CS2 VS CS3

[mantra]

Hi
i have photoshop cs2 , i bought it

now i don't know if upgrade it
i tried the old beta and it runs faster (load up at last)


could u give me some advises?
if to upgrade or stick with cs2

[ohenry]

Shortly, Adobe will be putting up the trial version of the final product that you can download and use for 30 days. Since you can run both CS2 and CS3 simultaneously, it will give you a good opportunity to make that decision.

I upgraded from CS2 to CS3 and, to me, it was a worthwhile upgrade as it added or improved several features that I found worth the upgrade. Without knowing the extent of your Photoshop skills or interests, it would be very difficult for me to tell you whether it would be worth it to you.

New features that I like:

The ability to open filters as smart objects which allows me to manipulate and change the effects of filters after being made

The new RAW engine is a huge improvement, adding highlight recovery and fill light, vibrance, and other features.

An extremely effective black and white conversion adjustment layer.

A really cool selection tool and accompanying ability to refine the selection edges.

There are more new and improved filters, but I just haven't had the time to really learn their benefits and features yet.

[carbonXevo8]

Does CS3 have the fix that reads XT and 30D RAW files? I know when i downloaded cs2 I had to download a plugin and it was a real PITA. I have an XT now and looking to go to a 30D really soon.

[In2Photos]

Originally Posted by carbonXevo8

Does CS3 have the fix that reads XT and 30D RAW files? I know when i downloaded cs2 I had to download a plugin and it was a real PITA. I have an XT now and looking to go to a 30D really soon.

CS3 uses ACR 4.0 which will read all of the latest RAW files. However, in the future when Canon, or anyone lese releases a new RAW format, Adobe will have to release updates for ACR. The easiest way to update ACR is to open CS2 or CS3, click Help > Updates. Then you don't have to do anything, the program does it for you.

[mantra]

Originally Posted by ohenry

Shortly, Adobe will be putting up the trial version of the final product that you can download and use for 30 days. Since you can run both CS2 and CS3 simultaneously, it will give you a good opportunity to make that decision.

I upgraded from CS2 to CS3 and, to me, it was a worthwhile upgrade as it added or improved several features that I found worth the upgrade. Without knowing the extent of your Photoshop skills or interests, it would be very difficult for me to tell you whether it would be worth it to you.

New features that I like:

The ability to open filters as smart objects which allows me to manipulate and change the effects of filters after being made

The new RAW engine is a huge improvement, adding highlight recovery and fill light, vibrance, and other features.

An extremely effective black and white conversion adjustment layer.

A really cool selection tool and accompanying ability to refine the selection edges.

There are more new and improved filters, but I just haven't had the time to really learn their benefits and features yet.

thanks , but can i download a free trial version?
i found only the buy link
if i can download the trial version(maybe in italian if u have the link) i would be happy.....

by the way , i found camera raw in the beta very slow!

[darktiger]

This tells some of the differences

http://www.photoshopforphotographers...newinPSCS3.pdf

[mantra]

Originally Posted by carbonXevo8

Does CS3 have the fix that reads XT and 30D RAW files? I know when i downloaded cs2 I had to download a plugin and it was a real PITA. I have an XT now and looking to go to a 30D really soon.

i have a xt and 30D too
what is it a PITA

i found the raw very slow to elaborate my raw files

[ohenry]

Originally Posted by mantra

thanks , but can i download a free trial version?
i found only the buy link
if i can download the trial version(maybe in italian if u have the link) i would be happy.....

by the way , i found camera raw in the beta very slow!

They will put up a trial version soon. At the moment, it is not available. They're still working on filling preorders and orders as it was just recently released.

Beta programs are just that...beta. The purpose is to work out the bugs, not to be a finished product. But like all new versions, there will still be nuances and fixes. I didn't find the beta version RAW slow, but different computers and different setups yield different results.

[Vortex99]

Originally Posted by mantra

i have a xt and 30D too
what is it a PITA

Pain in the a$$...

I like to use that one myself!

[rparchen]

Originally Posted by darktiger

This tells some of the differences

http://www.photoshopforphotographers...newinPSCS3.pdf

Thanks for posting that link, it outlines some very cool features in CS3 and explains them in better detail that what I have previously found.

[philmar]

Originally Posted by ohenry

I upgraded from CS2 to CS3 and, to me, it was a worthwhile upgrade as it added or improved several features that I found worth the upgrade. Without knowing the extent of your Photoshop skills or interests, it would be very difficult for me to tell you whether it would be worth it to you.

New features that I like:

The new RAW engine is a huge improvement, adding highlight recovery and fill light, vibrance, and other features.

hort of the hassle of downloading, installing the trial version I was hoping you could answer this for me.

I find I frequently use the shadow/highlights selection in CS2 even though I'd prefer to use it as a separate adjustment layer. Even moe so, I'd LOVE the ability to use this in the RAW stage. Heck, it might very much tip the scale for me and make me decide to buy the CS3 upgrade.

I am curious. How does the ACR 4.0 incorporate this increased ability for highlight recovery? is it similar to the slider in the CS2 menu? is it a separate control/slider? Or is it just that the ACR exposure slider now is more responsive?

[mantra]

i found that in cs3 ,when i switch many times workspace , i get a slow down of cs3

i have 5 workspace ,do u notice the same behavior?

[In2Photos]

Originally Posted by philmar

hort of the hassle of downloading, installing the trial version I was hoping you could answer this for me.

I find I frequently use the shadow/highlights selection in CS2 even though I'd prefer to use it as a separate adjustment layer. Even moe so, I'd LOVE the ability to use this in the RAW stage. Heck, it might very much tip the scale for me and make me decide to buy the CS3 upgrade.

I am curious. How does the ACR 4.0 incorporate this increased ability for highlight recovery? is it similar to the slider in the CS2 menu? is it a separate control/slider? Or is it just that the ACR exposure slider now is more responsive?

See my response from the other thread where you asked the same question.

Originally Posted by In2Photos

There are two extra sliders, one called Recovery, and the Other is Fill Light. So now you have 4 sliders for the entire range on the histogram, plus one that extends beyond the upper range.

Exposure sets your white point.
Shadows sets your black point.
Recovery gets back those few blown spots but still allows you to retain a higher white point.
Fill light brings up the range just above black point to increase shadow detail.
Brightness still affects mid tones.

ACR in CS3 has the same stuff.

[mantra]

can i in cs3 use this menu really very useful that has cs2

[René Damkot]

I have no idea. I use a dual monitor setup
Why not give it a try?