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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Sept. 3, 2010
/ 24 Elul, 5770
Photoshop CS 5 an essential tool at high end
By
Mark Kellner
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
For the low, low price of $1,400, you can order the world's largest Swiss Army knife, complete with "87 precision-engineered tools, spanning 112 functions," according to the venerable Hammacher Schlemmer catalog.
For a lot less money -- $199 for an upgrade, $699 for the regular boxed product - you can get the world's largest "Swiss Army knife of photo-editing software," more popularly known as Adobe's Photoshop CS5.
In both cases, we're not talking about a product designed for everyone. The $1,400 knife would probably require a lead-lined pocket, or perhaps a wheelbarrow to carry it around. And Photoshop CS5 is well and truly a very serious tool for very serious photographers.
But if you are one of those, or if you aspire to be one of those, or if you need to work creatively with digital pictures, there is simply no better piece of software anywhere on Earth than Photoshop CS5 - at least, none that I've seen.
Take high dynamic range imaging (or, HDR), which either merges multiple images of a photo, or digitally tunes an image, to produce a shot with a greater dynamic range of luminances between the darkest and lightest areas of a photograph. Translated into English, you can get a more "photo-realistic" view of a given scene, or, conversely, a more stylized one.
A photography student I know says you can achieve these kinds of results with a few hours' of work at a computer. Me? I just clicked a couple of buttons in Photoshop and made a 2006 shot of the Capitol dome come out in all sorts of renderings. Very cool, I'd say.
Now, move on to what some call "the ex factor," and what I call the "Trotsky Conundrum." If you've dumped your significant other - or, if you're Uncle Joe Stalin and you just had someone dump Trotsky from the Politburo - you may be stuck with all these old photos of the ex (or Leon) that you might still want to use. For Stalin's minions, this required a razor blade applied to the negatives. For your ex, it's a new feature called "Content-Aware Fill." Highlight the ex, drop them out of the photo, and Photoshop will take notice of the surroundings, such as the brick wall said "ex" was standing in front of, and fill in the missing person's space with bricks. Another cool item, although Taylor Swift probably won't release a single about "Just Another Picture to Content-Aware Fill" anytime soon.
The painting effects of Photoshop CS5 are equally breathtaking. You can touch up buildings, or other landscape elements (not to mention people) in all sorts of extraordinary ways, and the result is quite gorgeous. Among the specific painting features, Adobe says, are a "Mixer Brush, which offers on-canvas color blending; Bristle Tips, which let you create lifelike, textured brush strokes; [and] an onscreen color picker." All I know is, this all packs a lot of power into one application.
At the same time, Photoshop does its normal tasks of straightening, sharpening and adjusting photos, manually or automatically, with ease. And yes, you can process images for the Web, for mobile devices or for use in print publications. As I said, this really is a highly versatile, all-in-one kind of application. It's something you will want to have on your computer if working with photos is part of your daily life.
Another plus, to this reviewer at least, is that Photoshop CS5 remains a cross-platform application: you can get versions for Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X platforms. Diversity reigns!
The bottom line, of course, is whether or not you really need to spend $700 (retail) for this product. Upgrading, at $199, is almost a no-brainer: current users get so many new features that the price is, frankly, a steal. For the rest of us, if we don't have an older version for which an upgrade may be obtained, it'll take some thought. But look at it this way: a new camera body or lens is often viewed, rightly, as an investment. Photoshop CS5 promises to repay great dividends to users who invest not only the cash, but also the effort to learn its many features.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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