One especially nice option that we have with Photoshop Extended is the ability to export imported film clips to mobile devices via the new Device Central. Device Central (which is incorporated into most of the new CS3 programs) can give you the ability to put a trailer of your film on an iPod or mobile phone and see exactly how it will look in the devices you are specifically aiming at. (You can even adjust things like glare of the screen, backlighting, weather conditions, and the like to get the most realistic understanding of how your program will look in the real world.) Just think of how surprised your client or producer would be if you send a clip of your project to him on his iPhone! The process is as simple as importing your clip as layers, editing and applying any effects, and outputting it to your mobile device.
Another new feature allows you to import any sequence of photographs that you want into an animation. PCS3 Extended will then automatically lay all your pictures into a timeline with every picture located on a different layer. This is a very easy and very fast way to make a stop motion animated film. Even further, a feature called Movie Paint works with video layers and enables you to paint and retouch each individual frame with optional Onion Skinning--which allows you to see the frames before and after those you are currently working on. (This feature was most recently unveiled in an original Adobe program in the recent Premiere Elements 3, which you can read the review of here.)
With Movie Paint, let's say you wanted to make a short You Tube video that was simply a still photograph that had animation on it, like weeds overtaking the house you grew up in. You can instantly convert your still image to a video file and use the Smudge or Paint tool to animate the grass growing one frame at a time. Yes, this is going to be a little time-consuming, but it's a very simple process and in the end you will have a project that people will watch and then wonder how you did it. My hope for future versions concerning this and other similar features is the ability for the software to extrapolate keyframes and eliminate the need for rotoscoping.
Another new feature that is one of the more well-talked about features of the new installment is the ability to import 3D objects from programs like 3D Studio Max and Lightwave. These models can then be viewed in full 3D in Photoshop CS3 Extended and rotated to see, basically, how they will look. (I say basically because the 3D renderer in Photoshop CS3 Extended is not as sophisticated as that found in 3D Studio Max and Lightwave, and you will notice some seam issues in complex models like the human body. Still, this is a pretty minimal issue, especially considering that this is the first time this feature has been available inside of Photoshop.) With the model fully viewable, each matte that makes up the model's "skin" can be painted and retouched inside of Photoshop. Once you're done retouching the mattes, they can be exported from Photoshop and reimported to your favorite 3D program. This feature can be very useful for folks using Poser or another modeling program who want to create a 3D character that is precisely painted to look like an actor or actress, for a Fight Club-style body double or a dangerous stunt in a live action film. Additionally, for print work, you can export still frames of composited 3D images from within Photoshop, which can be useful for ad layouts. (Adobe has been showcasing this feature in their mythical "Aquo" energy drink print ad by swapping optional "Flavor" label mattes for the can, repositioning it inside an ad layout, and then exporting the new print ad as a static image.) Unfortunately, you can't actually animate 3D objects inside of Photoshop CS3 Extended, but hopefully this will be a feature supported in PCS4 Extended.
Photoshop extends into this 3D environment even more by utilizing the use of Vanishing Point Exchange (VPE). This is similar to the feature introduced in CS2 where certain objects like buildings, fences, etc. could be elongated along a 3D plane. This can now be applied within Photoshop Extended and the 3D planes that are mapped in Vanishing Point are then exported into After Effects CS3 (or 3DStudio Max, for that matter) as 3D layers, where they can be rotated, lit, and animated like any other 3D model. This can be a tricky process, so the best way to learn this is by finding a tutorial (we recommend the great one by Adobe trainer Bob Donlon at http://blogs.adobe.com/bobddv/) and use that as your guide. After you do it a few times, you will find the process to be simple and quick. Once you get the hang of it, a clever microfilmmaker could actually create a fully 3D building with as few as 3 different pictures, each "planed" in Vanishing Point and exported into After Effects CS3, where they could be combined with an overhead green screen shot of two characters walking. If properly combined and tracked, this could allow you to create a helicopter shot of the top of a building with two main characters walking across the building roof. (We've all seen shots like that in big budget Hollywood movies. Now, with a little creativity and meticulousness, it could be accomplished very inexpensively.)
Last but not least, we have not forgotten about you photographers. Fear not, Photoshop has more than stayed true to the original art form that gave birth to it. One of the many ways it has done this is by vastly improving the way it manipulates black and white images. Image>Adjust>Black and White is a tool that gives you total control over the monochromatic image you are manipulating by adjusting the color information, and translating it to black and white image information. For example, there is an individual slider for red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and magenta. If the red slider is adjusted, only the red information in that picture is adjusted - nothing else. If blue is selected, the sky can be changed to be lighter and darker, and so on. The effect can be finished off with a spectacular-looking tint that can give your picture a realistic and believable monochromatic look.
Another exciting new improvement is in the area of Smart Objects, which many of you may remember were introduced in Photoshop CS2 to allow the importing of Illustrator vector art. Because these are simply layers that nest original image data, Photoshop CS3 Extended utilizes them in video (and 3D) work to gets around the fact that its native design wasn't intended for complex media like video streams. And, because the Smart Objects simply form around the original image or video data, Adobe was able to implement their new Smart Filters feature. These are non-destructive versions of most of Photoshop's filters that can be applied to Smart Objects and can be toggled off and on like a layer effect, so you don't have to hit the undo button 10 times to get rid of your unwanted effects. Additionally, you don't have to sit and watch your picture render, which means you work more efficiently and your computer doesn't work as hard.
Another great new feature (which, technically, could probably be included in either the Ease of Use or the PerformanceSection) is the Quick Selection tool. This is a huge time saver when you are making a layer mask. Just select your brush, roughly outline the object you are masking, and CS3 does a stunning job of selecting your desired object through a variety of parameters that work translucently in the background. After that, select the Refine Edge feature to precisely control your selection.
