Is it worth upgrading to CS3 from CS2?

I have cs2 and was wondering is cs3 easier to work with? If so, how?

Easier??

Like choosing a portion of an image that has different colors, highlights and shadows. When I use the magic wand, I have so many clicks that when I look at the choices, I can't tell if I left something out. I have on several occastions.

Check out Dr Brown's tutorials on CS3 especially the QuickMak tutorial that explains the Quick Selection Tool. http://www.russellbrow​n.com/tips_tech.html

I think the upgrade was well worth it for me - especially the new ACR features and Smart Filters.

"easier"? No

The interface is somewhat improved and there are some new tools. If you are on an intel mac than an upgrade to CS3 is a must.

col4bin wrote in post #3515690
"easier"? No

The interface is somewhat improved and there are some new tools. If you are on an intel mac than an upgrade to CS3 is a must.

Concur. If using an Intel Mac, the speed bump alone is worth the price increase.

Enjoy!

Maybe you should download the trial and see if you like it?

For me ACR 4.1 makes it worth it by itself. Head and shoulders better than anything I have tried before.

If you are sincerely asking if CS3 is 'easier' then I'd say definitely 'NO".
I suspect you want to know if the upgrade is 'worth' it?
I just upgraded a few days ago. I like the thought of being able to do non-destructive edits to Jpgs in ACR. This is a space saver for me. Might not be a biggie for you.

I haven't yet figured out what the new ACR upgrade does. It seems promising. I seem to get better recovery of detail in shadows with the new ACR. Haven't had great results with highlight recovery yet but I haven't taken the time to figure out how the new ACR sliders work/interact.
So it seems worth it to me but ultimately the 'worth' will depend on your own economic circumstances. The upgrade didn't break me....but then again I am not a starving student. If I was, I am not too sure the upgrade would have been worth forgoing that much beer and pizza. If you make money off of your photos then the upgrade is worth it.

Perhaps those who have used CS3 and ACR 4.1 more extensively than I could also give their views on a thread I started about CS3 workflow. I'd be interested in your views and experiences.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=346663

Thank you all for the input. I think I am going to wait until I learn how to use cs2, I have only been using it for about 3 weeks. Just wondered if it would be easier to learn. From the posts from you all, I think I would be better able to do something after I learn more about the application. I haven't been successful in doing much yet. I guess I'll start with more tutorials. I don't have a lot of free time to read,
although I have spent hours reading various posts and looking at amazing photos.

Thank you all again, your comments were very helpful!

I made the jump from PS6 to CS3 recently. There is a lot of similarity, but there are a lot of really nice features in CS3 that weren't there in version 6. I tried out the free trial download for about a month and decided that it was wonderful and worth it just because of ACR4.1. I wound up getting Creative Suite 3 Design Premium because I also needed the upgrade from PageMaker to InDesign CS3 and also Dreamweaver CS3. The tight integration of the applications makes it much nicer than using PageMaker, Front Page, Photoshop, and miscellaneous other programs in somewhat cumbersome fashion compared to Creative Suite. The only thing that I don't like is the fact that you don't get printed manuals anymore even though you pay out the wazoo for the software.

jackprks wrote in post #3514006
Like choosing a portion of an image that has different colors, highlights and shadows. When I use the magic wand, I have so many clicks that when I look at the choices, I can't tell if I left something out. I have on several occastions.

I have a 2001 G4 and CS2. CS2 will not run on 10.3.9. That is why I am not upgrading and I only use 1/10 of CS2.
Choosing different colors
select?color range> hold shift to add more color and ok.
highlights channels>rgb>ctrl/cmnd left click = highlights
go back to background and ctrl/cmnd j to put selection on new layer.
shadows channels>rgb>left click?shift ctr/cmnd i to invert selection and as above for a new layer.
Now tha you have highlights on a new layer you can use layer blend modes.
I would try screen first to go up 1/3 stop.
Multiply if too bright.
ctr/cmnd click on the layer and choose curves/levels adjustment from the layers menu. Adjust and press ok only the selection is adjusted and you have a layer mask to alter at will.
Just my two pixels

Oh, hello everyone.

I have tried both CS2 and CS3.

CS3 has a completely different interface that takes time to get used to. I still prefer CS2 over CS3. I haven't figure out a feature on CS3 that's worth switching yet.

RastaRican wrote in post #3524694
I have a 2001 G4 and CS2. CS2 will not run on 10.3.9.

CS2 runs fine on even older versions of OSX. (Did on my AGP G4)
CS3 needs 10.4.8 or higher it seems...

Hi as well

Curves for one, B&W conversion for another, ACR for a third.

UI isn't that much different IMO.
What differences are you referring to?

I've been trying to decide too - I've been reading on the NAPP forums that a lot of people are having crashing problems with both CS3 and the new Bridge. Think I'm going to wait a bit longer and see if Adobe releases any updates.

I use CS3 on a daily basis and don't notice any problems with crashing. However, I never use Bridge. I've had problems with it in past versions and have stayed away ever since. Instead, I use Lightroom. CS3 and LR are a match made in heaven and are my tools of choice.