![]() You can even output an image as a Photoshop PSD file, but be prepared for those files to take up a lot of space - something many tablet users can't afford. Some of the other free tools we've seen - such as Pixlr Express and Aviary - use a prerendered image, which means if you zoom in and make edits, you won't get very far, because you're working on a reduced-quality image. However, we saw quite a difference when using a full-resolution image. Whereas other apps may seem as though they are performing an action almost instantaneously, Photoshop Touch took a moment to open the image, and lagged a fraction behind our finger's touch when we made an edit. The simultaneous use of layers and full-resolution images can lead to a lag. Once we got the hang of the interface, we found familiar Photoshop features (such as the lasso tool, the magic wand and layers) that set this app in a creativity class of its own. You can control everything with your fingers, right down to adjusting exposure in a selected area or cloning a portion of a background to erase a person. For example, you'll find the crop tool, image size, rotate, text, warp and more under an ampersand icon.Ĭlick to EnlargeThough the interface is obtuse for those new to Photoshop, we found Photoshop Touch rich and deep. Ultimately, you'll find yourself searching for some functions. The app lacks integrated help, which means that if you get stuck and need a refresher on step seven of 10 in the Cleanup Background tutorial, then you're going to have to save the project and restart the tutorial. While Adobe has done a great job with the tutorials, aside from that onetime appearance of the splash screen, you get no visual cues or guidance while trying to perform actions. If you're a generalist hoping to jump right into editing, though, proceed with caution. Those proficient in the desktop version of Photoshop will feel right at home, even if a few things require experimentation. The effect is cleaner and simpler than on the desktop version of Photoshop, but the numerous options may feel like a lot to digest, particularly if you're not already a Photoshop expert.Īnd that gets to the heart of the interface of Photoshop Touch: Adobe initially designed the app with Photoshop users in mind, and as such, many of the tools (e.g., Lasso, Magic Wand, Clone Stamp) are familiar in design and function. Plus, given the audience for the product - advanced users - I'm surprised there's no quick watermarking tool.Click to EnlargeOnce you're dropped into the editing window for the first time, an overlay identifies the various icons - no fewer than eight along the top, with additional nav panes along the left and right edges - that clutter the display. Given that Adobe possesses a type foundry and decades of type-rendering experience, you'd think we'd get something better than display faces like Cottonwood and Mesquite, and otherwise nice body faces that are totally unsuited to most of what you'd be doing with the app. And the bundled fonts? A crime against typography. But once you click apply, it rasterizes the text. ![]() You can enter, place, resize, and rotate text using one of the handful of included fonts. There's a temperature slider, at least, but it doesn't preview in real-enough time, and there's no visual (for example, red to blue) or Kelvin reference - what the heck is a -2 percent change in color temperature? Is that warmer or cooler? This is UI design 101, folks.Īnd working with text is annoying. It's easier to see if you go into Refine Edge, which overlays a red mask, but overall I think we need a new interface metaphor for handling selections on small screens.įurthermore, a lot of the things missing from the tablet version are still missing or insufficient. In places it's impossible to make out the border, requiring a lot of tedious zooming in and out to tweak the selection. I also find the traditional "marching ants" type of selection display completely unsuited to phone-size screens. But Cut doesn't understand the scribbled Keep and Remove areas, and actually deletes the inverse of what you've selected. ![]() Instead, they'll probably do what I did: choose Cut. For instance, after making selections with the Scribble Selection tool ( see my coverage of the tablet app), where you doodle over what to keep and what to delete, not everyone will know to then go to the selection menu and look for Extract. While most people familiar with image-editing tools and techniques will probably quickly pick up the app's operation, certain things might still elude you. There are only five topics with only the briefest of instruction, and nowhere does it tell you what each tool does. One of the most notable differences between the tablet interface and the phone interface - aside from the necessary rearrangement of the tools - is the switch to a less interactive and somewhat insufficient help system.
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