Upgrade or not??

[trink408]

I'm a newbie working with photoshop, and I'm currently working on PS7. I'm debating if I should consider upgrading to a newer version.

For those that have been working with PS through the various releases, in your opinion is it worth spending the $200 to upgrade to CS3?

[Aender Brepsom]

It depends on your way of working your images in PS. If most of the time, you do the basic adjustments, then PS7 can be more than what you need. It is still a very capable version of PS.

I would try to learn the basics in PS7 and if after several weeks or months, you feel that it lacks certain features that you absolutely need for your work, then you can always upgrade later on.

[trink408]

One thing that came to my attention was the limited features when working in 16-bit mode, often forcing a conversion to 8 bit. I'm not sure how big of an impact that has on the overall quality of the image...

[Bill L.]

I found the switch from PS7 to CS a great improvement for photography. IIRC, that was when the patch tool was introduced (which I greatly prefer over cloning for dust and lint removal from scans), and the improved ability for working in 16 bit. I skipped CS2, but upgraded to CS3 (which I like, but the incremental change was not so large unless working on large files). So while you might not need everything in CS3, you may well enjoy working on something more recent than PS7.

Cheers!
Bill

[Marko]

PS7 can serve you well for learning the basics. However, any of the CS versions will represent a big step up, as Bill said. If you are serious about learning Photoshop, you will eventually upgrade, and the greater the gap between your version and the current version, the bigger the price will be.

So, your real choice is to either upgrade now and learn using the current version or learn on the old version you already have and pay a bit more later.

[Scott Kathe]

I started with PS7 and upgraded to CS, skipped the CS2 upgrade and went from CS to CS3. I think it is worth the investment especially for working in 16 bit. A word of caution: if you wait too long you may not be able to upgrade from PS7 to CS4 you may have to just lay down all the cash for CS4.

Scott

[dwhistance]

I second the comments above. PS7 is limited as many of the adjustments only work with 8 bit files. This was improved in CS where most work with 16 bit. Unless you have a very simple workflow with little or no adjustment in PS then you will benefit greatly from an upgrade to a more recent version.

David Whistance

[trink408]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, I'm definitely going to upgrade in the near future. Since I'm learning anyway, I may as well learn on the newest version.

I never thought of the possibility of not being able to upgrade from 7 in the future...

Thanks again,
Kevin

[GaryT]

Just an FYI in the event that anyone is a student...CS3 is roughly $290.00 at most college bookstore/software centers. Not upgradable and license is for only one machine.

[neil poulsen]

For me, being able to use 16 bit adjustment layers makes it worth it. Oh, lest I forget, there's also the benefit of the healing tool. Absolutely outstanding for removing dust spots, blemishes on a scanned negative or transparency. Or, blemishes on skin.

(As to the latter, I can't remember if that was introduced in CS or CS2. I never had the former.)

[Kuzano]

Just an FYI in the event that anyone is a student...CS3 is roughly $290.00 at most college bookstore/software centers. Not upgradable and license is for only one machine.

That's true also at the Community College where I teach Computer, eBay and Digital photography/elements classes.

At the bookstore here, you only need to register for a community ed class (two or three sessions-couple of hours each) to qualify for educational discounts. No restriction, full featured, and license for one computer. $290.

[SamReeves]

I'd make the jump to CS2 or CS3. The rules of CS2 were a little different. You can upgrade from any previous version of Photoshop with CS2. I think CS3 you will only be able to upgrade from the CS series.

There's also the issue of camera RAW, which PS7 does not have. I find CS2/3 to be a lot more helpful in that area.