Posted by Bass Sears on February 6, 2009 at 6:33 PM
O.K., a strange question, I admit.
I'm getting somewhat cold feet about upgrading to Photoshop CS4 the more I read about the system requirements. I run a relatively powerful Windows XP laptop but it does not have a dedicated video card, adn the Intel 945 chipset currently doesn't support OpenGL 2.0 so I'd miss out on a lot of the new stuff in CS4.
Coincidentally a local company that's going out of business is selling a bunch of its software including (legit in box) copies of Photoshop CS2.
My question is is it worth upgrading from CS (what I have now) to CS2? Will I see much difference?
I'd like to try some HDR imaging but I wonder if CS2's HDR now seems primitive and I'd be better off spending $$ on Photomatix and sticking with regular Photoshop CS.
Or should I look for a copy of CS3 instead?
Any advice / experience with this little dilemna appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-- bass
Posted by Ed Cordes on February 6, 2009 at 7:30 PM
I would suggest that you go to CS3. There are many functions in the newer software that you will like. 16 bit processing in layers and saving layers, much better healing tool and shadow/highlight tool are just a few. Besides CS3 ACR will work with RAW files from all but the newest cameras.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 6, 2009 at 7:44 PM
A lot depends on how much the CS2 will cost.
Adobe Camera Raw in CS2 is vastly improved over CS, the Bridge is a better sorting app. than File Browser, and you have 16 bit processing in layers.
However, HDR functioning in all versions of PS is pretty darned poor. From every account, Photomatix is a superior way to combine images for a HDR image.
Posted by Robert Fisher on February 6, 2009 at 8:48 PM
I agree with the others, CS3 is a better option.
John's right about HDR as well. The HDR functionality of PS is fairly poor. CS3 is better than CS2 but nowhere near as good as a dedicated program like Photomatix or Dynamic Photo HDR. I've tried most of what's available and CS3 is toward the bottom of the pile. It's very slow to do the actual merge and the tonemapping functions aren't as good as in other apps. Unless you pony up for CS3 Extended, some of the 32 bit editing functionality isn't available anyway.
Posted by Dan Borzynski on February 6, 2009 at 11:50 PM
On a slightly different note, and hopefully relevant...
What are the current upgrade requirements to CS4? If it is CS2, 3 might be a better version to get to allow for future upgrades. Depending on the price, it also might make sense to get 2, then an upgrade to 4.
Anyway, it is just a thought.
Posted by Bass Sears on February 7, 2009 at 12:07 AM
The upgrade price for CS4 is $199 for any of the other CS's (CS/CS2/CS3), but you're right that staying close to the newest version might be the safest for future upgrades. Thanks.
-- Bass
Posted by Wayne Nicholas on February 7, 2009 at 11:00 AM
The price to upgrade from CSS to CS4 is not much higher than upgrading to an outdated version of CS3 from Amazon.com. CS4 has many enhancements that make the upgrade from CS a no-brainer. If you already had CS3, I say think hard on whether you need the upgrades. But, since you still have CS, I highly recommend moving to CS4. The improvements and new controls in ACR, in CS4, are worth the cost alone. If you're not sure, download the demo and try it out. Then, time how long it takes you to hit the buy button!
Posted by Todd Caudle on February 9, 2009 at 9:42 PM
Another factor to consider is that the photomerge function in CS3 is lightyears better than in CS2.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on February 26, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Bass, CS4 is superb, I wouldn't go back to CS3 if you paid me, but don't sweat the OpenGL features that are missing on your laptop. It'll still run like CS3, and like the others said, upgrade availability for the future is tighter with CS4. But also (here's comes the friendly knock on the noggin), you can't stay with dedicated video and no OpenGL support forever! There'll need to be a hardware upgrade in your future at some point, especially as you progress as a photographer, so I would get CS4 so you're ready for the future. I've used CS2 & 3, and CS4 is so much better in many little ways (and big ones) you'll not be disappointed. There are things you can do to help performance, like a scratch disk and more RAM. RAM is so stupid cheap right now, it would cost me only $53 to put 4GB in my Dell laptop (I have it already, paid $269 two years ago!). Get RAM and CS4 for now, and when the belt can loosen, visit the Dell Outlet and get a great deal on a Scratch n Dent or Refurb. Have fun!
Discussion
8 repliesI'm getting somewhat cold feet about upgrading to Photoshop CS4 the more I read about the system requirements. I run a relatively powerful Windows XP laptop but it does not have a dedicated video card, adn the Intel 945 chipset currently doesn't support OpenGL 2.0 so I'd miss out on a lot of the new stuff in CS4.
Coincidentally a local company that's going out of business is selling a bunch of its software including (legit in box) copies of Photoshop CS2.
My question is is it worth upgrading from CS (what I have now) to CS2? Will I see much difference?
I'd like to try some HDR imaging but I wonder if CS2's HDR now seems primitive and I'd be better off spending $$ on Photomatix and sticking with regular Photoshop CS.
Or should I look for a copy of CS3 instead?
Any advice / experience with this little dilemna appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
-- bass
Adobe Camera Raw in CS2 is vastly improved over CS, the Bridge is a better sorting app. than File Browser, and you have 16 bit processing in layers.
However, HDR functioning in all versions of PS is pretty darned poor. From every account, Photomatix is a superior way to combine images for a HDR image.
John's right about HDR as well. The HDR functionality of PS is fairly poor. CS3 is better than CS2 but nowhere near as good as a dedicated program like Photomatix or Dynamic Photo HDR. I've tried most of what's available and CS3 is toward the bottom of the pile. It's very slow to do the actual merge and the tonemapping functions aren't as good as in other apps. Unless you pony up for CS3 Extended, some of the 32 bit editing functionality isn't available anyway.
What are the current upgrade requirements to CS4? If it is CS2, 3 might be a better version to get to allow for future upgrades. Depending on the price, it also might make sense to get 2, then an upgrade to 4.
Anyway, it is just a thought.
-- Bass