The designer's tool of choice just got better

Score

• 4 / 5

For

• Genuinely useful tweaks
• Improved non-destructive filters

Against

• Still complex to use

Verdict

To a certain extent, it doesn't matter how good the new version of Photoshop CS is, such is this software's stranglehold on the graphic design and photography markets. Adobe would have to release an absolute dog of an upgrade for Photoshop to seriously lose market share.

While plucky rivals continue to try and outpace Photoshop's dominance, it must feel like running up an increasingly steep hill. Every new version adds more features and tools, and Photoshop has never deviated far from its well-liked roots.

This could, of course, have turned into something of a convoluted mess. Pasting new feature upon new feature on top of existing programs has proven to be a recipe for disaster before. Fortunately, Photoshop CS3 comes with a heap of genuinely useful add-ons and improvements, while simultaneously making this rather over-engineered program more streamlined - and in some cases, easier to use.

Whether you're a designer stuck at a desk all day laying out pages, or a jobbing photographer getting your shots ready for clients, CS3 is going to be very high on your shopping list.

Arguably the biggest single improvement over earlier versions concerns the non-destructive nature of the filters. With earlier versions, it was very hard to undo the effects of the commonly used Unsharp Mask, for instance, once the changes had been saved.

If you didn't like the filter effects, and hadn't saved the original image under a different name, you had to live with it. CS3 extends the Smart Object functionality first seen in CS2 so you can fine-tune a filter's effects as you would with adjustment layers and layer masks. For graphic designers this will be a godsend, because the aforementioned Unsharp Mask can be a tricky tool to get right every time.

Smart fine-tuning

Moving back to more general improvements, we also like the single column toolbar and improved Quick Select tool. As with Adobe InDesign, earlier versions of Photoshop CS tended to litter your screen with toolbars and palettes to the detriment of the image being worked on.

A new Maximum Screen mode automatically adjusts the size of the window as you introduce or collapse palettes, and for traditionalists, the two-column toolbar can easily be resurrected. Seasoned Photoshop users will also appreciate the improvements to the Quick Select tool - as found in Photoshop Elements - and the Refine Edges floating palette. The latter makes it much easier to perfect your selections, instantly sorting out a bane of many designers' lives.

If you use Photoshop CS to improve your photographs, again, there are some really welcome tweaks in this new version. Keen photographers will love the histogram built into the Curves dialog box, along with the new Clipping Warning, so you can see the implications of your Curves adjustment on a particular photo.

Clever curves

Photoshop purists always say the Curves box is much better for fine colour control than Levels, and now few will argue.

And it's not just about colour. For black and white conversion, channels can be adjusted individually and there is a new range of filters to play with. Using these new tools, tinting and duotones become much easier to do properly.

The other big story for photographers concerns Camera Raw. The new-look Camera Raw dialog makes it just about impossible to mess up a RAW image, featuring a Vibrance tool for boosting colour saturation without making otherwise well-adjusted colours look too psychedelic.

A Fill Light slider is available for further improving highlights, while the Recovery tool enables you to tone down some of the highlights without messing up the overall exposure. Camera Raw is surprisingly easy to use, which is good news for owners of budget SLRs who are discovering the greater image fidelity you get with RAW shots.

There's a Parametric Curve adjustment option if you can't get your head around Curves proper, plus the ability to edit JPEGs and TIFFs without having to go back to the main program. All this, combined with other improvements from Adobe Lightroom, makes Camera Raw alone a good reason to upgrade.

When it comes to reviewing shots up close, the improved Bridge is noteworthy, too. You can now zoom into specific bits of an image without magnifying the whole thing - via the Loupe tool - and put photos side by side for comparison.

Space restrictions mean we can't cover every improvement, but you've probably guessed that we like Photoshop CS3 - a lot. While it's still a complex program, even less experienced users will benefit. If select improvements manage to make their way into the next version of Photoshop Elements, it'll be the best value package, too.

Specification