Image Warp in Photoshop CS2

The Image Warp tool in Photoshop CS2 combines some of the Type Warp tool, the Liquefy tool and the Distort tool into one. In addition, using the Image Warp tool is non-destructive, which means that no data gets lost using it. One way of looking at it is that Photoshop makes an vector object and uses the raster graphic as a skin on that object.

I'm looking forward to downloading the Photoshop CS2 trial edition so I can see how they deal with making changes to the raster graphic after the image has been warped. I suspect that once you use the Image Warp it converts the raster graphic to an object which can then be manipulated using the standard Photoshop tools, and once the changes are made it saves them and applies them to the warped object.

Using the Photoshop Image Warp For Effect

Applying the Image Warp tool allows you to custom-warp the object, much like the Liquefy tool in Photoshop CS. This enhances the ability to experiment with layering effects without worrying losing image information. The Adobe web site illustrates how you can use the tool to apply a graphic object to a 3-D image to give it a skinning effect. This tool will be particular nice for what one might typically use the Distort tool for, like applying labels to boxes, balls or t-shirts.