Adobe Creative Suite

Photoshop CS5: Keyboard shortcut issue fixed by Mac OS X 10.6.7

Photoshop + Software Update = happy

Have you found that some keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop CS5 (Mac) haven’t been working? Or are some tools acting strangely, as if the Option or Shift keys were pressed? It turns out that Mac OS X 10.6.5 introduced a bug where modifier keys might stick; for example, you might always see the Hand tool, as if the spacebar was pressed, and you might be unable to switch away from the Hand tool. One way I experienced it was when I tried to press the Command and Spacebar keys to get the temporary Zoom tool, but nothing would happen.

The bug was also in Mac OS X 10.6.6, but Adobe reports that Apple finally fixed the problem in the Mac OS X 10.6.7 update. So while there have been various workarounds that involve tracking down software conflicts, now that Mac OS X 10.6.7 is out, the fastest and simplest solution is to download and install the Apple update. As usual, you can run Software Update to get the new version, or you can download the Combo installer from the link above.

While the problem isn’t mentioned in Apple’s release notes for 10.6.7, this issue is related to a change that Apple made to an API in Mac OS X 10.6.5, as explained in this forum post. A number of Mac applications were affected, but Photoshop was the most prominent one, and there are several threads discussing it on the Adobe User-to-User Forum for Photoshop.

Update: OpenType issues introduced with Mac OS X 10.6.7

Upgrading to 10.6.7 is no longer a no-brainer. Apple has apparently introduced a new bug related to OpenType fonts in PDF files generated by Mac OS X 10.6.7, so if you use OpenType fonts (and who wouldn’t, since they’re modern and cross-platform) you may have problems printing or rendering from them in 10.6.7. I suppose it comes down to whether it’s more important to you to have your keyboard shortcuts working in programs like Photoshop (in which case you’d upgrade to 10.6.7), or whether you need reliable handling of OpenType fonts (in which case you’d stick with 10.6.6).

(Update to this update: Apple has fixed this OpenType issue in the Snow Leopard Font Update, so make sure you run that update after updating to 10.6.7.)

Updating the Process Version in Camera Raw 6 and Lightroom 3: Peachpit.com article
Process version before and after conversion

Before (left) and after (right) updating the process version

Have you wondered about the mysterious little exclamation point icon that shows up when you edit older raw images in Adobe Camera Raw 6 or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3? You can use it to migrate your existing raw format images to the new processing technology in Camera Raw 6 and Lightroom 3. In my latest Peachpit.com article, I explain the process version of a raw photo and how updating it will give you more detail and less noise, even with your oldest raw photos!

Click the link below to read the article at Peachpit.com:
Updating the Process Version in Camera Raw 6 and Lightroom 3

This article is an expanded version of a topic in my book, Real World Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers (Adobe Press).

Exploring Creative Lens Correction: Peachpit.com article
Image of article

The new Lens Correction feature in Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Camera Raw 6.1 or later, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 does a great job of removing various forms of distortion that you find in all kinds of lenses—from phone cameras to $1500 pro lenses. But there’s nothing stopping you from taking Lens Correction a step further: using it as a creative tool that can strengthen your compositions and spice up your images.

Click the link below to read the article at Peachpit.com:
Exploring Creative Lens Correction in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 3

Updates: Photoshop CS5 12.0.2, Camera Raw 6.3, Lightroom 3.3

Adobe photography application icons

Adobe has released a wave of updates for its professional photography applications:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 12.0.2 (no release notes link, see download/updates link below)
Adobe Camera Raw 6.3 (click for release notes in PDF)
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.3 (click for release notes in PDF)

As usual, you can read the release notes and download the installers from

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/

or:

To update Photoshop and Camera Raw directly, start Photoshop and choose Help > Updates.

To update Lightroom directly, start Lightroom and choose Help > Updates.

I may pull out some highlights from the release notes here later when I have more time, but for now you can refer to the links above.

Print color profiling targets with no color management

Adobe Color Printing Utility 1.0

Adobe Color Printer Utility 1.0 released

If you print color target images because you build printer profiles, and you’ve been frustrated that the No Color Management option is missing from the Print dialog box in Adobe Photoshop CS5, you can breathe a little easier now. No, make that a lot easier. Adobe has released the Adobe Color Printer Utility, specifically designed to print RGB TIFF color profiling targets without the risk of having the test swatch colors distorted by a color management system.

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