Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 5, 2012. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
For the new version, the 3D development company based in Victora placed great emphasis on reducing PSD data size. According to Cebas, a new algorithm is intended to significantly reduce the size of 16-bit PSD files. Furthermore, new compatibility options are available that can prevent a composite image from being saved.
Cebas points out that creating masks for objects is now intended to be easier. A new command called "Add selected" assigns objects selected in the scene to the list containing all objects for which PSD layers/channels are to be generated. Work with still images is simplified by specifically filtering out objects that do not appear in the image. These are either objects outside the field of view or objects behind large objects that are not visible. Artists can thus select a large number of objects for masking. If different views are rendered with the same PSD setup, the layers in the PSD are provided only for the objects that are also visible. In itself, that sounds like a feature that seems very artist-friendly.
A small change is the inclusion of descriptive icons, which is intended to make it easier for new users to get started. Whether the change bears fruit, however, is literally in the eye of the beholder.
Anyone who wants to see the new PSD Manager 3.2 for themselves can buy the new version here or first try a trial version, which is available here. If you use the trial version, you must naturally be prepared for restrictions. 1000 x 1000 pixels is the maximum PSD size, and watermarks are present on all layers/channels. A side effect of all this is slower export due to a bloated file. The watermarks have a major impact on the file size.