Are You A Photoshop Junkie?
Photoshop <http://www.aps8.com/pscs3.html> junkies are people who
religiously upgrade from one version to the next without thinking as if
a new release were some type of signal that the current version of the
program would soon expire and stop working. Others upgrading without a
second thought may believe that owning the newest version of Photoshop
automatically makes their images better. Regretfully, "cool" new
features may sound enticing, but in the long run these enhancements may
be something you rarely use -- or use once in a lifetime -- that isn't a
reason to upgrade. The boring reality is that sometimes what you have is
really what you need. While it does not carry the social status of
owning Photoshop, it is easily possible that Photoshop Elements
<http://www.aps8.com/elements5.html> may serve every need you have even
if you are a demanding digital technician (and at a savings of 90% (!)
of the cost of Photoshop). Upgrading out of habit, obligation or
anything other than a clearly defined need makes you a junkie.

The Truth About Upgrades
It is Adobe's job to make their product compelling enough so that you
want to upgrade. In the early years of Photoshop, every version had a
significant new feature. Digital imaging had a lot of maturing to do
from the first release in 1988, so the room for improvement seemed
endless. Now, as Photoshop has matured, the list of enhancements for any
version may be as long as your arm, but it may be less clear if you
really need to upgrade because features are not always something every
user will benefit from.

Richard's Philosophy of Upgrades

1. Don't automatically upgrade to a new release of Photoshop. You
don't owe it to Adobe, and your version of the program will still work
months and years from now.
2. It is not a social embarassment to skip an upgrade version of
Photoshop. For example, if you are on CS2 already, you can probably wait
for CS4. People may point and wisper under their breath, but how long
can they do that for? Just ask them for a compelling reason to upgrade.
3. Know the Photoshop upgrade cycles. You can count on a new version
every 18 months or so. Don't get the last version after it's been out 17
months when it suddenly goes 'on sale' or you'll be looking and yearing
to get the next version in a month all over again.
4. Don't be swept away by the hype of the 'cool' factor of new
Photoshop tools. Advertising can make features look more promising than
they are. Find out what tools and functions actually do by reading
reviews before you upgrade, and weigh how much you think you'll actually
use them.
5. Find at least two actual must-have features in any new Photoshop
upgrade that will save you time, effort or improve image quality on a
daily basis before considering an upgrade.
6. Don't upgrade if there are a significant number of tools and
features that you already don't know how to use. Learn the tools you
have. New features will take weeks, months and perhaps years to
incorporate into your workflow. Give them time to sink in before looking
for more features you won't use.
7. Find out about system requirements and compatabilities BEFORE you
purchase a Photoshop upgrade. If you purchase a version that requires a
new operating system, it may trigger a reaction where you'll have to buy
a whole new system at many times the cost of the upgrade just to run it.
8. Just because it costs more doesn't mean it does more for you. Know
what you are buying. For example, don't get the extended version of
Photoshop CS3 instead of the vanilla version if you have no interest in
medical imaging, 3D modeling and video editing.

Adobe has consistently put out an enticing product that gives users a
real reason to upgrade. Adobe does work hard at it, they have a
fabulous, well-tested product, and have generally productive reasons for
upgrading. However, there is no reason to feel pressured, rushed or
obligated. The new version will be there when you are ready for it, and
your old, tried and tested techniques for image editing will not soon be
worn out and displaced by the latest tool if you learn the right
techniques. The real task is to learn the right techniques and theory
<http://www.photoshopcs.com/photoshop_courses.htm> to make your image
editing efforts less tool-centric.


A Short List of Photoshop Enhancements by Version

This is an extremely abbreviated list of enhancements for Photoshop
versions. Versions 2 through 7 list the major enhancements only. CS
versions are listed in greater detail so it will be evident what was
added in the newer versions and what you may gain by upgrading from
prior versions.

* Photoshop 2 (no, not CS2, Photoshop 2.0 released in 1991) added
Paths
* Photoshop 2.5 added a Windows version
* Photoshop 3 added Layers (which makes my Leveraging Layers
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=103> course
possible)
* Photoshop 4 added recordable Actions
* Photoshop 5 added editable type, the History palette, and the
dreaded Color Management
<http://www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=175>
* Photoshop 5.5 added Image Ready for web development
* Phtooshop 6 enhanced the user interface, added layer styles and
Blending Options dialog, and 16-bit editing
* Photoshop 7 introduced the Healing brush, paint engine
enhancements, and introduced RAW image handling

Note: At this point Photoshop broke into the CS versions, the first of
which was released on October of 2003. As more users still own these
versions I'll use more comprehensive (but still partial) lists...

* Photoshop CS (8) added: — Camera RAW 2.x
— Highly modified "Slice Tool"
— Shadow/Highlight command
— Match Color command
— Lens Blur filter
— Smart Guides
— Real-Time Histogram
— Detection and refusal to print scanned images of various
banknotes[2]
— Macrovision copy protection based on Safecast DRM technology

* Photoshop CS2 (9) added: — Camera RAW 3.x
— Smart Objects
— Image Warp
— Spot healing brush
— Red-Eye tool
— Lens Correction filter
— Smart Sharpen
— Smart Guides
— Vanishing Point
— Better memory management on 64-bit PowerPC G5 Macintosh machines
running Mac OS X 10.4
— High dynamic range imaging (HDRI) support (32 bit per channel
floating point)
— Scripting support for JavaScript and other languages
— More smudging options, such as "Scattering"
— Modified layer selection, such as ability to select more than one
layer.

* Photoshop CS3 (10) added: — Smart Filters
— Quick Selection and Refine Edge tools
— Advanced compositing
— Streamlined interface
— Better raw image processing
— Improved Adobe Bridge
— Enhanced Vanishing Point
— Enhanced 32-bit HDR support
— Peak performance
— Black-and-white conversion

Note: The waters get further muddied here by a release of more than one
version of CS3; CS3 and CS3 Extended.



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