Adobe Photoshop CS2

If you don't own Photoshop, the good news is that the price is the same as the old version ($599). If you do own Photoshop the bad news is that the upgrade will cost you another $149. Photoshop (and keeping up with the Photoshop upgrades) expensive, but the program does a lot. On the other hand it does a lot that most amateur photographers may never need. The alternative is something like JASC Paint Shop Pro 9, which retails for around $100 and which I find easier to use than Photoshop. It lacks 16-bit support and its built in RAW converter has limited features, but still, for the price, it's a pretty good buy and at $500 less than Photoshop, may make more sense for many photographers.

Here's the text of the Adobe Press Release:

Adobe Pushes the Boundaries of Digital Photography and Imaging with Debut of Photoshop CS2 - New Vanishing Point Feature, Dramatic Camera Raw Workflow Enhancements, Customizable Menus and Smart Objects

SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 4, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® CS2, a major upgrade to the professional industry standard for digital image editing and creation. Available as a stand-alone software application or as a key component of Adobe Creative Suite® 2, also announced today (see separate press release), Photoshop CS2 software brings a new level of power, precision and control to the digital photography experience and to the overall creative process.

"Photoshop CS2 pushes the envelope with powerful features and simplified workflows that provide photographers and creative professionals the freedom to deliver stunning images," said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video Products at Adobe. "In light of the four million digital SLRs expected to ship this year, more photographers than ever will be making Photoshop CS2 their digital darkroom of choice."

Advanced Tools for Digital Photographers, Graphics and Video Professionals

Photoshop CS2 integrates a new set of intuitive tools, including an enhanced Spot Healing Brush, for handling common photographic problems such as blemishes, red-eye, noise, blurring and lens distortion. Smart Objects allow users to scale and transform images and vector illustrations without losing image quality — as well as create linked duplicates of embedded graphics — so that a single edit updates across multiple iterations.

Responding to requests from film, broadcast and video professionals, Photoshop CS2 now allows non-destructive editing and the creation and editing of 32-Bit High Dynamic Range (HDR) images, ideal for 3D rendering and advanced compositing. FireWire Previews can also be viewed on a television monitor through a new direct export feature.

Photoshop CS2 users will test the limits of creativity with new tools like Vanishing Point and Image Warping. Vanishing Point cuts tedious graphic and photo retouching tasks by allowing users to clone, paint and transform image objects while retaining visual perspective. Reinventing workflows such as product packaging development, Image Warping makes it easy to fold, stretch, pull, twist and wrap an image into shape by selecting an on-demand preset or dragging custom control points.

Adobe Bridge and New Camera Raw Features Speed Imaging Workflows

With Photoshop CS2 software, finding and working with digital photos and images has never been easier. The popular File Browser has been upgraded to Adobe Bridge, which functions as a hub for productivity, imagery and creativity, providing multi-view file browsing and smooth cross-product integration across Adobe Creative Suite 2 software. Adobe Bridge also provides access to Adobe Stock Photos, a new stock photography service that offers users one-stop shopping — across five elite stock image providers — to deliver high-quality, royalty-free images for layout and design (see separate press release).

The new Camera Raw 3.0 workflow allows settings for multiple raw files to be simultaneously modified. In addition batch processing of raw files, to JPEG, TIFF, DNG or PSD formats, can now be done in the background without launching the main Photoshop executable. Integrated, non-destructive cropping and straightening controls allow raw files to be easily prepared for final output.

Simplifying Photoshop's rich interface, task-based menu presets make it easier to find the features needed for specific work. Users can create their own custom presets, highlighting favorite items and now have the ability to define event-based scripts and time-saving operations that execute automatically when triggered by actions, such as saving or printing a file. Multiple Layer Controls speeds editing, enabling the simultaneous selection and manipulation of numerous layers within a file.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Photoshop CS2 for Mac OS X version 10.2.8 through 10.3.8, Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4 or Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or 2, will begin shipping in May to customers in the United States and Canada, and will be available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store . International versions are expected to begin shipping in late May and early June. Adobe Photoshop CS2 will be available for an estimated street price of US$599 and licensed users of any previous version of Photoshop can upgrade for US$149. For more detailed information about new features, upgrade policies and pricing, please visit: www.adobe.com/photoshop . Adobe Photoshop CS2 is also available as part of Adobe Creative Suite 2.

Where to Buy

If the price of Photoshop CS2 is too high, then take a look at JASC Paint Shop Pro v9 or Photoshop Elements 3. I think Paint Shop Pro offers more, but Elements 3 isn't bad and there are a lot of "add-ons", books and guides available for it.

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