Photoshop CS2

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Stephanie Brim

Mental Experimental.
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Downloaded the trial. I'm pondering whether or not to buy it. Considering my passion for digital art and web design in addition to photography, the upgrade may be worth my $150. Batch file renaming in Bridge is a nice touch and the ability to edit more than one layer at a time is a VERY nice touch.

It may be a couple of months before I upgrade, but I'll probably do it. I'm still on 7! :D
 
Imo far too complicated and too much. At least 60% of the program is aimed at the graphic professional . Elements 3 has everything the average to advanced photographer will ever need. There are simple workarounds for a number of CS actions one might miss.
 
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It's a personal choice whether or not to upgrade. I liked 7 very much. Eventually I upgraded to CS then CS2 and, for my needs, the upgrades were worthwhile. Lots more 16-bit editing tools, lens distortion corrective filter, additional sharpening methods, the excellent highlight/shadow tool, many many more features ... I think if you're a serious Photoshop user, the upgrade makes sense.

Gene
 
I just bought Photoshop Elements 2.0 for $20 off Ebay. (Elements 3.0 was $30.) I could give you the link to the Ebay store, if you wish.
 
I also do print and web graphics, print and web digital art, and Photoshop brushes. I need the real thing, not Elements. :)

PS: I first bought Photoshop in high school with Photoshop 6. I just have to upgrade now, so it isn't that expensive. I remember telling one of my teachers that I bought it...they then informed me that I could have gotten the student version. I haven't regretted it now, though.
 
I think the upgrade to CS is very much worth it. I am vacillating about upgrading to CS2, myself...but so far have held back.

allan
 
For photographers (not graphics artists) prepared to wait a bit, Adobe's new product-in-beta called Lightroom should be out around the end of 2006. It appears to take all the photo-specific stuff from Photoshop CS2, incorporating it into a sleeker, easier-to-use, and less expensive package. At least that's what the marketing droids are promising ...

Gene
 
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fgianni said:
Except the 16bit editing, vital if you shoot raw.
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My elements3 has 16-bits capability, which is why I find it far better that PSE2....(but most plug-ins not)
 
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Stephanie, I'm not one for encouraging you to spend more money, but I think you should go to CS2 eventually. Since I'm a graphic design professional, I use all this stuff, and I don't think the alternatives would do everything you want/need. A few key points:

-- As you say, Bridge is very cool. One thing I especially like is that it lets you do such adjustments as cropping non-destructively -- you can preview, render, and export a cropped version of an image, but if you later decide it should have been cropped differently, the untouched original is still there. This saves you from the huge headache of having to archive "scanner original" and multiple "edited" versions of every important image.

-- Each successive version of Photoshop has had more 16-bit tools. You're a film-and-scanner girl (bravo for you!) rather than a digicam person, so you want to be saving your scan files in 16-bit, and the more editing you can do in 16-bit, the better. Again, this avoids big versioning headaches compared to having to keep your original in 16-bit and knock edited versions down to 8-bit every time you want to try something different.

-- Again because you work with scanned films, you have to deal with such problems as dust specks and scratches -- and that means you need the ability to do pinpoint retouching, not just make broad overall adjustments. I'd be very surprised if Photoshop's full array of retouching tools and filters ever makes its way into Lightroom (when and if it appears as something other than a feature-sparse beta; so far, it's the software equivalent of that old '60s stereotype, the great-looking secretary who can't type worth a darn.)
 
I fully recommend Photoshop CS2. I picked it up late last year for my Mac and although it contains tools for graphic artists, the package offers options that I don't believe are available in the current version of Elements. On in particular is the use of curves, and the other is editing photos using LAB color (use of luminance, versus color channels).

For me, the price between upgrading to Elements (which is still 3 for the Mac) and purchasing CS2 was a difference of $50, it seemed better to go for a tool with a larger featureset, than to restrict myself to tools specific for the "consumer", although Elements 4 is pretty good.
 
It's definitely worth it for the new lens distortion corrective filter, especially with wide angle lenses and digital photos.
 
justins7 said:
It's definitely worth it for the new lens distortion corrective filter, especially with wide angle lenses and digital photos.
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which the much cheaper Elements3 has as well.....

Just to be clear, the full version is great, get it by all means if you need it, but look at the simpler version or the coming new software if you want to be careful with your money, they might well be as much as you need.
 
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GeneW said:
For photographers (not graphics artists) prepared to wait a bit, Adobe's new product-in-beta called Lightroom should be out around the end of 2006. It appears to take all the photo-specific stuff from Photoshop CS2, incorporating it into a sleeker, easier-to-use, and less expensive package. At least that's what the marketing droids are promising ...

Gene
Click to expand...
I think if you look into this a bit further you'll find that it works in conjuntion with CS2!
 
I am taking a photoshop class [cs2] and have Elements 3 at home. I find the CS2 is much better. my problem is the upgrade from elements to CS2 is almost as much as CS2 by itself.

I have found a site that will sell a "bundled" version, PS 6 and CS2 together. has anyone bought programs in this manner? it is about the same as the student version, without the hassle of sending copies of your student ID.

I have found one company that will sell the student version with jpegs of the student ID so I may go that direction [student at 2 regionally accredited schools and staff at a teaching hospital]
 
Just keep in mind the EULA for the .edu versions forbid commercial use. If you ever plan to prep your files for stock, sell stuff you prepared in PS or any other commercial usage, then the .edu version is not what you want.

About the cheapest way to get PSCS2 is to buy an old version and upgrade it. Any version will do. But be careful... sharks swim in the waters of those 'old version' sales on eBay and other sites. Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller 'cause the first thing you may hear from Adobe is "Sorry, that serial number has been pirated and is not eligible for upgrade".

Tom
 
"Students and faculty members can use the latest technology to edit and manipulate digital images for advertisements, Web sites, posters, packaging, identity systems, magazines, newspapers, and more. Empowered by exciting new features—including Vanishing Point, Smart Objects, Image Warp, and the Spot Healing Brush—you can achieve professional, extraordinary results on every project. Develop advanced digital imaging skills with the latest version of Photoshop—By integrating Adobe Photoshop CS2 into coursework, faculty members can help students learn and work with the same industry-leading digital imaging tools that creative professionals use every day. Learning advanced digital imaging skills not only prepares students for professional careers, it also inspires them to pursue their creative potential."

quote from this website

http://www.academicsuperstore.com/market/marketdisp.html?PartNo=731442

so it looks like using it for profit is not an issue
 
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