Is it possible to buy a second hand copy of Photoshop?

[sleepyhead]

Pardon my ignorance of how software licensing/transfering works,
B ut now that photoshop CS5 is out, is it possible to buy a legal/legitamate used
Copy of CS3 or CS4 relatively cheaply?

I would be happy to accept a copy that couldn't be upgraded, but would
Want a legal copy.

If so, where to buy from?

Thanks in advance for your insights.

 

[chrishayton]

I think its a pretty rare occurrence. No idea on the legality of it and whether you would have to aquire a new serial number.

I wonder what the percentage of legal vs illegal copys of PS exist. I know no one except myself of course 🙄 who actually bought photoshop

 

[Leigh Youdale]

B ut now that photoshop CS5 is out, is it possible to buy a legal/legitamate used Copy of CS3 or CS4 relatively cheaply?
I would be happy to accept a copy that couldn't be upgraded, but would
Want a legal copy.
If so, where to buy from?
Thanks in advance for your insights.

There's no need to try this route. Buy a legit copy of the current Photoshop Elements. It's a slightly cut-down version of the big one - misses a few bells and whistles that only a Pro would miss - and costs but a fraction of the full CS suite. I run a Mac and have PSE v8. I'm sure there would be a current equivalent for Win/PC users if that's what you're using.
Without wishing to sound patronising, if you're as uninformed about software issues as you say you are, I'm sure that PSE will suit you very well - probably even better than the CS product.

 

[sleepyhead]

There's no need to try this route. Buy a legit copy of the current Photoshop Elements. It's a slightly cut-down version of the big one - misses a few bells and whistles that only a Pro would miss - and costs but a fraction of the full CS suite. I run a Mac and have PSE v8. I'm sure there would be a current equivalent for Win/PC users if that's what you're using.
Without wishing to sound patronising, if you're as uninformed about software issues as you say you are, I'm sure that PSE will suit you very well - probably even better than the CS product.

Thanks for your input. Actually, I'm a quite savvy PS user, I've just never had to buy a copy because I could use the computers at work which had the software (biological image processing).

Now I had my own Mac laptop, and want my own copy but don't need the latest.

I'll look into PSE, but if it can't do layers and masking, then I'll need PS.

 

[Leigh Youdale]

PSE does layers and masking but not to the same extent as CS, I believe.
I must confess I don't do much more in PSE than I can do in the darkroom - I'm not into collage and serious modification of images.

 

[ZeissFan]

Sometimes, you can find older versions at flea markets/yard sales/boot sales. And sometimes they will turn up at computer shows.

I think that software companies try to quickly remove previous versions when they release news versions of the same product.

Personally, I think the CS Suite is a shocking expense for those who plan to use just one part of the product.

 

[amateriat]

Yaron: I think you can do a certain amount of layering and masking in recent versions of PSE.

Up until relatively recently, I was mostly content with the original Adobe CS suite. As i tend to use PS as a transcription device about 95% of the time, I'm not wooed by the parade of digital parlor tricks Adobe trots forth with each new release: I'm currently using CS2, whose main claim to fame for me is the Spot Healing Brush, possibly the last important addition to PS for me. (The only addition to PS5 that's even mildly interesting to me is the ability to output in 16-bit...which, up until now, no one seemed to think was worth losing sleep over. (Hold it...I've been able to output in 16-bit for printing since either PS7 or CS, so what's the real difference here?)


- Barrett

 

[kzphoto]

Do you have a college nearby? Adobe offers *STEEP* student discounts. Register for a class or two, buy the discounted software and learn something.

 

[sleepyhead]

PSE does layers and masking but not to the same extent as CS, I believe.
I must confess I don't do much more in PSE than I can do in the darkroom - I'm not into collage and serious modification of images.

Neither do I, but I find that using curves adjustmment layers, with selective masking and/or opacity adjustments, to be the best way for me to dodge & burn an image in a non-destructive way that can be tweeked later on (I.e., after I've lived with the picture for a whhile.

If interested, see my flickr photostream, it' quite "straight" photography.

 

[kuzano]

College book store....

College book store....

The community college where I teach community ed computer courses sells Photoshop for half of retail ($299 vs $600) through the bookstore. Community Ed students qualify even though classes may be only 2 three hour sessions as a rule. The package is full featured and unrestricted. (Some say academic doesn't qualify for future upgrades, but????)

 

[morback]

You can buy an old version, but you need to make sure the previous owner "deactivated" his/her copy from their computers (max 2) before you can use your copy.

Not sure how it would work out with registration and such.

 

[jamesj]

You know I actually bought a copy of the cs2 suite for about 300 or 400 bucks on ebay like 2 years ago. I think you just have to be patient and really find a legitimate person.

I got the sellers email address and actually found out if he was in the field he said he was, then i made sure he filled out the transfer of license form section he needed to fill out then he sent that with the software. I filled out my section and sent it in to adobe, no problems at all. I was happy and i guess lucky. Just make sure you get that form filled out before you buy is my only advise.

 

[sleepyhead]

Thanks for the good advise and useful information everybody.

I'm considering PSE 8 for my home computer, since I still have access to the complete Photoshop CS3 on a work computer. The price of PSE 8 is really attractive.

 

[sleepyhead]

I just looked on Ebay for CS4, and there are plenty of sellers (shops, not private) selling what they say are legitamite, retail copies, sealed/unopened, never registered, etc.

Is there anything wrong (either legally or practically) with buying one of those? They are like half the price of CS5 from Adobe.

Are they upgradable?

 

[jamesj]

No i don't think its a problem as long as the license is legit, Make sure they fill out the transfer form as i said before.

I still haven't upgraded my cs2 im to cheap and lazy but if it is not a academic version you are fine.

look here.
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/152/tn_15281.html

 

[Daneinbalto]

I used to have access to CS2 and Bridge. Then six months ago I no longer had that access, so I was looking into buying a used version on Amazon or eBay. I was fine with CS2 although that was already quite an old product by then. It sold for about $250.

I did correspond with a seller about transferring the license, etc, but then decided to by a new copy of Adobe Lightroom instead. The price was about the same and it was more photo-oriented, which is what I needed. Might this be a better choice than PSE for your needs?

 

[j j]

In Europe education prices are lower than upgrades and education versions are upgradable (previously they were not).

 

[Gregoryniss]

I might have a copy of PSE7 for windows that came with my scanner laying around my house somewhere... i'll be back home from college by monday and I could check it out. I'd be happy to give it to you as long as you pay shipping. PM me if interested

 

[dmr]

I wonder what the percentage of legal vs illegal copys of PS exist.

LOL, not to show my real age here, but back when I was in grad school, a running joke was that there did not exist, anywhere, a legal copy of Wordstar, a popular word processing program at the time.

Nowadays, I wonder if the same applies to Photoshop? 🙂

I know no one except myself of course who actually bought photoshop

Well, you do now. 🙂 I have a legal in-box copy, upgraded a few times, legally, but I have not upgraded to CS-whatever. No particular reason except I don't feel the need to upgrade again.

 

[filmfan]

You can download (for free) every version, except for the most recent one.