ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS5 SUCKS

Hi Everybody,
My wife and kids bought Adobe PhotoShop CS5 for me as a Christmas present.

.. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS5 SUCKS.

.. For starters, I keep getting crashes. CS5 may not be as crash prone
as PhotoPaint X5, but it does frequently disable itself and Windows Vista.
One of these occurs -- a hand replaces all tools and locks up PhotoShop
and Vista - and/or -- drop down menus just flash by. You can't even get to
the Start menu to shut Vista down.

- My computer is rock solid with PP X4 and PSP X2.

.. The almost total lack of an interface makes PhotoShop CS5 crippling
for me. All that it has for an interface is a tool box, menu bar, and
options bar. Not even a "standard" toolbar. Even worse, these few
toolbars are tiny and are gray on gray. They can NOT be changed from within
PhotoShop or from Windows. I have to memorize positions in order to use
them.

.. In contrast, my PP workspace is ringed with icons on home made
toolbars. I have even added color to all of them to make them easier to
identify.

.. I am NOT going to spend the next year training to use keyboard
shortcuts.

The dialogs which I use the most are far superior in PhotoPaint.
.. CURVES:
- The area of Curves is 25% larger in PhotoPaint.
- In PS, the histogram does not change with the Curve. The histogram
palette in PS is virtually useless. It does not move until you let go of
the mouse. In PP, the histogram on the Curves dialog slides along as you
change the curve.
- Can not reset individual channels in PS as in PP.
- PP has a linear option.
- The anchor points in PS created by clicking on the image do not stick
as they do in PP

Color Range (aka Color Mask)
- PS does not show the chosen colors as in PP
- PS does not have individual range controls for each chosen color as in
PP\
- PS only has a single mysterious "fuzziness" control

- Smart Objects and Smart Filters are a marketing hoax. You can just as
easily do the same in PP. Disable a layer by turning off the eye. Now call
it a "Smart" layer. Duplicate it a few times. Use a filter per duplicated
layer. If you get lost, just copy the "Smart" object again. Be sure to
call it a reset to the original layer without any loss of data.

- The path tool does not display all the options for an anchor point in the
options tool bar as in PhotoPaint. The path itself can be just as hard to
find as in PP.

- The options for the various Transforms are not as neatly displayed as in
PP. In PP, they are sitting in a nice row on the options bar when the Pick
tool is active.

- Free Transform in PS is a poor alternative to the simple line of options
in the options bar for the Pick tool in PP

- Palettes in PS can now reduce to picture icons as can dockers. Again,
the icon is tiny and gray on gray. Further, they decide for themselves how
they are grouped. My icons for dockers in _PP stay in place and have the
pictures in color which I made for them.

- The Swatches panel in PS does not display in a neat row or column as does
the color palette in PP.

- The Eyedropper tool in PS does not have a read out next to it as in PP
that I could find.

- Border Selection of a selection does not have a preview as in PP.
Neither does it have any control over feathering. It always feathers by
some unknown amount.

- The Clone tool in PP has a poor source indicator. It's just a cross hair.
PP's source cursor is the same size as the target brush. PS's clone
"shadow" is a poor substitute.

Content aware fill in PS is a big joke. I still have to make a selection.
For fill, I can do better myself by selecting how I want to fill, clone
out, or patch from a different area.

Spot healing and healing brushes leave a smeared area except for very small
blemishes.

The Patch Tool is "so what". I've been doing the same in PP by making a
large selection around a defective area - moving selection - creating
layer - dragging layer back over defective area - and feathering.

- Canvas resize does not have a preview similar to Paper Size in PP.

- Windows Explorer displays an Adobe icon for PDF files instead of a
thumbnail. Use Bridge if you don't like it

- No undo/redo button. Use the history palette

- No reset button on any of the dialogs. Press something on the keyboard
to change the Cancel button to a Reset button.

.. NO MANUAL for your $700 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Other tools which I use frequently are not significantly different than in
Corel PhotoPaint - Selections, Layers, Layer Masks, gradients to paint on
layer mask, Lab color mode, etc.

- I don't need Bridge. I have ACDSee Pro 2.5. Actually, I find Windows
Explorer and my new 3 TByte hard drive good enough for organizing..

- I'm not looking for an argument - BUT - I have no use for a RAW
converter. Besides, the slider tools in Adobe Camera RAW are no different
than the slider tools that come in the graphics application which is found
in a box of popcorn. Why bother with another application just to get a 10%
improvement in dynamic range for a few photos. Why do I need 16 bits
(actually 12) if human eyesight is only good to about 5 to 6 bits for an
average color picture. I'm not making documentaries with my point and shoot
camera.

Phil
PS: Of course, you get more social standing if you use PhotoShop. We get a
lot more respect at the senior citizen club now that my wife has let it be
known that I use PhotoShop.