The Bottom Line
Adobe Photoshop CS3 is the longtime industry standard program for photo editing. CS3 Extended adds 3D and motion editing tools that many photographers may not use but are certainly useful to many users. CS3 offers photographers a huge toolbox of features that make digital darkroom work quick and precise. The power and depth of tools included with Photoshop CS3 Extended are truly amazing. For photographers who process a lot of images and/or need a lot of flexibility, CS3 is an excellent choice. Due to price concerns, CS3's little sister Photoshop Elements, may be a better option for casual photographers.
Pros
- Industry Standard Program
- Extremely Powerful Editing Tools
- Lots of Free and Pay Instructions Available from Adobe and 3rd Parties
- Non-DestructiveImage Smart Filters
- Almost Unlimited Use Potential with Plug-Ins
Cons
- Price
- Steep Learning Curve
- Many Features Not Likely to be Used by Hobby Photographers
Description
- Organization - CS3 uses Bridge to organize and search images. Images can also be grouped for easy searching.
- Smart Filters - Smart filters let you edit filter effects even after other filters have been added.
- RAW Processing - Non destructive processing of RAW images with batch capabilities.
- Cloning - New cloning features make special effects much more precise when created
- Quick Selection Tool - Another tool for helping select parts of an image. This one is similar to a paintbrush.
- Auto Align - Allows photographers to quickly and easily combine the best elements of two exposures.
- Vanishing Point - Now allows multiple planes.
Guide Review - Review of Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended
Photoshop CS3 Extended is a very powerful program that grows with a photographer. There is a steep learning curve for many features But basic functions are quickly learned. Registration of the program allowed the option of signing up for free or reduced price training resources which will be a huge help to new users.
There are several new and improved features in CS3 Extended. Vanishing point has new plane functionality, the quick select tool offers another choice when selecting a part of an image, auto layer alignment is not possible, layer alignment works with merge to HDR, camera RAW processing will work on JPEG images, and greatly increased cloning power is available.
The new feature most likely to be a huge hit with photographers though, is the new smart filter capability. Smart filters are non-destructive filters. This means that you can edit early layers without "undoing" the later layers. To access this feature you will need to create a duplicate layer and convert it to a smart object first.
Auto layer alignment is bound to be a huge hit with photographers as well. This feature allows you to easily combine the best elements of two different exposures. This should make the life of photographers much easier when they have to take large group shots.
With regards to the steep learning curve, there are vast amounts of pay and free tutorials on the Internet teaching everything about Photoshop CS3 (Extended and Regular Edition). There are also magazines dedicated to Photohop. Photoshop CS3 is such a powerful program that you are almost guaranteed to always be learning something for as long as you use the program. However, you are very unlikely to ever find anything that Photoshop can't do when you apply a little know-how.
CS3 Extended Screenshots
There are several new and improved features in CS3 Extended. Vanishing point has new plane functionality, the quick select tool offers another choice when selecting a part of an image, auto layer alignment is not possible, layer alignment works with merge to HDR, camera RAW processing will work on JPEG images, and greatly increased cloning power is available.
The new feature most likely to be a huge hit with photographers though, is the new smart filter capability. Smart filters are non-destructive filters. This means that you can edit early layers without "undoing" the later layers. To access this feature you will need to create a duplicate layer and convert it to a smart object first.
Auto layer alignment is bound to be a huge hit with photographers as well. This feature allows you to easily combine the best elements of two different exposures. This should make the life of photographers much easier when they have to take large group shots.
With regards to the steep learning curve, there are vast amounts of pay and free tutorials on the Internet teaching everything about Photoshop CS3 (Extended and Regular Edition). There are also magazines dedicated to Photohop. Photoshop CS3 is such a powerful program that you are almost guaranteed to always be learning something for as long as you use the program. However, you are very unlikely to ever find anything that Photoshop can't do when you apply a little know-how.
CS3 Extended Screenshots
