What’s New in the PPW Panel, v.

5
Version 5 of the PPW panel comes with two major additions. Full explanations of each, with examples, have
been added to the panel’s onboard library of PDFs, but here is a brief overview.
First, a Variants functionality permits easy, automated storage of the current version of a file, very useful for
those experienced with blending images or those disappointed with the inefficiencies of Smart Objects. With
one click, the user decides whether to save the Variant in layered or flattened form, and whether to assign an
informative name to it. Each can be reopened as a separate file at any time, or with a single click, all or selected
ones can be opened into a single stacked file. The Variants automatically go into a separate folder within the file’s
own folder, for ease in deleting all of them when no longer needed.
Second, users may now store their own actions, as well as some defaults that we provide, for access within the
panel itself. An important gain: actions run from Photoshop’s own Actions panel are equivalent to running each
included command separately. Applying a complex action, even by mistake, can therefore flush the entire im-
age history. However, the same actions, when stored in and run from the PPW panel, are seen as a single history
state: a Command-Z will undo the whole thing.
Also, several of the current PPW actions have been enhanced and a few bugs have been corrected. The PDF
documentation within the panel has been updated as needed; note that certain files that we intend to update in
the final release are still in the process of revision and have not yet been included in this one.
As previously, the panel comes in one version for Photoshop CC, and a parallel one for Photoshop CS6. We are
not releasing a new version for Photoshop CS5.
Here is a summary of what’s new, from top to bottom.

General
CC version only: The panel itself is now divorced from the Cromaline_Software folder that resides in the Pho-
toshop CC201x/Presets/Scripts folder. Permissions problems prevented some users from installing it, in which
case several panel buttons would not work. The Cromaline_Software folder is still needed to show MMM and
MMM+CB under the Scripts menu, and Sharpen 2018 and Bigger Hammer under the filter menu. These capa-
bilities enable assigning keyboard shortcuts for these actions.
CS6 version only: The Cromaline_Software folder is still required as otherwise several panel buttons do not
function. The CS6 version has been completely rewritten in HTML for ease in maintaining compatibility with
the CC version. We provide a custom installer, as opposed to the previous CS6 version, which required Adobe
Extension Manager for installation.

Interface
CC version: Panel height is less than in previous versions. The new “My Actions for PPW” is hidden by default.
It can be shown by click-dragging the bottom of the panel. Note: there is currently a bug in Photoshop CC2018
that causes panel boxes to downsize slightly when they are repeatedly reopened or minimized. To avoid having
any part of the panel hidden when this happens, this release has put what appears to be unnecessary space at the
panel’s edges.
CS6 version: The “My Actions for PPW” section cannot be hidden, but panel height has been optimized.
CC version: Fixed bug that sometimes caused certain buttons to vanish when the user moused over them, al-
though their functionality was not affected.
Variants
Three clickable icons manage the entire process, allowing many options for saving and reopening.

Add Composite Layer

Add Composite Layer now names its result “Composite Layer” instead of “Merged,” which caused confusion in
the use of the Apply Image command.

Bigger Hammer
The “Unblurred” layer is now in Darker Color mode.
The “Retain Color” layer is now placed at the top of the stack.
Fixed bug that occasionally caused Photoshop CC versions to freeze when the Options Window was accessed.

Velvet Hammer-Lesser Hammer

Fixed bug that halted the process in rare cases (the action would halt on a 16-bit file when the version of Photo-
shop is not English).

False CMYK
If the file to be converted has only one layer there is no longer an unnecessary alert.
If the file to be converted has more than one layer the user is now queried as to whether to flatten. Note: regard-
less of the choice, any adjustment layer is merged down, since otherwise Photoshop would discard it.
Fixed bug (CC version only) that caused Smart Objects to be rasterized during the conversion.

Darken Sky SC
The script is now seen as a single history state, matching the behavior of other buttons.

H-K
Fixed bug that halted the process if the file was not in the correct color mode.

CB, MMM, and MMM+CB

Two new layers “Restrict Greens” and “Restrict Blues,” in Color mode at 45% opacity, are added. The effect
of MMM is more offensive in colder colors (when the color is either A-negative or B-negative) than when the
color is warm. For example in an image that shows an autumn scene of a tree with some red and some green
leaves, the reds can be intensified much more than the greens. Users can increase or decrease the strength of the
restriction to taste.

Sharpen 2018
Exclude Blues, Soften Shadows, and Automatic sizing of halos based on image size are now set as defaults. Us-
ers may disable these case-by-case or permanently within the Options Window.

My Actions
This new section allows one-click access to a list of actions that the user can customize. We provide some de-
fault actions, but user-supplied actions can go in the list as well. The list is editable, and can be re-ordered easily,
so that the most important actions for a given workflow are at the top. The actions that we have pre-loaded are:
Color Boost 2018
This modification of the Color Boost action already in the panel adds several new layers for flexibility. Also, by
default it emphasizes changes in the B channel in the lighter ranges of the image and in the A elsewhere. How-
ever, as the A and B moves are on separate layers with their own masks, the user can override this.

MMM Finetuned
Aficionados of the MMM script sometimes find fault with how much it affects areas that have no relation to
the selection being used. This action from Gerald Bakker adds masks that limit the changes in such extraneous
areas. It is useful when there is more than one important area of the image (in which case you could run this
action multiple times) or in the case where the background is approximately as important as the foreground that
is getting the MMM treatment.

Two Sides
This RGB action is a simple way of increasing detail in highlights and shadows simultaneously. It does not have
the impact of any of the Hammer actions, but it is foolproof in the sense that obnoxious halos are unlikely to
develop. It is also a potential rival to the False Profile actions in the panel.

Lesser Hammer with Reduce Sky Halos

Gerald Bakker's modification of the Lesser Hammer script found in the panel adds a layer that seeks to reduce
haloing in skies.

Reduce BH Sky Halos

This is a companion action by Gerald Bakker that tries to reduce haloing in skies after running the Bigger Ham-
mer script. Since Bigger Hammer has a number of suboptions it is not feasible for this action to do everything.
Therefore, unlike the Lesser Hammer counterpart, this action requires that the Bigger Hammer be run first.

Clarity
This familiar effect emulates the similar command in Adobe products. It has no controls other than changing
the opacity of the Clarity layer, default being 50% so that the move can be intensified or reduced.