I am thinking of upgrading my computer to a 64 bit system and popping for the new CS4 upgrade from CS3. However, I was reading the reviews today on Amazon and saw quite a few negatives because of problems people had with installing the upgrade and also problems of incompatible graphics cards (even with ones listed on the Adobe website as being compatible). These generally were posted last fall when it first came out so I was wondering whether Adobe has fixed these issues or not?
Second question, are there enough new features in CS4 to justify the $190 upgrade from CS3? Thanks--Larry
It's a mixed bag. Cnet's review is probably typical. I used the trial version for a while and decided the new features weren't significant enough to me to learn the modified interface. YMMV.
I have Vista 64 and CS4 and have had no problems whatsoever.
Note that very few plugins have been upgraded to work with x64, so if you have some favorites that you use, be prepared to use the 32 bit version of CS4 that is installed on your computer alongside the 64 bit version.
Almost all graphics cards are compatible with CS4, but there are a few changes that won't work without a modern graphics card. You can see those changes in the link below.
I only upgrade every other version of PS, so I went from CS2 to CS4. Is the upgrade from CS3 to CS4 worthwhile?
Check out this 'What's New in CS4'link and see for yourself.
Aside from an improved ACR and Bridge, if you just do basic image editing, I'm not so sure the extra features are worthwhile.
Larry
CS 4 is a great tool and we are thankful to have it to use but there are problems, we upgraded to CS4 from CS2. We also bought a new 64 bit computer to use with it. I have upgraded drivers, reloaded software, and we still have graphic card issues. I also have problems when using the clone tool as well when fixing eyes of animals (I shoot rodeo and horse events with a flash). It seems that when I leave CS4 up and then walk away for 30-45 minutes and use the clone tool it creates a line the width of the tool I am using and it shoots completely off the page. The only fix that I have come up with is shut down CS4 and bring it back up. I have contact Adobe on both issues but no answer on their part. Hope this helps.
tw
Personally, I am very happy with the upgrade from CS3 to CS4, but as other's have implied, it really depends on how deeply you use Photoshops features. I personally feel the upgrades to ACR is worth it, and I really like the new interface. Different people are going to put a different "worth" on the upgrade. Will it substantially change the way you do your photo editing? Probably not. It was worth it to me. Use a trial version for a month and then make a decision.
As far as th 64 bit version. I've used it with 64-bit Vista and I now am using it on Windows 7 (RC) and I have never had any problems whatsoever. Yes, there are still only limited plugins that are 64-bit compatable, but I only use a couple plug-ins, and the companies had versions I could use.
I would say that generally, if you get an up-to-date computer with Vista-64, I doubt you will have problems. I built my system from the ground up, and like I said, no issues. People who have problems tend to be the most vocal about it, so I suspect the actual number of people who have issues compared to those who have no problems is pretty small. That's just a guess on my part though.
I don't think you'll get a firm answer to your question. There are so many different reasons to do it or not do it, and everyone's experience and reasoning is different.
Discussion
4 repliesSecond question, are there enough new features in CS4 to justify the $190 upgrade from CS3? Thanks--Larry
Note that very few plugins have been upgraded to work with x64, so if you have some favorites that you use, be prepared to use the 32 bit version of CS4 that is installed on your computer alongside the 64 bit version.
Almost all graphics cards are compatible with CS4, but there are a few changes that won't work without a modern graphics card. You can see those changes in the link below.
I only upgrade every other version of PS, so I went from CS2 to CS4. Is the upgrade from CS3 to CS4 worthwhile?
Check out this 'What's New in CS4' link and see for yourself.
Aside from an improved ACR and Bridge, if you just do basic image editing, I'm not so sure the extra features are worthwhile.
CS 4 is a great tool and we are thankful to have it to use but there are problems, we upgraded to CS4 from CS2. We also bought a new 64 bit computer to use with it. I have upgraded drivers, reloaded software, and we still have graphic card issues. I also have problems when using the clone tool as well when fixing eyes of animals (I shoot rodeo and horse events with a flash). It seems that when I leave CS4 up and then walk away for 30-45 minutes and use the clone tool it creates a line the width of the tool I am using and it shoots completely off the page. The only fix that I have come up with is shut down CS4 and bring it back up. I have contact Adobe on both issues but no answer on their part. Hope this helps.
tw
As far as th 64 bit version. I've used it with 64-bit Vista and I now am using it on Windows 7 (RC) and I have never had any problems whatsoever. Yes, there are still only limited plugins that are 64-bit compatable, but I only use a couple plug-ins, and the companies had versions I could use.
I would say that generally, if you get an up-to-date computer with Vista-64, I doubt you will have problems. I built my system from the ground up, and like I said, no issues. People who have problems tend to be the most vocal about it, so I suspect the actual number of people who have issues compared to those who have no problems is pretty small. That's just a guess on my part though.
I don't think you'll get a firm answer to your question. There are so many different reasons to do it or not do it, and everyone's experience and reasoning is different.