I
am an illustrator by day and ply my trade in the universe
of vector-based artwork driven by logarithmic formulas
created deep within the recesses of my CPU. This requires
me to jump between vector and raster based editing programs
frequently. What joy came to my illustrator fingertips
as I discovered the Smart Objects functionality in CS2.
Essentially Smart Objects are Photoshop's way of
manipulating pre-existing vector drawings in a way that
makes distortion-free scalability a breeze. Believe me
it's pretty handy to be able to adjust sizing on the fly
without jumping back and forth between Illustrator
and Photoshop.
Quite
possibly one of the most handy tools I have ever seen
is the new transform function "Warp". This cool
add-on allows the artist to take pre-existing artwork
and "mold" it onto a surface. For anyone familiar
with shape meshing, this tool will be a breeze. Now the
artist can effortlessly apply decals, textures, text,
or anything else to curved surfaces. Such envelope-based
distortion capabilities should prove to be a great asset
for any photo-editors or web artists out there!
Another
nifty feature for Photoshop CS2 is the vanishing
point filter. In a nutshell, Vanishing Point allows the
artist to plot out a simulated 3d plane on which to paint.
This plane behaves as a true 3d perspective view and adheres
to whatever vanishing points the artist may specify.
CS2
now boasts improved Lens correction filters for all
of you photographers out there who tire of laboring over
lens-distorted photos. Additionally, there are now also
one-click redeye reduction and the capability to simultaneously
click and edit between layers independently of the layer
palette. Another nice addition to CS2 is it's onboard
GIF animation capabilities, a feature once relegated solely
to ImageReady.
