Dear all,

 

As you may gather from the question, i have been away from photography for a few years, 4 to be precise and find myself in a new world. All my computer hardware and software is outdated. Is it true that photoshop can only be bought as a cloud version?

What about these cs 4 and 5 etc.

Looking for some info so that i can start build up my knowledge base and decide what to buy so that i can start making photos again.

 

Robert

 

Robert,

You should still be able to find those other versions for sale, no doubt. I don't see them forcing CC on people. I think 4 is the oldest you would want to go from what I hear that is at least somewhat similar to 5, 6, and CC. I do have CC and happy with it but I use Lightroom 5 far more often. Problem with older editions is that they may be incompatible with your machine. you'll have to check on that.

 

-Ben

You should be aware that although Photoshop is the "gold standard" it is far from being the only programme available or capable of doing good work with.

The excessive price of PS forced me originally to choose JASC's Paint Shop Pro [ now owned by Corel ] and having got used to it I have remained with it during my digital experience. Progressing from v.7AE through to the current v.16 or X6 as it is known :)

Then there is apparently GIMP which is basically a free programme with some additions which cost I believe .... I looked at it and found it very hard to follow so deleted it ... having started with PSP I guess I am a convert, the way a PS user might find PSP :)

I coughed up a subscription to PS CC simply because I have a history in the use of it...it's does have a learning curve measured in years.

FWIW, I was able to obtain an academic version @ $10/month.

Rosco,

Everyone has made great suggestions and alternative suggestions to other software.

 

I am wondering if you are clear on what is available when you subscribe to the CC?

 

I have never been clear on how one can purchase an older used addition on EBAY and still have a license? Unless that individual decided never to update...since when you update you need you old license number. So I would be careful buying on EBAY unless it has never been used.

 

Photoshop CS 6 has a new RAW dialogue box with new features, and they are excellent - which you will not have with any version below it. So if you decide to buy a used copy I would go with that. The new features make converting a RAW file so much better.

 

As for the CC itself, the deals seem to change over time. However you can still get it for 9.99 a month now. This includes Lightroom 5.4 and of course it includes all the changes that have been added to programs since Adobe switched over to the Creative Cloud. There is a currency converter below the 9.99 so you can see the cost in your country.

 

Now you say you want to try it out. There was and maybe still is - you would have to check- a 30 day trial period. If you hated it..or decided against it you could op out. Maybe that still exists - not sure.

 

Chauncey is correct of course. I don't think anyone - even Adobe experts learn every single thing the Adobe programs can do. :) I personally would recommend getting the CC if you can afford it, and especially since it now includes Lightroom. And I believe the contact is for a limited period after which you can cancel it without penalty.

 

Good luck on making your decision.

 

My best,

Phyllis

Dear all, thank you for your replies.

Although i like photography a lot it is still very much a hobby. Photoshop cloud does start off at 9.90 per month but if i understand it correctly, after 1 year it goes up to 19.90 per month. That is steep.

I think the best thing is to locate a non cloud software.

I remember from a photoclass a long time ago that the teacher was using apple software.

I should research that more before i decide what.

Since i have been out of it for such a long time i also need to make sure that my hardware is up todate. In my case it means that i need to buy a bew machine.

So there us time to research but it seems to become a costly affair.

 

Regards,

Robert

 

PS CC will not increase after 1 year. However I expect the price to creep up in time. The "Cloud" part of the title is a bit of a misnomer as you download PS,LR etc to the desktop, the software is not running in the cloud. You do not need the PC to be connected to the cloud at all times, just for updates (quite regular) and confirmation of your subscription every few months.

 

However there are cloud facilities on offer for storage etc which may be useful if you are moving around or have a very quick broadband connection. I would imagine that most peole store files locally.

 

PS CC at £9.50/month is very good value for money and there are already several facilities in CC that will never be in CS6.

 

On the subject of learning curve, yes it is steep and never ending but the trick is to master the basics using online tutorials and perhaps a book or two. Many people try it , see a screen full of icons and give up.

If you consider what is currently available on the market, it is not necesseraly that costly. The following may be considerd photoshop alternatives (at least partially) provided you have a decent RAW-converter in any case:

Corel Paint Shop Pro ( < USD 100)

Perfect Photo Suite (oneone software)

GIMP (freeware)

Photoline

These and several more may be found easily in a web research. The same is valid for RAW-converters where there are also several freeware solutions (e.g. Lightzone, RAW therapee, photivo) and the paid licence solutions of course like Lightroom Capture 1, Aftershot Pro, DxO etc. They may even run on "outdated" hardware and OS.

Hope that helps

Dear all, thank you very much for your insights and experiences.

I forgot to mention that i have always been a ps user and so the basics are known to me and are hopefully still the same.

I'll check again on the monthly cost. If 9.90 is there for not just 1 year then i may go for the cloud option.

There is one more thing. Phyllis mentioned that raw had been given an update.

 

All my raw files are based on a raw file dating to 2005. Does that mean there is a

chance i cannot open any of my current raw files for reprocessing?

 

I'll ignore any difficulties with procurement due to fact that i now live in tunisia. No amazon, serious import restrictions and high customs rates and an internet which may be slow.

 

Thank you all, i feel i am already back... and have not even started yet... :-)

 

robert

 

There are continuous updates to LR of which you are reminded of. and to PS CC which you need to search for on a regular basis. ACR is included in these updates. You will be able to open all old/current files.

I am completely in the dark as to how the "cloud" aspect enters into the equation.

 

In my case, monthly payments are rendered automatically via an open bank account...kind of an "auto-bill-pay" sort of thing. I can only assume that notification to Adobe would be needed should you ever change banking accounts/facilities.

You should be ok but if it is a problem then download Adobe's DNG converter.

Understood, i do feel a bit quasy also with this autodebit.

Had some bad experiences once with an accountant. At the end of a 3 year period his fee was doubled. He had done it bit by bit.....of course my fault, i should have checked the unit rate more......

Let me ponder a bit about how to move forward....

 

Why did they put lr and ps in same package. They seem to overlap so much.

In the old days, you used either one or the other....

 

No one seems to comment on the apple software....i would expect that there must be some users of that on this site....

 

Robert

 

 

The LR/PS-package is aimed at photographers. When moving to the cloud after CS6, Adobe only offered the entire Adobe Creative Suite which includes much more than LR and PS and is for designers and graphic artists. The price is about USD 60 per month. This provoked some protest among PS amateurs, and Adobe developped a customer friendlier approach.

 

I don't use PS much as said above. With Capture NX2 I still get better results than with LR5. This has to do with some features that are unique to Capture NX2 (e.g. U-point technoligy for local adjustments and a great high pass sharpening filter). As Capture NX 2 will phase out and not support a future Nikon DSLR, I will invest more time in LR once I have replaced my DSLR bodies.

 

Rosco,

You asked about Lightroom. Initially, it was not a part of the package, but adding it gave the user more value for their money. Your not paying more you just got more. And if you do not want it you do not have to install it.

 

To be honest nothing stays the same in terms of cost. So I expect that it will go up - if not in one year then in the future. However, I do not think it will double.

 

The auto debit is not an issue. It comes out of your bank account. If you don't want it to be taken out you would change that with your bank. If that did not work you would have to blame your bank, not Adobe.?

 

As you may recall each time a new version of Photoshop was released there were new features. Well, that is still happening..but only to Cloud customers..and some of those features are excellent.

 

I love Apple products and have had very good experiences with them. However, they do not manufacture any software that is in competition with Photoshop. The closest they come is l-photo..which is really not a professional program.

 

I would suggest a trial...you can get a 30 day trial. However, before downloading I would read all the tutorials on setting it up first...this way you will have time to try it out. There is nothing like first hand experience.

 

Phyllis

 

You asked about the Cloud...

Whatever photos you have sitting on the Cloud - or floating. ;) you can access them from any computer on the planet as long as it has an Internet connection. This is also true for you mobile devices like an ipad. There is an app called Photoshop Touch...it is adorable and has many of the Photoshop features..if you have a photo in the cloud you can access it to your ipad. I have not tried yet but I will. With Lightroom it is great..you can create collections in Lightroom and then use the Lightroom app to sync them and then organize or work on them on your ipad. Lovely really.

;)

Phyllis

Phyllis, thank you for your wonderful comments.

I was thinking of doing the trials first and learn and get used to ps that way.

 

Thanks for the comment on apple software. I somehow trail back to ps whatever else is out there.

So i think it is only a matter of time before i'm using ps again.

 

I assume that photos can remain or your computer and that you can sent a copy to the 'cloud' if you wish to?

 

Robert

 

Yes, they are only on your computer - unless you decide to send them to the cloud. You have 20 Gg of space Free with the subscription to store your photos on the Cloud.

 

I hope you will enjoy it.

Phyllis

I would avoid buying any used software from ebay or other places, I've seen too many people get burned with Photoshop by buying that way. I didn't see it mentioned, but you can also still buy the licensed version of CS6, and so far, Adobe is saying they will keep selling it and updating camera raw for it. You won't get the new features of ACR, but you will be able to open files from new cameras. However, that is a big outlay of money, while CC is fairly cheap when you think about it: less than a cheap meal out each month. Adobe is also trying to keep the subscription price down. As mentioned above, while they can't guarantee that the price will remain fixed at $9.99, they have no intention to jack the price up. Jeff Tranberry, from Adobe told me that they actually have lowered the price on many of their products when then can. Most likely if you do a price comparison and throw in the inflation index, you may find that PS is cheaper now than it's ever been, but I don't have the actual figures to back that statement up.