CS4 - 32 bit - Is it worth it?

I have no doubt the upgrade is worth it if you have 64 bit, but I still use 32 bit. I like to stay on top of new upgrades but I'm a bit uncertain about moving up to CS4.

From reading reviews so far the new Adjustments Panel appears to be my main concern. I like, and am very comfortable with the current Adjustments Panel, and the new one appears to be a step backward IMO. For you current users of CS4 how are you finding the new Adjustments Panel? Is it easier or just a pain to learn something new?

The new UI featuring Tabbed images. Does this make working with double/triple processed images much harder?

Any other insights from current users will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Bill,
I just upgraded and, so far, I'm liking what I see. You're right on two counts - 1. The new adjustments panel takes some getting used to. I'm getting used to it. 2. The tabbed image feature, IMO, makes working with multiple images harder. I don't care for it so I turned it off. There's a check box under the preferences.
I am really liking the new GPU features. I also like the vibrance adjustment layer feature. I'm just starting to play with it, but everything I've read indicates that dodge and burn are much better. I haven't even picked up a book yet, just watching online videos, but so far CS4 looks pretty cool.
BTW, I really didn't need CS4. I had already upgraded to LR2 and was happy using it with CS3, but John Mumaw posted a link with a discount code, so I decided to give myself an early Christmas present. It might be worth it to check out a trial version and see how you like it.
Good luck,
Paul

I forgot one thing Bill. CS4 has the ability to focus blend. This is a very good feature although it doesn't work if there is movement. Also, the pano stitch feature works great, not that CS3's didn't.

Thanks Paul, I appreciate your experiences and opinion.

I really like the adjustment panel myself, but I came to CS4 from Elements 4. Also not sure how tabs make working with multiple images worse, but between Excel, web browsers, Linux terminals, text editors, etc, I've gotten really used to tabs in a several different programs, and would be surprised if they don't continue to become more ubiquitous.

I think some reluctance to changing programs is always natural, and I try not to judge too quickly. It's hard when you can't do something exactly like you've done it 1000 times before, even if it's gotten better. Not that people always do that, but it is a general tendency.

Anyway, I think CS4 is available for demo, so you could always download it and give it a shot...

I upgraded to CS4 from CS3... Adjustments panel takes a bit of getting used to, but overall, I like it. Some of the other features are also nice. One not mentioned here so far is content aware scaling. I find myself adding canvas to create better compositions with flying birds.. This new feature (while never designed to do this) works very well for adding canvas. CS4 is certainly not a required upgrade, but I'm glad I did. The new GPU enabled stuff is nice. The new clone tool with "live brush preview" is also a nice enhancement.

Thanks guys.

I upgraded from CS3 to CS4 and yes the adjustment panel takes some getting used to but...
once you are used to it it fits there very nicely. It no longer sits over your image which is a big plus !
on top of that cs4 has so many little adjustments that makes working in it really much more enjoyable.

Wim.

I upgraded from CS3 and am really liking CS4. With the upgrade Adobe 'gave' us access to a months worth of training on Lynda.com and I used some of it to do Chris Orwig's 15 hour class on CS4 for photographers. I've been using Photoshop for years and taking this class I discovered so many things and techniques I'd never used. That said there is a little something that nobody seems to be talking about. When you generate a web page in Bridge it works like a charm but it also seems to limit you to 10 photographs...argahh!! Well, that turns out to be 'feature'. The preview only shows you the first 10 photos but when you actually put the your page on the web voila! all of your photos show up. Apparently, Adobe believes this 10 photo limit speeds things up for you. It's just a pity that they didn't mention it. Thanks to Peter Bauer for clearing that one up....
j.

Thanks everyone for your views. I'm trying to download the trial version now. First attempt failed for some reason, hopefully this time it'll work!

Bill,

What I find most helpful to me with the upgrade are the new "Mask" adjustments. If you work with layer masks often, as I do, this is invaluable, IMO. I like the upgrade, myself, and I am glad I did it.