I’m sure you can imagine that all of us here in a design and media company may use Photoshop regularly. Photoshop has become such an industry standard that the term Photoshop as a verb has spilt over into the mainstream. Can you photoshop my ex out of this picture? It doesn’t matter if I’ll be using Photoshop; it simply conveys what you want to happen.

As you found your way here, you most likely know that the feature called ‘camera shake reduction’ is essential for addressing issues caused by unsteady hands, leading to blurred images. It is very handy when fixing issues that clients send your way, thinking they are great shots (and you don’t have to tell them they aren’t).

The Case of the Missing Camera Shake Reduction

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to upgrade my current Mac to a new Apple Silicon Mac. Whenever there is a massive (and I mean MASSIVE) transition like this, there will be speed bumps along the way. Early adopters have known this for years; you pay early adopter tax – and are essentially a beta tester until everyone jumps aboard the bandwagon.

I did my research, saw what worked and what didn’t (yet), and decided the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.

But then I opened Photoshop and tried to use the Photoshop shake reduction feature. All was good for a while – it opened ridiculously fast, handled files quickly, and was smooth and perfectly capable. Adobe had optimised Photoshop for Apple Silicone (The M1 family – M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra), and it showed. Running Photoshop in native mode significantly improved performance and compatibility. It didn’t even have to use Rosetta 2 (Apple’s translation layer – like an emulator – so Intel-based software can run on the new ARM architecture of the M1 and other Apple Silicone).

So far, so good. But then, one day, I needed Camera Shake reduction.

I looked into the missing filter and found that it is, unfortunately, incompatible with M1/Apple Silicon Macs and has been removed from Photoshop.

However, the simple workaround is that you can launch Photoshop in Intel mode. Starting Photoshop in Intel mode will open Photoshop running on Rosetta 2 instead of the native ARM/M1 version. Great. That’s fine. I can run Photoshop this way when I need certain filters that don’t run natively but still use 99% of features using the native version.

But then something else happened.

It gets worse

If you are a Creative Cloud subscriber, you know how it works. You pay monthly and get a regular update to Photoshop or other Adobe software. Most of the updates, especially performance and bug fixes, will automatically download and install to keep you updated and live your best life.

My dad rings me – I am his IT support, after all – and, as he often does, asks me where a particular feature is in Photoshop that he can’t find. Now, I immediately think it’s weird because he wasn’t as lucky as me and didn’t get a new Mac recently. He will still be running the Intel version.

I Googled it in case Adobe moved it somewhere else, and I was met with a few articles about it missing from the Apple Silicone version and the workaround that we already know.

But then I go straight to the horse’s mouth at Adobe’s site. And I am met with the most disturbing information:

Adobe must know exactly how many people click the filter menu > Sharpen > Shake Reduction on a daily basis, and they must have data on how often users access the filter menu for various effects. But I also think that there is a hardcore crowd that loves ‘camera shake reduction’ and is still mourning it’s loss.

Adobe Removed Camera Shake Reduction from ALL computers

I mean, I kind of get it. It’s embarrassing if they can’t get it running on M1 Macs. But to remove it from ALL versions seems silly because we can still run in Rosetta 2 emulation mode. But this says a lot.

Adobe isn’t saying, “Check back later for an even better version of camera shake reduction,” a version that uses all the M1’s neural engine cores. It’s saying it’s killed off a beloved filter. Can this be right?

Simply saying, “The technology is not compatible with newer development platforms,” is both very specific and strangely ambiguous. I mean, it’s missing from ARM-based Macs, so does that mean that they couldn’t possibly get it running on Apple silicon or ARM architecture? If so, why? What does that mean the same for other things that use similar technology? Or is it simply not worth Adobe redeveloping it to work? Adobe probably know exactly how many people click Filter > Sharpen > Shake Reduction on a daily basis, so maybe no-one uses it anymore?

Hope for the Future

They could bring back a better version, really knocking it out of the park. Adobe might even introduce a new version under their ‘Neural Filters’ tab. But as it stands, there is no mention, nothing on the horizon, and no alternative to look forward to. So, I guess we will wait and see.

How to Install older versions of Photoshop (or other Adobe apps)

Camera Shake Reduction Alternatives

Well, now we need to look for alternatives as the impact of slow shutter speeds on image quality, often leading to blurriness, is a significant issue that still needs addressing whether Adobe decides to help or not. So, I will compile a list and update it periodically until we find a suitable alternative to Photoshop’s camera shake reduction filter. RIP.

Topaz Labs Sharpen AI

There is even a bit where they compare their results to those of Photoshop. So, maybe Adobe is going back to the drawing board and getting ready to improve it, as I said before. We’ll see. And I get that though Sharpen AI is only $79.99, it might be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow for people waking up to a missing camera shake reduction built in.

Photo by eberhard 🖐 grossgasteiger on Unsplash

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Bespoke Christmas card, and calendar printing from FAS

Bespoke Christmas Card Printing

 

148mm x 148mm printed full-colour inside and out on 350gsm silk card, including design, envelopes, and delivery.

Popular Choices:

25 copies £47 +VAT
100 copies £58 +VAT

More sizes and paper options avaialble, contact us for a quote.

Bespoke Desk Calendar Printing

210mm x 99mm (DL) printed full colour both sides on 150gsm silk paper, including design and delivery.

10 copies £69 +VAT
50 copies £114 +VAT

Our desk calendars are bound using silver wire along the long edge as standard. Desk calendars come with a 500mic Box Board Strut.

More sizes and paper options available on request.

Bespoke Wall Calendar Printing

210mm x 297mm (A4) printed full colour both sides on 150gsm silk paper, including design and delivery.

10 copies £69 +VAT
50 copies £114 +VAT

Our wall calendars are bound using standard silver wire along the short or long edge with a hanger.

Our Desk and Wall Calendars are also available printed on 250gsm silk stock. The Christmas card is also available in A5, A6 or DL (folded size) with gloss or matt lamination to the front and back.

You also have the option of printing the cards on 350gsm Uncoated, 350gsm Conqueror Wove, or 300gsm Ice Gold, all of which are not laminated. All of these options are at extra cost.

We have included in the price one hour for design – any complicated design, or work that will (obviously) take longer than an hour will be added to the price. We will not do any extra work until it has been agreed by the customer.

The post Christmas Cards and Calendars – Christmas Promotional Ideas appeared first on FAS Media.

We have had such a fantastic few years, but alas, our beloved website has fallen into disrepair.

Every time I started to design a new website, another new project cropped up, that tore me away from the much needed TLC this site required.

Well, if you are reading this, you may well notice a new lick of paint that has been splashed, lovingly, over the site. This is much more than just a facelift, though; this is the beginning of the next chapter of FAS Media.

The new site is easier to update, so hopefully won’t fall behind as the last one did. We should be able to carefully nurture and tweak sections over the coming week/month/years to get the just right, in between all the paid work of course.

The post Hello! Welcome to Our New Website appeared first on FAS Media.