Adobe Project Paras Extends Photoshop CC Textile Design Capabilities

Adobe just announced the public beta of Project Paras, a new addition to Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud) that will make life easier for textile designers. Project Paras is the result of two years of voice-of-the-customer research by Adobe to learn what their design challenges were, and what type of tools would help them address those challenges.

“We found that Photoshop is used in the production of over 90% of printed textiles,” said Mike Scrutton, Director of Print Technology and Strategy for Adobe. “Even when they use Illustrator, they still have Photoshop as part of the process. So it made sense for us to begin this journey with enhancements to Photoshop that would make their lives easier.”Mike Hires

Scrutton also points out that even if Illustrator is used, when the Illustrator file is imported into Photoshop, it is maintained as an Illustrator file and the designer can go back to Illustrator to make any necessary edits, which will automatically update in Photoshop.

With Project Paras, the functionality of Photoshop CC includes the most common functionality required by textile designers, now available within the context of Photoshop without the need to resort to third-party products that require leaving the Adobe ecosystem. “We understand that this first release does not include everything textile and apparel designers are looking for,” Scrutton said. “And for larger organizations, the investment in third-party solutions will make sense. But for smaller organizations or independent designers, this will offer them the basic capabilities they need without a large investment. And we will continue to enhance our offerings for textiles and apparel over time.”

The primary functionality that is addressed in this release includes the ability to quickly and easily create repeating patterns, color separations for production, and colorways. Users can import a variety of different color systems, including customized color libraries that brands have created. Pattern components can be quickly and easily created and/or imported into the design with the ability to include drops, wraps, and more as repeats are created. Colors can easily be adjusted using the familiar Photoshop interface. In the past, if the designer wanted to change an element of the design, there was no way to go back and make that adjustment. They needed to start again from the beginning. Now, designers can easily make changes anywhere in the design process without have to unnecessarily repeat steps. 

Once a design is finalized, a colorway can be created in just a few steps. At present, only one colorway can be simultaneously viewed alongside the original design.Adobe

Now, within Photoshop, proofing is also integrated with production workflows, making the overall design-to-print process much more efficient and accurate.

Project Paras is the first step in Adobe’s journey to add design capabilities needed in the textile and apparel industry. We expect to see the company ramp up its development of these capabilities relatively quickly, as past company history would suggest. It’s deep experience in design and print for paper-based applications provide Adobe with excellent grounding from which to work, and the company is dedicated to continuing dialog with the design and related communities in textiles and apparel to prioritize its development efforts.

For more information about Project Paras and the public beta, visit www.adobe.com/go/projectparas.