What’s new in Photoshop CS4

Adjustments panel

Quickly access the controls you need to non-destructively adjust image color and tone in the Adjustments panel. Includes on-image controls and presets in one location. See Adjustments panel overview.

Masks panel

Quickly create precise masks in the Masks panel. The Masks panel offers tools and options for creating editable pixel- and vector-based masks, adjusting mask density and feathering, and selecting non-contiguous objects. See Masking layers.

Advanced compositing

Create more accurate composites using the enhanced Auto-Align Layers command, and use the spherical alignment to create 360-degree panoramas. The enhanced Auto-Blend Layers command smoothly blends color and shading, and extends your depth of field by correcting vignettes and lens distortion. See Retouching and transforming.

Canvas rotation

Click to smoothly turn your canvas for nondestructive viewing at any desired angle. See Use the Rotate View tool.

Smoother panning and zooming

Gracefully navigate to any area of an image with smoother panning and zooming. Maintain clarity as you zoom to individual pixels, and easily edit at the highest magnification with the new Pixel Grid. See Viewing images.

Better raw processing in Camera Raw

Apply corrections to specific areas of an image using the Camera Raw 5.0 plug-in, enjoy superior conversion quality, and apply postcrop vignettes to images. See Camera Raw.

Improved Lightroom workflow

Enhanced integration between Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 allows you to open photos from Lightroom in Photoshop and seamlessly roundtrip back to Lightroom. Automatically merge photos from Lightroom into panoramas, open as HDR images, or open as multilayer Photoshop file.

Efficient file management with Adobe® Bridge CS4

Enjoy efficient visual asset management with Adobe Bridge CS4, which features faster startup, workspaces that suit the task at hand, and the ability to create web galleries and Adobe PDF contact sheets. See Working with Adobe Bridge.

Powerful printing options

The Photoshop CS4 print engine provides tight integration with all the most popular printers, the capability to preview out-of-gamut image areas, and support for 16-bit printing on Mac OS. See Printing.

3D acceleration

Enable OpenGL Drawing to accelerate 3D operations. See About OpenGL.

Comprehensive 3D tools

Paint directly on 3D models, wrap 2D images around 3D shapes, convert gradient shapes to 3D objects, add depth to layers and text, and enjoy exporting to common 3D formats. See 3D and technical imaging.

Higher performance on very large images (Windows only)

Work faster with very large images by taking advantage of additional RAM. (Requires a 64-bit computer with a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Vista®).