The “Just Do It” features incorporate over 30 different features that address workflow as well as performance issues.

The complete list of JDI features includes:

• Added a Gradient Tool preset for neutral density
• Added the ability to save to unsupported bit depth for JPEGs (down-sampling 16-bit files to 8-bit)
• Enabled easier reversing of clone source
• Included a “Don’t Show this Message Again†checkbox for the “Maximize Compatibility†option
• Lowered the default amount for Shadows/Highlights
• Enabled the ability to move a selection while an active layer is hidden
• Added an option for turning off Mac touch gesture support
• Added a command for deleting all empty layers
• Added straighten image behavior to the existing ruler tool
• Added the ability to close all open images without saving
• Added a preference to always default to the folder you last saved an image to
• Added the ability to drag and drop a file onto an open PSD to create a layer
• Made 7 improvements to Lens Correction along with significant feature work:
  • The grid display is now off by default
  • The show grid, grid size and grid color are now sticky
  • Default grid size has been increased from 16 to 64
  • Decimal point adjustments for the chromatic aberration correction sliders are now allowed
  • Added a third slider to correct the common green/magenta aberrations with one slider instead of two
  • Replaced “Background Color†with “Black Color†and added “White Color†edge fill option in the edge fill type drop-down
  • Reset to reset calibration settings only
• Added tile size control plus presets for setting cache and tile size simultaneously
• In the Adjustments panel, enabled an option to have panel text fields take focus when an adjustment is created or selected
• In the Adjustments panel, enabled a keyboard shortcut (Shift-Enter/Return) to put the focus on the panel text fields
• Increased performance for the OBJ file importer, making it faster to import OBJ files
• Added the ability to adjust the opacity of multiple layers
• Added the ability to adjust the fill of multiple layers
• Added individual layer style defaults (user-configurable)
• Added GPU rule-of-thirds to the crop tool and color picker

Be sure and grab a trial version of Photoshop CS5 at http://adobe.com

What exactly is this colorspace stuff anyway? Basically its the amount of color that is contained in the file when you save it. The three most common colorspaces are Adobe RGB, sRGB, and ProPhoto RGB.  As my friend Rick Miller puts it, you can relate gamut to containers of beer. With sRGB being a 12oz can of beer, Adobe RGB would be a pony keg, and ProPhoto RGB being a full kegger.

The image shown here (courtesy of Cpesacreta) shows the relative sizes of the different colorspaces.

The difficulty here is knowing when to use which colorspace. Who would take a 12 ouncer when they can have a whole keg right? You would think, but the problem is that not all devices can actually display the larger colorspace  which can cause even more problems when it comes to viewing the images, add to that the lack of color management in most applications (like web browsers) and you will often get dull or washed out colors when viewing the images.

Wait a second, huh? If you use a colorspace that allows MORE colors, than why would the images look WORSE when viewing them? The answer that since almost no devices can actually display Adobe RGB, you wind up with an intepretation of the image causing it to look dull.

Effects of Color Space

Does all of this really make a difference? Let’s take a look at some images that were shot in RAW (thus no colorspace recorded on capture) and then saved as both Adobe RGB and sRGB using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

Adobe RGB

sRGB

Adobe RGB

sRGB

Adobe RGB

sRGB

Adobe RGB

sRGB

In all of these cases, the images saved as sRGB should appear more vibrant in Internet Explorer and Firefox since they are not color managed applications. Apple’s Safari browser is supposed to properly display Adobe RGB files and Firefox is supposed to have color management in upcoming versions. However, until everyone is using a browser you should avoid Adobe RGB in order to provide the best images to the widest audience.

What about ProPhoto?

ProPhoto offers the widest gamut of the available common color spaces so should have a place somewhere right? Well yes it does. The best use of the ProPhoto is to use it within your workflow to preserve the largest amount of color in your images and then only do a final conversion to sRGB when saving your images as jpegs.  This is quite easy with Photoshop and Camera Raw while Lightroom uses ProPhoto RGB internally (Geek Note: Actually, Lightroom uses Melissa RGB which uses ProPhoto RGB chromatisity values working in linear gamma, named after Melissa Gaul, one of the Lightroom engineers).

Should you shoot in Adobe RGB or sRGB?

This is another tough question that different people will answer differently. The simple answer is niether. Shoot in RAW and convert to the colorspace you want during your workflow process. If you want to shoot in JPEG then you have to make the choice. The best thing to do is actually experiment with your equipment and software to determine what gives you the best results. Some people think you should shoot in Adobe RGB and then convert to sRGB if the file is for the internet, while others think you should shoot in sRGB so no conversion or translation is applied, thus you should get more accurate color representation.

In the end, you have to make up you own mind as to what works best for you, but you do need to be aware of the differences and some of the issues you can run into based on your choice.

Author: Kerry Garrison

References used in this article

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/sRGB-AdobeRGB1998.htm
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/adobe-rgb.htm
http://www.steves-digicams.com/techcorner/October_2006.html
http://www.smugmug.com/help/srgb-versus-adobe-rgb-1998

Pixel Blender: http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/pixelbender/
Pixel Blender Plugin Download: http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/pixelbender.html
Pixel Blender Exchange: http://www.adobe.com/cfusion/exchange/

Cloning and Stamping tool Live Preview with Photoshop CS4 from Kerry Garrison on Vimeo.

Most of these features can be added back to Photoshop CS4 by downloading the plugins from Adobe’s website (links below) or accessing them from the Goodies folder on the installation DVD.

Download Links

Windows:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4048

Macintosh:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4047

For more information visit John Nack’s blog at:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2008/10/where_did_extra.html

Photoshop CS4 Fluid Zoom and View Rotation from Kerry Garrison on Vimeo.