The long wait is almost over. Adobe has officially announced Photoshop 7 for Mac OS X (and Windows XP, for those who care). Classic Mac OS will also be supported. Beyond compatibility for Apple’s new operating system, the new version of Photoshop also includes a new tool called the Healing Brush which is designed to help fix imperfections in photographs, and other new features. The product is set to ship in the second quarter of 2002. From Adobe:
Adobe Systems Incorporated, the leader in network publishing, today announced Adobe® Photoshop® 7.0, a major upgrade to the world’s professional image editing standard. Photoshop 7.0 boasts an extensive set of new features that allow photographers, Web and graphic designers to work more efficiently, explore new creative options and produce the highest quality images for print, Web and other media. Native on Mac® OS X and Microsoft® Windows® XP, Photoshop 7.0 provides enhanced multi-processor support and interoperability with other native Adobe applications.
Photoshop 7.0 software delivers a comprehensive toolset that helps users meet any creative or production challenge. The new Healing Brush revolutionizes the process of retouching images, effortlessly removing dust, scratches, blemishes and wrinkles, while automatically preserving shading, lighting, texture and other attributes. The new File Browser allows users to quickly locate, organize and visually manage images, as well as view EXIF information from digital cameras, including date captured, exposure settings, and associated metadata (such as creation and modification dates).
The creative tools in Photoshop 7.0 help design professionals generate compelling visual effects and stay ahead of the competition. A new painting engine lets users create custom brush presets, simulate techniques like pastels and charcoal, and add special effects such as grass and leaves, while the new Pattern Maker plug-in can create patterns such as rocks and sand. An enhanced Liquify plug-in provides even greater control over image warping with zoom, pan and multiple undo capabilities.
"Photoshop 7.0 does a beautiful job of building on the advances of previous versions to make 7.0 the most powerful, most amazing, and most useful release of Photoshop ever," said Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. "The new Healing Brush may be the single coolest tool in Photoshop ever, and when you use it, all you can do is shake your head and say, "How in the world does it do that?" It’s that cool."
Including ImageReady® 7.0, the advanced Web component, Photoshop 7.0 provides new output enhancements so Web designers can apply extra compression to images while maintaining the quality of text and vector shape layers, as well as exercise greater control over how transparency is maintained online. New support for the WBMP format enables optimization for display on PDAs and other wireless devices. For interactive authoring, ImageReady software now allows all slices, rollovers, image maps and animations in one palette, and an expanded set of rollover types allows for the creation of more effective navigation bars.
To streamline the management and updating of large image libraries, Photoshop 7.0 integrates with Adobe AlterCast®, Adobe’s dynamic imaging server software. Photoshop 7.0 supports Adobe’s XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform), an open framework that standardizes the creation and processing of content across publishing workflows. Photoshop 7.0 is also tightly integrated with Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe InDesign®, Adobe GoLive®, Adobe LiveMotion™, Adobe Premiere®, Adobe After Effects® and Adobe Acrobat®.
Photoshop 7 will officially ship in the second quarter of 2002. The new version of Photoshop is priced at US$609, and upgrading from a previous version will cost you US$149. The company is also offering upgrades from Photoshop Elements and Photoshop LE for US$499. You can get more information on Photoshop 7 from Adobe’s Web site.
