Adobe releases Photoshop CS6 Beta!

After a number of 'sneak peeks', the brilliant team at Adobe Labs has finally released the public Beta for Photoshop CS6, which is available for download as of now. The Beta includes all of the features the regular and the Extended versions will have. 'Photoshop CS6 is not the culmination, but the beginning of a journey to further improve, modernize and transform Photoshop for the future', according to David Howe on the Adobe Blog. The official release date set for the CS6 suite, which will include the new Photoshop, is May 7th.

Here are some of the highlights of the new Photoshop CS6:

• Content-Aware Patch - Patch images with greater control using the newest member of the Content-Aware family of technologies. Choose the sample area you want to use to create your patch, and then watch Content-Aware Patch magically blend pixels for a stunning result.

• Blazingly fast performance and a modern UI - Experience unprecedented performance with the Mercury Graphics Engine, which gives you near-instant results when you edit with key tools such as Liquify, Puppet Warp, and Crop.* Plus, a refined, fresh, and elegant Photoshop interface features dark background options that make your images pop.

• New and re-engineered design tools - Create superior designs fast. Get consistent formatting with type styles, create and apply custom strokes and dashed lines to shapes, quickly search layers, and much more.

Below (Click to enlarge): the new and improved Photoshop interface looks remarkably similar to Adobe's 'After Effects' UI. I installed the 64 bit version, and immediately started working on some doodles. It will feel right at home for users of Graphic software programs like Pixologic's Zbrush, Autodesk's Maya 2012 or Maxon Cinema 4D R13, who are already comfortable with a darker UI.

If you're ready to try the new Photoshop CS6, follow this link to visit the Adobe Labs and download the Photoshop CS6 Beta. Note that you will need to login with your Adobe ID to activate the Beta within 7 days, so if you don' t have an account with them make sure to registrate for one in due time. The installer takes up more than 2GB on your HD and includes both the 64 bit and the 32 bit (X86) versions. Check out the videos below to getter a better impression and hear what Russell brown and Julieanne Kost have to say about Photoshop CS6.