Text fields now support maths, so for example if you need to quickly work out half of 29.7cm for a crop then you can just type 29.7cm/2in the crop tool options rather than having to do the maths in your head. It makes sense, but takes a little getting used to. Now, the proportions are locked by default when scaling, and holding Shift does the opposite by unlocking them. Previously, when scaling a layer up or down we had to hold Shift to constrain the proportions, so the layer wouldn’t be squashed or stretched. It helps if you have a pen and tablet, but if you must paint with a mouse then try increasing the smoothing setting in the Brush tool options, as this makes the mouse movements more graceful and produces better curves. Used in combination with the symmetry Painting setting, we can create all manner of beautiful paintings and designs. Here we can increase scattering or set opacity and colour jitters for a random brush effect, as well as choose from Photoshop’s immense arsenal of different brush tips. It’s also worth experimenting with the myriad brush options found in the Brush Panel (Window>Brush). The Mandala setting used here (see above) lets us create wonderful spiral shapes. Here we’ll find an array of axis options to play with.

Select the Brush tool (B) then go to the butterfly icon in the tool options along the top of the interface. It lets you paint in several places at once, as if holding a mirror up to your canvas – or several mirrors.

This is a fun new painting feature found within the Brush tool options. Select the Mandala setting to create wonderful symmetrical spiral shapes a pen and tablet will be handy. And yet another feature that’s sure to raise a few smiles is Symmetry Painting, which lets you paint in several places at once.Īlongside these new features are a whole raft of minor tweaks and improvements, from new Layer Blend Mode previews to better text controls and a couple of shortcut switcheroos that may prove to be as irksome to some as they are useful to others. Then there’s the all-new Frame tool for making helpful image boxes in your designs. There’s the excellent new Content-Aware Fill command, which takes what was already a magical command and further refines it. Over the next few pages we’ll take an in- depth look at the key new features in Photoshop CC 2019. Each autumn, however, we’re treated to a major new version of the application with significant updates, new tools and helpful workflow fixes.

We’re used to seeing regular improvements and tweaks to Photoshop throughout the year – after all, as subscribers that’s what we pay for. The Content-Aware Fill command has seen big improvements.

Photoshop 2019 cc