If you look at Adobe’s website, in particular at the Photoshop CS2 section, you can read all about Photoshop’s new features, such as the new vanishing point tool, smart objects and Bridge integration. However the best new feature is the new layer management.
Photoshop’s layer palette has really improved over the past three releases. With the release of Photoshop 7 Adobe provided a way to group layers with the help of so called layer sets. The only drawback: Photoshop refused to create nested layer sets. So we had to wait until Photoshop CS in order to take full advantage of this new technique. And now with the release of Photoshop CS2, Adobe has completely redesigned the layer palette.
Basically the way you select, link and group layers. For instance in older releases of Photoshop you first had to link several layers in order to move them at once. Now you just have to select multiple layers via “Cmd+Click” respectively “Shift-Click”. Great.
If you decide to link the selected layers you can now achieve this by clicking the “link” icon in the bottom left corner of the layer palette. Again, much simpler than it used to be.
If you are like me and prefer layer sets rather than linked layers, you may be delighted to hear that also grouping is now much easier. Just select the intended layers and press “Cmd+G”. By the way Photoshop 7 and CS provided the functionality either to group layers or to create layer sets. Now only layer sets are supported.
Well as always this is just my personal point of view. So it would be interesting whether you think that the new layer palette is a step forward or backward?
19 comments so far
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Justin French June 26, 2005 at 02:03 AM
A step forward, for sure.
Static June 26, 2005 at 04:29 AM
yah, realy nice. btw photoshop has a lot of little chnages that makes it even better!
ZicklePop June 26, 2005 at 06:15 AM
Adding the Illustrator feature… I tried to do that in Photoshop Elements cause I’m so used to Illustrator and it yelled at me so good their all gonna be the same now.
Chris Wouters June 28, 2005 at 04:22 AM
joar ich denk auch mal das ist ein Schritt nach vorn, muss mich da voll und ganz ZicklePop anschließen :D
Hank July 10, 2005 at 04:15 PM
I F#*%ING HATE THE NEW LAYER FEATURES! IT’S A STEP BACKWARDS, BECAUSE I NOW HAVE TO USE BOTH HANDS TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULTS! GOD I AM SO PISSED! FU ADOBE!!!
Wolfgang July 10, 2005 at 05:28 PM
You mean when selecting mutliple layers? But isn’t it much faster? From my point of view it’s a much more convenient way to select multiple items, especially if you are dealing with a huge number of layers.
Brutal July 11, 2005 at 01:27 PM
I really dig the new features in CS2. Great work, Adobe!
Chet July 12, 2005 at 05:08 AM
Just wanted to drop you a msg that you have one hell of a clean and sexy looking site here!
Wolfgang July 12, 2005 at 06:33 AM
Thank you — great to hear :)
kmilden July 12, 2005 at 03:23 PM
I worked with Adobe on the release of CS2. I saw very early versions of Bridge, Photoshop and Golive. One of the coolest features is Golive’s new ability to write CSS instead of the bad grid tool that has plagued the application since cyber studio. Photoshop’s layer management is improved but if you have been using the application for over a decade then it will take a bit getting used to. But yes it’s true you can select multiple layers. Linking is still there you just won’t use it as much. Another cool feature is LivePaint/Trace which is streamline on steroids. Get an upgrade this time you will get an entirely rewritten version of all the apps. CS was the promise CS2 is delivering on that promise of integration.
Tim July 14, 2005 at 10:21 PM
I got one problem with the new layer-palette (whilst I think that the new selection-system is really cool): Normally I used to CTRL-click in the picture in order to select a respective layer in the palette. Well this stil works but it doesn’t expanded all of the layer’s groups anymore. It jus selects the top-most group. Does anybody know how to get back the old feature-style?
Alexei July 15, 2005 at 01:48 AM
Got the same problem with CTRL-click here — it doesn’t work for the sets. I hate it, for sure.
Wolfgang July 15, 2005 at 02:13 AM
On a Mac you have to use Cmd+Alt+Ctrl+Click in order to make Photoshop select the intended layer. I don’t know the respective combination on a PC. However I suppose it must be Ctrl+Alt+Click or Ctrl+Shift+Click or something like that.
Pat July 18, 2005 at 07:33 AM
Photoshop 7 (pc) you used to be able to ctrl-click to select whatever is in a particular layer. Won’t work with CS2…am I missing something? Is there another keystroke to achieve this?
Wolfgang July 18, 2005 at 03:49 PM
In order to load a layer as a selection ctrl-click (Windows) repectively cmd-click (Mac OS) the layer’s thumbnail in the Layers palette. Previously you could click anywhere in the layer.
Pat July 19, 2005 at 02:02 AM
That’s the answer! Thank you so much!
alan July 21, 2005 at 10:36 PM
Right, answer me this. Ive been trying to find out for some time now. In older versions you could select layers by ctrl clicking on the object in the canvas. Now you can still do that in CS2, but if the required layer is in a folder then it selects the folder instead!!!! very anoying!
alan July 21, 2005 at 10:42 PM
Hey, i dont beleive it, the anwser was there all along :) ctrl + alt + click Now i do like the new layers pallet
me again July 21, 2005 at 10:45 PM
No!!! wait a sec! it doesnt work :(((( Hate the new layers pallet now ——-