The other night I was out with the dog’s. When I looked over the corn field behind our apartment, the night sky seemed to be blurry, like all of the silhouettes of trees and clouds and birds blended into one another. This effect was from the humidity of this insanely hot summer we’re having, the moisture in the air bending light waves and confusing my brain’s signals. Funny how moisture can force your brain to approximate what’s really there.
Anyway, the next day I tried to capture that feeling in the above sketch. I did so using the new Wacom tablet and my newly upgraded Photoshop CS5. Here are a few first impressions of each:
Wacom Intuos 4 initial impressions:
Without a doubt, the Wacom was entirely responsible for making the drawing possible thus far (it’s a work in progress). The grass and sky were created using different brush tips, and the varying pressures and strokes are the only way I could have done it. I’m still getting comfortable with the different brush tips, pressure sensitivities, etc., but I can easily say that the tablet opens up a LOT of ideas. When you combine the limitless amount of brushes, the features of the tablet itself, and the effects offered by photoshop, it’s almost overwhelming.
In all honesty, I had buyer’s remorse as I drove back from Best Buy with the Wacom in the passenger’s seat. At $350, it wasn’t cheap (it’s cheaper on amazon, by the way.) and I had my doubts about tablets in general since I’ve had bad experiences with them in the past.
This is one of the few things I buy where I immediately knew that I made the right choice. As soon as I felt the pen on the tablet’s surface, I knew the quality was miles beyond that old tablet I had back in the day. After booting up Photoshop, I went from reassured to excited. It takes some getting used to, but once you’ve installed the drivers and practice a bit, it becomes second nature. And I think that’s the best part, how it feels natural.
Couple of issues:
-Setting up the tablet’s “quick keys” is a pain. It’s not that hard for advanced users, but it requires opening PS, then going into system settings, making sure you choose the right program from a list, and THEN setting your specs for EVERY program. Ugh.
-Yep, it’s got the fingerprint magnet finish, just like the Iphone. Why is that stuff so popular? It might look cool, but those industrial designers need to think about actual use instead of just looks.
-The pen itself has a rubberized finish! I love that feeling. It’s also balanced and has a nice weight to it. No complaints at all about the actual pen.
-Lots of different pen tips come with the tablet (as in physical tips, not the brushes in photoshop), and each have a unique feel that simulates different pencils and brushes.
-The free software is pretty neat, especially the sketching program.
-The packaging is very cool, though obviously a rip-off of Apple package design.
Photoshop CS5 initial impressions
First off, my specs:
Macbook Pro
OS X Version 10.5.8
2.2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2 GB RAM
24″ Apple LED Cinema Display
Ugh. My impressions here aren’t as good. First and foremost, CS5 is a complete memory hog. As soon as I installed it, my Macbook Pro took what feels like a permanent performance hit, and I mean in ALL areas. PS itself is clunky, frustrating, and prone to sending my system into a downward spiral.
I’m hoping this is due to the fact that my Macbook is getting a little on the outdated side of things, and I could use more memory (I only have 2 gigs, which is low for graphics-intensive programs). I also haven’t upgraded to Snow Leopard, and HOPE that the new OS and a new laptop will mesh better with CS5 (I’ve heard that both Adobe and Apple have made improvements in Photoshop performance, not to mention better fusion with the Intel processors).
Other complaints:
-Text editing is even worse! I hate editing text in Photoshop. How many times have you tried to highlight existing text only to create an all-new text paragraph on its own layer? It’s one of my most hated pet peeves in PS, and it haunts my entire existence (yeah, it’s that bad). Well, in CS5 this peeve seems to be even worse. It’s even tougher to highlight existing text, as if Photoshop has to “think” about it harder before deciding to make the wrong move. I’ve even got the spinning wheel a few times while Photoshop ponders the situation, and even a system crash on two occasions!
-Opening new files creates a “tab” system, similar to web browsers (see below):
This is actually an ok feature, and I see the appeal. Anyone who’s opened a batch of photos, say 20-30 at a time, will definitely see the appeal of keeping them all in a single window. The downside as a designer is that many times I open existing files because I need to drag-and-drop an element from one file to another (for example, if I’ve designed a homepage and need the same button on a subpage). This means I have to drag the tab away from the existing window so that it’s freestanding, then drag-and-drop. I almost guarantee that you can turn this setting off, but I haven’t taken the time to look into it just yet.
Good stuff:
-The interface has been cleaned up a bit. Woohoo.
-When working within layers: If you drag items within a layer, Photoshop now visualizes an “outline” of the object. This might seem like a small detail, but when an object is hidden behind another object, this makes it easier than ever to ensure things are properly aligned. It goes a long way in helping you keep those margins tight and everything nicely aligned without having to zoom in to eye-bleeding levels.
-Wacom tablet integration: This was the main reason for the upgrade. PS now features advanced uses for Wacom tablets, including better pressure sensitivity and a larger library of brushes. The best part, however, is that CS5 now recognized the tilt of the pen, meaning you can paint more naturally. Slant the pen and brush strokes become more sweeping. Hold the pen upright and the brush strokes become more thin and pointed. There is also a visual display of the brush onscreen as you paint, so you can get an idea of the angle before creating the actual stroke.
Its pretty neat, though definitely takes some getting used to. I also get the feeling that it’s not 100% intuitive. Sometimes the brush didn’t do what was naturally expected of it, but again this is due to a slight learning curve.
In closing…
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Photoshop, and it looks like that will continue. With Apple software, I tend to have a ratio of about 90% love vs. hate (and I’m not even an Apple fanboy, honestly), where as with Adobe, it’s about 50/50. Adobe products just feel like something I’d expect from Microsoft (though not that bad. All MS office programs, this means you.). Like those awful programs, PS is clunky, feature-fat, and tries too hard to be everything to everyone. Though it’s an obvious necessary evil for someone in my profession (and God only knows how much I rely on it… I make my living almost entirely from Photoshop), I just wish I could cater it a bit more towards my needs instead of wading through all of the bloated features.
Anyway, again this is just first impressions, and many frustrations come from my aging system rather than the software, but I still can’t help but think that Photoshop, in general, is just a giant brontosaurus sitting it’s fat butt right down in the middle of my processor and RAM, and with no good reason. Looks like the love and hate will stick true to it’s path, at least until I upgrade, and even then it’s just me keeping my fingers crossed.
Anyone else have similar experiences? How do you set up Photoshop to cater to your own needs? Know any cool features of the Wacom that I haven’t listed? I’m open to your thoughts, idea, and suggestions.
Read more »
