pretty serious about it.

I'd love nothing more than a big stand-alone wacom-style trackpad (that works).

[jmadlena]

It's nothing compared to the IT industry nowadays. We're the only ones making our way through this downturn unscathed.

So, since you can't win an argument about user interest in photoshop, you're turning this into a discussion of which industry is more stable. And you're doing it in a very "my industry is better than yours" kind of way, I might add.

Whether you like it or not, productive apps like Photoshop (yes, Photoshop is a productive app, despite your uniformed opinion) are important to many users. Creative Suite is one of the highest selling apps on the Mac. Please don't try to deny that.

Also, you don't have to read the articles. Sure, you will have to see them on the front page, but you don't have to click them.

[Habusho]

I'm waiting for the day pixelmator gives photoshop serious competition.

[Eric5h5]

Kind of hard not to. I don't see a way to turn them off.

Skip over them and don't make any comments. How hard is that?

we're honestly not interested in advertising, publishing or graphic design work.

"We"? Don't ever attempt to speak for anyone else but yourself. And you are wrong.

What do you think Apple makes a larger margin on: the millions of Macs out there or the 100+ million iPods/iPhones?

The Macs, obviously. Macs account for 61% of Apple's total revenue, and have higher profit margins per unit, and have much higher growth these days since iPod sales flattened due to market saturation.

I'd suggest that you cease being such a whiny baby and deal with it.

--Eric

[840quadra]

The user may "include" you, just as the voterbase may "include" handicapped people. It doesn't mean 9/10 of the articles regarding the candidates wooing voters should focus on handicapped voters. If you're in the minority, you should take a back seat to the majority (especially when ads pay the bills here and eyeballs = ads).

Speaking as one of the many contributing (meaning monetary) members of Macrumors, I do appreciate the coverage on professional applications like photoshop, and other design / graphics software. Many of us use them, and enjoy seeing more than just coverage on iPhones and iPod touch models.

With regards to your IT industry comments, it takes time for economy changes to effect our (meaning I work in IT (Managed Services)) industry with regards to economic downturn. You can be rest assured that it will effect us, much like it did late in 2001.

That being said, I understand your arguments, however I see (as do many) Macrumors as a melting pot of many mac related interests. Some find a specific group of topics interesting, while others do not. it is the nature of a community based on a platform of multipurpose devices and software.


Peace,

http://forums.macrumors.com/image.php?u=47064&dateline=1165207334&type=profile

[inkhead]

We actually did a study of 500 design professionals recently. 80% of them (HUGE!) said they prefer to use a trackpad over a mouse.


I personally used to use a wireless logitech mouse whenever I "docked" but now find myself using the trackpad. If you use it for a year solid, you'll be much more accurate than you can be with a mouse. It surprises even me.

[TwinCities Dan]

We actually did a study of 500 design professionals recently. 80% of them (HUGE!) said they prefer to use a trackpad over a mouse.


I personally used to use a wireless logitech mouse whenever I "docked" but now find myself using the trackpad. If you use it for a year solid, you'll be much more accurate than you can be with a mouse. It surprises even me.

That doesn't surprise me. I haven't even touched a mouse in almost half a decade! :cool:

[winterspan]

I think you have a bad attitude, and are incredibly self-absorbed. If you aren't interested in an article, then DON'T CLICK ON IT AND READ IT!

Apple computers continue to have a large presence in the visual arts, especially in digital photography, video production, graphic design, web design, advertising, etc. These industries are what kept Apple alive and relevant for the past two decades, and they will continue to do so. Moreover, Adobe in particular has had a tight connection with Apple going back for decades, and Adobe's products, especially digital imaging and design products like Photoshop, Illustrator, and their cheap "Elements" versions are used throughout many industries by professionals and amateurs alike, and yes that includes use in the home by "consumers." Major new versions of *any* popular software, including Photoshop, is perfectly relevant material for a website oriented around the name "Mac". If you want to limit your reading to reviews of trivial computer games, then this website is not where you belong.

How about they focus on what the majority are interested in? Sounds a lot more logical to me. Most consumers today focus on consumer applications of Macs (Internet, word processing, games, etc), iPods and iPhones.


So you are speaking for the majority now? Have you studied the demographics of Apple computer owners? I don't think it really matters what the most "popular" area of interest is -- This website covers "all things Mac", and is not limited to a narrowly defined subject area. But as a general rule, Mac users, and the actual platform itself have traditionally been much more involved with visual arts, media production, software development, scientific computing, and higher education areas than computer gaming. Certainly, Apple has expanded greatly into consumer electronics, and websites have included a lot of content on the iPod and iPhone developments, but remember, this is MAC RUMORS, not iPhoneLounge or Gamestop.


What do you think Apple makes a larger margin on: the millions of Macs out there or the 100+ million iPods/iPhones? There's a reason they took "Computer" out of their company name.

Actually, they make the majority of their money on computer systems. :confused:



CS4 is a "productive" app? Mostly I see it used for creating (godawful) advertisements and occasionally creative artistic endeavors -- like artwork for movies and... (gasp)... games. "Productive" apps are things like Excel.

If Photoshop was wiped off the face of the earth tomorrow, civilization would go on (and would likely be better as a result). If Excel was, given the number of financial companies that still use it (you know, "productive" work), we'd be majorly screwed.

Oh dear... First of all, "productivity", as in "production output" would most definitely include visual arts applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, etc. As the source of all the artwork, layout, and production of the vast majority of websites, magazines, journals, newspapers, billboards, the industry easily is responsible for tens of billions of dollars.

Judging by your statements, I would have to guess you are an finance or I.T. but either way, definitely one of the philistine types, right? In addition to graphic arts, do you also find music, literature, film, dance and other creative endeavors to be worthless? What about intellectual pursuits? philosophy? Scientific inquiry?

[Shagrat]

Photoshop CS4 UK price = Full from £887.12 £755.00 ex VAT

That's £755 WITHOUT sales (VAT in EU) tax...

Photoshop CS4 US price = US $699.00

So at today's exchange rate...

755.00 GBP = 1,403.48 USD

Do you see the problem????

Really, Adobe are taking the P***:mad:

[jnc]

Do you see the problem????

Really, Adobe are taking the P***:mad:

But you need to take into account the EU translation costs, the different economies and relative costs of living, export duties... you're not being gouged. :rolleyes: You've gotta love it when they just swap the $ price to a £ price, but this is even worse!

Jeez, and they have the stones to call the people that download it "pirates"... :p if there's any daylight robbery going on here, Adobe started it... yarr.

[inkhead]

The kind that makes over $5 million a year... (me)

What serious graphic designer is going to be using a laptop without a mouse? O_o

[klittle32]

I personally find working with a mouse in PS much easier than on a track pad, and I doubt that the multitouch features thrown into CS4 will change my mind on this. Prior to reading through the posts, I thought most serious photoshop users were of the same opinion, but my sense now is that it is really a mixed bag out there.

Other than nifty or fun features added onto PS (like multitouch), are there any [I]major[I] or [I]serious[I] enhancements to the PS interface (or the entire CS lineup for that matter) you would like to see made?

[alphaod]

Hopefully they will update Lightroom 2, so I can use multitouch on that! Since I don't run Safari, iPhoto, etc. I haven't had the chance to use multitouch yet!

[jnc]

The kind that makes over $5 million a year... (me)

Stop goofing around on MR and go make some more money. And then give some to me.