The arrival of Adobe Photoshop 6 has been heralded by many as a major version change. When one looks at the interface this is evident for it is quite different than in all earlier versions. There are far fewer palettes and more drop down menus when various tools are selected. The options for the specific tools can be found on the Option Bar which is positioned either at the top or bottom of the screen. There is also an area for the storage of palettes that are used frequently. This area is called the "palette well."

The requirements are: Intel Pentium class processor; Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows, NT 4 with service pack 4, 5, or 6a, Windows Millennium; 64 MB of Ram with 128 MB if both ImageReady and Photoshop 6 are running concurrently, 125 MB of free hard-disk space; a color monitor with 256-color ( 8-bit) or greater video card; 800 x 600 or greater monitor resolution; and a CD-ROM drive.

For completely new users of Photoshop, Photoshop 6 retails in the US for $609.00. For upgrades, from versions of regular Photoshop only, the price is $199. For those with the Limited Edition (LE) of Photoshop, the price is $499. Also included in the Photoshop 6 box, is an Adobe GoLive 5 QuickStart Guide for Photoshop Users that shows how the two programs can be used together. With the guide is also a trial version of GoLive 5 and a special purchase offer of GoLive 5 for $99. This is a savings of $200.

Soon after GoLive 5 was released, I wrote a review on it; see GoLive 5 Review.

Since I do not work in a graphic studio with other people swapping files and outputting to various printers, I write from the perspective of an individual artist. While I do list and discuss the new features, I will, obviously, spend more time on those that I will use on a daily basis.

Some of the new features are much awaited and appreciated such as shape tools that allow for the creation of vector forms (squares, circles, etc.) and more vector editing. One can also store custom shapes that are frequently used. Along the same line, Photoshop 6 introduces resolution-independent type and vector-based masks. One can combine clipping paths and layer masks on the same layer to produce masks that have both soft and hard edges.

Another much awaited feature is the ability to select an additional plugin location. Finally, I can elect to have an independent directory with only third-party plugins and not have to rely on putting most in Photoshop's directory and then use a plugin manager.

Another new feature and one that at least for the home user is easier to use than in the two former versions of Photoshop is the color manager. I did not have to invent my own software system so that my monitor, printer, and Pantone or Trumatch swatches were extremely similar.

In the layer venue, Photoshop 6 introduces new layer effects - the new stroke, overlay, and satin layer effects; advanced blending and transparency options; and enhancements to drop shadow, inner shadow, glow, and bevel and emboss.

While most of the filters are the same, although I have read that some have been revamped, Photoshop 6 has a new Interactive Image warping called Liquify. While I have used similar filters from third parties, I found "liquify" to be a great tool.

Photoshop 6 comes set for the web. The default color manager is for web colors. Even though ImageReady 3 is part of the package, Photoshop 6 will do slicing with slice-specific formatting and optimization which can then be linked together in ImageReady. Both programs have increased their web content tools and commands. ImageReady contains new and enhanced support for creating ImageMaps and rollover effects.

Photoshop 6 has incorporated weighted optimization controls so that parts of one web image can be weighted differently as to size, color reproduction, and quality of image.

Photoshop 6 now integrates with Adobe GoLive 5 in various areas of web production such as bringing PSD files directly into GoLive 5. Also, complex editing and preparation of JPEGs files, URLs, etc. has been made easier with the tight integration capabilities of these three products.

Working with layers has been enhanced in Photoshop 6. Layer Sets is a new addition to the program. Layers can be grouped and managed as one unit. Layers can also be locked so that critical layers can't be accidentally deleted. Fill Layers have also been added which are similar to adjustment layers giving the user the ability to add effects and, now, fills that are nondestructive.

Text features are also expanded including direct text editing. This feature removes the need for the text box which I must admit I hunted for when I first started to use Photoshop 6. Text can also be warped, skewed, rotated, etc., and it still is editable. To me this is a great feature especially when one has already rendered the layer only to discover a missing letter! There are also more options such as hyphenation, justification and other composition controls.

The above mentioned are just some of the new features found in Photoshop 6 and ImageReady 3. For more information about the new features, go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/keyfeature1.html These will give a more in depth look at many of the new features.

The first few times I used Photoshop 6, I kept thinking that features I had relied on were no longer present. In short order, I found all of them. While I found most of the new interface to be an improvement, I must admit that I do not like the brushes to drop down from the Option Bar. I find that they interfere with my image and since I change sizes constantly, they are harder to access than they were in previous versions. Since I keep the layers palette open all the time, the brush palette always fit nicely above it. So far, I have not found a way to undock the brushes. Unfortunately, I do not think that there is one.

In most of my reviews of Adobe products, I always recommend readers go to the product forums found on their website. These are wonderful ways of learning more about products before as well as after purchase. I, also, advise people that all complaints do not necessarily mean any product is buggy. However, when the same or similar complaints continually appear, I take notice and see if I have or can recreate the same problems. A problem that seems to be strange and has kept cropping up in the Adobe Photoshop win forum is that on some machines Photoshop 6 runs slowly and that there is a lag time between many of the commands and their augmentation as well as when using brushes, filters, etc., or even accessing a menu. Some of the "fixes" work on some machines and not others, and there are some machines that cannot at this point in time be "fixed. The program seems be very sensitive to some hardware and software programs, especially drivers outside of Adobe.

I had the problem on a machine and found that I had a trace of an old video card driver in the registry (which should have been fully removed and I, obviously, thought it was.) Once I removed it from the registry, a task that I do not recommend to most users, the program flew along.

The more I use Photoshop 6, the more I like it. However, I do recommend that users have a very minimum of 128 MB or Ram. In my opinion, money spent on ram is money well spent.

As a final note, not all third party filters that worked in Photoshop 5.5 work with Photoshop 6. The good news is that many of these companies already have on their web sites free upgrades. For example, Extensis has upgrades for Mask Pro 2, PhotoGraphics, and PhotoTools among others. Basically all my filters but these worked, and I appreciate the fact that Extensis was as quick as it was to make these available.

I really do like Photoshop 6 a lot. Already, I have used "Liquify" a number of times to both augment and modify images. I like the new text features, the vector shapes, the additional directory for plugins, the new color management system, and many of the other features.