Who's Planning To Upgrade To Photoshop CS5?

[Photo-John]

Adobe announced a new version of Photoshop this week. I'm pretty sold on the upgrade. Who else is planning on investing in the new software? I posted a new Photoshop CS5 Quick Poll:

Do you plan to buy Adobe Photoshop CS5?

For those who don't know about Photoshop CS5, here's an article I wrote with details on the new features, performance and prices:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended >>

We also have a discussion about it on the Software & Post Processing forum:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Officially Announced

I'm curious about what everyone thinks and who's going to pony up the big bucks for the latest version. I skipped CS4, but I am looking forward to what look like real performance benefits with CS5.

[mjs1973]

Count me in on CS5!!! I'm generally not an "early adopter" but for PS I'm a little different. With my wife's student discount, it's too good of a deal to pass up and this is going to be my last year to take advantage of it.

[Singletracklovr]

I currently use PS7. Paid full price, ouch!
I plan to wait for feedback from those I trust and based on that info
I will probably purchase, (full price) spring next year.

It does suck that Adobe only has two prices Student and Commercial.
What about us hobbyist that want a powerful editing tool and don't plan to make money with it in the commercial world?

[Axle]

I *just* upgraded to CS4.

[Photo-John]

Someone on Twitter just informed me that there will likely be a Lightroom 3 / PS CS5 bundle price once Lightroom 3 is officially released. I didn't buy CS4, but evidently they did a CS4 / LR 2 bundle price. So, that might be a good reason to wait. I don't know how much you could save on the previous bundle. But if you paid full price for both you spent close to $1000, so...

[drg]

There's been a 'package' cost or bundle before with CSx/Lrx and if there wasn't this time I'd be very surprised. Especially with the major new technology underpinnings of LR3.

Several hints and clues abound in LR3 beta versions about the level of integration with CS5 that is going to be available. Adding tone curves as example means that Exposure Matching (already available) can be further refined for exporting panorama and HDR image sets to CS for assembly and blending. There's several more small hints include ADOBE-TV emphasizing the on/off-before/after comparison tools in LR3beta as to what will be workflow improvements.

I don't want to shell out that much more money, but probably will with a few weeks of both products being available. Of course I'm eagerly awaiting LR3 but CS5 may wait until fall.

[flyinion]

As soon as it shows up on my student discount software site, I"m in. Still running CS3 and while I don't use much of it's advanced stuff right now, CS5 has some nice new stuff I'd like to learn. Also having true 64bit support from CS to go along with my new machine with Win7 and 8GB of RAM I'll be set

[almo]

Boy, I am sure it's nice, but CS4 is awesome, and it was a pretty crippling purchase for me.

[poker]

I really need CS5. I'm still in CS2 world and it doesn't recognize the RAW files from my 5DMKII and 7D. I'll have to wait for an educational discount.

[Photo-John]

I'm still in CS2 world and it doesn't recognize the RAW files from my 5DMKII and 7D.

What are you doing with your 5D and 7D RAW files, then? I use Lightroom for all of my RAW conversions. Are you using the Canon software or using the Adobe DNG converter? Or - gasp - just shooting JPEG (say it isn't so!)?

[poker]

What are you doing with your 5D and 7D RAW files, then? I use Lightroom for all of my RAW conversions. Are you using the Canon software or using the Adobe DNG converter? Or - gasp - just shooting JPEG (say it isn't so!)?

What's a JPEG I use Canon DPP software.

[Skyman]

That depends on if I can convince work that the costs are worth it. we currently use cs3 design standard on most of our machines, although I have cs4 master collection. If I can see real benefits and convince the accountant of them I would probably buy 15 licenses for cs5 master collection, as there would be more use for it now than when we bought the cs3 licenses. It would mean that some machines would need to be upgraded but we are looking at moving to windows7 so there should be some good performance benefits on 64bit machines. In terms of photohsop the smart healing tool looks really good. I still feel like I am only scratching the surface with photoshop. and I have been learning it since I started with version 5.5 back at uni!

[almo]

What's a JPEG I use Canon DPP software.

DPP, you may as well be shooting jpegs. Get the DNG converter from Adobe, I had to use it for awhile and it worked great.

[Loupey]

I use Canon DPP software.

Me too. I wasn't happy to have been forced to go to CS2 from (PS 3.5) several years ago. I'd rather upgrade cameras and lenses before upgrading software. Canon DPP to convert to TIFF then CS2 to convert to photoshop files. Been doing it for the last two years.

DPP, you may as well be shooting jpegs. Get the DNG converter from Adobe, I had to use it for awhile and it worked great.

Adobe stopped creating DNG converters for CS2 since the Canon 30D/5D. So anyone using anything newer must use something else.

[almo]

Adobe stopped creating DNG converters for CS2 since the Canon 30D/5D. So anyone using anything newer must use something else.

Well that sucks.

[Old Timer]

I'm afraid the cost will keep me at CS2 for a while longer.

[JETA]

I'm using CS4 and need to learn so much I highly doubt I'll upgrade.

For raw I'm using acr. Is there something better/easier? I have lr and never use it.

[drg]

Adobe stopped creating DNG converters for CS2 since the Canon 30D/5D. So anyone using anything newer must use something else.

Forgive me for asking this question, but what are you talking about?

DNG is ADOBE's 'standard' if you will and if what you are saying is that 'newer' DNG's won't read on CS2 I had not heard or read anything about it.

I've been following the Digital Negative format very closely for sometime now and if that's what you are referring to I'd be very surprised.

ADOBE DNG Converter 5.6 update is available at a link on this page:

Adobe DNG Converter 5.6 update


The latest supported camera list is at this page link

Digital Camera Raw File Support

The Canon EOS 7D and the EOS 5D Mark II are supported plus everything from 10D to 50D.

If one converts their files to DNG, any DNG aware program should handle them properly.

If not I want to know about it!!

[OldClicker]

I'm using CS4 and need to learn so much I highly doubt I'll upgrade.

For raw I'm using acr. Is there something better/easier? I have lr and never use it.

The Develop (editing) module of LR has the same functionality as ACR, but I much prefer the user interface in LR. - TF

[mjs1973]

Forgive me for asking this question, but what are you talking about?

I believe what he is saying is that the new DNG converters don't go backwards to older versions of the software. So the newest DNG converters are available for older versions of PS. Of course I could be wrong.

[almo]

The Develop (editing) module of LR has the same functionality as ACR, but I much prefer the user interface in LR. - TF

From what I am hearing LR is just a combination of Bridge and ACR. Those are what I use and I love the interface. Bridge works very well with my personal image file system, so what would be the advantage of switching to LR?

[JETA]

From what I am hearing LR is just a combination of Bridge and ACR. Those are what I use and I love the interface. Bridge works very well with my personal image file system, so what would be the advantage of switching to LR?

I'm really loving bridge. In the past I've always used zoombrowser ex. Boy, I don't miss that program at all.

[mjs1973]

From what I am hearing LR is just a combination of Bridge and ACR. Those are what I use and I love the interface. Bridge works very well with my personal image file system, so what would be the advantage of switching to LR?

I think the big advantage of using LR is the cataloging function. It's a much better system for managing large catalogs of images and being able to find them later. If your system works for you then I don't see a big need for LR.

When I upgraded to CS4 I also purchased LR2. My workflow has always been to save the images I PP as layered PSD files. These are my keepers and in most cases, the most important images for me. When I installed LR2 and began importing all of my images, for some reason, it wasn't importing my PSD files. My thought at the time was, what good is a file management system if it doesn't pick up my most important images, and why would a program with Photoshop in the name not recognize my PSD files? As a result, I'm still using Bridge/ACR/Photoshop for all of my cataloging and PP work. It works for me now, but as my catalog of images grows, I may have to give LR another try.

[Loupey]

Forgive me for asking this question, but what are you talking about?

DNG is ADOBE's 'standard' if you will and if what you are saying is that 'newer' DNG's won't read on CS2 I had not heard or read anything about it.

I've been following the Digital Negative format very closely for sometime now and if that's what you are referring to I'd be very surprised.

ADOBE DNG Converter 5.6 update is available at a link on this page:

Adobe DNG Converter 5.6 update


The latest supported camera list is at this page link

Digital Camera Raw File Support

The Canon EOS 7D and the EOS 5D Mark II are supported plus everything from 10D to 50D.

If one converts their files to DNG, any DNG aware program should handle them properly.

If not I want to know about it!!

If you go to the link you listed and click on the readme file, you will see this (direct from Adobe):

Release Notes
DNG Converter 5.4 and subsequent updates include new DNG Compatibility conversion options. These choices help address the additional options available with the new DNG 1.3 Specification (http://www.adobe.com/dng)
• Camera Raw 2.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 2.4 (Photoshop CS) and later, and Lightroom 1.0 and later
• Camera Raw 4.1 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.1 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 1.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model
• Camera Raw 4.6 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 4.6 (Photoshop CS3) and later, and Lightroom 2.1 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model
• Camera Raw 5.4 and later: The DNG file will be readable by Camera Raw 5.4 (Photoshop CS4) and later, and Lightroom 2.4 and later. The DNG file will often be readable by earlier versions, depending on the camera model

So sure anyone buying the newest version of PS will have access to converting camera files up to the lastest bodies. But for anyone not interested in keeping up with the latest software, the newer bodies will not be available. If this is not the case - PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I have never been able to get newer versions of Camera Raw loaded on CS2.

[Nicci]

I will be "acquiring" my upgrade much like my version now. *ahem*