Adobe Photoshop CSIII... by Candace Richey
I guess I could be termed a power user of Photoshop, since I have been using it since version 4. Photoshop in the early days was cumbersom at best, and many of the other photo editing programs had addressed such things as typestyle previews, red eye adjustments, bevels and warps, and other basics many years before Adobe got on board. With version 6 came some of the long awaited amenities, but it was still not quite up to speed for production of graphics. Honestly, I believe that graphics users are the ones who benefit more today than ever before.
Updating from Photoshop CSII to CSIII isn’t a huge priority, as the two are highly similar. In the Creative Suite II vs. Creative Suite III however, there are major differences. Our recommendation is to upgrade with the entire suite, and which version depends upon your workflow. If you are an ad agency, graphic artist, photographer, etc., with mostly print media as your primary output, the Design suite is the ideal version. If you lean more towards the online graphics, the Web version is ideal. However, if you are a glutton, and got to have it all, the Master Collection has everything Adobe offers. It is really cool, however its $2500 price tag may discourage the timid.
Productivity enhancements
Streamlined interface - Take advantage of the self-adjusting docks, workspace presets for specialized tasks, and other refinements in the streamlined interface. See Workspace basics.
Zoomify report - Export full-resolution images in the Zoomify format so you can display them on the Internet or send them by e‑--mail without having to first decrease their resolution. See Export to Zoomify.
Adobe Bridge CS3 with stacks and filters - Organize and manage your images with the new tools—the Loupe tool, filters, and stacks—in Adobe Bridge.
Improved print experience - Get better control over print quality with color management and better print preview features. See Printing from Photoshop.
Adobe Device Central - Create and view artwork for display on cell phones and other mobile devices, and preview how your photos will look on different devices. See Testing Photoshop images for mobile devices with Adobe Device Central.
Next generation Camera Raw - Process raw data—at high quality—from more than 150 digital cameras. You can also apply Camera Raw processing to JPEG and TIFF files. See Camera Raw.

QuickMats 3 - Photographic Matting
While this review should be in plugins, we just had to put it with Photoshop because for any real photographer, it is truly a necessity. John Hartman is a genius. His QuickMats 3 is a 4th-generation version of his digital matting software. If you are a photographer, whether it be portrait, wedding, or scenic, these mats can make a huge difference in your bottom line. It is nearly impossible to tell that a photograph is not really in a physical mat, especially behind glass. Viewers will reach out to touch the mat, not believing that it isn’t really there.
QuickMats 3 helps you can create an incredibly realistic mat for any size image. With openings as small as 1" and as large as 40", and eight different aspect ratios from 1:1 square all the way to 4:1 extreme panoramic, you can easily mat virtually any digital image in your portfolio.
Over 640 mat openings in rectangle, oval, square, circle, even letter, number and assorted shapes mat openings are included. You specify the size outside mat while you position one, or up to 40 mat openings in any size and shape on a single mat. Included are Photoshop actions, and with one click your mat is built. They aren’t done there, however, because everything is customizable, from size of outside mat, inside liners, textures and colors. They can then be saved as templates, and used repeatedly. Photo overlays on the mat are also possible, in any strength. Making a mat with a phantom image such as leaves, faces or anything else is very simple.
QuickMats3 works with Photoshop 7 or greater, m other special software is required. Best of all, QuickMats 3 is easy to learn with a 60 page full color manual plus 24 narrated QuickTime HELPMovies to get you up and running in no time. Check with John Hartman’s site at www.jhartman.com/quickmats/index.php for more information. Once you have tried QuickMats 3, you will not want to do without it.