Home > Consumer Reviews > Adobe Photoshop CS [OLD VERSION]

When I bought Photoshop CS, I was pleasantly surprised with the enhancements on it: improved file browser, expanded filter gallery, integrated camera RAW among others. It allows you to program your own "How to" and include that in the help file. A nice touch for teaching the younger ones. It provides a way for getting your images corrected for export to video- an important issue for me since I edit video as well.

However, the more I explore CS, the more I realize I didn't really need these enhancements, my use of it being more "enthusiast" and family-related than business. My Photoshop Version 7 has all I needed. In my older 900Mhz Pentium 3 Class computer with 512MB RAM and with dedicated hard disk for data and Photoshop scratch disk, Version 7 happily zips along with a 100MB file while CS stutters a little. I believe that CS has been beefed up at the cost of more processor power and RAM- the newest types being Pentium 4/HTs, AMD XPs and RD/DDR RAM.

My advice for first time buyers, you'll probably get CS as it's the latest. A sensible choice given that software got updated every year or so. Just be aware of it's system requirements, among them: On Microsoft operating system, it will only run on Windows XP, it will require activation, and surprise (!), it will not allow you to scan money! For details just go to Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready forums and product Webpage. Be aware that although a lot of people there had valid complaints against CS, many others who were happy with it just kept quiet.

If you already have Photoshop Version 7 running well on an older machine that you don't plan on upgrading anytime soon, you don't really need Photoshop CS. Photoshop Version 7 is still so powerful and rock-stable. I have Version 7 for almost a year now and I am pleased to say I have a lot more to learn from it. Photoshop CS can never make Version 7 obsolete. But that's just my opinion- easy to say when you got CS on standby.

In a nutshell, if I were stuck on an island with a computer (this is the part where you roll your eyes) and given a choice between Photoshop CS, Photoshop Version 7 and PaintShop Pro 8.1...

I will pick, seriously now, Photoshop Version 7.

I had PS 5.5. That is the one I learned in collage a few years back. I used it up untill a few weeks ago when my husband was rebuilding my computer and I used his. He has CS. It did take me a few days to get used to it, they made a lot of changes between 5.5 and CS. Good changes, once I got used to it anyway.

It does take some learning. Dont expect to take it out of the box and be an expert. I also would like to say that dual monitors helps a LOT, mostly because its nice to have all your tools, history, layers, and brush pallets open at once while still being able to see what you are working on. To learn, I suggest finding free online tuts. I have learned many tricks just recently by reading tuts on dA... Also just play with it. Thats basicly what I did in the class I took, I learned more by just playing around then anything else.

The price is really the only bad thing about CS, or PS in general. Thats why I gave it only 4 stars.

My last version of Photoshop was 4.0, and that was quite impressive in itself. However as the price of the software increased, I decided to look at other alternatives which were cheaper. I'd played with Macromedia Fireworks for a while, actually up to MX, and even JASC Paintshop Pro. While these programs work, they're often too slow compared to Photoshop and not as intuitive. So I went back to Adobe with version CS, and I must say, I was coloured impressed. With intuitive features like colour matching and the healing brush, it just fit right into my workflow. I was even able to select paths and copy and paste into Macromedia Freehand. I got this software at a special Adobe discount, so the price wasn't a big hurdle, but I must say for what I can do in Photoshop today in five minutes, would've taken an hour in Fireworks. Any graphics program can do anything if you work at it long enough, but who has the time these days to spend hours on one photograph? Adobe understands our changing needs and priorities and I give this product a big thumbs up.

This is more than a mere software application; Photoshop is a multifaceted platform for creative expression. You can of course use this program to perform routine tasks such as cropping and touching up photos. However, you can also use it to design complex works of digital art. The top Photoshop gurus can create original photorealistic artwork that is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

Photoshop is used to create print ads and logos, and the program even has its place in the creation of special effects for film. If you want to do professional-grade graphic design work, then you will want to buy this program. It simply has no competition at the higher end of the design spectrum.

Nonetheless, there are a few caveats to consider. Photoshop has a hefty price tag. It is priced for professionals, not for hobbyists. Before you spend the money, ask yourself if you really need all the features that Photoshop has to offer. If you simply want a program that will allow you to retouch and crop personal photographs, then either Photoshop Elements or PaintShop Pro will be more than adequate, and much cheaper.

Photoshop also has a steep learning curve. Casual users will likely be overwhelmed by the interface, with its multitude of tools, commands, and palettes. Don't expect to produce great results the first time you use PS. However, if you decide to commit yourself to learning Photoshop, there are plenty of tools on the market that can help you. An entire cottage industry is devoted to teaching neophytes and advanced users alike about the intricacies of alpha channels, layers, clipping masks, etc.

Finally, Photoshop requires a powerful computer in order to run efficiently. Before you buy it, make sure that your machine exceeds the minimum hardware requirements specified by Adobe. If you are using the same computer that you bought three or four years ago, then you will likely be looking at an additional hardware investment before you can take advantage of Photoshop.

In summary, this is a phenomenal program, but look before you leap. The investments of time and money needed to purchase and learn to use Photoshop are substantial. However, the results that a dedicated user can achieve with this program are truly amazing. If you are serious about graphic arts and/or photography, then Photoshop is a must-have piece of software.

Adobe continues its tradition with an industry-leading product in Photoshop CS. Photoshop has long been the industry standard in graphics and photo editing. With the introduction of Photoshop CS, the product has gotten even better. What's more, Adobe listens and is uniquely in tune with the needs and requests of Photoshop users. They have listened and added the most requested enhancements to this product.

Many new enhancements are added. For example, the color replacement tool. This wonderful tool allows you to choose a color on a photograph that you would like replaced, pick the color you would like to replace it with (even between images and layers!), then easily highlight and replace the offending color. This saves so much time and effort when editing and correcting photographs.

Photoshop CS has also picked up new things from it's cousin Illustrator. You can now to text on a line with ease. This has been a standard feature of Illustrator for a long time. However, it did not come in Photoshop. Now, rather than hassling with drawing the curve and using warp or some other technique to "wrap" the text onto the line, Photoshop CS can do it in one easy step.

As a Web Designer, I cannot say enough about all of the features available in this program. ImageReady has been enhanced to include improvements in the user interface. You can now create and modify web designs faster with multiple object selection, object grouping, and smart guides. There are also great improvements in image slicing, which is very important. You can now slice complex, layered images and apply appropriate format and compression settings to each area before exporting as an HTML table.

Another enhancement for Web Designers is that Photoshop CS can export as a Macromedia FlashÓ (SWF) file. Now you can use ImageReady CS to create FlashÓ animations that include the vector artwork and variable text. This enhancement really helps when compressing images and vector art for inclusion on a webpage or into a FlashÓ presentation.

Since I also occasionally work with video in Adobe Premiere, I can also really appreciate the enhancements that they have included in Photoshop CS for 16-bit and video production. The square to non-square pixel issue has always been a problem when taking images to video. Adobe has once again listened to the users and improved the non-square pixel support. Now we can create and work with non-square pixels with different aspect and not have to worry about distortion.

In summary, this is another homerun for Adobe with a product that far exceeds its competitors-bar none. The new enhancements, plus the ability to extend Photoshop CS exponentially with third-party plug-ins makes this program a must-have for any serious photographer, graphics designer or web designer.

Way to go Adobe!