PC WEENIES: Tech Toons and Reviews | Photoshop CC 2015: Should You Upgrade?

Photoshop CC 2015: Should You Upgrade?

Yesterday, Adobe released Photoshop CC 2015. I’m still working my way through understanding all the new features. In my limited time with the new app, 2015 seems to have some speed improvements over its predecessor. The Save to Web option is now hidden inside the menubar (under File > Export). I love the quick “Export as PNG” option; it saves the hassle of moving through multiple dialog boxes. Additionally, you can choose the default file format for quick export, so if PNG’s aren’t your bag, you can choose from SVG, GIF, and JPG instead. Migrating my fonts, actions, color coded menus, custom keyboard shortcuts and brushes from CC 2014 was painless.

NOTE: Third party plugins will need to be reinstalled. While I generally like the improvements, synching preferences, brushes, gradients, tool presets and actions between multiple Macs hasn’t worked for me.

Bjango does a good job covering the highlights of the new Photoshop CC 2015 release, as does Tip Squirrel, particularly with its helpful guide on moving up to the new version of Photoshop while retaining the previous version. (If you install Photoshop CC 2015, your copy of CC 2014 will be removed.)

There is still much for me to explore in the new version of Photoshop. While the synching feature doesn’t work for me, the added speed and extra refinements make Photoshop CC 2015 worth checking out.

-Krishna

Update: Photoshop CC 2015 appears to have finally fixed the “lag” issue when using the brush tool for illustration purposes. I am now doing the happy dance.

Krishna June 17, 2015 first look, Photoshop CC 2015

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Matt Reply
June 17, 2015 at 11:40 am
Yeah, I just installed Photoshop CC 2015 yesterday, too. I’m using Windows 8.1. From what I can tell, Photoshop migrated my preferences fine and my brushes from CC2014 appear to have made it to the new version. One irritating thing that isn’t resolved is that I can’t seem to get brush pressure when using my Yiynova tablet. I had this problem with the 2014 release, too. I keep a copy of the original Photoshop CC around when I want to use the tablet as it works fine there. Thanks for the heads up on the Save for Web…I probably wouldn’t have seen that!
- Krishna Reply
  June 17, 2015 at 11:58 am
  Bummer that the Yiynova isn’t working with pressure sensitivity on Windows, Matt. In my case, I had to check the “pressure sensitive” button on the toolbar (with the Brush tool active) and pressure sensitivity worked fine. (Running on a Mac, though.)
  - Matt Reply
    June 17, 2015 at 12:16 pm
    Yes, it’s frustrating. I’m comparing the brush controls in CC with CC 2015 to see if any of the settings are different, but so far I can’t see anything. Maybe it’s Yiynova’s Windows driver? They released a new one earlier this year, but I’ve been afraid to try it since everything else works so well.
    - Krishna Reply
      June 17, 2015 at 12:21 pm
      Is there a way to install the latest driver to test further and revert to a previous state in Windows?
      - Matt
        June 17, 2015 at 12:39 pm
        Didn’t see your question…yes, I can make sure I have a “restore point” set in Windows. Just hadn’t tried that yet. But now the 2015 version seems to be working correctly. Fingers crossed.
  - Matt Reply
    June 17, 2015 at 12:38 pm
    Mysterious…I fired up 2015 this morning to compare settings with the old version and now the pressure is working. This is a good development because I never could get the pressure to work in the 2014 version. Yay!
    - Krishna Reply
      June 17, 2015 at 12:40 pm
      very cool! glad it’s working for ya now! :)