Some criticism has been made to the lack of new and improved features with some previous versions of Photoshop CS. However this version seems to justify itself with the amount of improvements and new features added.

Here are some of the new and improved features.

• Adobe Camera Raw 6 – ACR enables the ability to edit RAW images in its own workspace. ACR 6 is the latest version available with CS5. With this new version there is a variety of film-like effects, post-crop vignetting, noise removal with better control and higher quality sharpening.

• Refine Edge Tool – The new Refine Edge feature makes the job of creating complex selections with both hard and soft edges so much easier and more accurate. This is very apparent when attempting a selection around hair. A rough selection can be made, activate Refine Edge and brush around the intricate border of hair and this becomes a perfect instant result.

• Content-Aware Fill and Heal – In CS5 you can make a simple selection around an object and fill it via the new content-Aware option. which gives completely seamless results. You can also use CA technology with the spot healing brush painting out imperfections in a single stroke. Content-Aware makes healing simple and easy

• HDR Toning – This enables the creation of HDR images without taking bracketed exposures. The tool enables the creation of faux HDR image from one image. Even with this, all the HDR tools can be used including a Toning Curve.

• Lens Correction – A great tool for correcting lens distortion, particularly handy when correcting images taken with a compact camera. This has now been further enhanced with auto presets to make correcting lens distortion easier. It still has the capability of manually adjusting the image.

There are many more additions and tweaks to this program as compared with previous versions. Unlike some previous versions, CS5 is a worthy upgrade, particularly if you have CS3 or below. The increased speed of the program is also a welcome addition. Adobe was never accused of selling their Photoshop programs cheap but if you need the power this program provides, then it is reasonable value for money.

Our answer is usually in short; no. Adobe Photoshop is a professional program that has a wide range of uses, not just still photography. Therefore it has many features, a good proportion of which the still photographer would never use. This versatility makes the software popular but complicated and expensive.

There are a good number of digital image editing programs that are directed at the still photographer at a fraction of the cost. The difference between the results achieved from the full Photoshop program and others is usually not noticeable (depending on the particular program) in the final result of image editing.

Most features from one program to the next are similar as well. Once the user is familiar with the features within a given program, the exact same results can be achieved, possibly in just a different manner, in another program.

Just one example of an alternative to the full Photoshop software would be from Adobe themselves: Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Elements is aimed directly at the still photographer and can even be used on a professional basis for some photographic practices. It may be deemed as a “beginners” image editing software, but this is mainly due to the beginners options that are in the program. In fact the full editing option within the program is very similar to Photoshop. The difference between this program and the full Photoshop program is a lot of options that would not be a concern to the still photographer have been removed. This makes the program more user friendly and competitively priced.

Learn how to use and get the most from your image editing program, in particular Adobe Photoshop Elements with our Digital Imaging Course.

The course instruction starts from the beginning assuming you know
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There are 5 modules, accessible from day 1, with both theory and
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The digital course includes

Capturing your digital image
Processing your digital image
Using Layers
Filters
Digital Renovation
Digital Image Manipulaton
Printing
Presentation and more…

On successful completion of the digital course you will also receive a
graded School of Photography Certificate in Digital Imaging Photography
to frame.

For further information and course syllabus go to

http://www.schoolofphotography.com/digital_photography_course.html

You can see our reasonable fees and enrol for any of our courses today,
just go to Course Fees