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Adobe Photoshop CS6 Available for Free Public Beta
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I really wonder why Pixelmator isnt more popular. It costs $30 compared to Photoshop Elements $80 and is *far* more powerful than PS Elements. It should be a no brainer....
Wirelessly posted
Have you worked in print/marketing/advertising? When does anyone send a layered PSD to a printer when a Tiff or (generally from InDesign) a PDF would work fine, and generally the printer can't mess with it then. Sorry... But 12 year design vet here, and I've only once sent a PSD, and that was for dynamic data prints.wikus said:
You mean you've never received files? LOL
Pixelmator is not a complete replacement for Photoshop, it still falls short (very short) of being such.
If youre so sure of Pixelmator being a complete replacement, why don't you get rid of photoshop and see how things go when someone sends you a PSD file saved in CS5 or later with layers containing attributes that Pixelmator doesnt recognize. What are you going to do then, call the client and ask them to redo the effects in PS and save it to a Pixelmator friendly format?
Youre talking to a 12 year vet in graphic design as well.
Of course larger studios have Photoshop. That's what my work has and I've used on a daily basis for years and I know that it's the industry standard and Pixelmater is only on Mac. However, believe me that compatibility has never been an issue (for me at least) no matter what kind of PSD file has been sent to me and what OS it was designed on. This, while it might have used to be the case, is virtually a dead issue based on my experience (maybe there might be errors with super intensive files, but I have yet to experience it). Of course there's things you can do in Photoshop that you can't do in Pixelmator, but with my workflow (photo editing, touch ups etc. in PS and drawing and designing in Illustrator) Pixelmator exceeds my needs and is faster because, while it does less, WHAT it does is excellent. As a long time PS user I'd like to see them get back to that. Yes PS is the standard, but not by the margin it used to be and depending on your workflow (pro or amateur) you may not need to spend that cash. Sorry to rant........again
+1
I'd like to see how document windows look like without the application frame. OS X 10.6.8 with Expose rocks when using Photoshop, hopefully there arent any issues with this.
Better yet, some video captures would be great
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Of course larger studios have Photoshop. That's what my work has and I've used on a daily basis for years and I know that it's the industry standard and Pixelmater is only on Mac. However, believe me that compatibility has never been an issue (for me at least) no matter what kind of PSD file has been sent to me and what OS it was designed on. This, while it might have used to be the case, is virtually a dead issue based on my experience (maybe there might be errors with super intensive files, but I have yet to experience it). Of course there's things you can do in Photoshop that you can't do in Pixelmator, but with my workflow (photo editing, touch ups etc. in PS and drawing and designing in Illustrator) Pixelmator exceeds my needs and is faster because, while it does less, WHAT it does is excellent. As a long time PS user I'd like to see them get back to that. Yes PS is the standard, but not by the margin it used to be and depending on your workflow (pro or amateur) you may not need to spend that cash. Sorry to rant........again
I'm sure issues would arise if there were to be a PSD file with Smart Objects containing illustrator objects, Smart Filters or other advanced features in PS if you were to try and open it with Pixelmator. If I ever suggested Pixelmator to be used instead of Photoshop at any of my previous jobs, every boss and colleague would have given me a major 'WTF?' face.
My dad's laptop has Pixelmator, I've used it a few times but didn't like it (I'm far too used to Photoshops layout). I did however really like its UI design and speed, much faster startup and better RAM usage than Photoshop but thats most likely due to Photoshop cramming in every feature they can think of including the kitchen sink. I think the 3D capabilities and the new video editing functions should be scrapped.
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I wasn't particularly saying you were wrong, just that the point you made was. I like an argument for the right reasons, but if I misunderstood, then I regretfully apologize. But... I actually like pixelmator more a lot of the times. Better interface, and I love the inclusion of quartz effects. And I've opened CS5.5 documents with no problems... Maybe some designers should lay off the effects palette. Right?
wikus said:
I wasn't particularly saying you were wrong, just that the point you made was. I like an argument for the right reasons, but if I misunderstood, then I regretfully apologize. But... I actually like pixelmator more a lot of the times. Better interface, and I love the inclusion of quartz effects. And I've opened CS5.5 documents with no problems... Maybe some designers should lay off the effects palette. Right?
I bought pixelmator after all the hype. "It has everything you realy need, bla bla..."
I was supprised of how basic it was. It´s dirtcheap, sure. But it didn´t even have rounded corners for rectangle creation. it´s realy not an alternative to Photoshop, hope it gets there tough.
From the looks of it Adobe are still implementing their own GUI instead of using the one provided by the underlying platform (Windows or Cocoa depending on the version)
In an app that costs as much as Photoshop does, this is inexcusable.
They say that it makes the app consistent across platforms, but it really just doesn't. In the current CS5.5 version of Fireworks and Photoshop you get a menu bar in Windows that isn't there in the Mac version.
Worse is their management of hotkeys.
I have used CS apps on Windows and Mac. I'm savvy enough to know that Windows and Mac have different default hotkeys for things, so at work I try to use ctrl - f4 to close a document.
Only Adobe decided that in the Windows version of Fireworks it should be ctrl W.
Cue 20 seconds of WTF
On the Mac side, Adobe apps just don't work properly with spaces, expose, etc.
Just write the core code in a platform independent way, and have a small team of Windows devs and a small team of Mac devs to put an appropriate GUI on top of the core for each platform. Adobe has the kind of turnover that would let them hire 2 or 3 Windows GUI experts and 2 or 3 Mac GUI experts without causing any noticeable pain in the bottom line.
STOP TRYING TO USE FLASH AS A ********* GUI LIBRARY!
In an app that costs as much as Photoshop does, this is inexcusable.
They say that it makes the app consistent across platforms, but it really just doesn't. In the current CS5.5 version of Fireworks and Photoshop you get a menu bar in Windows that isn't there in the Mac version.
Worse is their management of hotkeys.
I have used CS apps on Windows and Mac. I'm savvy enough to know that Windows and Mac have different default hotkeys for things, so at work I try to use ctrl - f4 to close a document.
Only Adobe decided that in the Windows version of Fireworks it should be ctrl W.
Cue 20 seconds of WTF
On the Mac side, Adobe apps just don't work properly with spaces, expose, etc.
Just write the core code in a platform independent way, and have a small team of Windows devs and a small team of Mac devs to put an appropriate GUI on top of the core for each platform. Adobe has the kind of turnover that would let them hire 2 or 3 Windows GUI experts and 2 or 3 Mac GUI experts without causing any noticeable pain in the bottom line.
STOP TRYING TO USE FLASH AS A ********* GUI LIBRARY!
+1
I'd like to see how document windows look like without the application frame. OS X 10.6.8 with Expose rocks when using Photoshop, hopefully there arent any issues with this.
Better yet, some video captures would be great
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I'm sure issues would arise if there were to be a PSD file with Smart Objects containing illustrator objects, Smart Filters, etc. if you were to try and open it with Pixelmator. My dad's laptop has Pixelmator, I've used it a few times but didn't like it (I'm far too used to Photoshops layout). I did however really like its UI design and speed, much faster startup and better RAM usage than Photoshop.
Smart objects etc. maybe. I was nervous running my home projects with no PS and only using Pixelmator for photo editing. Kept telling myself "don't worry you can always fix it at work on your lunch break if you're in a bind", but so far so good. It was a HUGE learning curve coming from PS though (not unlike switching from Final Cut 7 to FCPX) once you get the hang of it it's pretty powerful though. For ME it works great! Good debate though! I laughed when I was about to post my years of experience and saw that everybody else has 12 years too lol! How's the UI on PS6 and is it still bloated?
I like Pixelmator too, but it serves no purpose to me. I have Photoshop CS5 on my laptop, it does everything Pixelmator can do and more, plus I dont have any issues (or potential issues) working with files from clients.
In terms of designers laying off the effects palette.... well, I don't think you can dictate how someone executes their design. The end result and a happy client is what matters, the process isnt important to anyone but the designer him/herself (unless it causes grief for the printers, which should be a none issue, all files sent to printers should be either Indesign, AI or PDF... preferably PDF).
I've worked at three big companys before.
1) One which was involved with making print publications across canada doing movie posters. We were using Quark Xpress since thats what was supplied to us from the studios as well as PSD files, AI and probably some other stuff.
2) The second was Canada's biggest retailer. I was an in-house designer. Sure, internally Pixelmator would have worked fine, but we also outsourced some work to an ad agency that did some of our creative which we received all the raw files in PSD, AI and Indesign format. Pixelmator would have been out of the question.
3) The third was a marketing agency. We had clients such as Pepsi, Gatorade (essentially Pepsi anyway), PC Financial, Rogers, etc. All of which sent us raw files on a regular basis. Our creative team consisted of only 2 people, which we could not afford to risk using Pixelmator.
I've done freelance work for other companys working on their computers and never have I seen Pixelmator be used in a professional environment. I can only see individuals using it without affecting colleagues... it'd be a headache.
Yeah, it's more of a straight up photo editor and not for vector art. For that I'm still on Illustrator, but trying to find an alternative for AI is much tougher.
Pretty much like it was in CS5, cept a little squarer and a lot more blacker.
I like the fact that it separates all the documents into their own windows on the Windows task bar. Instead of just maximizing the program, I can click it and go straight to a specific document now.
Edit: For the 5 of you here who are interested, this is what it looks like under Windows.
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You really should ask your employer for the Creative Suite install discs. The End-user license agreement from Adobe states you can have two copies installed per person on two machines. I doubt they're sharing the licenses within your studio (two or more computers at once cannot use the same license) which is why its legal for you to have your own copy on your home computer.
The only downside will be if your employer ever sends you work to do at home.... which would suck because then theyd have you by your balls. I remember a coworker of mine once complained of working too many overtime hours without pay. They gave him a new Blackberry... and I was like 'yeah, probably so your boss can screw you over while your out of the office but make it seem as if youre being gifted'
Don't know if there is a way to hide the background bit....if not, I don't like it.
Attachments
I've always liked Corel Draw's ability to edit nodes a lot better than Illustrators.
Create a square and:
- click once to select
- click twice edit
- triple click to add node
- or right click anywhere on a line and add a node at that point while retaining the original curvature
I really hate Illustrator's dependance on the keyboard. I wish there were a faster way to edit nodes.. maybe its a patent Corel holds?
Yeah, sounds like your work flow is more centered in PS then mine. I work in printing so I'm much more Illustrator and InDesign. At least for my day job. Those are all good points, but keep in mind that you're not footing the bill for those copies of PS. So if somebody else is paying? Ur damn right I want the best even if I don't need it lol!
Yeah, somebody mentioned that to me a while ago, but I've avoided it for the very reason you just mentioned. I don't think they'd ever hold something like that over my head, but that doesn't mean I want to give them the option.
Actually only the last job in marketing was very Photoshop centred as a lot of it was doing renderings but there was a great deal in Illustrator as well (banners, tags, training manuals, etc.) Rogers was always sending us PSD files and a lot of them were massive, I remember getting some that would be 5,000+ in pixels with DOZENS folders with many more layers inside, smart objects, blends, etc. Some of these files would be 2gb in size. It was crazy... opening up the files from the server was especially a drag. It took 15 minutes just to OPEN the document. Copying it to the desktop and opening from the computers hard drive wasnt a whole lot better either.
When I was doing the movie posters it was 95% Quark Xpress. When I was at HBC it was mainly Illustrator and Indesign. Photoshop wasn't used much because our printed materials needed to scale, I don't think I used it much unless I was editing images rather than doing design. But I've had my share of being exposed to everything.
I have the same copy of CS5 on my home and office Macs. For at least some of each day, I am logged in to my office machine using LogMeIn, controlling it remotely from home. I can have both copies of InDesign, Photoshop etc running at the same time. It's on a local network where one or the other will lock up saying that there is already another copy in use.
Wirelessly posted
The effects palette thing was a joke. And I would argue that pixelmator does some things easier than photoshop, while photoshop just does more stuff. Like with the new CS6... We really need more video editing? What does that really have to do with a photo, since it's PHOTOshop?
wikus said:
The effects palette thing was a joke. And I would argue that pixelmator does some things easier than photoshop, while photoshop just does more stuff. Like with the new CS6... We really need more video editing? What does that really have to do with a photo, since it's PHOTOshop?
Don't even get me started on Illustrators many quirks. You can't argue with the end results, but trip there can be maddening. Wanna see fast node editing? Check out Sketchbook Designer! Im planning to give the trial a go when I have some free time, but I'm not sure how well it will work for print prep, pantones, compatibility etc.