Photoshop 5.5- Giordan on Graphics

The new version of Photoshop will create seamless exporting of Photoshop files into ImageReady. This is not to imply that there is any sort of "iron curtain" between the two programs now. To the contrary, currently ImageReady opens Photoshop files with all layers and paths intact, preserving all aspects of a standard .psd file. You can even drag and drop between open application, sharing data in real time. With all of this seamless integration, you may be asking yourself what more could Adobe do to make the programs work together.

Well…funny you should ask. The first thing they did was to allow you to jump between the two programs with a simple mouse click. A single button acts as a portal between the two applications. Click and you’re in ImageReady, click again, and you’re in Photoshop. This is a good step.

Think about it; how many times have you wanted to use a feature like the Rubber Stamp tool, or perhaps Curves while working in ImageReady? Adobe did such a good job copying the interface that you are disappointed not to find these Photoshop features in the ImageReady menu as well. Now you can access them while keeping the file open. No closing and saving the file, no reopening in Photoshop, no dragging between windows. The transition is so thorough that you can even use the History palette to erase steps performed in the other program.

Allow me to give another example. With Photoshop 5.5 release, ImageReady now supports Layer effects. You can now apply emboss or glowing edge effects to layers in Photoshop and preserve them when you jump to ImageReady. Now this obviously implies added functionality in ImageReady from it’s current 1.0 state. The fact is that Adobe is also announcing ImageReady 2.0 at the same time as Photoshop 5.5.

Now before you go complaining that you have to go and buy another upgrade to ImageReady 2.0, let me save you the aggravation by telling you that Adobe ImageReady 2.0 comes bundled with Photoshop 5.5. "Oh that’s nice…" you say…"is it a limited time bundle or special promotion?" "No…" says Adobe, "ImageReady is now shipping as part of Photoshop 5.5 from this point forward." Adobe announced that they have no plans at this time to sell ImageReady separately, it will always be bundled. (If I were the Macromedia Fireworks product manager I would be very nervous right now.)

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URL: https://www.webreference.com/graphics/column 17/
Created: June 28, 1999
Revised: June 28, 1999