Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 technology preview brings MacBook Pro Touch Bar controls
As promised at the MacBook Pro release event, Adobe has made available a technology preview version of image editing suite Photoshop CC 2017 for Mac, adding beta versions of contextual touch tools to the Touch Bar.
All of the familiar brush controls are available on the screen with the Tech Preview release, as well as on the Touch Bar. Users can select brush parameters such as color, flow, hardness, opacity, and size. The Favorites implementation on the Touch Bar includes flip controls, a toggle between full and normal screen modes, and a New Layer button.
Layer Properties on the Touch Bar allow for opacity modification, and scrubbing through blending modes. Other tools added include a layer duplication tool, a preview share button, a button to invoke the select & mask task space, and more.
The tools can be mixed and matched, with Adobe allowing the user to customize the Touch Bar to some extent.
Pricing for new members depends on the application or software suite being purchased. For example, the Creative Cloud Photography plan, which comes with Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, starts at $9.99 per month on an annual plan, while single-app subscriptions come in at $19.99 per month. Adobe offers an annual plan with access to all apps for $49.99 per month, while the step-up membership with a month of Adobe Stock access and 10 free Adobe Stock images is priced at $79.98 per month.
All of the familiar brush controls are available on the screen with the Tech Preview release, as well as on the Touch Bar. Users can select brush parameters such as color, flow, hardness, opacity, and size. The Favorites implementation on the Touch Bar includes flip controls, a toggle between full and normal screen modes, and a New Layer button.
Layer Properties on the Touch Bar allow for opacity modification, and scrubbing through blending modes. Other tools added include a layer duplication tool, a preview share button, a button to invoke the select & mask task space, and more.
The tools can be mixed and matched, with Adobe allowing the user to customize the Touch Bar to some extent.
Pricing for new members depends on the application or software suite being purchased. For example, the Creative Cloud Photography plan, which comes with Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC, starts at $9.99 per month on an annual plan, while single-app subscriptions come in at $19.99 per month. Adobe offers an annual plan with access to all apps for $49.99 per month, while the step-up membership with a month of Adobe Stock access and 10 free Adobe Stock images is priced at $79.98 per month.
Comments
I'm still not sold on the usefulness of the Touch bar feature though. I am a heavy user of Photoshop and after watching the Adobe portion of the keynote I was left with the impression that the touch bar doesn't really add anything to my work methods. But then I only use my MBP when on the road. I much prefer a large screen desktop. We'll see if/when they bring it to the desktop keyboard.
Meanwhile, Serif already delivered two entire apps (Affinity Designer 1.5.4 and Affinity Photo 1.5.1) with full Touch Bar support in the MAS, under a perpetual license.
Tell me again how Adobe's decision of killing perpetual licenses and forcing subscriptions down their users' throats made their development cycle quicker… Tell me that with a straight face. You can't. This is the reason why I sometimes don't like John Gruber (even though I am usually a fan of his work) et al.; there are many a pundit who we think are supposedly honest and unbiased, but then ignore entire chunks of the market and especially rising stars, even though they covered Apple, the then-quintessential underdog, during its darkest years.
That Apple may give Adobe more airtime than Serif right now, I can understand completely; Adobe is a household name, it sells. But just watch Serif eat their lunch with their cross-platform apps and, one day, Apple may finally rid itself of one of its worst frenemies and start promoting some better alternatives to the most well-known CC component in earnest.
Obviously battery life is an issue with any wireless product.
MacAffinity Designer and Photo's implementation is a delight and had shipped earlier than expected. Adobe should just look at what they did and copy it. What a shame Adobe, considering that we are paying them subscription fees compared to Serif that sells their app for a set price.
I'm waiting for the next iMac having passed on the new MBP's but if it only has two USB-C ports (including the charging port) then I'll pass.
Four USB-C is a minimum. It would be nice to have at least one USB-A connector though.
come on Tim, make it so.
Just like for the current USB, USB-C docks will be cheap, and allow you to actually see the port without having to turn around your iMac.
And no, 4-6 USB-C ports would be preferable. No need for the older ports when adapters are cheap and available now.
It would be nice to see the new iMac soon. Hopefully, the Surface Studio has scared Apple into allowing easily upgradable SSDs!