Photoshop CS2 Mac question

[TMR Design]

Ok, this is not another "which RAW editor to use" question.

I'm a long time Mac user and I'm finally getting a new Mac after years of using Windows PC's as my old Mac just could not keep up with the new OS or the software I used.

I have Photoshop CS for Mac and I have DPP which came with my 30D. I've been using DPP on my PC because I need CS2 to take advantage of Photoshop RAW editing without DNG conversion using Adobe DNG converter.
Since I do not know what CS2 offers I can't make a comparison and outside of a few features CS2 has that are not in CS, I don't feel I'm missing much.

My question is this: I can get Photoshop CS2 for Mac at a very good price and I am tempted to get it. I was wondering if getting CS2 will give me the ability to open RAW images, edit, manipulate, crop, resize, etc. all in the one program and if CS2 is as powerful or more powerful and as easy to use as DPP.

As a part 2 to the question... Since Lightroom is released and is from Adobe, is that really what they and others are recommending? Is there seamless integration of Lightroom and Photoshop?

[mspringfield]

I have only used the beta of Lightroom but it is a very seamless integration with CS2. Personally I would wait if I were you. CS3 is scheduled to be out in April. There is no need to upgrade now and then again in a couple of months unless you buy direct from Adobe and talk them into a free upgrade to CS3 when it is released.

On Lightroom I am holding off until CS3 is released as well just to see if it will be included with the full Suite.

Michael

[TMR Design]

Thanks Michael,

Are you using Mac? and which RAW editor are you using that this time?

[hannaxt]

TMR,
I agree with the above that you should wait for CS3, it will offer excellent controls for almost everything and far better than CS2.
Also the new ACR in CS3 is far more detailed and good over all.

Essentially that's all you will need. In my opinion you won;t need LightRoom even though it's nice. If opening a RAW file/adjusting and then some tweaks or effect in Photoshop then CS3 is all you need.

I have used Capture One ($$$) Aperture, ACR in CS2 & CS3 beta and I've used SilverFast DC-Pro and Canons DPP.

DPP is free and frankly is an excellent RAW converter for our Canon RAW files - can't be beat and runs awesome on a Mac in OSX.

Aperture is nicer for me than LightRoom and on the new Intel Macs with 1gig or more of ram it's very nice (love the full screen edit mode)

Capture One is the least cluttered of the above and I absolutely love BUT at $499 for the pro - ouch (try a 30 day free trial!) and the LE version is $99

Light Room is certainly nice but I have no intentions of buying unless it ends up being bundled somehow.

Needless to say, it never hurts to try each one and see what environment feel good for you.

I hope that's some insight on a couple or so for you.

[DavidEB]

CS2 will do everything you are asking for on G5-based macs but doesn't run native on intel-based machines -- since that will either be your machine or your upgrade path, you should wait. CS3 seems to offer some nice features, especially curve control in RAW.

Lightroom and Aperature are similar to each other but different from CS2/3. The later is a true photo editor, oriented at working with one file at a time. Nothing really replaces CS2. L/A are photo organizers, essentially databases, both with some limited editing abilities. Both are complex, powerful, and slow. I prefer iPhoto, but my needs are easily met. My advice... defer L/A, start your mac experience with iPhoto, try out the demos, then decide.

another reason to wait a little, esp for L/A ... OSX10.5 leopard is coming. This will offer true 64-bit computing on G5 & intel macs. My guess is that 64-bit carbon and cocoa apps will leave everything else in the dust -- little iPhoto will zoom across the finish line.

[TMR Design]

Hi David,

It's been a while since I used iPhoto and at the time I was not shooting with a DSLR in RAW. Is iPhoto a RAW editor? I liked iPhoto but I prefer Canon's Zoombrowser, which I've only used on a Windows machine. Has iPhoto advanced to a point where it is not only a good database and organizer but a comprehensive editor as well? I shoot both JPG and RAW. I like DPP, found the beta of Lightroom to be more progam than I needed and less is some ways, I have not seen or used Aperture. From what I hear I think I'll wait for CS3.

[ayotnoms]

I've been using CS3/Bridge since the beta version became available. I think you'll find the wait worthwhile.

I have Aperture on my MacBook Pro as well and haven't used it much. As a previous poster commented, it hits me as much a photo organization tool as it is a post processing tool. To be fair, I should give it a more thorough test.

[mspringfield]

Robert,

I have both a G4 desktop and a MacBook Pro. I am using CS2 most of the time for RAW conversion however Canon's DPP works really well.

Michael

[TMR Design]

Thanks Micheal and others,

I currently have Photoshop CS, so even though CS2 would do the job I think it makes sense to just wait for the release of CS3.

I'm still curious about iPhoto. As I mentioned, I've used iPhoto but that was a few versions ago and an operating system revision from about 6 or 8 months ago.
I am ultimately looking for a powerful program to allow me to do all my library functions, organization and editing. The program itself does not have to import the pictures as I can copy and place them myself but I do want somthing that lets me do all my RAW processing, ediitng, resize and crop, and even things like adding border and signature. This sounds like a job for Photoshop but perhaps it's better done using a dedicated RAW processor and Photoshop.
Ideas?

[René Damkot]

I use iView for DAM. DPP for RAW conversion, CS2 for editing.

[TMR Design]

I use iView for DAM. DPP for RAW conversion, CS2 for editing.

Thanks René,

What is DAM?

[René Damkot]

Digital Asset Management.
Here (http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/flow-catalog-compare.html) is a site comparing a few.

[ayotnoms]

Speaking as an Apple user only, your requirements for library functions, organization, resizing, crop, etc make me think that Aperture + CS3 is the way you want to go. I only viewed Adobe's Lightroom once and it seems that it is similar to Aperture in terms of capabilities/features so that's a possible substitute for Aperture.

A quick peek at Apple's site should reveal whether iPhoto will meet your needs. My guess is that it will not. iPhoto is part of Apple's iLife package that sells for $79 and Aperture is their flagship photo processing software package for $299. This says a lot about which has the more sophisticated tools. Of course, for many photographers, the additional capabilities of Aperture is overkill.

[TMR Design]

Thank you René and Steve,

I think that for now I'll use PS CS and DPP and then see what CS3 is offering. I happen to like DPP and I tried Lightroom but was not thrilled. I can see how it is powerful but for where I am right now it offers more than I need or could use, and Adobe does not seem to want to import and organize as the Windows desktop or Zoombrowser does. You can't just have your whole library there without importing and you can't have the directory structure in front of you. I find this useful and never know where I want to go or which folder so the organization and browser are important to me.

[DavidEB]

iPhoto is OK, it's free, and your wife and kids don't have to deal with a steep learning curve to view your photos.

iPhoto 6.0 and up will display and allow minor edits to RAW images, such as exposure/shadows, white balance, contrast, straightening, cropping. It's not as elegant as adobe camera raw by a long way, but it's not bad. You don't have to save multiple copies of your images (similar to L/A).

you can configure iPhoto (from preferences) to NOT import your files, then you just put them in a folder of your choosing and iPhoto catalogs them. that's the way to go if you use iPhoto. photos can span multiple drives (you can archive stuff that way, but still track them by thumbnail views).

it is limited, compared to expensive programs with steep learning curves, but, it's free, and it's easy. iPhoto combined with CS2 does everything I need.

[ayotnoms]

iPhoto is OK, it's free, and your wife and kids don't have to deal with a steep learning curve to view your photos.

iPhoto 6.0 and up will display and allow minor edits to RAW images, such as exposure/shadows, white balance, contrast, straightening, cropping. It's not as elegant as adobe camera raw by a long way, but it's not bad. You don't have to save multiple copies of your images (similar to L/A).

you can configure iPhoto (from preferences) to NOT import your files, then you just put them in a folder of your choosing and iPhoto catalogs them. that's the way to go if you use iPhoto. photos can span multiple drives (you can archive stuff that way, but still track them by thumbnail views).

it is limited, compared to expensive programs with steep learning curves, but, it's free, and it's easy. iPhoto combined with CS2 does everything I need.

Agreed....worth a look to see how it stacks up to your needs/expectations.
:)