Category Archives: Applications
Photoshop CS6 Already Being Regarded As “Best Update In Recent Memory”
The Photoshop CS6 beta is out and critics are praising the updates to core features and new features alike stating this is a “must-have update”.
One of the big long standing gripes about Photoshop was the UI had become bloated as Adobe added features over the years. The first thing you’ll notice with CS6 is a completely new interface. New icons, darker tone and an overall consistent interface. Adobe hired a UI expert to “clean it all, do as you wish, make it better.” The end result: thousands of graphic elements adjusted and cleaned-up/streamlined workflows.
The majority of Photoshop users only use 10% of the features. Where in past versions Adobe has added features and functionality into the program, this version has a clear emphasis on improving the core features. Crop, RAW import, Shadows and Highlights and Typography include some of the most improved areas.
There is also new lens blur, content-ware patch tools and automated image correction. The levels in automated image correction are reportedly spot-on with one critic stating “I found myself rarely touching levels or curves anymore”.
You can download the Photoshop CS6 beta from Adobe’s website to see for yourself. Rumored CS6 release date is April or May of 2012.
[Via Gizmodo]
Retina Artwork Bloats iPad Apps
What am I talking about? Bitmap images. When quadrupled in size to look nice on the hi-res screen, bitmaps bloat the apps containing them. For example, iMovie for iOS jumps from a merely large 70MB to a terrifying 404MB. That 16GB iPad is starting to look a little small, right?
[Via Cult of Mac]
7 of the Best Linux Firewalls
TechRadar compiles a good list of popular Linux firewall solutions. Included are reviews, pricing and ratings. Everything you need to make an informed decision except the hands-on experience.
[Via TechRadar]
QSynergy Makes Multi-System Control Easier and Prettier
Awhile back I posted about how to Turn You Laptop into An Additional Monitor with Synergy. QSynergy adds a simplified graphical interface onto the original Synergy along with some bonus features and bug fixes.
Best of all, QSynergy is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems.
[Via Lifehacker]
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Now Available
Adobe’s Creative Suite 5 launched today and includes the industry standard Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Flash plus 11 additional products. The full release price starts at $1,699 for the CS5 Production Premium kit.
Some key features in this version of the Creative Suite include better cross-program compatibility, integration between the new Adobe CS Live (a set of five online services that accelerate key aspects of the creative work-flow), and NVIDIA® GPU acceleration.
[Via Gizmodo]
Best Hard Disk Defragmenters
Lifehacker polls are always interesting especially when they compare hardware choices. One piece of software that everybody has either heard of or used once in their lives is a disk defragmenter. In the ever-changing world of software development it is always good to see what other users think is currently ‘the best’ option. In a democratic series of blog posts, lifehacker first asked for suggestions in the form of comments to their post informing everybody that they intent to run a poll. The top five suggestions are then listed as poll options. The result is then posted in the 3rd and final blog post. Currently the leader (and probably winner) is Defraggler by Piriform.
[Via Lifehacker]
Ten Simple Guidelines for Choosing the Perfect CMS
An important consideration before building your website is what content management system (CMS) should be used. All too often you see a website that is a simple blog with a full fledged Joomla installation, or a WordPress site that contains a shopping cart. Its not like these CMS’s can’t or won’t run a blog or shopping cart, they just aren’t intended for such use.
Another important aspect of choosing the right content management system is scalability. If we had unlimited time all the parts of our website would launch at the same time. If your long-term goal is to run a blog, then a simple blogging CMS would surfice. But if you aspire for more, install a more versatile CMS such as Drupal or Joomla! That way your blog can evolve into a multi-faceted website with a forum, newsletter and other plugins that encourage user interaction.
