The Best Photoshop Yet... but is it worth it?

Many years ago I got myself a copy of Photoshop, and it confused the hell out of me so it just sat on my computer, unused. However, as my interest in web design picked up, along with my interest in photography, I started taking bigger jabs at Photoshop and eventually grew familiar with it. For the most part, I just played around and taught myself what there was to it, occasionally consulting a small tutorial to achieve desired effects. Over the years Photoshop has grown even larger and more complex with countless features I’ll never even touch, but remains my choice for the best image editing software out there.

Only recently did I acquire Photoshop CS2, as it became needed at my place of work for improving the image quality of the documents we’re scanning (you’d think that with it being an $8000 scanner that you’d get good quality scans, but that is not that case). We had been trying to make do with the programs we already had, such as Canvas X (which has vector capabilities, but I otherwise dislike it), but simply getting Photoshop CS2 made things all that much easier. An older version of Photoshop would have worked just as well.


So What’s New?
Rather than try to explain what’s new and improved, you’re much better off visiting Adobe’s own website (adobe.com) and looking at their Photoshop section. Everything of significance can be found there and is explained with accompanying images, making it a far quicker way of learning about them than having me try to explain them all with words alone. Plus, I haven’t had any real need to put these new features to the test since they’re not the sort of tools that I have to use in cleaning up the scans. Nonetheless, there are two new features that I definitely could have used in the past…

Vanishing Point
Adding things in (or taking things out) and keeping the perspective of the image can be a real bugger, and this new feature makes it a lot easier. This feature automatically makes it so the gradients and perspective all match up, and that’s a big time saver.

Warp Tool
There have been many times when I’ve wanted wrap an image around something, and with the warp tool you can easily do that, finally. You’ll definitely like this tool if you’re into photochopping.

Fonts
Yeah, I did say two features, but that’s because this one hardly counts. I don’t know what took them so long to implement this, but finally having a sample of the font next to the name of the font makes finding the right text a lot easier and infinitely quicker.

I’m going to add a somewhat contrarian voice to whether or not making the upgrade to CS2 is worth it. I am not in any way disputing that CS2 is the best version of Photoshop to have come out, but I don’t see why many people would really have a great need to spend the money on the upgrade. If you’re anything like me, you may use them once or twice in your lifetime, and find that you could have made it by without them. I’m tempted to upgrade, but given the cost, I’m happy sticking with version 7.0 on my own personal computer. Only if you work with Photoshop day in and day out, or if you have special requirements, is the upgrade something worth considering.


Installation
Installing Photoshop is accomplished just as it is with any other program out there, including activation numbers, since piracy has always been a big problem for Photoshop. The license is limited to two computers, and you can’t be running the program on both computers at the same time. That doesn’t matter to me, but there’s no shortage of people out their complaining about it. We’ve only installed it on a new-ish high-powered laptop with Windows XP so far, and I’ve never had any issues arise that required a call to Adobe’s fee-based support line – but I’ve heard that can be quite the horrific experience.


Capabilities
Photoshop has always been powerful and capable software, with CS2 raising the bar once again. Photoshop has all of the basic tools you’ll ever need (crop, lasso, paintbrush, dodge, fill, magic wand, etc…) and a whole lot more that you probably won’t. The interface is well designed, and although a little daunting at first, things are logically designed and labeled.

Overall
Since this is, after all, image editing software, it only makes sense to have an example. Unfortunately, I no longer have the original files available, but they were just your average pictures of an amazing person – me, that is. These three images were created to be a fictional CD case, and for privacy reasons I had to edit out a part of each of them, but they still show off how drastically a simple picture of a person can change all through the powers of Photoshop – not that there’s a shortage of other things that could be done.
http://tinypic.com/fcuwpy.jpg (170K)

Filters
The filters are one of the best features of Photoshop, and everybody loves them. I’m a particular fan of playing with the lighting effects, but other than that, I try to give them all them a good workout. Except Color Halftone, that one just sucks. While the above image used numerous filters and other effects, the below image is a tiling of a desert scene, with each of the tiles having one or two different filters applied to it. The entire image took no longer than 5-10 minutes from a blank canvas to the final result. Try that in some other program.
http://tinypic.com/fcuyp3.jpg (80K)

Image Cleanup
I can’t overlook the reason we got Photoshop CS2, which was to clean up digital documents. The scanned files that give the biggest problems are from the '50s, where the acid in the paper has caused some nasty discolouration that is only highlighted once scanned. While the new advanced noise reduction filter does a great job of getting gunk out of digital photos, it’s of little-to-no use for fixing that. Therefore, I resorted to an older tool of Photoshop: Curves. Simply clicking the Set White Point icon and then clicking the colours on the document that you want to get rid of cleans it right up. That feature occasionally leads to problems with the grays on the document becoming very faint, but being able to make these documents not look like they’re 50 years old by the simple click of the mouse is spectacular.

The Simple Stuff
All these image editing programs out there always tote how great they are and how advanced they are, but in getting there they tend to make some very simple tasks into horrific journeys. That is not the case with Photoshop, where you can create images that’ll put the 10-year-old MS Paint user to shame. For instance, my regular user picture was created in Photoshop, despite many people thinking it came straight out of Paint by my non-existent offspring.


Speed & Stability
Photoshop is quick and can handle documents that are a few hundred megabytes with ease. CS2 has done a fair bit to speed things up even more, right up to the new file browser – Adobe Bridge. I wouldn’t call it anything to get excited about (unless you’re really into photography) and it still needs refinement, but it’s still a handier way of managing your images.

One thing that I’ve always loved about Photoshop is that it is one of the most stable programs I have ever used. I am pleased to say that tradition has apparently continued in the latest version. I cannot recall a single instance where Photoshop has frozen, crashed, or even given me so much as an error message. Considering just how complex this program is, it’s truly amazing that it seems to be almost entirely issue-free. In fact, it may be the least problematic computer program I have ever used, although I’m not sure that that’s saying much.


Understanding Photoshop
I learned nearly everything I know about Photoshop through years of trial and error. However, Photoshop has a huge following and there is no shortage of books and tutorials and courses and other information out there to help you speed up your progress. That may not seem like much, but sometimes even the simplest of things can turn out to be a little complex, and having all that information readily available helps prevent Mr. Aggravation from getting on your back. Adobe provides good information on how tools and features can be used in the user guide and help files, but the third party sources help you connect them all together and gets things rolling. Just keep in mind that learning the ins and outs of Photoshop will be a very long process that will test your patience at times, but eventually things start to come to you fairly naturally - although nobody will ever unleash the full potential of Photoshop.


To buy or not to buy?
CS2 does come in reasonably priced packages with other Adobe software, but on its own you’re looking at around a hefty $600. All things considered, that’s actually not a bad price for what you’re getting, but chances are you’ll never make use of more than $100 worth of what you’re getting. You’re a little better off buying it as a part of a package, such as Creative Suite 2, which is up at $900. You can (and should) download the free 30-day trial version from Adobe’s website if you have not used Photoshop before, all in an effort to help figure out if it’s really what you’re looking for.

If you already have an earlier version of Photoshop and are trying to figure out if the $150 upgrade is worthwhile, then I don’t know exactly what to tell you. It’s a case by case basis, and I don’t think many cases require the upgrade. Photoshop met the needs of most people many versions ago, and with each new version that comes out the added capabilities appeal to smaller and smaller groups of people. Unless you have a special need for one of the features new to CS2, there’s not much sense in making the upgrade.

Whether you have a version of Photoshop already or not, there’s not much point in getting CS2 unless you have a need for the new features, you’re not a penny pincher, or if somebody else is paying. You will save a little dough if you buy an older version, although generally nothing substantial. Also a possible advantage of going with an older version is that it is simpler, and therefore there are fewer things to confuse you, so if you’re new to Photoshop, newer isn’t necessarily better.

If you’re just looking for a good all-around image-editing program, Photoshop is undoubtedly a perfect choice. It’s got all of the basic functionality that you need plus a whole lot more in one stable package. The one and only con of any significance is the price, making it not all that appealing to the everyday person that just wants a little something to touch up their digital pictures. Alas, for that sort of person, going with a cheaper and simpler alternative like Paint Shop Pro, GIMP, or Fireworks is not a bad idea. I personally used Paint Shop Pro as an intermediary step between MS Paint and Photoshop, and it definitely helped in the transition. Once you feel comfortable taking your skills up a level, Photoshop is an excellent choice.

Photoshop CS2 is a five star program, but given its expense and the fact that previous versions are practically just as good from my standpoint, it’s only getting 3 stars. I only ever regularly use CS2 to do things I can do in 7.0, so I’m not going to upgrade my personal copy. And if I didn’t have any version of Photoshop, I’d look to buy an older and cheaper version. Photoshop CS2 is a great program, but one that’s just not really worth the cost over older versions.