Photoshop CS or Photoshop CS2?

[teacher701]

I take digital photos of children and put them on our website. I use photoshop elements now to fix photos. I purchased photoshop cs but have not opened it. I now think it may be more than I really need. I wonder if I should sell my copy and buy photoshop cs2. Can anyone tell me what I could do on CS that I couldnt with CS2? Which would be easier to learn.

Thanks,
Patty

[mjs1973]

Welcome to the forum Patty. I'm sorry that I really can't give you anything specific about the dif. between CS and CS2... I went from PS5 to CS, then a couple weeks later, upgraded to CS2. I didn't get a chance to learn much about CS before I upgraded. I'm sure someone here can give you some specific info.

I do have a question for you tho. If you think that CS is more than you need, why do you want to upgrade to CS2, which is an even more advanced version?

[Photo-John]

If you think that CS is more than you need, why do you want to upgrade to CS2, which is an even more advanced version?

Ditto on Mike's question. Don't upgrade unless it's really going to help you. There's a big learning curve with the full version of Photoshop. But if you want full control of your images, it's the only way to go.

The main benefit of Photoshop CS over Elements was the advanced RAW processing capabilities, if I remember correctly. And from what I've heard, the main benefit of CS2 over CS is the new built-in browser, which actually works. Photo management is a huge part of digital photography. And Photoshop Album used to be unuseable. But the new version, called Adobe Bridge, is supposed to be excellent. A lot of us currently use multiple programs to manage and process images. If Adobe has really delivered a good browser and management tool, then it's worth the money.

[Asylum Steve]

...and welcome to the site from a fellow Floridian. I agree with Michael. CS2 is an upgrade (and therefore more advanced) than CS, and if your concerns are about having a program that is too powerful and too complicated to learn, CS2 may only compound the problem.

On the other hand, if you are getting the Educational Version (which should be a large discount over the pro software price), I say go for it. It would one of the best deals on great software going...

The thing about photoshop is, you don't have to learn or use all the features and tools right off the bat. The interface will be similar to the version you've already used, and many of the basic features will be identical. Then you pick up advanced stuff as you go along, using the help of more experienced users (like the ones here!) as well as some of the fine ps books on the market.

[Peter_AUS]

You will benefit from Photoshop CS2 more than using an older or less capable Imaging Software. The current verison makes image processing so much easier and is also more intuitive than the older programs were/are. I have used Photoshop since version 3 I think and never really got a handle on some aspects of it, but with the current version CS2, you can really do things quicker than in the earlier versions by just a few clicks. Also many of the Scott Kelby books make learning the program much easier than trial and error, and aren't that costly either to purchase.