Home > Consumer Reviews > Adobe Photoshop CS Upgrade (Windows)

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One problem with reviewing a program like Adobe Photoshop CS (8.0) is that one never knows just how much to write about. Adobe Photoshop is such a complex and massive program; it is almost an operating system in itself. So rather than going into each and every feature of the program, a task few would undertake in a product review, I will look at some of the new features of the program.

16-bit color support is probably the biggest improvement in Photoshop with the new CS version. Most graphic programs work with only 8-bit images, but Photoshop CS can now work with 16-bit in layers, brushes, text, shapes, and more. The support is worthwhile for those who need to work with the highest resolution images for color correction.

RAW Data. When you take pictures with a digital camera, the picture is compressed in .JPG format. This is not an ideal solution if you want to get the best picture you can, and with Photoshop CS, you can now work directly with the RAW picture data rather than the .JPG compressed file. Unfortunately, not all digital cameras are supported. Neither Kodak nor HP digital cameras will work with the RAW support in CS. Canon, Fujifilm, Minolta, Nikon, and Olympus does have some supported cameras. If you need to take professional quality images, but are using a digital camera, as well as having a supported product, you will be very pleased with this feature.

The new and improved File Browser in CS works exceptionally well. While I had been using the Browser feature in Photoshop 7.0 for a year, it was somewhat cumbersome and not as intuitive as I would like. Photoshop CS has taken the Browse feature to new heights, making it much more intuitive, and much faster on both my G4 and G5 machine than previous versions.

Histograms are now, finally and "about-time" in color. This will help you when you're working with RGB channels. This may not sound like much of an issue, but when you are color correcting photos, working with a color histogram will allow you much more precise control over your workflow.

Better PDF integration. A neat feature is the ability for Photoshop CS to create a "PDF Presentation" even if you do not own the full Acrobat version. While I have no need for this feature, a Photoshop friend and avid PDF supporter told me this is a big deal. So there you go.

The new Shadows/Highlights filter, found in the Adjustments menu, is simply amazing. This one feature is now a must-have for me. I take a lot of photos with my digital camera, as well as having scanned all my old photos a few years ago. Even after cleaning my old photos up in previous versions of Photoshop, I was amazed at how much help the new Shadows/Highlights help them. It is a great filter, one I am VERY pleased with.

This is a major upgrade if you are a die-hard Photoshop user, and need the new features found here. If you take a look at Adobe's website, read through the list of new features, and decide that the ..upgrade fee is not too steep, you will be pleased. If, however, you don't need the benefit, you would do well to wait for the next major Photoshop rollout.

I have had my hands on most versions of Photoshop - including version 7 - but there are too many hidden costs with this product to even consider an upgrade. If someone buys this out-of-the-box they may feel diferent, but this is the upgrade version, and not very forgiving.

1) will only run on a new version of Windows - I dont' so thats +80$ for starters
2) will NOT run your old add-on filters - for myself I would have to fork out an additional $400 for buying new filters and upgrades just to get the basics [this has been an issue before, but never as bad as this time - I could only keep one old filter]
3) activation "feature" - it will hit you one day - dont' joke yourself, sooner or later you'll be standing there with a worthless disk because there is some number you cant find or they bark at you because you want to install it for a fifth time during one or two days (while you're recovering from a fatal crash or rebuilding your system, and what you really dont' need is an additional fight with some so-called "support" person asking you to explain in detalies about what you are doing with your system with question like "is this the last time?). No! I'll install it 10, 50 or 100 times if needed. I've given up on two titles before (not Adobe products) - and I HATE ACTIVATION SOFTWARE. I do not have the time, energy or inclination to waste my life with it. Be smart - actively avoid it!
4) No - this version does not have any super-to-die-for feature that you cannot live without [though the RAW editing feature may be usefull for some people].
5) there are some irritating drawbacks like the missing thumbnails, which is a real productivety hit for some people (Adobe actually hyped it as a productivety gain when it came oboard! Now it's XP, K.O. and out)

I may come back when they release CS 3.0 one day in the distent future. But for next couple of years I will be happy about mastering version 7 like a real pro (it really can perform wonders allready). And save tones of money and countless hours for now.

Of course as I start to grow away from Adobes new product, I may turn to the competition...

Last tip - the market speaks - did you notice how fast the price for the CS version started to drop compared to 7.0 ??? think about it...

:: BUYER BEWARE! ::

Here is yet another reason that I'm upset that I purchased this upgrade. The image thumbnail previews that used to be displayed in the Windows XP Explorer window are now gone. All that's visible are ugly, green PSD icons. The option of finding PSD files visually, outside of Photoshop, no longer exists.

Removing this feature is a terrible blunder by Adobe. My friends and I used this feature all the time. I frequently have several windows open when looking through files for projects. I also drag and drop a lot of the time. Many of my folders have over a hundred images in them. I used to be able to look at what I had at a glance but now all that's gone.

Some people say, "Just use the File Browser", but that window is so huge and clunky it's not a viable solution when files are located in several folders that span a whole company network. The file browser window is HUGE! It takes over the whole window. Unless you're running multiple monitors this thing is a joke! Plus, you can't have more than one browser window open at a time, and I need more than that. Unless all of your files are located in one place, this thing is a chore to use.

This is a new era of Adobe. They are becoming more like Microsoft. These days, Adobe doesn't seem to care about its users anymore. I called Adobe tech support and was talked down to by a technician who was indifferent to my needs as a designer. I'm no longer loyal to this company, and I probably won't buy anymore of their upgrades sight unseen.

I'm also having similar problems with Illustrator CS. The previews are gone in that program too and the old files hang because they are searching for the old preview. Adobe removed the image preview feature from its software because the company said it created problems on some user's systems. Personally, I've never had a problem with PSD image previews and neither has anyone else I know that runs the software. I do, however, have many problems and issues with the new "Creative Suite" of products from Adobe.

I have been using Photoshop since version 4.0, and to be honest, I still use 4.0 for some of my task. But, I have always made a leap to newer versions of Photoshop because of the new enhanced tools they offer to the user experience. Photoshop CS version 8 to me, is more of a Workgroup application, because basically thats where you will see and take advantage of the new features it has to offer. For users who might have made the sacrifice and bought a copy of Photoshop; 5, 6 or 7 for the first time, because they just wanted a strong, true professional image editing application, upgrading to this version will see no benefits.

However people who work in a commercial environment and depend on other applications such as Illustrator, Indesign and GoLive will benefit more because of the tight integration they share with each other. When these tools work together, features such as version cue which is only a part of the Creative Suite sold separately users will be able to manage different versions of content created by different users over a network.

Photoshop CS also has some new relief features for editing text easier than ever before and also for typing text on a path. The File Browser is even more productive, you can use the Photo-Merge to create panoramas,the file browser also allows you to create Web Photo Gallerys and Picture Packages. But Photoshop continues to be a tool that offers expert image editing with tools such as the Healing Brush introduced in Photoshop 7. Photoshop CS also introduces the Camera Raw Plugin as a built in part of the application (Photoshop 7 users can acquire this plugin for an extra $100), the plug-in offers support for working with images at 16-bit resolution. You can also turn images into PDF Presentations and Photoshop CS gives users a History of actions done on any work in the application.

I continue to stress that for a first time user, Photoshop is not a application to get a hang of easy, it is recommended you buy a book that teaches you from the ground up, where you can get the basic understanding of how Photoshop works. Its also best to go to a lesson class in Graphic Art and Digital Imaging where you can learn in a more interactive environment and get a much deeper knowledge and gain more experience in using the application more effectively and efficiently.

For users who want some of the power of Photoshop CS but much cheaper, Photoshop Elements is an excellent choice that offers great value for its features and ease of use in comparison to Photoshop CS. So, for persons such as Digital Photographers, Graphic Artist, Design Shops, Ad Agencies with designers within a workgroup environment, Photoshop CS is a worthy upgrade. But,if you are serious about digital imaging and editing and need a robust tool that can take your images to new heights both old and new then this is the one. But if you are fixing a wrinkle, brightness or two in a photo, stick with your present copy of Photoshop or purchase Photoshop Elements, to put it simple enough, Photoshop CS depends on your work ethics, which means meeting deadlines, in a workgroup, working with other Creative Suite applications such as Illustrator CS, Indesign CS and GoLive CS.

I purchased the upgrade specifically for the RAW import feature. After installation, I was not able to import files from my Nikon D70 camera (.nef files), although the website claims to support this camera.

I could not find any help on the Adobe website, so I finally called support. The representive was not helpful (in fact rude) and wanted to charge me to get my program working as advertised.

Make sure you have an expert friend before buying- Adobe will not help you.