New features in Photoshop CS6 for Better Ux and Faster Productivity

Devendra Shukla (Senior web designer)

Auto Save Multiple LayersLayer Group = LayerSearchable Layers PanelTransformation ValuesBetter Layer Right-click MenuNew Document Presets For Common Devices (iPhone, iPad Etc)Lorem Ipsum Arrives In Cs6Crazy bordersCrop ToolContent Aware Tool

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Auto Save Finally, auto save in Photoshop! No need to worry about software crashes any more. Beside auto save, there is a new background save. This means you can still use Photoshop to work on file while another file is saving. This is particularly useful for editing large files such as large size illustration or print design. The auto save and save in background option is available under Perference > File Handling.

Multiple LayersPhotoshop CS6 now allows you change blending mode, lock, layer color on multiple layers. You couldn't do this in the previous versions. Also, in case you are not aware, now you can use Cmd+J to duplicate multiple layers.

Layer Group = LayerNow the layer group is treated like a single layer. This means you can apply layer effects directly on the layer group. Before CS6, you need to either flatten the layer group or convert it to Smart Object in order to do this.

Searchable Layers PanelFor an average design mockup PSD, it can easily contain more than a hundred layers. Sometimes it is quite difficult to look through the layers. The new Layers palette allows you to filter the layers by kind, effect, mode, color, etc. or search for specific layer name.

Transformation ValuesCS6 added transformation values which is very handy. When transforming an object, it tells you the dimension of the object. This is useful when sizing an image on the mockup. The transformation value can be turned off at Perference > Interface.

Better Layer Right-click MenuNow the layer color can be set via the layer right-click menu. In the previous versions, it requires 5 clicks to set a layer color (right-click on the layer > click Layer Properties > click on the color dropdown > click to select a color > click Ok). Now it can be done with just 2 clicks (right-click on the layer > click to select a color). That is 3 clicks less!

New Document Presets For Common Devices (iPhone, iPad Etc)It was only a matter of time before Photoshop introduced canvas presets for common devices such as the iPhone. This is a great little feature that just saves us that little bit of extra time. In my opinion, being a successful UI or web designer is all about creating a great workflow and the more time savers that you have the quicker you can get the job done.

Lorem Ipsum Arrives In Cs6It’s often the case that the simplest of ideas are usually the most successful and this is certainly true of a particular new feature of Photoshop CS6. How many times have you had to leave Photoshop to grab somelorem ipsum dummy text from elsewhere on the web? Well now you no longer have to. You can simply paste some lorem ipsum in from the bottom of the type menu.

Crazy bordersThis is probably one of the most popular techniques used in modern web design at the moment and until now it has been a long, drawn out process that involves cutting up lines or using the ‘-’ key to create a series of “stitches”.Well, Adobe has certainly realized this and has introduced a tool to enable us to create them with ease and flexibility.

Crop ToolIn CS6, the crop grid automatically activated as soon as the Crop tool is selected (this reduces one mouse drag). The new Crop tool allows you to rotate the image instead of the crop handles. It also introduced some nice crop options such as constrain ratios (16x9, 5x7, 2x3, etc.) which are great for cropping photos for print.

Content Aware ToolContent Aware Move will allow you to select pixels and move or extend them to another area of your image without the use of layers and masks. All you need to do is select some pixels, drag them to a new position and let go. Photoshop CS6 will erase the old selection and move your pixels to your desired location.

Thank You!Devendra Shukla (Senior web designer)