Photoshop and moving to 64 bit

I've been using Photoshop since version 1, (yes I am well seasoned), and many filters and styles have accompanied me from version to version. For example I still have Kai's Power Tools 5 installed in CS3 and it works fine, along with Photo Tools with Photo Cast Shadow, generations of WOW styles and patterns and a myriad of other filters and actions.

Now that I am about add a new system and migrate to CS4 and Vista 64 bit to take advantage of more RAM, I'm assuming that all the extras will be incompatible and have to be left behind. I'll leave at least two systems with CS3 so I'll still have access, but moving an image back and forth just to use certain filters will soon get to be a pain.

I'm sure many of you have been down this road and I'd like the value of your experience. Am I correct in my assumption that all my old friends will be incompatible? What has been your experience in this area?

Thanks.

Don't have this luxury problem (yet), since I'm on a Mac

Here's an article:

http://blogs.adobe.com …8/12/64bit_plug​ins_n.html

When I installed CS4 Extended on my 64 bit Vista machine it installed a 32 bit version also into the 32 bit application folder. I assume thats so you can use the 32 bit plugins untill their updated. I don't remenber it even asking if I wanted both versions, but it may of.

When i was running xp64 I couldn't get CS2 to work. After being on the phone with adobe they said they have had the same question a couple hundred of times. What you have to do is create a folder in the root of C instead of the program and files folder that windows create. Soon as you install CS2 in the root of C everything worked perfectly.

Thank you Rene' and partsman.

From the Adobe blog Rene' referenced: "On 64-bit Windows OSes, you can install both 32- and 64-bit flavors of CS4 in parallel. Existing plug-ins will run just fine in the 32-bit version, but to run in the 64-bit one they need to be updated."

Two editions of the program. That's a very interesting solution. I'm assuming that the 32bit edition has RAM access limitations.

Pinto wrote in post #7082227
Two editions of the program. That's a very interesting solution. I'm assuming that the 32bit edition has RAM access limitations.

Yes, limited to somewhere near 3GB depending on system config.

32bit

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

HankScorpio wrote in post #7083190
Yes, limited to somewhere near 3GB depending on system config.

32bit

| Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

64bit

| Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Thanks HankScorpio. Would I be correct in assuming on the system shown with 12 Gigs of RAM that the 32bit PS should actually be allowed 100% of the shown available RAM because the rest of the system actually has eight Gigs to play with?

As an aside, is there much performance advantage to Twelve Gigs over Eight?

Yes, you can set the 32bit CS4 to use all RAM available to it (3255MB in my case) with no problems, I simply hadn't because taking that screenshot was the first time I'd run CS4 32bit on this PC

12GB for me has a performance increase over 8GB because I have triple channel DDR3 RAM which works in triple channel mode only if installed in 3GB, 6GB, 12GB or 24GB configurations (6GB wasn't enough for me and 24GB cost too much). For DDR2 RAM 12GB would only be an improvement over 8GB with massive files or having LR batching hundreds of files while you watch a Blu-Ray and rip HD home movies to email size at the same time.

HankScorpio wrote in post #7083453
Yes, you can set the 32bit CS4 to use all RAM available to it (3255MB in my case) with no problems, I simply hadn't because taking that screenshot was the first time I'd run CS4 32bit on this PC

12GB for me has a performance increase over 8GB because I have triple channel DDR3 RAM which works in triple channel mode only if installed in 3GB, 6GB, 12GB or 24GB configurations (6GB wasn't enough for me and 24GB cost too much). For DDR2 RAM 12GB would only be an improvement over 8GB with massive files or having LR batching hundreds of files while you watch a Blu-Ray and rip HD home movies to email size at the same time.

Thank you HankScorpio. I'm about to order a new system and that information helps a lot.